Which Razor to Buy?

[jcwit]

Quick, easy question presented to those of you who have more knowledge.

I'm looking at purchasing a vintage Gillette razor to use:
Should I buy a Gillette Super Speed
or a Gillette Slim Adjustable?

This would be purchased as a daily use shaver.

A Gillette Fat Boy is out of the question because of the collector value and pricing.

Thanks for any suggestions.

[inspiringK]

If those are your only two options, I would always choose the Slim.

Naturally I have other suggestions, but since you want to keep this simple, I am sure that you will enjoy the Slim

[tontovila]

If you want vintage, and don't want the crazy price.

Gillette NEW.

The open comb works beautifully, it feels nice and solid, and it gives a great shave.


OOOOORRRRR.

Ever think of a SE?

IMO you can't beat a micromatic.

[jcwit]

If those are your only two options, I would always choose the Slim.

Naturally I have other suggestions, but since you want to keep this simple, I am sure that you will enjoy the Slim

Elaborate please as to other suggestions.

[Codfish]

If you're relatively new to wet shaving, I would recommend the Slim. Early on, I bought a Super Speed, and was disappointed with the shave. A Slim Adjustable gives you a full range of settings--from mild to aggressive--and it will let you find your preferences more easily. You can start with a mild setting (like a 2), and then move up or down the dial as you see fit. Give it at least three shaves at each setting (changing to a new blade before each new setting).

The Slim is manoeverable and easy to shave with, and will help you find the degree of aggressiveness you prefer.

Best of luck!

Codfish

[Blaser0217]

I've shaved with a Gillette Red Tip, Old Type, New, Tech, Slim and Super Adjustable, and I think the Slim might be my favorite . . . right now. I've found there are things about each of them I like. The exception is the Super. The handle is too long for me. I'm either going to talk SWMBO into using it, or it'll be PIF'd. But I digress.

If you're looking for just one razor, I'd say the Slim, but you can pick up many of the other vintage Gillettes relatively inexpensively, and I think you owe it to yourself to try one open comb variety. GOOD LUCK!!

[Dalejr]

I would also get the Slim, or a Super Ajustable (pretty much the same).

[Occam's New DE]

Slim. Very forgiving and you can just dial it up for a closer shave staying with WTG passes until you technique improves to XTG and ATG passes. Also great way to work on XTG and ATG passes on low settings. One of my favorite razors (EJ89L is up there too).
I just found my SS too rough in my inexperienced hands.

[inspiringK]

Elaborate please as to other suggestions.

I enjoy vintage razors, but also appreciate that new ones are high quality performers that don't have any of the potential wear or misalignment issues that could creep up with a vintage. Both Edwin Jagger and Merkur make some really nice razors for under $40 (about $32 - $45) for some of the more popular options from these manufacturers.

Your idea of a Slim is great, but those can range in price from $20 to $40 and more. Vintage razors take some buyer awareness and are just a little more complicated than buying new (dealing with a seller from the Bay vs a reputable vendor for instance).

On the other hand, it seems like buying multiple razors is the norm, so you may always get to try both vintage and new. Have a glance at the Reviews section on B&B and enjoy the razor buying experience (whichever way you go, it is tough to make a 'bad' choice).

[Cheesehead Transplant]

Gillette Tech is also a good razor. It's a forgiving razor and gives a good shave with a very sharp blade. They can, usually, be purchased for a fairly reasonable price.

[GDCarrington]

The Slim provides a variety of settings to allow you to experiment with various blade combinations with one razor. This is my go to razor due to its slimmer head (hence the name) which allows for greater maneuverability around various areas which helps with things such as head shaving.

Of the DE razors I have here is my preference.

1. Slim
2. Sheraton/Senator
3. Krona
4. Fatboy
5. Tech* (Silver Star)

But any of these is a good choice so you can't lose.

Good fortune in your selection.

[California Cajun]

Quick, easy question presented to those of you who have more knowledge.

I'm looking at purchasing a vintage Gillette razor to use:
Should I buy a Gillette Super Speed
or a Gillette Slim Adjustable?

This would be purchased as a daily use shaver.

A Gillette Fat Boy is out of the question because of the collector value and pricing.

Thanks for any suggestions.

The SuperSpeed is a little too mild for me, but I can get an outstanding shave from it. The adjustable lets you experiment with various stages of aggressiveness.

You can get a Fat Boy for a good price. I found one here a few months ago for $30 on B/S/T and it was in great shape. The Slim as far as I'm concerned is more or less the same thing as the Fat Boy.

Personally I like the Merkur razors better because they are more aggressive.

[Stroker]

If you only have one razor, the Gillette Slim Adjustable is the one to have.
It's a great shaving razor, will last forever and, it can be adjusted to suite any level of shaving aggressiveness you may want. It's really hard to beat.

[WrenNH]

I prefer my 40's Superspeed to both my Merkur 180 and my Slim Adjustable. Just a matter of preference, I guess.

I don't think you'd go wrong with either one, but the Slim might be a better choice if you're brand new to this.

[Go West Young Man]

Slim and Super are po-tay-to poh-tah-to.

[skvinson]

If you're relatively new to wet shaving, I would recommend the Slim. Early on, I bought a Super Speed, and was disappointed with the shave. A Slim Adjustable gives you a full range of settings--from mild to aggressive--and it will let you find your preferences more easily. You can start with a mild setting (like a 2), and then move up or down the dial as you see fit. Give it at least three shaves at each setting (changing to a new blade before each new setting).

The Slim is manoeverable and easy to shave with, and will help you find the degree of aggressiveness you prefer.

Best of luck!

Codfish

Everything that he said... I have both. Would always choose the slim if I had to have just one. Besides the adjustability, it has a longer handle, which I really like.

[jetboy]

My first DE was a Slim because of the adjustability. Not that you want to change it all of the time, but once you have a decent amount of experience at one setting, it is nice to be able to work on your technique with other settings.

Ultimately it won't matter thought, because you will buy others.

- Doug

[LouieGrandie]

This would be purchased as a daily use shaver.

A Gillette Fat Boy is out of the question because of the collector value and pricing.

Thanks for any suggestions.

Really? I purchased a Fat Boy on Ebay for a decent price, I think it was around $35 and use it a lot. The Merkur Progress I have cost twice as much.

[bassmanlarry]

If I was going to have just one of those, it would be the slim.

[Sir Ronald]

Definitely the Slim. Super Speeds are too mild