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Gillette Nacet Open Comb Tech

This Nacet OC Tech has just arrived:
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Made in England with that disconcerting Crocodile&Razor Blade logo.

It looks just like a British Aluminium Tech but Open Comb.

Not sure when this was made or what the relationship between Gillette and the Nacet brand is.

I've got to try this with the Russian Nacet blades which have the same logo:
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Anybody know about this most unusual razor?
 
This Nacet OC Tech has just arrived
I have two, one exactly like yours, and one that's made in France that has been converted to a DEvette on one side. They give me the exact same shave as a late model English Tech - I discern very little difference due to the open combs, which are basically just slits in the Tech safety bar. Very mild shaver, even milder than my favorite Tech, the brass oval-slot from the late 1940s.
 
I have two, one exactly like yours, and one that's made in France that has been converted to a DEvette on one side. They give me the exact same shave as a late model English Tech - I discern very little difference due to the open combs, which are basically just slits in the Tech safety bar. Very mild shaver, even milder than my favorite Tech, the brass oval-slot from the late 1940s.
Thanks Rudy!
I don't often use Mild razors so I'm interested to see what happens with this one...
 
Wow, nice! I've used the blades but never seen that razor!

For what its worth, I much prefer the blades in the picture to the Nacet blades that have two crocodiles(alligators?) on the picture. Those Nacet blades are nice and sharp but smooth.
 
Ah, so THIS is the fabled Gillette Open Comb Tech. The only thing I knew about it was that it was made in England and was not a mutated New but an actual Tech base plate with an open comb. I knew that if anyone would post a picture of one it would be Marcus.
 
Thanks guys!
I guess there must have been more than one version of the OC Tech.
As @rudyt says, these are billed as Mild shavers like the Aluminium Tech.

But this one is PRETTY AGGRESSIVE, a lot more so than a British NEW in fact and it reminded me a lot of the Platinum Rapira Lux Razor though a bit better behaved.

There's a couple of these on eBay UK right now and one of them is listed as being "V1." so maybe there's an aggressive and a mild version.

In any case I was expecting a disappointing shave but was surprised to get a very nice and efficient result with a bit of bite to it:
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The handle is slightly shorter than the standard Tech handle with the same pattern too.
And those Nacet blades are superb!
 
I am confused, were these actually labeled as Techs? doesn't a real Tech have the usual safety bar instead of the teeth? I love using my Techs in rotation, they have been my favorite razors for a long time, so I am very curious about this. Can anybody answer this question...... I need to know.
 
Some more info here: Open Comb Techs
Thank you for the link - that's brilliant and answers a lot of questions!

So there were various OC Techs which shaved differently and had different branding.

Mine shaves like a slightly more aggressive British NEW.

And the Nacet brand was made in England for marketing in the Middle East.
 
I guess there must have been more than one version of the OC Tech.

As @rudyt says, these are billed as Mild shavers like the Aluminium Tech.

But this one is PRETTY AGGRESSIVE, a lot more so than a British NEW in fact and it reminded me a lot of the Platinum Rapira Lux Razor though a bit better behaved.
You made me go dig my two OC Techs out, and you're right, there are at least two distinct designs.

One of mine (right razor) is like yours, very thin metal, and the blade is positioned by the corner fangs under the top cap - like a late model Tech.

The other one (left razor) is much thicker, and the blade is positioned by the raised center rail under the top cap - like an early Tech.

I remember both being very mild like the aluminum English Tech in the center, nowhere near the Rapira, but it's been awhile. I'll attempt a 3-razor comparison shave and we'll compare notes.

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You made me go dig my two OC Techs out, and you're right, there are at least two distinct designs.

One of mine (right razor) is like yours, very thin metal, and the blade is positioned by the corner fangs under the top cap - like a late model Tech.

The other one (left razor) is much thicker, and the blade is positioned by the raised center rail under the top cap - like an early Tech.

I remember both being very mild like the aluminum English Tech in the center, nowhere near the Rapira, but it's been awhile. I'll attempt a 3-razor comparison shave and we'll compare notes.
Be very interesting to hear your results - like I said, mine certainly has a bit of bite to it!
 
Be very interesting to hear your results - like I said, mine certainly has a bit of bite to it!
I did my first (and probably last) 3-razor Grudge Match. The goal was to try to determine if I remembered correctly when I stated the open comb "Tech" was as mild as the oval-slot Tech, and hopefully try to determine why you find it as aggressive as the Rapira Platiinum Lux.

The three razors are the ones pictured below.

1. The open comb "Tech" on the left has a head very similar to the late-40s to early 60s brass oval-slot Tech head where the blade is aligned using the raised center rib under the top cap.

2. The center razor is a standard mid-60s English Tech

3. The Nacet open comb "Tech" on the right has a head very similar to the standard English 60s Tech razor above, where the fangs under the top cap align the blade. This is the same razor you have; it has the bifurcated alligator etched into the top cap.

Razor 1 (earlier version open comb "Tech") shaves almost exactly like a 1940s or 1950s oval-slot Tech.

Razor 3 (late model Nacet open comb "Tech") shaves very close to Razor 2 (standard English 60s Tech) - slightly milder and less efficient than Razor 1.

Razor 3 is one of the mildest razors I own. I wonder why yours is so much more aggressive than mine is. Something has to be different. I did some measuring and the blade gap on Razor 3 is a whopping 0.20mm. In comparison, Razor 2 has a blade gap of 0.71mm, yet both razors shave very similarly to me.

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I did my first (and probably last) 3-razor Grudge Match. The goal was to try to determine if I remembered correctly when I stated the open comb "Tech" was as mild as the oval-slot Tech, and hopefully try to determine why you find it as aggressive as the Rapira Platiinum Lux.

The three razors are the ones pictured below.

1. The open comb "Tech" on the left has a head very similar to the late-40s to early 60s brass oval-slot Tech head where the blade is aligned using the raised center rib under the top cap.

2. The center razor is a standard mid-60s English Tech

3. The Nacet open comb "Tech" on the right has a head very similar to the standard English 60s Tech razor above, where the fangs under the top cap align the blade. This is the same razor you have; it has the bifurcated alligator etched into the top cap.

Razor 1 (earlier version open comb "Tech") shaves almost exactly like a 1940s or 1950s oval-slot Tech.

Razor 3 (late model Nacet open comb "Tech") shaves very close to Razor 2 (standard English 60s Tech) - slightly milder and less efficient than Razor 1.

Razor 3 is one of the mildest razors I own. I wonder why yours is so much more aggressive than mine is. Something has to be different. I did some measuring and the blade gap on Razor 3 is a whopping 0.20mm. In comparison, Razor 2 has a blade gap of 0.71mm, yet both razors shave very similarly to me.

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Well Rudy that is very interesting and also puzzling.
My OC Tech is the Nacet like your razor 3 yet it shaves quite aggressively like a British NEW+
and has a face feel similar to the Rapira PL (though not as efficient).
I'll have a closer look at it in a bit and we'll get to the bottom of this!
 
@rudyt here's my Nacet OC Tech head on:
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The top cap is 19mm wide edge to edge.
The baseplate is 25mm wide edge to edge.
Total weight of head (without blade) is 19g.
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The handle is 71mm long.

Your results have made me double check too and, although not quite steep angle shaving, the blade bites a lot more quickly than any Gillette Tech I've used.
Interesting...
 
The top cap is 19mm wide edge to edge.
The baseplate is 25mm wide edge to edge.
Total weight of head (without blade) is 19g.
The handle is 71mm long.
My head dimensions are identical. My head weight is 20g on my cheap scale, and handle length is 73mm.
 
My head dimensions are identical. My head weight is 20g on my cheap scale, and handle length is 73mm.
Thanks Rudy! Apart from your longer handle they do sound identical.
I cannot explain why mine should shave more aggressively.
It could be to do with the Comb profile.
In any case these are very attractive razors!
 
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