Gillette TechMatic: World's worst razor?
- Thread starter Whilliam
- Start date
I ended up adding it to my last mystery box so another member could try it as well.
I guess misery loves company!
Thanks for passing it on! It may not be a great shaver, but I had fun giving it a try.
I would rather use the techmatic over a fusionI guess misery loves company!
Thanks for passing it on! It may not be a great shaver, but I had fun giving it a try.
Really? I guess I would prefer not to use either one, but the Fusion gives me a much closer shave than the Techmatic.
Astronaut Mike Collins used one on Apollo 11, the mission that first landed men on the moon.
http://www.spaceflownartifacts.com/flown_personal_hygiene_kit.html
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http://www.spaceflownartifacts.com/flown_personal_hygiene_kit.html
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Great piece of trivia! Wonderful, amusing, nostalgia-evoking thread.
+1 ... I was going to mention this, but you beat me to it.
I suspect that seeing this particular model aboard Apollo 11 was an early example of Product Placement, i.e. Gillette donated the razor to NASA for advertising purposes. Then again, I never remember seeing any ads that touted the Techmatic as "The Razor that went to the Moon."
Speaking of advertisements, Techmatic also had some of the worst ads I've ever seen.
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But that's a great ad! I love the way his voice goes down as his beard gets thicker, though I admit it's more effective getting lower than at the end, when it gets higher. Ending with "razor"way up in his to top register weakens the ad, but still... pretty cute for its era.
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I remember them but never had one.
I got one for Christmas with one new cartridge. I've had no problems with it and have had consistently good shaves the few times I used it. I try not to use it too much because I'm afraid I might not find another cartridge for it.
I bought one in the late 60's, the Gillette TechMatic made me grow a full beard 
I wish I had seen this conversation earlier, I didn't think anyone remembered the TechMatic.
I switched from DE razors to a TechMatic in late '60's when I joined the USAF. Needed a razor that was simple to use and quick during basic training. Continued to use it until I served my hitch and then moved to the latest Gillette cartridge starting with the Trac II.
The TechMatic was like going to the butcher shop, at least that was how my face looked no matter how careful I was. The Trac II was better and the following cartridges were alright, I fell back into the lazy mode.
Thank the shaving gods I finally saw the light of day and returned to DE shaving.
I switched from DE razors to a TechMatic in late '60's when I joined the USAF. Needed a razor that was simple to use and quick during basic training. Continued to use it until I served my hitch and then moved to the latest Gillette cartridge starting with the Trac II.
The TechMatic was like going to the butcher shop, at least that was how my face looked no matter how careful I was. The Trac II was better and the following cartridges were alright, I fell back into the lazy mode.
Thank the shaving gods I finally saw the light of day and returned to DE shaving.
Easily THE WORST razor ever made.
I started shaving when I was 16 -- in 1972 when I was a junior in high school. My dad offered me his single-edge blade razor, but I had already bought a Gillette Techmatic.
So, I did what I saw on TV for years: got hot towels to soften my face. Then I put on plenty of Barbasol shaving cream. Then came the Techmatic.
When I washed off the remaining shaving cream, I looked like I had been thrown -- repeatedly -- through a hedges worth of thorn-laden rose bushes.
"Here: use this styptic powder. It'll stop the bleeding." said my dad. It did stop the bleeding, but not the pain.
Like I said, THE worst razor ever made. If Gillette released this razor today, Proctor & Gamble stock would drop like a stone.
I started shaving when I was 16 -- in 1972 when I was a junior in high school. My dad offered me his single-edge blade razor, but I had already bought a Gillette Techmatic.
So, I did what I saw on TV for years: got hot towels to soften my face. Then I put on plenty of Barbasol shaving cream. Then came the Techmatic.
When I washed off the remaining shaving cream, I looked like I had been thrown -- repeatedly -- through a hedges worth of thorn-laden rose bushes.
"Here: use this styptic powder. It'll stop the bleeding." said my dad. It did stop the bleeding, but not the pain.
Like I said, THE worst razor ever made. If Gillette released this razor today, Proctor & Gamble stock would drop like a stone.
Yep, my memories exactly.
I ran across about a 12 of them last night on EBAY all under 20 bucks and many under 10.
Slash McCoy
I freehand dog rockets
What a bargain!
Schick made a band razor, too, and I tried both of them back in the early 70s. If the 10 that you mention was cents instead of dollars, it would still be ten times more than they were worth.
I agree and I never touched one.
Damn, I remember that thing! Don’t think I ever had one though. Stupid idea.
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