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Vintage Gillette Tech vs Gillette Licenced Stirling Tech

fast shaver

fast shaver

There are only 3 Licensed Gillette Techs that I am aware of. The new Techs are the Rubie from Russia, the Gillette Stirling from India & another licensed version from China. I will be comparing the Original Gillette Tech vs The Stirling Tech from India. I will be using brand new Derby blades in each along with the same Italian Barber shave soap. Shave one with the Original Tech was smooth with a one day beard growth & no nicks. The next days shave was with the Indian licensed Stirling Tech. The results were exactly the same IMO. Both were smooth & no nicks on my normal medium beard. My opinion is that there is no need searching the Bay for an original Tech When the Stirling Tech will do the same job. I would guess the Rubie & the Chinese version would be the same also.
 
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nuclearblast

nuclearblast

I'm not sure and I haven't used any of the currently manufactured Techs, but I think they're all based on the later '60s and '70s Techs with faceted Zamak caps?

YMMV, but IMHO earlier Techs are better shavers.
 
fast shaver

fast shaver

I think all the middle of the road razors use Zamak heads including Merkur, EJ & Muhle. If there was a big problem using Zamak I am sure they would switch to something else.
 
adamchur

adamchur

fast shaver said:
There are only 3 Licensed Gillette Techs that I am aware of. The new Techs are the Rubie from Russia, the Gillette Stirling from India & another licensed version from China. I will be comparing the Original Gillette Tech vs The Stirling Tech from India. I will be using brand new Derby blades in each along with the same Italian Barber shave soap. Shave one with the Original Tech was smooth with a one day beard growth & no nicks. The next days shave was with the Indian licensed Stirling Tech. The results were exactly the same IMO. Both were smooth & no nicks on my normal medium beard. My opinion is that there is no need searching the Bay for an original Tech When the Stirling Tech will do the same job. I would guess the Rubie & the Chinese version would be the same also.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure if it's licensed from Gillette, but the Rapira Platinum Lux razor is virtually identical to the Rubie and Stirling razors.
I use one in my rotation and it's a bit on the aggressive side, but I get some very good shaves.
Personal preference, but I took the plastic handle off and replaced it with a knurled metal handle from a Boctok razor (cheap Chinese razor packaged for the Russian market)
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proxy.php
 
M

merchantj

I have the Chinese Gillette Super Blue razor. The head looks identical to my 66 ballend Tech however the threads are not standard. My Edwin Jagger and Parker handles do not fit it. It may even be slightly milder. I usually use a shim in it.
 
jruschme

jruschme

merchantj said:
I have the Chinese Gillette Super Blue razor. The head looks identical to my 66 ballend Tech however the threads are not standard. My Edwin Jagger and Parker handles do not fit it. It may even be slightly milder. I usually use a shim in it.
Click to expand...
Interesting... I have one of the Chinese Gillette Super Blue razors also and use it with a spare handle from a Fat Handle Tech.
 
jruschme

jruschme

fast shaver said:
My opinion is that there is no need searching the Bay for an original Tech When the Stirling Tech will do the same job. I would guess the Rubie & the Chinese version would be the same also.
Click to expand...

I think this is definitely a YMMV situation. The Sterling/Rubie/SuperBlue razor definitely seems to be a continuation/evolution of the last generation of Zamac Tech from the mid-60s onward. Except for the handle, it should be equivalent to the travel Tech razors which many people seem to like.

That said, there is a lot going for the older Tech razors in terms of weight and an overall sense of solidity.

Personally, I like the Sterling and keep one as my travel razor. Amidst all the hoopla over the possibility of a reissued Tech from AoS, I would love to see Gillette produce a blister-packed Sterling with a Platinum Plus blade for the US market and sell it for, say, $5.99.
 
fast shaver

fast shaver

merchantj said:
I have the Chinese Gillette Super Blue razor. The head looks identical to my 66 ballend Tech however the threads are not standard. My Edwin Jagger and Parker handles do not fit it. It may even be slightly milder. I usually use a shim in it.
Click to expand...


The threads are 10x32 if that helps.
 
fast shaver

fast shaver

I shaved today with the Original Gillette Tech Razor using a GSB blade. I got a DFS & very little neck irritation. The GSB blade was smooth & no nicks. I will use the same blade tomorrow or Sunday with the Sterling Tech to see how each razor compares with the Gillette Silver Blue blade.
 
Cash_Stronomer

Cash_Stronomer

I have the Rubie version and love it! In fact I'll be digging it out for next week as it's been awhile. My second favorite is the Lord Tech, also terrific and a touch more efficient. I have the Rapira Tech as well, but that thing will certainly bite ya if your not careful!
 
StraightStraights

StraightStraights

I go vintage whenever I can. In fact, at this moment I don't own a single modern razor. I just find the vintage razors overall to be of much higher quality for a similar value. In my opinion, there's no need to search for a cheap modern DE when quality vintage ones are abundant and almost always a better value overall. :thumbup:
 
fast shaver

fast shaver

The Stirling Tech did a fine job today with the GSB blade. Same as the vintage tech & both were smooth & nick free. Its hard choice between the Original Tech & the Stirling Tech as I don't see much difference here. Going to try a Treet Platinum in each over the next few days. I will report back my findings.
 
fast shaver

fast shaver

I shaved today with the Original Gillette Tech with a Treet Platinum blade. This shave blew me away with the smooth close shave & was close To the GSB blade IMO. I will keep a log to see how many shaves I get with each blade. Tomorrow I will use the same Treet blade in my Gillette Stirling Razor so, stay tuned..!
 
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