Vintage Tech Razors

[Trisbert]

I have never used a vintage tech but find the idea attractive, especially the ball end open comb type. I have resisted the urge to buy one because common sense tells me that spending money on a new razor ought to be a wiser move then buying a sixty to one hundred year old razor.

laying aside sentiment and romanticism, My question is:
Are the older techs better made or better shavers than currently made razors?

Best regards
Robert

 

[rm71]

I have a fat handled Tech and love it. They can be picked up cheap and are well made. My 2c.

 

[maxman]

It's hard to say if they are better made.
I suppose you could say that they are very well made as they are still being used by many people.
They're cheap enough and you can find them all over the place.

 

[Pjotr]

The basic design of a three piece DE razor hasn't changed for decades. My first DE was a brand new Merhur HD and my second was a birth year standard Tech which looked like it had never been used. They're just as good in construction, finish and how they shave. The only difference is that I paid three times as much for the Merkur. People here PIF them away. If you put a wanted to buy thread up you'll end up with dozens to choose from for bugger all. Or if you tell HDstreetglide you've got a vintage Soft Tail in the garage.......

 

[Straight Arrow]

The design of the Tech is timeless and Gillette certainly built them to last. One thing should be clarified...the Tech never had an open comb. That would be an Old Type.

 

[Trisbert]

Interesting replies guy's.

I really don't know if the old tech is better made either. However I believe that they were made of brass then plated., which may well be more durable than a modern pot metal and plated job.

Robert

 

[michiganlover]

It's hard to say if they are better made.

I would strongly disagree. Gillette used superior materials to the razors being made today. Vintage Gillette razors are solid brass, that is then plated. Most razors today are a Zamack (aka pot metal) head that is then plated. Zamack doesn't fair well at all once the plating is compromised.

A 3 piece razor is built like a tank, with literally nothing that can go wrong short of being repeatedly dropped. Sure they are 50+ years old, but they are very likely going to last another 50-100 years!!


On the other hand, if you want a new razor that is mild like a Tech, and will last equally as long, look to the Feather All Stainless. It's build quality is nearly unmatched in the market today!!

 

[Trisbert]

Funny you should suggest the Feather, that little beauty tempts me even more than an old tech. Stainless steel seams to me to be the perfect material for a razor.

 

[moshulu]

My question is:
Are the older techs better made or better shavers than currently made razors?

I can't answer your precise question, because I have only shaved with a few modern razors, and have not been impressed. But I have "auditioned" some 20-30 vintage Gilletttes - including many of the most prestigious ones - and I have concluded that the Tech is the best-shaving model in the "mild/forgiving" category. It is certainly well made. You just can't go wrong with a Tech.

 

[Hex]

I have never used a vintage tech but find the idea attractive, especially the ball end open comb type. I have resisted the urge to buy one because common sense tells me that spending money on a new razor ought to be a wiser move then buying a sixty to one hundred year old razor.

laying aside sentiment and romanticism, My question is:
Are the older techs better made or better shavers than currently made razors?

Best regards
Robert

Was there an open comb Tech ? I thought there were OC and Techs, but not a combination of both ?

thanks

 

[Pjotr]

Funny you should suggest the Feather, that little beauty tempts me even more than an old tech. Stainless steel seams to me to be the perfect material for a razor.

Well if price is absolutely no consideration, go for it. It's still a three piece razar.

 

[oldspiceboy]

If you take stock of the length of time the Techs and other razors have been around and are still in good condition and you consider the price. They run cheap compared to brand new razors. You have a win win there. Some people have had issues with modern razors like Merkur. Build quality and plating issues being the two biggest issues I have seen. Personally I doubt I will ever buy a new razor again.

 

[KM-instructor]

Built to last i guess, wish they had made this in all stainless.

 

[BrianK]

I would strongly disagree. Gillette used superior materials to the razors being made today. Vintage Gillette razors are solid brass, that is then plated. Most razors today are a Zamack (aka pot metal) head that is then plated. Zamack doesn't fair well at all once the plating is compromised.

A 3 piece razor is built like a tank, with literally nothing that can go wrong short of being repeatedly dropped. Sure they are 50+ years old, but they are very likely going to last another 50-100 years!!


On the other hand, if you want a new razor that is mild like a Tech, and will last equally as long, look to the Feather All Stainless. It's build quality is nearly unmatched in the market today!!

+1

You'd never get me to actually spend money for a pot metal razor. Free, of course I'd take it, and then PIF it out. The Feather SS now, that'd be worth having, but I'm too cheap to spend that kind of money for a razor. It isn't magical, it's just a razor and there are far too many vintage ones to spend that kind of cash for the Feather SS.

OP, have no fear of the old razors, My dinosaur razor is circa, well they didn't have written records back then, but that was OK, cause they didn't know what time it was anyway, and it still shaves great. (The "dinosaur razor" is actually a Valet, but it isn't an AutoStrop, it's something other that I can't find any info about. It looks older than time itself, hence "dinosaur razor".) Again, it isn't magic, it's just a blade and a holder that holds the blade in a certain way every time. The basic technology hasn't changed since Adam was a boy, it's just that the materials used to make them have turned to crap. Buy a vintage razor and you have something. If they made vintage razors today I bet they'd sell for close to $100, that's why the materials are crap today. Make it cheap and sell it cheap, you get what you pay for. Not in the case of vintage though.

 

[Trisbert]

KM-instructor.
That's one solid looking razor you got there. It's actually the kind of thing I had in mind when I started this post. I agree, it's a shame it's not all stainless. Do you use it often?

Robert

 

[Sledgehammer39]

The Tech is a well built razor. It's not aggressive but the craftsmanship is in there. I like my Fat handle Tech with the triangular slot base plate.

 

[tomjr]

the tech is one of my favorite gillettes i have several old gillettes but the techs seem to be my razor of choice. very well made, but i enjoy straights too.

 

[MacDaddy]

There seems to be some terminology confusion going on in this thread. The Tech is a particular generation of Gillette three-piece take-apart razor. There weren't any open-comb Techs; however, there were earlier generations of take-apart razors. The photo that KM-Instructor posted is a Gillette Goodwill, which came in two main types: one was a re-purposing of Old Type heads, and the other (the one posted) used parts from the Gillette NEW. Standard American Gillette NEWs come in three main types: short comb, long comb, and DeLuxe.

All that said, I can tell you with great certainty that vintage Gillettes are significantly better built than common modern razors. Here's what happened when my wife dropped my EJ DE89, and here's a thread on folks with corrosion problems due to plating faults on their modern Merkurs.

On the other hand, here's just one handy example of how bad a vintage Gillette can look and still clean up well.

 

[KM-instructor]

KM-instructor.
That's one solid looking razor you got there. It's actually the kind of thing I had in mind when I started this post. I agree, it's a shame it's not all stainless. Do you use it often?

Robert

Its one of my go to razors that i use actually, so yes i use it on a regular basis, I have a few with different handles as these are known to crack at the ends, I have two more inbound that I have just had replated.
Might be an oldy but it is a really nice razor.

You could give cooncatbob a holla too, this is a short comb with a fluted handle from him and its much a heavier razor now.

 

[KM-instructor]

There seems to be some terminology confusion going on in this thread. The Tech is a particular generation of Gillette three-piece take-apart razor. There weren't any open-comb Techs; however, there were earlier generations of take-apart razors. The photo that KM-Instructor posted is a Gillette Goodwill, which came in two main types: one was a re-purposing of Old Type heads, and the other (the one posted) used parts from the Gillette NEW. Standard American Gillette NEWs come in three main types: short comb, long comb, and DeLuxe.

All that said, I can tell you with great certainty that vintage Gillettes are significantly better built than common modern razors. Here's what happened when my wife dropped my EJ DE89, and here's a thread on folks with corrosion problems due to plating faults on their modern Merkurs.

On the other hand, here's just one handy example of how bad a vintage Gillette can look and still clean up well.

Thanks for the good info on the razor MacDaddy. I'm not a collector, so any of the razors I have are what I have found and liked the look of over the years.