Singing the Gillette Single Ring Old Type Blues.

David,

Sounds like you are starting to get it dialed in. I tried to get some pics last night of my New Improved blade gaps fully tightened and backed off but they did not turn out so good. Ha. All I know that it worked for me in this case and it sounds like it helped on yours as well. The OTs are great shavers and will always have a place in my rotation.

Once you get it dailed in you should be set. I just can not use any open comb razor with out donating blood.

I find the Single rings vary in aggression from one to another, when the blades fully tightened down. Some the blade touches the comb and others there's a gap.
The milder ones I just very slightly slacken the knob tension to allow the blade rise from the comb a little. I'm only talking of a tiny fraction turn on the knob.
Some also have the 'frown' mentioned here.
It took me a long while to master the technique with the old types. Shallowest angle possible, blade flat to the face. A light touch and short strokes.
One of the few razors I can get BBS without too many touch ups.

I have nothing too add, But want too say thank you for a very insightful post !, I have several OT's that I much favor over the others and now I think I know why, I'm gonna take a few hours tomorrow and load'em up and see who smiles back , I'm betting I'm most partial to the ones with no emotion, thanks again!

wbyonder said:

I have nothing too add, But want too say thank you for a very insightful post !, I have several OT's that I much favor over the others and now I think I know why, I'm gonna take a few hours tomorrow and load'em up and see who smiles back , I'm betting I'm most partial to the ones with no emotion, thanks again!

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You are welcome. Be sure to experiment with shim(s) and adjustments. These may straighten your smiles and frowns!

What angle have you been using, David?

Edgar, interesting question.

Old Types have very thin teeth vs other open comb razors Ive used. I dare say OCs have the among the thinnest teeth of all OCs. That said, I find it difficult with Old Types to feel the "guard" of teeth against my face before the blade angle is so steep it scrapes uncomfortabky. I think this is what makes it difficult for me to maintain consistent angle because by the time i feel the teeth against my face, i know I've gone way too "steep" with my angle and the shave is rough. In a way, its almost as if the teeth on Old Types are not there.

So to answer your question, I dont know what angle I am using yet. Im still working on finding the sweet spot.

cpacamper said:

So to answer your question, I dont know what angle I am using yet. Im still working on finding the sweet spot.

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Yup, it's all about figuring out what works for you, David.

FWIW, I prefer a fairly steep angle. Obviously not R41 steep (you know what I mean), but fairly steep, especially compared to other OC razors such as the NEW or New Improved. With these I prefer shallow angles, they don't have enough blade exposure to allow steep angles anyway.

The Single Rings OTOH, provide very close and irritation free shaves using a steep angle, IME.

Keep experimenting, I'm sure you'll find the sweet spot!

Thanks Edgar. Like I said in a previous post, this is a fun learning process. I just wish I could spend as much time shaving as I do thinking about shaving!

cpacamper said:

I just wish I could spend as much time shaving as I do thinking about shaving!

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Hey Fellas,

On the topic of shims, is the shim between the blade and comb, or blade and cap? I've shimmed between the blade and comb on different razors, but as of yet, I haven't tried shimming my single ring.

armybuck041 said:

Hey Fellas,

On the topic of shims, is the shim between the blade and comb, or blade and cap? I've shimmed between the blade and comb on different razors, but as of yet, I haven't tried shimming my single ring.

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Between the blade and the baseplate, that'll increase blade gap and consequently the exposure, which will make the razor more efficient/aggressive.

Shaved today with a double shimmed Single Ring, great shave. Two passes resulted in an effortless DFS+.

nuclearblast said:

Between the blade and the baseplate, that'll increase blade gap and consequently the exposure, which will make the razor more efficient/aggressive.

Shaved today with a double shimmed Single Ring, great shave. Two passes resulted in an effortless DFS+.

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I'll have to give this a go tomorrow morning. Time to find the "good" scissors