I want a couple of those cracked handles. Not the razor, just a couple of cracked handles. I want to see if my jeweler can laser weld them back together.
What Vintage Razor?
- Thread starter Dave97
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I want a couple of those cracked handles. Not the razor, just a couple of cracked handles. I want to see if my jeweler can laser weld them back together.
- Thread starter
- #22
Awesome, thanks guys. Lot's of great info, I really appreciate it.
Ive got quite a few vintage Gillettes: 2 Techs, 4 Fatboys and 3 Super Speeds. IMO, the best value is the Super Speed because the price of Fatboys has gotten kind of crazy lately. A lot of Fatboys go for $50 or more on Ebay, whereas you can get a really nice Super Speed for $20-30.
Fatboys are great but they are kind of overrated and people pay waaaay too much for them, IMO.
The Techs are great too but theyre pretty mild and for me and if you have a coarse beard they may not be for you. I get better shaves with the Super Speed than I do with the Tech.
Fatboys are great but they are kind of overrated and people pay waaaay too much for them, IMO.
The Techs are great too but theyre pretty mild and for me and if you have a coarse beard they may not be for you. I get better shaves with the Super Speed than I do with the Tech.
My biggest 'wonder' about the FatBoys is why they're supposedly better than the Slims - which are the same razor, just longer. I can understand why the Black ones command a bit more money, as they seem to be rarer in good shape.
Most of the ball end New razors seem to have cracks in them. I bought one on eBay and the description was accurate along with the crack and it shaves great. I have had it for three years now and have never had a problem with it.
Oh - wasn't saying that the crack hurts anything. It's just after hearing of people filling in the crack with solder, or epoxy, I wondered if they could be properly repaired.
I guess I'll see when this shows up - Nice lot of vintage razors & shaving accessories | eBay (sorry if it shows up as a long link. I have to keep scripts shut off on this site when using my laptop)
The only ball ends that typically have cracks in the handle are Old Type handles. Not the Tech handles. In fact, I can't remember ever seeing a Tech ball end handle that did have a crack in it.
Get a Slim or Fatboy like mentioned above - I recently started down the vintage route with these two as it's really nice to be able to try out different settings of aggressiveness. The Slim is much better priced than the Fatboy and is 99% the same IMO.
The Fatboy is only a wee bit nicer than the Slim but not enough to make up for the difference in price. The Slim is lovely and the Slim/Fatboy adjustables are just about the coolest 60s designer mechanical things ever built IMHO. I love them. They're up there with Swiss automatic watches.
If you choose to splash out a little more and get a Fatboy I found this one yesterday - at a reasonable price for (what looks like) great condition:
1959 Gillette Fat Boy Adjustable Safety Razor
The Fatboy is only a wee bit nicer than the Slim but not enough to make up for the difference in price. The Slim is lovely and the Slim/Fatboy adjustables are just about the coolest 60s designer mechanical things ever built IMHO. I love them. They're up there with Swiss automatic watches.
If you choose to splash out a little more and get a Fatboy I found this one yesterday - at a reasonable price for (what looks like) great condition:
1959 Gillette Fat Boy Adjustable Safety Razor
- Thread starter
- #29
Thank you, I'll take a look at that.
Nit-pick: My cracked ball-end handle is on a Long Comb NEW.
I'd suspect that any and all of the handles that are an open tube with a friction fit insert on each end suffers from the same problem.
I should have said, most of the ones I've seen. The ball ends on the NEWs are similar if not the same as the Old Type ball ends and I imagine are prone to the same splitting. I have two NEWs, long and short comb, but I have the bar handle which i have not seen to have cracks. I've been trying to find a single ring without a crack but I don't want to pay too much for it and it has proven to be difficult to find. That's ok. I'm patient. I've found some nice vintage gear at antique stores lately so I'm hopeful something will turn up. I recently found a vintage gillette blade case at an antique store for the huge price of $1.00. Makes you rethink the justification for those same cases going for $10, $20 and even $30 on the bay.
+1 to prowling the local antique places, especially the ones in the suburbs or off the beaten track. The city folk are much more aware of what they're selling. Another thought is stores where there's a high concentration of senior citizens among the local ranks.
I picked up a 1952 40s Super Speed for $12, 1954 ball end Tech for $12, and a 1976 black handle Super Speed for $5. All at local joints, all in at least good shape, all last fall.
Take a look and keep checking back with places you already went. One place had a Fatboy in the box for $40 and now it's gone. Should've bought it when I saw it.
I picked up a 1952 40s Super Speed for $12, 1954 ball end Tech for $12, and a 1976 black handle Super Speed for $5. All at local joints, all in at least good shape, all last fall.
Take a look and keep checking back with places you already went. One place had a Fatboy in the box for $40 and now it's gone. Should've bought it when I saw it.
Do check out some of the razor refinishers like Delta Echo for example. There are others that do this as well, but names escape me at the moment. What they do is buy the older razors, take them apart and paint them (with gun paint I think) before reassembling them. So they've been gone over and are working perfectly. The finishes that they apply are very appealing as well, or at least to me they are.
- Thread starter
- #35
When my wife ask's me why I've started making roadtrips to nearby rural small towns in search of vintage shaveware I'm going to have to direct her to this post.
... smallville antique stores here I come!- Thread starter
- #36
I've seen Delta Echo's site. They do have some nice looking refurbished razor's. Part of me though feels like I need to be ex-marine though to use a Cerakote razor.
Although, maybe I could order one from them in Battleship Grey, that way I could feel like I'm back underway.
... which remindes me. F.Y.I. ... never try to shave in heavy seas. 
I've seen Delta Echo's site. They do have some nice looking refurbished razor's. Part of me though feels like I need to be ex-marine though to use a Cerakote razor.
Although, maybe I could order one from them in Battleship Grey, that way I could feel like I'm back underway.
Yeah, I do want to own one of their razors but I haven't pulled the trigger on one yet. I have two that I'm thinking about possibly sending in. They turn out really cool looking and I have to admit I'm jealous when I see someone post a pic of one on the forum. As far as buying vintage razors goes it's hard to go wrong with any of the old Gillette razors. They were built like tanks when things were made to last forever.
When my wife ask's me why I've started making roadtrips to nearby rural small towns in search of vintage shaveware I'm going to have to direct her to this post.
That won't be the only time your wife will ask pointed questions regarding this thoroughly enjoyable journey!
Not a Gillette Razor but the Schick Krona is a great vintage TTO and can be found pretty cheaply
