I find my Old Type to not be aggressive, but more 'efficient' than say Tech's and my Merkur. A good sharp Rooskie blade, and a slight turn back of the handle to get the blade JUST off the comb bars.., perfect! 
Gillette Old-type?
- Thread starter Kyle Hyde
- Start date
Resurrected. I just shaved with a double ring Old Type (for the first time ever/and first time ever vintage) and my shave was impeccable. It gave me the one of the closest shaves to date with no issues.
Old Type FTW
I only recently acquired one and was surprised how mild it is compared to what I was expecting. A very nice efficient shaver! Only complaint is due to the shallow angle lining up the sideburns can be a bit trickier than with a NEW / Tech.
I only recently acquired one and was surprised how mild it is compared to what I was expecting. A very nice efficient shaver! Only complaint is due to the shallow angle lining up the sideburns can be a bit trickier than with a NEW / Tech.
Congrats on the OLD!Old Type FTW
I only recently acquired one and was surprised how mild it is compared to what I was expecting. A very nice efficient shaver! Only complaint is due to the shallow angle lining up the sideburns can be a bit trickier than with a NEW / Tech.
IME the OLD will cut at almost any angle you want to use. I've read post of people saying you nee to go very shallow, and saying it works best very steep. I just use no pressure and forget about angle altogether and it works great for me. Try to do your sideburns at a steep angle you may be surprised how well it works. I find it to be one of the best beard line razors ever made.
That's the problem, especially a few years ago when people started re-discovering DE razors. The sight of the teeth scared them into thinking they were going to chew their face off! I have several OLD types, and I think they're the best razor ever made. Great shave with almost any blade, very intuitive and user friendly.
Congrats on the OLD!
IME the OLD will cut at almost any angle you want to use. I've read post of people saying you nee to go very shallow, and saying it works best very steep. I just use no pressure and forget about angle altogether and it works great for me. Try to do your sideburns at a steep angle you may be surprised how well it works. I find it to be one of the best beard line razors ever made.
BINGO!!!
Check my sig line!
Thx for the advice guys, will give it a try the next time the Old is used
But I found Old Type works better for me with a heavier handle - when I tried to use it with a stock ball-end hollow handle, it gave me a couple of nicks and nasty razorburn.
With heavier handle, though, no problems.
I agree that a different handle does make it better. To me it's not as much needing weight as needing better balance. The hollow handle with a heavy ball at the end tips the balance the wrong way IMHO. If a razor is to handle heavy there is a tendency to add pressure. If the handle you're changing to is solid it will tip the weight to the head.
And I recommend staying under three inches for the same reason.
Absolutely, if the weight is hanging out on the wrong end of where you're holding the razor, it's just working against you.
And a 2018 post, to dredge it up again! For me, I used a Kai blade because it is thicker and stiffer, more like blades from the period for this razor. Make sure the blade edges are even before you tighten up; it can "travel" a bit on my bell tube single ring. A steeper angle works best for me (just me; not trying to start any trouble). In the end, certainly a bit closer shave than a New, IMHO, but not as smooth and comfortable. As always, YMMV.
Measure a Kai blade, it's 0.10mm, just like almost everything else, it is less flexible though.
Wow, this thread is spanning a few years lol.
Gillette OLD types and the Fatip family are all very rigid designs.
If you find a blade giving a tuggy and uncomfortable shave, try a different blade. My Fatip works best with Polsilver and Gillette Yellow.
Kai blades are .008" wider than most other DE blades and they do feel stiffer for some reason.
Gillette OLD types and the Fatip family are all very rigid designs.
If you find a blade giving a tuggy and uncomfortable shave, try a different blade. My Fatip works best with Polsilver and Gillette Yellow.
Kai blades are .008" wider than most other DE blades and they do feel stiffer for some reason.
Darn, spent the micrometer money on razors. Certainly the Kai blade is stiffer; it would seem to be the same effective difference although, hey, who's to say it makes a difference? Always fun to "mix and match" with the blade variables.
FYI Feather Blades are actually a teeny bit narrower than the standard DE Blade size, going blade edge to blade edge. If a standard blade is say around 24mm, the Feather is like 23.4 or something stupid like that, and the KAI just that teeny bit wider. One some razors, the difference is noticeable, on others, not so much.
Now I need to try a KAI in my Old Type. I've found that it doesn't shave quite as close as my Schone OC, New, or even my Rockwell. (Rocky is a conundrum, being very efficient, yet extremely mild at the same time). Will need to screw a heavier handle on and use a KAI blade, before giving up on it.
Now I need to try a KAI in my Old Type. I've found that it doesn't shave quite as close as my Schone OC, New, or even my Rockwell. (Rocky is a conundrum, being very efficient, yet extremely mild at the same time). Will need to screw a heavier handle on and use a KAI blade, before giving up on it.
Using a Kai in my Fatip was surprising. I didnt find them especially sharp and I needed 4 full passes directly ATG for the same BBS finish other blades give me in 1 1/2 passes. It was however one of the most comfortable and skin friendly shaves I've had. I found Kai blades very smooth with a lot of 'bare blade' feel. Much like Nacet but I found Nacet blades sharper.
Good info, cyberdog.
Two different types of "Old Types".
- Thin Cap = more aggressive
- Thick Cap = less aggressive
depends on which you have.
- Thin Cap = more aggressive
- Thick Cap = less aggressive
depends on which you have.
Similar threads
