I just received my gillette super adjustable from 1974 revamped and I plan on using it for my daily shave tomorrow morning. So far I seem to prefer mild razors with sharper blades because I have sensitive acne prone skin, I seem to easily get ingrown hairs, and I am pretty sure I have mild folliculitis although I prefer to be clean shaven besides my mustache. My three go to razors right now are the henson al13 mild. The merkur 34c, and the PAA quantum using the Omega plate. I do also have the rockwell 6S but my face kind of gets a little raw if I use it on the 2 or 3 plate and the next time I plan on using it on the 1 plate for a mild shave with possibly a sharp and efficient razor blade. Although I prefer sharper blades on a mild razor I am in the process of trying a bunch of different blades from a sample pack and tucks that I have purchased. If anyone has extensive experience with the super adjustable and has similar skin problems/conditions and can give me any pointers that would be wonderful. Thank you in advance.
Gillette Super adjustable 84mm tips?
- Thread starter Odinarcade00
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Pick a blade and setting and use it, then make adjustments in blade choice and or settings from there. That is the only way you’re going to find what works for you.
Congrats. Set on 3 or 4 with a favorite blade will get you in the ballpark. Then maybe go up or down and enjoy!
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- #4
well i kind of figured that much. I was just wondering if anyone could compare it to any of the razors I mentioned above so that I could get a mild an efficient shave without getting razor burn and what not. I tend to gravitate toward mild razors. Im wondering if the 1 setting is too mild or if its just right.
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- #5
sounds like a plan. Is there any comparison to these settings with a rockwell 6 series or a henson mild? Like I said I cant really shave above a 1 or 2 plate on the rockwell really.
Remember to crack the doors open a bit when you adjust to a different number. Less strain on the mechanism. That's as per Gillette, not just me talking.
I would even say start at setting 1 when you start based on your preferences and go from there. The blade gaps on the Super Adjustable are the higher than the common vintage Gillette Fatboys and Slims so that is where I would start.
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- #8
That makes sense I was previously told to open the doors before adjusting the aggression by someone on here a few days ago. Thanks!
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- #9
That is probably where I will start. I did hear the opposite though that the fatboy was more aggressive but starting on 1 sounds like a solid plan.
The Superadjustable is the most aggressive of the Gillette adjustables. Fatboy is the least aggressive (? not sure about the toggle though).
You can see it on the gap tables of the Gillette adjustable website (I'd link it but not sure if that's allowed).
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- #11
im new here I dont know what the rules are but somebody has definitely left me a link before
If you get raw with the rockwell on 2 you’d better start with the 1 on the Gillette.
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- #13
I absolutely did start with the 1 setting
I ended up putting it on the 2 setting for some touch ups on my neck and my chin area got a tiny bit raw but not too bad. Maybe that was due to the blade selection. I used a GWS(india) as my first choice. It wasn't super efficient but its a blade that I knew was smooth going in. I am not sure what blade I will choose for my next shave but im probably going to take a day off. Usually my no shave days are sundays and wednesdays. my result wasnt BBS but I stopped chasing BBS due to irritation issues.It occurs to me that I've never seen the 84mm SA in the flesh. I've got two of the long handles, plus a Soviet clone, but I never encounter the short handle.
Perhaps the 104mm was produced in greater numbers? Or it just sold more because the longer handle was more appealing also to women?
Perhaps the 104mm was produced in greater numbers? Or it just sold more because the longer handle was more appealing also to women?
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- #15
Ive only been wet shaving for a couple of months. There is alot for me to learn/dial in because my face and neck have been experiencing off and on irritation depending on the type of razor/blade I use. Im still experimenting etc. I dont tend to cut myself alot but I do experience ingrowns more often now ironically. I knew about the fat boy and the slim for about a year but only just found out about the super adjustable. I got one because of the TTO mechanism and the adjustable mechanism. Also I like history and the vietnam era is an intriguing one. What stuck out to me about vintage razors was the shorter handles compared to current cartridge razors. Something about that looks and feels cooler to me. Dont get me wrong I wasnt against getting a 109 they are fine razors im sure but once I had the money and realized i could get a 84mm handle instead of the 109mm handle it felt like the right time to get one. But to your point I think you are right. When browsing razor emporium over the last year the 109 seemed like a more common razor on the site. I dont think I see the 84mm available as often. And yeah it makes sense for women to like the longer handles for sure. Or guys who really really like the long handle cartridge razors they came from. I didnt mind it but i didnt think it was necessary for face shaving. But it also isnt that big of a deal. But the short handle does feel good in my hands definitely. Most of my other razors are 85mm or 90mm handle lengths. Im not sure how long the henson is tbh.
The longer-handled ones are far more common than the 84s; they made them for more than a decade longer. I like the shorter handles, and the 84s are a little shorter than the Slims. Maybe a hair longer than the Fatboys (someone here will chime in with the exact dimensions). They all have heavy heads, so the lighter handle on the Super Adjustables makes the balance a little different.
Anecdotal… out of 4 Superadjustables, that I have found cheap and in good condition in the wild, 3 are 109’s and one is an 84.
One of the 109’s has black plastic underside, instead of the normal stamped metal.
I have actually found a LOT more in the wild, but they were closer to retail than I prefer my collection to be. I prefer to spend real money on uncommon razors that I don’t usually find. The majority of the Superadjustables that I have come across have been 109’s.
One of the 109’s has black plastic underside, instead of the normal stamped metal.
I have actually found a LOT more in the wild, but they were closer to retail than I prefer my collection to be. I prefer to spend real money on uncommon razors that I don’t usually find. The majority of the Superadjustables that I have come across have been 109’s.
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- #18
yeah im super glad i got the 84mm because that is the handle length i prefer in the end. I am also glad that mine is a 1974 with no plastic tray.
The Super-84 was made from late 1968 through 1975, the Super-109 was made from the beginning of 1969 until 1988. When the Super-84 was discontinued Gillette dropped the 109 from the packaging and just called it the Super Adjustable. Gillette never used the name “Black Beauty” on the packaging or advertising, it’s just a silly and unfortunate nickname thought up by someone on the internet and was never an official model name.
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- #20
yeah basically they are all made up names except for the slim adjustable to my limited knowledge of the situation. The razors were always a means to an end for gillette. They have always been in the business of selling blades and the razors were just an extra expense. Even as cool as TTO is its just a gimmick for them to help you quickly change the blade. I dont mind a three piece razors but I still think having a TTO is pretty fun and an easy way to change blades. Since im new ive been mostly using new blades every time I shave to try something new for my second month of wet shaving. During the first month I felt like I was only getting about 3 shaves out of a blade anyways before having to change. The good thing is the blades are super cheap. It is a big change of pace for me though. The new gillette labs cartridge is expensive but it will last you 21-23 comfortable shaves. Another thing is I have only found a handful of blades that in certain razors that cause 0 irritation. Some dont irritate but give me ingrowns. some blade/razor combinations dont work for me. I am far down the rabbit hole now though. On the quest to find the best razor/blade/setting combo for my sensitive skin. One thing I do enjoy is not having 5 razors go over my skin at once.
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