Thanks to OP for starting this thread. The Segal is vastly underrated razor. As several people have commented, they make great shavers. Modifying a blade is hard the first time, but it gets easier and easier the more you do it. Check out YouTube for directions.
On the question of whether or not plating makes a razor a different model, I think it depends. I have a G3 Slim and a G3 Aristocrat that are identical in every way other than the plating. Are they the same? Gillette didn't think so in 1961. The marketing, price, and packaging were all vastly different.
The Senator and Sheraton debate is easy: the two razors are not the same. Other than plating, there are subtle differences in design and performance.
On the question of whether or not plating makes a razor a different model, I think it depends. I have a G3 Slim and a G3 Aristocrat that are identical in every way other than the plating. Are they the same? Gillette didn't think so in 1961. The marketing, price, and packaging were all vastly different.
The Senator and Sheraton debate is easy: the two razors are not the same. Other than plating, there are subtle differences in design and performance.