Trac II so far....

[filedog]

I use a DE87 and Feathers as my go to setup, but, like many of you, I keep a few cart. razors on hand, for when I am in a hurry. The Mach III used to fill this slot, and I have tried the Hydro 3 as well. Both of these give me good shaves, but I wanted to find a lower cost cartridge, and check out the Trac II because of the good reviews it gets, as well as it being the cart most like a DE, due to the fixed blade.

I have an original-style Trac II handle, and a Ming Shi Atra handle on the way from Idiotdoc. I picked up a Bump Fighter handle to use in the mean time, as well as the "Twin Pivot Plus" carts at CVS. I also got some Dorcos at Dollar General, and The Wilkenson Twin II plus that china mart sells.

I tried the Dorcos first, they were not bad, not great. Not really draggy, but not nearly sharp enough for me. Produced an irritation free SAS. Yesterday I tried the CVS blades, expecting an improvement. They were comparable in terms of sharpness, but seemed to have less blade exposure than the dorcs, requiring more pressure to get rid of the rough spots. Due to this, I experienced some irritation, and a poorer shave. Still SAS, but not as good as the dorcs.

Today, I will try the Wilkensons. The Dorcs and CVS blades are easily beaten by the MachIII, Hydro 3 and even the Personna Matrix3, which costs a lot less than the first two. The Matrix3 definitely feels like a "face-rasp" but does a decent job, what I would consider DFS.

I have some Personnas on order, the TwinII plus and Twin Pivot Plus.
I need one of these carts to be WAY batter than what I've tried so far, if the TracII is going to make it into my rotation!

 

[masonjarjar]

I can't see what advantage their would be (other than collectability) to using an actual TracII handle over a Bump Fighter, but anyway..

I've used pretty much every Trac-II style cartridge on the market, including Gillettes own (they slice up my face for some reason), and none are as good as the Wilkinsons from Wal-mart. I think they're actually a tad better than the Personnas they replaced.

Never had much luck with Rite Aid, CVS or Dollar store versions. Same results with Atra-style.

 

[sandmountainslim]

When I use my Trac II I always use the Dollar Store Dorco blades and get an excellent smooth shave from them.

Its YMMV I suppose.
Wp

 

[LinuxMintyFresh]

The Personnas you have on the way are probably going to be the best balance of closeness and comort you'll find IMO, but the Wilks from Walmart, while not providing quite as close of a shave, feel much better and shave adequately.

A note for the Personnas: I find using a steeper cutting angle than I at first think, and actually applying a little pressure to the top portion of the cart (where the lube strip is or would be) helps a lot. This helps because the skin around the blades flattens out around the cart, making it cut a little more evenly.

 

[filedog]

I can't see what advantage their would be (other than collectability) to using an actual TracII handle over a Bump Fighter, but anyway..

I've used pretty much every Trac-II style cartridge on the market, including Gillettes own (they slice up my face for some reason), and none are as good as the Wilkinsons from Wal-mart. I think they're actually a tad better than the Personnas they replaced.

Never had much luck with Rite Aid, CVS or Dollar store versions. Same results with Atra-style.

I just mentioned the handle I was using as part of the story, not saying it had much importance on the shave. I couldn't find ANY Trac II handles locally, which is why I ordered the original style handle. Then I found the BF handle. Interestingly, someone posted that Personna actually emailed them and told them NOT to use the BF handle with Trac II blades, they felt the angle would be wrong.

I got the original style handle today, and boy, is it CRAPPY. Thin, cheap, mold marks, spots in the chrome, the BF is WAY nicer. Gotta agree with you on the wilks, BIG improvement!

The Personnas you have on the way are probably going to be the best balance of closeness and comort you'll find IMO, but the Wilks from Walmart, while not providing quite as close of a shave, feel much better and shave adequately.

A note for the Personnas: I find using a steeper cutting angle than I at first think, and actually applying a little pressure to the top portion of the cart (where the lube strip is or would be) helps a lot. This helps because the skin around the blades flattens out around the cart, making it cut a little more evenly.

Well, that will be nice, if I end up with two brands of blades I like. I really dig the wilks!

 

[filedog]

Tried the Wilks today, WOW! What a difference! I got not just a good, but a GREAT shave. Pretty near BBS, and would have been, if I had spent more time on prep, and the shave itself, but I was in a hurry!

I used KMF Peaches and Cream, brushless. From the first swipe, I could tell these blades are MUCH sharper. No pulling, actually felt pleasant to shave with. Then I realized it was doing a good job of removing the whiskers too. The lube strip on these seems much more "active" than the other two blades, and was leaving some little stringy "trails", as I would lift the blade from my face. On the positive side, I DID get great glide, and no irritation. I forgot to apply splash or balm, and a few minutes later, realized my face didn't feel dry at all. At about .35 ea. these carts shave as well as my previous favorites, for much less cash.

The original style handle I ordered from dridiot was a dissapointment however, thin and cheap, poorly made, the BF handle is WAY nicer.

 

[sandmountainslim]

The original style handle I ordered from dridiot was a dissapointment however, thin and cheap, poorly made, the BF handle is WAY nicer.

That it may be but it is identical to the Gillette original in mfg. As far as I can tell the only difference is the Gillette logo on the handle.
Wp

 

[filedog]

That it may be but it is identical to the Gillette original in mfg. As far as I can tell the only difference is the Gillette logo on the handle.
Wp

I am thinking this is a poor-quality knock off. I have seen quite a few of the Gillette cartridge razors, and this seems more like something you would find at Harbor Freight. He has several different ones, for different prices....maybe they vary in quality. I have emailed him asking about that. The original style handle makes the BF seem like a fine instrument in comparison!

 

[sandmountainslim]

I am thinking this is a poor-quality knock off. I have seen quite a few of the Gillette cartridge razors, and this seems more like something you would find at Harbor Freight. He has several different ones, for different prices....maybe they vary in quality. I have emailed him asking about that. The original style handle makes the BF seem like a fine instrument in comparison!

If it's the one made in India its the one I have. Identical to the original ...which was little more than a Good News razor with replacable heads
Wp

 

[filedog]

If it's the one made in India its the one I have. Identical to the original ...which was little more than a Good News razor with replacable heads
Wp

Wow, cheesy. Surprising Gillette was making such a poor handle for their front line product at that point. Any of theire othr handles seem better than that. I will stick with the BF handle, and maybe pick up one of the solid metal ones at some point.

 

[sandmountainslim]

Wow, cheesy. Surprising Gillette was making such a poor handle for their front line product at that point. Any of theire othr handles seem better than that. I will stick with the BF handle, and maybe pick up one of the solid metal ones at some point.

The brass handles are great
Wp

 

[filedog]

I used one of the Personna "Twin II Plus" blades yesterday. It was sharper than the Dorco and CVS, but not by a whole lot. Again, I felt the need for more pressure to get a closer shave, resulting in minor irritation. The "lube strip" was not really noticeable. I would rank these blades:
1 Walmart Wilkenson the best. Sharpest, and with enough exposure to give a close shave (remember, I like Feathers).
2 Personna Twin II Plus, not quite as good. I could use them, but they are just "acceptable". These seemed to clog less easily than #1, although looking at the back, both have a similar design.
3 CVS, not sharp enought, or with enough blade exposure to give me a close shave without excessive pressure.
4 Dollar General Dorco see #3, slightly less sharp.

Well, I'm quite satisfied with the BF handle, and Wally Wilkensons combo. A close enjoyable shave at a reasonable price. Unsure how many shaves I can get from one cart, which will be the ultimate determiner of cost. Altogether a suitable replacement for the 3,4, or 5 bladed "wonder" shavers!

 

[grampi]

This might be a bit of a dumb question, but are the carts the same for both the Trac II and Atra handles? It's been a long time since I've used these razors, but if I remember right, the difference is in the handles only, not the carts?

 

[michael.scheller]

This might be a bit of a dumb question, but are the carts the same for both the Trac II and Atra handles? It's been a long time since I've used these razors, but if I remember right, the difference is in the handles only, not the carts?

No Sir. The Trac II was a fixed cartridge which did not pivot or move once you had slid it into place.
View attachment 141571

The Atra had a pivoting motion and a clamp system which grasped the cartridge.
View attachment 141574
View attachment 141575

 

[sandmountainslim]

Nowadays Dorco makes a combo cart that will fit both Trac II and Atra.

 

[filedog]

Michael summed it up, the attachment method is different. Some carts, like the DG Dorcs, Wally Wilks, Personna Twin II Plus, and the CVS carts, are made to fit both.

 

[masonjarjar]

I just mentioned the handle I was using as part of the story, not saying it had much importance on the shave. I couldn't find ANY Trac II handles locally, which is why I ordered the original style handle. Then I found the BF handle. Interestingly, someone posted that Personna actually emailed them and told them NOT to use the BF handle with Trac II blades, they felt the angle would be wrong.

My dad has an original TracII handle from the 80's and it is a solid piece. I have noticed that the angle is a bit different for the Bump Fighter handle, as it is designed for a single blade cartridge. However, we are men of B&B, ever-mindful of blade angle, I doubt anyone here would have trouble making the adjustment required to properly use the BF handle with a Trac-II style cartridge. I have found I need to hold it at wider angle than the original TracII, which is no trouble.

 

[Wil Dorenbos]

The original style handle I ordered from dridiot was a dissapointment however, thin and cheap, poorly made, the BF handle is WAY nicer.

I thought you said you bought it from idiotdoc, that is NOT our dridiot/Jason! But I agree, the BF handle is great.

 

[filedog]

I thought you said you bought it from idiotdoc, that is NOT our dridiot/Jason! But I agree, the BF handle is great.

Yep, I know the difference, must have been partly asleep. My apologies to Jason, who I have also dealt with. He was great.

 

[kingfisher]

dridiot also sells a handle made by Feather. I don't have it and have never tried it, but it looks nice.

I use the BF handle.

I'm still using up the old Personna Twin 2 carts I bought at Wally World a long time ago. They are NOT Twin 2 PLUS, so they don't have a lube strip at all. With the BF, you have to hold the handle a long way off the face to get the right angle, but it's not particularly difficult to do.