Step down from Gillette NEW LC

[HMan]

I was in Phoenix last week and on a whim decided to drop by Razor Emporium's warehouse and wound up buying a revamped NEW LC.

It turned out to be a great purchase for me, it's given me my best shaves to date. But it's a tad too harsh for everyday so I'm looking for a similarly shaving razor that's just a step down in aggression but still efficient.

I find the nearly flat head, with it's steep shave angle really suits me. I also like the relatively light weight after having been rotating between a Fatip Gentle and Grande for the last year.

Would getting a Tech be a good choice given the above? Any particular one? Other suggestions?

 

[engblom]

In my opinion, NEW LC is milder than the Fatip Grande you have been using. While I have not used a NEW LC for several years, I remember it took me some shaves before I begun getting really good and smooth shaves. Somehow the angle is a bit less intuitive for older Gillettes. For a good shave one has to keep the handle even further away from the face than with many other razors.

 

[santamariasteve]

A Gillette Tech is an excellent alternative. Also maybe a Gillette Super Speed flare tip from the late 1950's. And maybe a Super Speed from the late 1940's or early 1950's.

But only your face, not my face, can make your decision.

BTW how 'bout an adjustable razor, maybe a Gillette Super Adjustable aka a Black Beauty? They are marvelous and they are not expensive! With an adjustable razor one can customize the aggression to one's face.

 

[coonskinner]

Try a 40's style super speed.

You might also try a gentle blade like the Voskhod inthe NEW.

 

[Atinofpeas]

A tech is a fantastic every day razor. It can be very lightweight if you get an aluminium one.

I find my New LC to be mildish compared to other OC razors so if you are finding it too agressive you do need to be looking at a mild razor. Take your pick tbh.

 

[HMan]

A Gillette Tech is an excellent alternative. Also maybe a Gillette Super Speed flare tip from the late 1950's. And maybe a Super Speed from the late 1940's or early 1950's.

But only your face, not my face, can make your decision.

BTW how 'bout an adjustable razor, maybe a Gillette Super Adjustable aka a Black Beauty? They are marvelous and they are not expensive! With an adjustable razor one can customize the aggression to one's face.

I found a 40's SS on EBay for a good price, so that'll be my next try, thanks.

 

[Highspeedlane]

I believe a Tech is worth having and it should be noticeably milder than your other razors while having the ability to be highly effective with the right blade.

Just curious but what blade were you using in the New LC and did you try any other blades?

 

[HMan]

I believe a Tech is worth having and it should be noticeably milder than your other razors while having the ability to be highly effective with the right blade.

Just curious but what blade were you using in the New LC and did you try any other blades?

It was a GSB. I haven't had the razor long enough to do a lot of experimentation but of course I will. The razor is a keeper for sure.

 

[Twelvefret]

I found a 40's SS on EBay for a good price, so that'll be my next try, thanks.

I'm glad to hear you chose a '40's SS since that would have been my suggestion.

 

[Hannah's Dad]

A pre-war Tech or a Ranger Tech. Both are smooth but have just a bit more efficiency than their younger siblings.

 

[BigJ]

The SS is an excellent choice IMO!

 

[Raven Koenes]

I find my Gillette NEW LC is harsher than my Gillette NEW SC. There are many threads on clamping distance and blade rigidity. The LC clamps the blade further back on the baseplate than the SC. This means the more possibility of blade flex on the LC. The SC clamps the blade at the furthest edges of the baseplate and cap making it a very rigid razor thus smoother I have found. For some people this is not an issue. For some reason it is for me on the NEWs but not on my Merkur's. I think that is because Merkur's have more of a curve to the blade for increased spring action i.e., they give more tensile strength to the blade. If you want a smoother razor than your LC but don't want to sacrifice efficiency the SC may be what your looking for. I have found it to be much smoother due to the blade rigid design of the baseplate on the SC. The SC offers the blade rigidity of your Fatips only with gap of the NEWs, and it is gentler than the Fatip OC for everyday use if that's an issue as well.
Beaming up Mike Esox

 

[Ad Astra]

Was going to ask about the blade.

Once I bought a 1K of Dorco Prime Platinums, and started using them exclusively, I started learning nuances that were not apparent before with different razors.

One must have a baseline to measure from and against.


AA

 

[Shavemd]

I also would recommend the Short Comb I found it to be a better daily shave as compared to the Long Comb

 

[tipster_621]

Everybody needs a Tech!! I recommend pre-war, but post-war Techs are nice, too. I like to use mine after a day or two of using more aggressive razors, just to give my face a break. I also took a Tech on vacation this year, as I didn't want any weepers or nicks to deal with.

Just one step down from a NEW LC, would be a NEW SC, in my opinion. None of my SCs have ever drawn blood, while my LC will bite me if I'm not careful.

 

[Esox]

Beaming up Mike Esox

I didnt find my LC harsh. It was actually a very smooth very nice shaver everywhere but over the two swirl growth patterns either side of my adams apple. When I started shaving them it just skipped right over them. I couldnt BBS them without increasing pressure a great deal to stop the blade chatter/skipping, so instead I picked up my British Gillette Flare Tip Rocket, which is a more rigid design. It wiped my swirls right off.

I even later added a shim to my LC and that helped about 50%.

This was my discovery of 'rigidity' in relation to razors that I'd read so much about before joining this forum.

Gillette NEW LC Not Cutting It

The Gillette NEW LC and NEW SC are two very different razors.



The main difference is in the design of the base plates and how much support they lend the blade.



Either razor might have any one of I think 7 different caps on it, but the correct SC cap is different.

SC cap left, LC cap right. Notice the squared off corner tabs on the SC cap. They mate into the machined recesses in each corner of the SC base and thats why they dont fit other Gillette bases.



The SC cap also offers the most blade exposure of all the caps that do fit. I believe the Tech cap offers the least. The difference between the two caps for me is 1 clean up pass below my jawline and slightly less blade feel with the post war Tech cap. My NEW SC and a Polsilver blade is a 2 1/2 pass BBS that lasts around 10 hours every time I use it.

When assembled there are few razors of a more rigid design.

Several samples of NEW LC bases were measured by rabidus and he found the blade gaps varied by .017" or more. When he measured all his SC bases, they all had the same .023" blade gap. Being as the base supports the blade completely, like the Gillette Old Type, but the SC has gap, its essentially an Old Type with blade gap.

But it's a tad too harsh for everyday so I'm looking for a similarly shaving razor that's just a step down in aggression but still efficient.

If you find it harsh, it might be because of some blade chatter, especially if you find that harshness when shaving ATG. It could also however be a poor blade choice for the razor or you might need to adjust your technique a bit.

If you have harder to shave areas like I do, it very well could be a lack of blade support, but only you can decide that, and, how much blade support you need for a smooth and comfortable shave.

Gillette Techs also share similar base plate designs with both the NEW SC and the LC. The pre war Tech has a base plate like the LC while the post war Tech has a base plate like the SC that fully supports the blade.

I've never used a pre war, but there are few smoother razors than the post war Tech. They are however inefficient for me.

This was my most recent shave with my Tech.

48 hours since last shave and back to 'just shaving', for the moment...

Post war tech/Fat handle. Fresh Feather.

Proraso Green.

Maggard synthetic.

Standard 3 pass++++ shave.

First pass N-S. Second pass S-N. Third pass directly ATG. No buffing at any point.

First clean up at and below my jawline, buffing ATG.

Second clean up pass below my jawline, buffing ATG.

Third clean up pass and back over my jawline at a 45° angle and buffing over my swirls.

Fourth clean up pass lol, 45° the opposite direction and buffing over my swirls.

In the end I needed to start all over again hahaha.

I have very comfortable skin and a very nice BBS shave, but I damn well better after that much work! Mild razors are just that mild. Easy on the skin but not what I'd call efficient. It was an enjoyable shave, its hard to dismiss that much comfort, but at the same time its maddeningly frustrating.

I'll use it again the next time I feel like whittling a Totem Pole...or something.

I can have the same BBS level shave, with the same post shave comfort from my Fatip Grande with a Polsilver or Gillette Yellow blade in one ATG buffing pass and one light clean up. The Fatip is 5x's as efficient as my Tech but its also very angle dependent. Your technique needs to be very good or you wont have a nice shave. They are easy to use, incredibly smooth and extremely efficient, but they are also highly unforgiving of mistakes. If your technique is up to it, theres no better deal in the entire DE razor world than a Fatip. They also have minimal blade gap.

As long as you dont mind blade gap, try a NEW SC if you can find one. Post war Techs are much easier to come by however. Dont overlook the Gillette Old Types either. They are incredible shavers and my 1917 Gillette Single Ring may be my favorite razor.

 

[santamariasteve]

Comparing the NEW SC with the NEW LC is highly controversial.

It's about 50/50. Personally I find the LC to be slightly used friendly on my coarse whiskers. YMMV

 

[Twelvefret]

Comparing the NEW SC with the NEW LC is highly controversial.

It's about 50/50. Personally I find the LC to be slightly used friendly on my coarse whiskers. YMMV

I can't see that much difference in performance, but I enjoy the smooth feel of the longer, turned down comb.

 

[Raven Koenes]

Comparing the NEW SC with the NEW LC is highly controversial.

It's about 50/50. Personally I find the LC to be slightly used friendly on my coarse whiskers. YMMV

To me it's not controversial at all. For some people a less rigid razor is not a problem and it works perfectly for them. A razor that clamps further back towards the center on the baseplate with the cap extending forward beyond that clamp point is less rigid. One that clamps forward equally on the baseplate and cap towards the blades edge is more rigid. This is science. The more rigid the blade the smoother the razor will be. What I think factors into it being a controversy is the human element or the operator element. It becomes a counter-intuitive thing. If one thinks they are shaving with a razor that seems to have a more aggressive feel one tends to back off on the pressure that can result in a more irritation free shave. Conversely if a razor seems to be smooth the mind intuits that as "less aggressive" then more pressure is sub-consciously applied to get a desired result. Then cuts, irritation, and razor burn occur leaving the operator to conclude that the smoother razor is the rougher one on their skin. This is how a rougher razor can be seen as smoother, and a smooth razor can become seen as rougher.

 

[Twelvefret]

To me it's not controversial at all. For some people a less rigid razor is not a problem and it works perfectly for them. A razor that clamps further back towards the center on the baseplate with the cap extending forward beyond that clamp point is less rigid. One that clamps forward equally on the baseplate and cap towards the blades edge is more rigid. This is science. The more rigid the blade the smoother the razor will be. What I think factors into it being a controversy is the human element or the operator element. It becomes a counter-intuitive thing. If one thinks they are shaving with a razor that seems to have a more aggressive feel one tends to back off on the pressure that can result in a more irritation free shave. Conversely if a razor seems to be smooth the mind intuits that as "less aggressive" then more pressure is sub-consciously applied to get a desired result. Then cuts, irritation, and razor burn occur leaving the operator to conclude that the smoother razor is the rougher one on their skin. This is how a rougher razor can be seen as smoother, and a smooth razor can become seen as rougher.

Is your overall point is we adapt? If so, I agree because it's been my experience.