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What makes the Gillette English flat bottom Tech better that the regular Tech?

Thanks! Appreciate the comments. Got lucky with some deals, the hybrid was a complete fluke. Still have 1 “grail” razor left to find. Someone here outbid me on the last one so hopefully I’ll win the next time I see what I’m looking for.

Now I just need to say no to buying things that are cheap deals.

And your grail is........?
 
Obscure and changes hands less often than bottom dials, chrome toggles or Hybrids. Being vague so less attention is drawn to it. If you think you have one you should PM me though 😉

I understand, and also share your Tech-love. I need to stop, but many (half?) of these were found locally for a song. I favor the ball-end and pre-war, but still like them all.

Personally, I haven't noticed much difference in the shaves between the pre-war and the British Flat Bottom, other than I think I hear "God Save the Queen" playing when I use the English razor (far left, front row).

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@gpjoe Do you notice much difference between the newer tech all the way to the right front? The one with "Gillette" carved into the cap? How does it compare to the pre-war and English flat bottom? That's the one that only has the corner nubs to align the blade?
 
Recently picked up a beater EFB service set head. I've heard this is the one to avoid but it works really well for me. The EFB tech works best for me out of the techs I do have, although there is one I own that I haven't tried yet. I also don't have a hybrid, and not really looking for one because of the prices they go for.
The new improved shave much better for me than the techs, but I still like using them.
 
I haven’t given them a good look side by side in a bit but for me they seemed equally efficient but the flat bottom had a more natural “sweet spot” (pre war triangle slots seem to need to be angle slightly towards the cap to be smooth to me) and they’re smoother in general.View attachment 1612122

Third from left has a raised flat bottom and the baseplate slot, like the New RFB, but minus the New teeth. I've not seen that before. Like a transitional model between New and Tech. English build I presume. Any extra info on that one, @Joezamboni ? Great moniker, btw.
 
Earlier I posted thinking everyone was reading my thoughts ( when even I don’t).
I joezaboni’s picture of his collection the second from the left has a handle I’ve not seen before with a Tech head.
Aftermarket UFO Colibri handle. That’s just a potmetal late 60s USA tech that came with a travel handle. That looked better.

The artisan made amazing handles but has since gone away. I see them for sale on occasion here and am surprised because when they were popular people would resell them for profits.
 
Third from left has a raised flat bottom and the baseplate slot, like the New RFB, but minus the New teeth. I've not seen that before. Like a transitional model between New and Tech. English build I presume. Any extra info on that one, @Joezamboni ? Great moniker, btw.
Tech hybrid as they’re commonly called. Rare, me finding it was a fluke. Also raised flat bottom tech or New tech hybrid. Yup, made in England,

When I tried it I didn’t think it would be that different from the English flat bottom. It’s a smudge less aggressive but it is the smoothest tech made, hands down. Lots of lore with this one. Easily as smooth as a Wolfman WR2 (smoothest modern razor I’ve tried).
 
@gpjoe Do you notice much difference between the newer tech all the way to the right front? The one with "Gillette" carved into the cap? How does it compare to the pre-war and English flat bottom? That's the one that only has the corner nubs to align the blade?

Of course you would ask about the only one I've never used. 😄 It's a late-model aluminum version with a zamac head. I bought it from a member here only because I didn't have an aluminum Tech.

I have shaved with the current, inexpensive, plastic-handeled version - the $5-10 version on Ebay that comes with 7 O'clock blades - and it shaved fine, though I used a stainless steel handle.

To me there isn't a major difference, but I prefer the FB and the pre-war. Those might be a touch more efficient, but in reality, it is mostly for the handle and weight.
 

Legion

Staff member
I picked this up on a whim today, because it has been sitting in the shop for a while, and I thought they might do a bit of a deal. Totally surplus to requirements, but I don't have a flat bottom in the collection.

I had a look on Mr Razor and can't see one quite like it. The razor looks the same as the one in the zippered case, but this has a brown leatherette box. Any thoughts.

I know flat bottom Techs are highly regarded for a lot of you DE guys. Thought I should give one a spin.
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I picked this up on a whim today, because it has been sitting in the shop for a while, and I thought they might do a bit of a deal. Totally surplus to requirements, but I don't have a flat bottom in the collection.

I had a look on Mr Razor and can't see one quite like it. The razor looks the same as the one in the zippered case, but this has a brown leatherette box. Any thoughts.

I know flat bottom Techs are highly regarded for a lot of you DE guys. Thought I should give one a spin.View attachment 1619072View attachment 1619073
It’s the same one I’ve got, although I use an ikon tuck away handle. Made sometime during the 1940’s, it’s a good little razor and shaves well on autopilot.
 

BradWorld

Dances with Wolfs
I have been lucky enough to have two Hybrid Techs. They are super smooth and super mild. The King of the Techs for sure. But they are far from efficient. So I passed them on to new homes.

Even though I don’t think the Flat Bottom Tech shaves “better” than the Hybrid, I find the Flat Bottom shave more enjoyable and it produces better results. But I think the unicorn factor of the Hybrid adds to the enjoyment of that razor as well.
 
I recently spent a couple weeks using nothing but Tech razors leading up to a week of using a recently acquired thin handle flat bottom. I found the flat bottom to be a nice razor to use and I am glad I found one for my collection. After using the EFBT for a week I determined I prefer the fat handle prewar triangle slot tech. All the techs I have used provide comfortable close shaves with only minimal differences so as always, it boils down to the user's preference. I have never had the chance to use the Hybrid or the raised flat bottom. Maybe one day 🤞
 
The razor looks the same as the one in the zippered case, but this has a brown leatherette box. Any thoughts.
I've seen a few with this combo, it looks like an early war No 44 set. #44s came in a selection of black, red, blue and brown cases since ~1932.

The case logo changes from the hollow diamond to 'Gillette safety razor' text in late 1938, then changes to the all leatherette green/blue sometime during the war until 1948 (lots of overlap as they use up old case stock)

Yours could be from 1940 tbh, one of the first English FB techs (a less common grooved flat bottom baseplate too) that started replacing the RFB New in these sets. Nice! I still need to try a 'GFB' 😁
 
Grooved bar Flat Bottom Vs Solid bar Flat Bottom.

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The solid bar FB tech has a much larger blade gap, it shaves like a rocket or Slim adjustable on 5+. Great if you like medium-aggressive razors.

The grooved FB tech is very different and has the same mild head geometry as most RFBs. Super smooth.

The pins sit noticeably deeper in the common FB tech if you can't see the guard bar clearly.
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