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Favorite vintage safety razors?

I've been browsing eBay and have noticed a number of Gillette models (Fat Boy, Slim, P3, M3, SuperSpeed, Aristocrat, etc.). What are the virtues and drawbacks of the various models; why do love or not like any particular one, and what are the other notable manufacturers out there? Some of the Rhodium-plated ones look incredibly clean for their age. Pretty fascinating stuff, and I see potential for some AD.
 
I love the vintage Super Speeds and Techs. Most of them aren't expensive and give great shaves.
 
I have both a FatBoy (E-4) and Slim (J-4?) and they are both excellent shavers. They both shave similarly with the differences being minor. The FatBoy is a bit heavier so seems to go through heavier growth a bit easier. To my face they are darn near identical and would be happy restricted to only one of those.

OTOH, my face never got along with the Red Tip Superspeed.
 
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Just shaved with this for the first time and got a great shave! Still love my SS!
 
To keep this brief, I just want to say that with the adjustable razors (Fat Boy or Slim) you can get a mild shave at low setting or an aggressive shave on max... this helps concerning what kind of blade you are using... The virtue of these razors is their flexibility, it takes the place of several different kinds of non adjustable razors... one of these alone is sufficient for a lot of guys...

The Superspeed models are generally milder shavers, the exception being the Red Tip SS, a more aggressive razor....
These are well suited for a beginner, though there is no strict rule about this..... good thing is their cost is often cheaper....

Among the razors you listed, probably my favorite is my Fat Boy razor. It is in great condition and I use it often. Sometimes I set it on 5, or for a more aggressive shave up on 8 or 9.... it depends on the blade and the condition of the blade....
With a fresh sharp blade, a low setting is all it needs... for me.....

I hope this helps you a little bit!!!! Good luck!!!

John H.
 
To keep this brief, I just want to say that with the adjustable razors (Fat Boy or Slim) you can get a mild shave at low setting or an aggressive shave on max... this helps concerning what kind of blade you are using... The virtue of these razors is their flexibility, it takes the place of several different kinds of non adjustable razors... one of these alone is sufficient for a lot of guys...

The Superspeed models are generally milder shavers, the exception being the Red Tip SS, a more aggressive razor....
These are well suited for a beginner, though there is no strict rule about this..... good thing is their cost is often cheaper....

Among the razors you listed, probably my favorite is my Fat Boy razor. It is in great condition and I use it often. Sometimes I set it on 5, or for a more aggressive shave up on 8 or 9.... it depends on the blade and the condition of the blade....
With a fresh sharp blade, a low setting is all it needs... for me.....

I hope this helps you a little bit!!!! Good luck!!!

John H.

+1
 
My Red Tip Super Speed is my current favorite. It may be aggressive but if you apply zero pressure it won't bite.

$Razor 3.jpg
 

ChiefBroom

No tattoo mistakes!
Fat-handled Tech -- Great vintage razor to start DE shaving with. Very mild and forgiving but competent. I have my grandfather's that passed to me through my dad.

'58 TV Special -- I don't know why, I'm just fond of this razor.

British HD500 Rocket -- No frills but outstanding TTO razor. Efficient shaving tool.

British #58 -- same head geometry as the HD500, but more stylish. Great razor. Maybe slightly better handle feel and balance for me than the HD500.

British #21 -- In my opinion the high-water mark of Gillette razors. The best of all TTOs as far as I'm concerned. Slightly less mass than the #16, but I find it to be more efficient.

British #77/88 2-piece LC NEW -- Pivotal razor for me. The first OC I used that I liked. Use of TTOs dropped way off (to less than 5-10%) after my first shave with a #77/88

British Regent, all brass, ball-end, LC NEW -- I've use this razor at least 6 out of 7 days -- sometimes 19 out of 20 -- since first use. Picked mine up for about $12. I still think it's an ugly handle, but it just works for me. Perfect length, perfect balance, perfect range of angles, incredibly maneuverable, great feedback.

All of the above are Gillettes. I also have a couple of pre-WWII Rotbart OCs I enjoy and stir in occasionally.
 
Gillette New open comb (I prefer the British ones)

Gillette Tech (pre-war on order, have the post-war which isn't as close as the News for me which is probably my technique)
 
Out of all vintage razors, my favourite is the ItalianBarber bakelite slant. By far. It's my favourite razor of all. I recently picked up a backup one from eBay Germany (in case of breakage).

I also have some Schick injectors that shave well. The Type B1 is my favourite (that I own). It folds to a very compact shape, and carries up to 20 blades in a magazine inside its handle. The handle contains the entire injection mechanism which is pretty impressive. Finally, it's silver-plated so it can be polished to a high gloss.

As for Gillettes, the Red Tip is my favourite one. I did find that adding two shims to my Tech improved its feel immensely. But I think I still give the edge to the Red Tip. Besides these two, I've also tried a regular Super Speed, and a Fat Boy.

I'm often amazed to realize that I'm getting a better shave from a 70-year-old single-blade razor than the latest incarnation of multi-blade cartridge razor.
 
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The short comb New and Aristocrat Jr. are my favorites. An honorable mention to the Rocket HD as well. These three seem to just be the smoothest and easiest to use of the lot. They are smooth over a wider range of shaving angle and efficient without being harsh.
 

Legion

Staff member
The Gem SE razors give a great shave with the right blade.

Personally, on the days I don't use a straight I use a Gillette Rocket HD. It just has the right amount of weight, aggression, style for me.
 
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