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Favorite vintage safety razors?

Brit long comb New for its simple good looks and effectiveness. You really know you've got a very sharp blade at your throat, yet handled right it gives a very close shave without cuts or irritation. Also they're pretty cheap compared with adjustables or Aristos.
 
My favorite razor is my Antique Store Find 1959 Gillette Fat Boy that I found cased and very dirty. As you can see, it was indeed a buried treasure.


I also have a vintage British Rocket HUD on it's way and will post pictures of that when it arrives. I find that the vintage Gillettes are the very best is razors on the planet.

YMMV,

Frank
 
Gents, I thank you very much for this wealth of information, especially to Chief Bromden for what will probably become a completely welcome AD.

Frank, the Fat Boy is gorgeous - how did you clean it? Another question about the Fat Boy - were they marketed in 1958? The reason I ask is that I've seen plenty of 59s on eBay and no 58s and would kind of like to have at least one razor that is of the same vintage as my face.
 
For me any of the pre WWII Gillettes. My New with a Bar handle is very smooth. My 1920 single ring gives me the closest shave but I really need to have a light touch and good technique. My post 1921 Old type also shaves very close but is mellow compared to the single ring.

I do have a post war tech (1946-1950). This is a very mild razor but good for when I am in a hurry. The best I have ever gotten out of it is a close comfortable shave.
 

ChiefBroom

No tattoo mistakes!
My 1920 single ring gives me the closest shave but I really need to have a light touch and good technique. My post 1921 Old type also shaves very close but is mellow compared to the single ring.

That's interesting. I tried a couple of Old Types fairly early on and decided they weren't for me. Maybe I need to try just one more.
 

ChiefBroom

No tattoo mistakes!
Have you used it with a sharp blade like a Feather?

I'm a Fat-handled Tech fan, but I don't remember having got an uber-close and comfortable shave from one using Feathers. When I used to try to get a BBS shave with a mild razor, I usually ended up with weepers from too much polishing.

I found there is a sweet spot for me between too little blade exposure and too much. With too little, which often means poor lather clearance, I tend to lose a sense of the blade's contact with my skin and polish excessively resulting in irritation. With too much, I get nicks (especially around some old scars between my lower lip and chin) and have to be over-cautious at the expense of fluidity.

When I was learning, Techs were great for recovery days, but not for BBS. But mileage undoubtedly varies.
 
That's a tough question. I would have to say my Fat Boy or Slim Adjustable with Feather blades. BTW, the Fat Boy was made from 1958 - 1961.
 
I love getting the BBS. The only Gillett razors which I have tried and that give me the consistent shave that I'm looking for are the "New" open comb, the Super Adjustable and the Slim Adjustable. I'm sure the other adjustables would do the job, I just don't have any others. But if I could only have one Gillette I'm not so sure that it wouldn't be the Fat-handle "New". I find that the "New" with Personna Reds gives me consistent BBS results.
 
My favorite over time has become my Gillette 1970 L1 Super-Speed a got for Christmas in 1970. I have used many Gillette, Schick and even a few Gem razors and this one I still use most of the time and it gives me a great shave.

I have just bought a Merkur HD 34C recently. My first shave with it was abysmal but once I put my blade of choice, Astra SP, in it has been shaving
(singing) really nice. Time will tell if it becomes my favorite ?

$Gillette L1 1970 Super-Speed - Copy.jpg
 
That's interesting. I tried a couple of Old Types fairly early on and decided they weren't for me. Maybe I need to try just one more.

My single ring has a thinner top and bottom plate than my old type does. This seems to make it shave closer than the old type.
 
Gents, I thank you very much for this wealth of information, especially to Chief Bromden for what will probably become a completely welcome AD.

Frank, the Fat Boy is gorgeous - how did you clean it? Another question about the Fat Boy - were they marketed in 1958? The reason I ask is that I've seen plenty of 59s on eBay and no 58s and would kind of like to have at least one razor that is of the same vintage as my face.

The first Fat Boy prototype was made in 1958 (D1) so, I doubt that there is a 1957 or older Fat Boy out there. Prior to cleaning, my Fat Boy was disinfected using Clippercide spray. As far as cleaning, everyone has different methods but, the razor that I have shown was cleaned by soaking the entire razor in a solution of 2 parts Simple Green to 1 part very warm (not boiling!) water. The razor soaked for about 30 minutes and then I used an old tooth brush to scrub of the hard to reach areas.

The tops of the doors were hand polished with just a dab of Flitz polish and then the razor was ready to go. To maintain the shine, I simply spray it (and all my razors) with Scrubbing Bubbles every so often and then rinse and wipe and we're done.

Frank
 
Some of the Rhodium-plated ones look incredibly clean for their age.

I may be wrong, but I'd think that anything in Rhodium has been replated...so they should look clean if not perfect.

As for me, it's a '57 Tech, a '59 Fatboy and my favorite, an M2 Slim (my birthday razor).
 

ChiefBroom

No tattoo mistakes!
I may be wrong, but I'd think that anything in Rhodium has been replated...so they should look clean if not perfect.

The US Gillette Executive (non-adjustible, TTO) was originally plated in Rhodium, as were, I believe, the British Gillette Aristocrat Model ## 66, 16, and 21. There may have been others as well. I think only the handle was plated in Rhodium on the #66. And it's hard to find a perfect #21 as they're prone to developing flea bites.
 
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