I recently acquired some vintage Gillette DE's (a 1950 Super Speed, a '38 - '45 Fat Handle Tech and a '21 - '28 Old Type Set) after using a Merkur 33C Classic for almost 10 years and a Gillette Diplomat for a few months. I also have a Gillette NEW type on the way. I've, of course, been through a ton of different blades and have gravitated to a random choice between Feather Hi-Stainless and Astra Superior Platinum blades.
A year or so after I started DE shaving back around 2006 my grandfather gave me his old Gillette Diplomat which he hadn't used in years. I tried it, but, being green and used to my Merkur 33C, I found it to be far too mild and not satisfactory. But, my 33C has developed chipped corners in the base plate, somehow (possibly due to accidental drops over the years during cleaning) and so I had decided to try, again, my Diplomat and found it to be very mild, but effective, more so than in my previous trials, possibly due to my blade choices, now or improved technique. This led me to thinking about trying different razors so I decided to do some research on B&B and found some new-to-me, vintage razors.
I tried the 1950 Super Speed and it was a pretty good shave, possibly closer than my Diplomat, but this morning I went for the gold (pun intended) and picked up the Old Type which I recently acquired off the bay. It's got a ball-end handle and appears to me as to have never been used. The set was a gift from a bank and has the bank's name etched into the top and what I believe to be the original blades are still in the set. This is my first open-comb shave and I have to say I'm very impressed. It's the closest shave I've ever had without having to go back to touch up to the point of blood loss. And all this with a 3-day old Astra blade. I don't know why I took the risk of shaving with an unfamiliar razor with an old blade, but it worked out much better than I had imagined. I really thought I would have been spilling blood, but not a drop. I also run an alum block over my face after a shave and rinse and then follow up with witch hazel on a cotton pad and I always have some resistance, but today - none, my face was smooth as glass.
I can't wait for my NEW type, but I don't know that it can top this shave!
A year or so after I started DE shaving back around 2006 my grandfather gave me his old Gillette Diplomat which he hadn't used in years. I tried it, but, being green and used to my Merkur 33C, I found it to be far too mild and not satisfactory. But, my 33C has developed chipped corners in the base plate, somehow (possibly due to accidental drops over the years during cleaning) and so I had decided to try, again, my Diplomat and found it to be very mild, but effective, more so than in my previous trials, possibly due to my blade choices, now or improved technique. This led me to thinking about trying different razors so I decided to do some research on B&B and found some new-to-me, vintage razors.
I tried the 1950 Super Speed and it was a pretty good shave, possibly closer than my Diplomat, but this morning I went for the gold (pun intended) and picked up the Old Type which I recently acquired off the bay. It's got a ball-end handle and appears to me as to have never been used. The set was a gift from a bank and has the bank's name etched into the top and what I believe to be the original blades are still in the set. This is my first open-comb shave and I have to say I'm very impressed. It's the closest shave I've ever had without having to go back to touch up to the point of blood loss. And all this with a 3-day old Astra blade. I don't know why I took the risk of shaving with an unfamiliar razor with an old blade, but it worked out much better than I had imagined. I really thought I would have been spilling blood, but not a drop. I also run an alum block over my face after a shave and rinse and then follow up with witch hazel on a cotton pad and I always have some resistance, but today - none, my face was smooth as glass.
I can't wait for my NEW type, but I don't know that it can top this shave!
