Your Gillette Super Thin blades pictures here are not vintage blades. Those are current production; I believe out of Vietnam. I have tried a couple of them in the past, and found them to be very good quality blades.
Gillette Blue Blades - To use or not to use
- Thread starter adambrs28
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Your Gillette Super Thin blades pictures here are not vintage blades. Those are current production; I believe out of Vietnam. I have tried a couple of them in the past, and found them to be very good quality blades.
Those of us who are old enough to have shaved with Blue Blades may remember why many of us shifted over to Wilkerson blades when they came out. I don't remember *exactly* what blues were like, but I'm pretty confident that they were nothing to write home about.
Wilkerson technology clearly eroded Gillette's market share, and through the mid-60s the handwriting was on the wall. Gillette moved to develop cartridge technology in the late 1960s (horray for patent protection!) and the rest is history.
The resurgence of DE shaving would not be possible today without the evolution of coated blade stainless technology in the interim. DE shaving today (IMHO) is a *system* that brings an incredible array of creams and soaps together with an extraordinary assemblage of brushes and lots of razors. And we can get this stuff easily (i.e. the intertoobs).
I wouldn't wish to discourage anyone wanting to try NOS Blue Blades, but I won't be joining you. I remember too well the satisfaction of moving to Wilkerson blades in the 1960s.
Wilkerson technology clearly eroded Gillette's market share, and through the mid-60s the handwriting was on the wall. Gillette moved to develop cartridge technology in the late 1960s (horray for patent protection!) and the rest is history.
The resurgence of DE shaving would not be possible today without the evolution of coated blade stainless technology in the interim. DE shaving today (IMHO) is a *system* that brings an incredible array of creams and soaps together with an extraordinary assemblage of brushes and lots of razors. And we can get this stuff easily (i.e. the intertoobs).
I wouldn't wish to discourage anyone wanting to try NOS Blue Blades, but I won't be joining you. I remember too well the satisfaction of moving to Wilkerson blades in the 1960s.
My bad. Wilkinson. Shows you what happens when I think faster than I can spell.
I don't know if anyone could possibly be around who shaved with Gillette blades in the 1920s and who transitioned into the newer technology in the 1930s. Blade thickness, design, and manufacturing changed a whole lot in a rather brief span of time. I'm wondering how that was experienced by those who lived through it?
I don't know if anyone could possibly be around who shaved with Gillette blades in the 1920s and who transitioned into the newer technology in the 1930s. Blade thickness, design, and manufacturing changed a whole lot in a rather brief span of time. I'm wondering how that was experienced by those who lived through it?
i tried an old blue i got once and it was like using a blade i found in the trash and tried to get one more shave out of it,dont know why they dulled up after sitting the one i tried did though,it convinced me not to try that again
Just to put my two cents in, I've shaved with Blue Blades before, and I didn't bleed a bit. I do have a pretty good prep though, and I did use a Gillette ball-end razor that was my grandfathers. It has a steeper blade angle. Maybe that made the difference, but again I shave with a Valet using original blades as my normal shaver...
You're a bunch of babys. yesterday i shaved with a 1945 gillette super thin (brown blade marked P3) to the very young,on a ball end tech(1951) .Smooth as silk, no pull, no tug,no flags ,no foul.
Thats the blade I learned to shave on. Last time I shaved with this type of blade was 1963 (I was 15)For what its worth ,my beard is as thick as a enghlish hedge.
Reach you're own conclusions
Thats the blade I learned to shave on. Last time I shaved with this type of blade was 1963 (I was 15)For what its worth ,my beard is as thick as a enghlish hedge.
Reach you're own conclusions
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I enjoy using vintage razors and blades. I recommend investing in a DE Hone and Strop. Today I decided to unwrap a Virgin Gillette Blue Blade, which was rather thick bodied, and nestled it into my NOS E1 Fatboy I just Recieved, and.....YEOWWWW! It was Duller than aw git out! I then removed the blade, stropped it for a few seconds each side in succesession on my Colonial Club Razorblade Stropper, followed by a few light rotations on my Bon-Her Razor Blade Black Glass Sharpener, which I use for a finishing hone, and OOOLALA! A very baby smooth shave to my face and head ensued! I enjoy being nostalgic. Back in the day there was no Disposable, so keeping a keen edge was essential. Today it economical and Green even! Lol!
I had three shaves with a '42 Blue Blade earlier this week. It was pretty darn good, I thought. The old carbons tug a little in the early passes, but they're not exactly rough, and they'll do a good job if you're patient. They delivered many billions of shaves back in their heyday, so any reasonably skilled shaver should be able to make them perform without calamity.
If anyone wants to experience what it's like to shave with a blued carbon steel blade without the risk of oxidation from age, you can purchase these. They're one of my favorites and with proper care, hold their edge longer than most stainless steel blades.
http://www.shoeboxshaveshop.com/treet-black-beauty.html
http://www.shoeboxshaveshop.com/treet-black-beauty.html
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