Moon Mission Techmatic Tribute!

[Ad Astra]

Fabulous thread!! (And WONDERFUL COLLECTION!!)

Unfortunately, still not enough to get me back to that shaver.

Well. We're going to give it a fair shake! Make that, "flight."

@razorboi , I was reading some old ads and Gillette claimed as many as 10 shaves per band-section. And "weeks" of use per cart. Is there something to that?


AA

 

[razorboi]

Well. We're going to give it a fair shake! Make that, "flight."

@razorboi , I was reading some old ads and Gillette claimed as many as 10 shaves per band-section. And "weeks" of use per cart. Is there something to that?


AA

The blade-band was very similar to a D.E. blade in both feel and longevity. I routinely get a week out of a "blade."
How long a cartridge would last depended on the type employed. New razors came with a six-band cart. Replacement carts came in 5, 10, 12, and I believe 15 blade versions. The 5 and 10 blade carts are commonly found to-day.

ps. To all those modern cart users who scoff at the Techmatic, you are essentially using Techmatic technology yourselves!
The Techmatic is the direct precursor to modern carts, starting with the Trac II, Atra, Mach 3, &etc.
The short-skinny Techmatic band evolved into the short-skinny blades of to-day's multi-blade carts.
It's essentially the same thing!
Your cart-blades originally start as long bands at the Gillette factory where they are cut into sections and are moulded into blade-carts.
Perhaps Gillette should have called these later razors: Techmatic Trac II, Techmatic Atra, Techmatic Mach 3, &etc.

 

[Ad Astra]

The blade-band was very similar to a D.E. blade in both feel and longevity. I routinely get a week out of a "blade."
How long a cartridge would last depended on the type employed. New razors came with a six-band cart. Replacement carts came in 5, 10, 12, and I believe 15 blade versions. The 5 and 10 blade carts are commonly found to-day.

ps. To all those modern cart users who scoff at the Techmatic, you are essentially using Techmatic technology yourselves!
The Techmatic is the direct precursor to modern carts, starting with the Trac II, Atra, Mach 3, &etc.
The short-skinny Techmatic band evolved into the short-skinny blades of to-day's multi-blade carts.
It's essentially the same thing!
Your cart-blades originally start as long bands at the Gillette factory where they are cut into sections and are moulded into blade-carts.
Perhaps Gillette should have called these later razors: Techmatic Trac II, Techmatic Atra, Techmatic Mach 3, &etc.

Very cool and thanks!

Looking forward to it. I might try the Schick Auto Band later this week ... saving my brand-new Techmatic cartridge for July 16.


AA

 

[Esox]

A blade strip...coiled...as in circular? How will that not turn out to be dreadful?

I would think its also very thin and flexible. That is a bit worrisome haha.

Note: The early Techmatic cartridges (1965-1967) were NOT adjustable. The adjustability feature was added in 1967, and Gillette then discontinued the non-adjustable version. I am currently shaving with an early non-adjustable type, and it suits me just fine.

Good info, thanks!

Unfortunately, still not enough to get me back to that shaver.

Hehe.

 

[razorboi]

I would think its also very thin and flexible. That is a bit worrisome

This is exactly the problem. People speculating about the Techmatic who have no first-hand knowledge of it.
I can tell you from experience, it feels just like a D.E. or single-edge disposable blade against the face.
Of course it's thin, but not as thin as a Mach 3 blade, and not as flexible either. Perhaps you should be worried about the Mach 3 instead.

 

[Esox]

My days of worrying about the Mach 3 are long, and happily, behind me. I switched between a Mach 3 and rotary electrics for over 20 years.

I can, quite easily, tell the difference between a DE blade and the more than twice as thick GEM SE blade, which is all I use now because the thicker blades are so much more stable in use.

DE blades are, generally, .004" thick. Even as thin as they are I dont see a blade of that thickness being flexible enough to revolve around two points. Assuming that is what happens when the lever is used to move to a fresh edge, but I could be wrong. DE blades are also much wider which would contribute a great deal to the stability of the edge as it encounters resistance.

This is all speculation on my part, but I assume the blade strip in the Techmatic is rather narrow. Given that, and assuming it is thinner than .004", while adding in the fact that on the later Techmatics the exposure of said blade can be increased, that may give it a propensity to roll if enough resistance is encountered against the edge. Could that be why so many have issues with these razors, I dont know. As always, I like to understand things as much as I can, which is why I'm in this thread. .

 

[razorboi]

My days of worrying about the Mach 3 are long, and happily, behind me. I switched between a Mach 3 and rotary electrics for over 20 years.

I can, quite easily, tell the difference between a DE blade and the more than twice as thick GEM SE blade, which is all I use now because the thicker blades are so much more stable in use.

DE blades are, generally, .004" thick. Even as thin as they are I dont see a blade of that thickness being flexible enough to revolve around two points. Assuming that is what happens when the lever is used to move to a fresh edge, but I could be wrong. DE blades are also much wider which would contribute a great deal to the stability of the edge as it encounters resistance.

This is all speculation on my part, but I assume the blade strip in the Techmatic is rather narrow. Given that, and assuming it is thinner than .004", while adding in the fact that on the later Techmatics the exposure of said blade can be increased, that may give it a propensity to roll if enough resistance is encountered against the edge. Could that be why so many have issues with these razors, I dont know. As always, I like to understand things as much as I can, which is why I'm in this thread. .

Regret I have no specs to offer on the Techmatic blade-band and I was unable to find any on B & B. Perhaps some Gillette specialist could help.
Being a coiled band, it must have enough flexibility to wind, so it's probably safe to assume it's thinner than a standard D.E. blade, but the band is quite tall or wide, at least in comparison to all of its successors in multi-blade carts. And probably thicker than all of the multi's, except perhaps the Trac II.
Like any safety razor, it has a bar below and a hood or cap above allowing only a small margins of the blade to be exposed. Internally, there is a track with rigid braces along the length of the exposed band, designed to secure it and prevent any flexing or bowing. Hence my claim that it "feels" as rigid as a D.E. The adjustable version does allow for greater blade exposure, but the band remains held firmly intact by the mechanisms I described.
Perhaps it was an over-statement to compare it to a single-edge, but if a D.E. blade is not stable enough for you, by all means, avoid the Techmatic. Still, if that's the case, I'm surprised you were able to tolerate the Mach 3 for 20 years.

 

[Ad Astra]

I notice that, while thin, the blade band is locked down / kept flat by the cartridge lock/lip.

While a couple of the used carts look wavy and rough, in use they would have been held flat.

It's kind of neat, really, to think you might have a month worth of blades in hand! Good emergency travel razor ... Why, you could go 240,000 miles with this! X2!

AA

 

[Saxonbowman]

The only thing I remember about the Techmatic was the ending of this commercial:

which is forever seared into my brain!

 

[razorboi]

The only thing I remember about the Techmatic was the ending of this commercial:

which is forever seared into my brain!

Wow, what a scary advert.
If I had ever seen that, I would have never let that thing near my face!

 

[Esox]

Like any safety razor, it has a bar below and a hood or cap above allowing only a small margins of the blade to be exposed. Internally, there is a track with rigid braces along the length of the exposed band, designed to secure it and prevent any flexing or bowing. Hence my claim that it "feels" as rigid as a D.E. The adjustable version does allow for greater blade exposure, but the band remains held firmly intact by the mechanisms I described.
Perhaps it was an over-statement to compare it to a single-edge, but if a D.E. blade is not stable enough for you, by all means, avoid the Techmatic. Still, if that's the case, I'm surprised you were able to tolerate the Mach 3 for 20 years.

This is the information I was looking for. All of that makes perfect sense from a design standpoint, although intricate. One thing jumps out at me though, they must have been very expensive to produce.

DE blades are stable enough for me in most of my razors. All of my DE's but one, the R41, are very rigid designs. Of them all, a dozen or so I cant remember, my Fatip Grande is my favorite. Extremely rigid and extremely efficient but even with it I can feel the very edge of the blade flex if I miss the angle even a tiny bit. With my GEM's, angle is much less important.

I couldnt tolerate the Mach 3 for every shave. I never had a BBS shave from it, or any cartridge or disposable razor, or electric for that matter. Because of that, I needed to shave everyday. My skin couldnt tolerate a Mach 3 every day. Thats why I started rotating in an electric. Mach 3 one day, electric the next.

Now, with DE's and SE's, I shave every 48 hours or so. My Grande gives me a 12 hour BBS. My Bullet Tip the same, but because the blade is thicker and more stable, its more gentle on my skin. The MMOC gives me, typically, a 14 hour BBS but with a fresh blade almost 19 hours. Needing a shave at 24 hours isnt an issue with a BBS finish lasting as long as my current shaves.

With all that said, I came into this thread knowing literally nothing about the Gillette Techmatic. Now I know and understand more than I thought I would. Thanks for the education.

@Ad Astra and @ajkel64

Thanks for posting this thread!

 

[Climb14er]

I used the Techmatic beginning in 1968... then the Trac II... Atra... Atra II... Sensor... Sensor Excel... which I still use... DE blades about eighteen years ago... Feather AC RG... Mach 3 Turbo... which I still have around and use at times.

I found the Techmatic to be a little harsh, and still very easy to cut oneself if you didn't pay close attention. Heck... recovering from eye surgery recently, I cut myself really badly on my lower chin with my DE... talk about a slice job!

After all these years, I still keep a styptic pencil with me at all times! No matter what razor!

 

[Ad Astra]

This is the information I was looking for. All of that makes perfect sense from a design standpoint, although intricate. One thing jumps out at me though, they must have been very expensive to produce.

DE blades are stable enough for me in most of my razors. All of my DE's but one, the R41, are very rigid designs. Of them all, a dozen or so I cant remember, my Fatip Grande is my favorite. Extremely rigid and extremely efficient but even with it I can feel the very edge of the blade flex if I miss the angle even a tiny bit. With my GEM's, angle is much less important.

I couldnt tolerate the Mach 3 for every shave. I never had a BBS shave from it, or any cartridge or disposable razor, or electric for that matter. Because of that, I needed to shave everyday. My skin couldnt tolerate a Mach 3 every day. Thats why I started rotating in an electric. Mach 3 one day, electric the next.

Now, with DE's and SE's, I shave every 48 hours or so. My Grande gives me a 12 hour BBS. My Bullet Tip the same, but because the blade is thicker and more stable, its more gentle on my skin. The MMOC gives me, typically, a 14 hour BBS but with a fresh blade almost 19 hours. Needing a shave at 24 hours isnt an issue with a BBS finish lasting as long as my current shaves.

With all that said, I came into this thread knowing literally nothing about the Gillette Techmatic. Now I know and understand more than I thought I would. Thanks for the education.

@Ad Astra and @ajkel64

Thanks for posting this thread!

Well, then grab ahold of a Techmatic and join the tribute shave!

AA

 

[Esox]

I'm with you in spirit, but I'll stick with my GEM's.

 

[Rhody]

Fantastic write u p collection and lego rocket. The dog chewed up 2 unique pieces on our set and ive been delinquent in tracking down replacements so construction can resume
sadly i dont have that razor but based on the description .... It sounds scary!

 

[ajkel64]

Two of us will find out how scary next month. I’m not using mine until the Launch Date.

 

[Ad Astra]

Two of us will find out how scary next month. I’m not using mine until the Launch Date.

No, we have three crew so far - myself, yourself and @razorboi .

I'll probably leave the Techmatic alone until then, but I do have a Schick Auto Band and two new bands for it, so. Going to give that a try. Can call that a Gemini flight, since it comes before Apollo!

I notice the handle angle on these is strange … may take getting used to.

AA

 

[ajkel64]

I had forgot to mention our esteemed crew member @razorboi. He is a step ahead of us as he has used one of these contraptions before.

 

[Ad Astra]

I had forgot to mention our esteemed crew member @razorboi. He is a step ahead of us as he has used one of these contraptions before.

It fits with NASA's policy of always flying a rookie and a vet!

There is even "50th Anniversary Moon Mission" Oreo cookies out! This is heating up. Lots of stuff on Sci channel, etc.

AA

 

[Ad Astra]

Fantastic write u p collection and lego rocket. The dog chewed up 2 unique pieces on our set and ive been delinquent in tracking down replacements so construction can resume
sadly i dont have that razor but based on the description .... It sounds scary!

The Lego kit was pretty rewarding, will say. Lot of trust involved .. and in the end, it worked - just like all the other untried technologies in 1969!

It is still mind-blowing to me that we sent two guys down to the surface of the moon in, basically, a tin can ... and not only did it work - we did it six times!

Then, we sent a car (the moon rover). Just because we could!

Lunar Roving Vehicle - Wikipedia

I had the plastic one from the TANG jar ... good times. 1971? 72?

I was chowing on Space Food Sticks and washing it down with Tang ...


AA