What is a moderately aggressive vintage razor?

I was wondering what vintage razors out there are moderately aggressive razors. By moderately aggressive I'm thinking more aggressive than a Tech, Super Speed, EJ DE89 but less aggressive than Fatip OC or a Cadet OC or maybe just short of the aggressiveness of a slant.

Gillette New

There is only one answer: Gillette NEW.

Fatboy around 7

Is there a difference in the aggressiveness between a long and a short comb New? I've never had the pleasure of shaving with a New. Is one generally preferred over the other?

mikelz777 said:

Is there a difference in the aggressiveness between a long and a short comb New? I've never had the pleasure of shaving with a New. Is one generally preferred over the other?

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The general consensus seems to be that the SC is slightly more forgiving, but usually people love them both. They are both highly regarded by everyone.

Is there some kind of visual guide to the old Gillette open combs? I just started looking into it and I don't think I want to rely on Ebay for accurate information. Old type, new type, Bostonian, Big Fellow, The New, short comb, long comb, gold finish, silver finish, ball end handle, blunt end handle, ring handle.... I don't know where to begin looking or what to look for.

mikelz777 said:

Is there some kind of visual guide to the old Gillette open combs?

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mr-razor(linked). Watch out for the New Standard/New Improved, that's a bit aggressive.

I'll just echo what everyone else is saying. Gillette NEW. I would say I typically prefer a mild razor and while certainly not mild, I love my NEW.

The link above was very helpful and I now see that there are a lot of different manifestations of the New. Which manifestation of the New would you recommend? Are they generally affordable or reasonably priced? Are News in good shape hard to come by?

mikelz777 said:

Is there some kind of visual guide to the old Gillette open combs? I just started looking into it and I don't think I want to rely on Ebay for accurate information. Old type, new type, Bostonian, Big Fellow, The New, short comb, long comb, gold finish, silver finish, ball end handle, blunt end handle, ring handle.... I don't know where to begin looking or what to look for.

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Did someone ask for a visual guide? Yes, I know it is a bit biased in favor of one type of razor ...
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showth...r-favorite-Gillette-NEW?p=5373213#post5373213

Another vote here for the Gillette NEW. I haven't tried the SC, but I have 2 LCs, and they are very nice. The LCs are more abundant than the SCs (from what I've heard, at least). I picked up a really nice LC on the B/S/T, for $15, not long ago. The prices on eBay are a bit more than that, if I recall correctly.

BTW, when someone refers to the "Gillette NEW" ("NEW" in all caps), they are referring to either the NEW LC or NEW SC (2 specific razors). The "New Standard," "New Improved," "New Deluxe" are different razors, and are generally referred to with "New" not in all caps. Please, someone correct me if I am misspeaking or oversimplifying.

Red Tip or Gillette New is what you want

+1 for this.

zygalski said:

Red Tip or Gillette New is what you want

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Peter_A said:

BTW, when someone refers to the "Gillette NEW" ("NEW" in all caps), they are referring to either the NEW LC or NEW SC (2 specific razors). The "New Standard," "New Improved," "New Deluxe" are different razors, and are generally referred to with "New" not in all caps. Please, someone correct me if I am misspeaking or oversimplifying.

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Just a small detail, Peter. The NEW Deluxe ( see what I did there? ) is part of the NEW family.

I agree with the rest though, the New Standard is the name of a New Improved set. The New Improved only has one type of head, and when you say Bostonian, New Standard or Richwood for example, the razor is the same,only different cases AFAIK.

mikelz777 said:

I was wondering what vintage razors out there are moderately aggressive razors. By moderately aggressive I'm thinking more aggressive than a Tech, Super Speed, EJ DE89 but less aggressive than Fatip OC or a Cadet OC or maybe just short of the aggressiveness of a slant.

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Any of the 2- or 3-piece Gillette OCs will fit this bill, and the responses here indicate the popular choice. Other Gillette options include a Fatboy dialed up, Sheraton/Senator, No. 15 Aristocrat, and Aristocrats #16 and 21. The Leresche OC razors from France are a little more aggressive than the razors you mention and are very smooth shavers (one of my personal favorites).

News also were sold as Goodwills, but be careful if you shop for Goodwills: some are really Old Types, which are more aggressive than News (by a fairly wide margin). Good advice in this thread!

I've read that the ball end type handles very commonly have cracks in them. Is it a good idea in general to avoid them unless I can see the razor in person?

mikelz777 said:

I've read that the ball end type handles very commonly have cracks in them. Is it a good idea in general to avoid them unless I can see the razor in person?

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Yes, the cracks are common, but most of the time they're tiny and won't affect anything, the razor will still tighten properly.
Usually the bar handles are not as prone to cracking, so you may want to get one of those.

The ball end handles are more substantial than the bar end handles, so that might affect your decision. Personally, I would take a ball end handle with some small cracks over a pristine bar end, but that's just me, and YMMV.