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New to me Gillette Tech, need ID assistance...

So, I suppose I'll introduce myself!

I'm Ian from BC, Canada; bit of an electronics and pharmacy geek, and boy am I picky when it comes to doing things right. Never had a razor with less than 4 blades, but I do look forward to saving money on blades and getting a better shave!



So I found this Gillette Tech in a $4 baggie at the local moneymongering Value Village thrift store chain yesterday and knew instantly that this was not worth only $4, so I snatched it up! When I got it, it was stiflingly gross with body oil, grit and a lonely hair! So I thus put on some gloves, cracked out the ethanol/acetone for a quick sterilization and cleared the tough grit with a fine brass brush, and it went from brown to nickle! Considering a fine wet sandpaper and/or toothpaste polish to give it back some shine too.
I'm also thoroughly impressed how nice it is under the gunk too, with only one spot showing copper and that's on the head cap (or whatever it's called) on one end of the middle bar, where it looks like it got bashed; otherwise the plating seems almost perfect aside from the fine scuffs.

The one thing I just cant figure out it what exact model it is, and if it's a frankenrazor or not... I've found picture reference to the head and handle separately, but together here: http://theshaveden.com/forums/threads/recent-acquisitions.14254/
He has the Canadian head on the Fat Boy shaft and the England head on the aluminum shaft. Said he got them together from his uncle, so I'm thinking they might have gotten mixed up?

tl;dr... Nickel head, aluminum handle (pics below)

Do let me know your assessment, please and thanks! :)
Maybe even what it's worth :p

$IMG_0028.jpg$IMG_0029.jpg$IMG_0030.jpg$IMG_0038.jpg

Head stamped with:
-----------------------------
PAT.CANADA 1932
<Gillette> MADE IN CANADA
-----------------------------


Edit: I should mention too: I gave it a little test run on my sideburn stubble with a "Classic Sword Edge" from Wilkinson Sword, and I think I may just have to keep this around!

Any thoughts on the Wilkinson Sword blades?
 
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Welcome to B&B, and congrats on your first (of many) DE purchases!

Your razor is, in fact, a Frankenrazor. You have a pre-war Canadian Tech head with a handle from the '60s-'70s. Don't hold that against it . . . it will still give you a great shave!

The Canadian-made Techs carried a patent date of 1932. The Tech didn't go into full production until 1939, however. The shape of the relief slots in the base plate (rounded triangle) narrow its production to pre-1946, which was when the slots were changed to a rounded rectangle shape.

Cleaning a razor is easy. Dawn dish soap, hot water, old toothbrush, and elbow grease. Lather, rinse, repeat. This is all one needs to do to clean the razor. Sterilization is neither needed nor advised. To bring out shine on a worn finish, MAAS, Simichrome, or Flitz works well and will not damage the plating. Sandpaper, automotive polishes, and even Brasso are all too harsh and will harm the plating on your razor. Don't try to polish out scratches . . . you will most likely remove the plating before you get the scratch out!

The Tech is regarded as a gentle shaver, and is highly recommended as a "first" DE razor. You can perfect your technique using the Tech with a single type of blade (those Wilkies are fine) and then "graduate" to trying different blades and razor combinations.

Again, welcome aboard, and enjoy your shaves!!
 
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Welcome aboard, Ian!

Your razor is, in fact, a Frankenrazor. You have a pre-war Canadian Tech head with a handle from the '60s-'70s. Don't hold that against it . . . it will still give you a great shave!

+1 to all this.

The Canadian-made Techs carried a patent date of 1932. The Tech didn't go into full production until 1939, however.

I'm not an expert Canadian historian so I'm guessing a bit here, but I believe the 1932 date is related to the Statute of Westminister, which gave Canada full legislative independence in December of 1931. All of the Canadian patents I've been able to find from 1932 are essentially re-filings of other earlier patents -- primarily for the NEW designs. Since the Tech shares many of those same covered elements it would be eligible for protection in Canada under those same patents.
 
Wilkinson Swords are OK, but every blade is different for every person. Get a sample pack of blades and find the one that suits you.

Welcome to B&B and nice find on the razor.
 
Nice razor. Welcome to B&B fellow Canadian.

Oh and that handle looks like the same tech that the character "Pink" uses in the movie Pink floyd the wall... For a little movie trivia.
 
Welcome to the B&B! Good score, I have never once walked into a thrift like "value village" and scored a razor. and trust me, I look at the baggies!

-jim
 
Welcome to B&B, and congrats on your first (of many) DE purchases!

Your razor is, in fact, a Frankenrazor. You have a pre-war Canadian Tech head with a handle from the '60s-'70s. Don't hold that against it . . . it will still give you a great shave!

The Canadian-made Techs carried a patent date of 1932. The Tech didn't go into full production until 1939, however. The shape of the relief slots in the base plate (rounded triangle) narrow its production to pre-1946, which was when the slots were changed to a rounded rectangle shape.

Cleaning a razor is easy. Dawn dish soap, hot water, old toothbrush, and elbow grease. Lather, rinse, repeat. This is all one needs to do to clean the razor. Sterilization is neither needed nor advised. To bring out shine on a worn finish, MAAS, Simichrome, or Flitz works well and will not damage the plating. Sandpaper, automotive polishes, and even Brasso are all too harsh and will harm the plating on your razor. Don't try to polish out scratches . . . you will most likely remove the plating before you get the scratch out!

The Tech is regarded as a gentle shaver, and is highly recommended as a "first" DE razor. You can perfect your technique using the Tech with a single type of blade (those Wilkies are fine) and then "graduate" to trying different blades and razor combinations.

Again, welcome aboard, and enjoy your shaves!!

Whoo, lots of info! I will keep this all in mind, thanks :)

Welcome to the B&B! Good score, I have never once walked into a thrift like "value village" and scored a razor. and trust me, I look at the baggies!

-jim

I rarely find good deals too, but there are a few things that I find on occasion... Got a couple valuable wireless routers, and some binders for all my pharmacy classes...
Oh, and digging the profile pic there... We had a sample core memory in our Electronics course, and boy does that stuff suck. Good at the time, but so inefficient :p



And thanks to all else for the greetings :)
 
Picked up a single Personna Super at the hobby & Shaver shop (this was only brand and no safety razors!), then found the local House of Knives has all the new safety razors and I picked up a pack of Merkur Super stainless/platinum.

Now I just need to have patience while I wait for some hair to grow between testing them all :p

Any critiques on Merkur and Personna blades, and comparison to Wilkinson Sword Classics?
 
Some feel the Merkur is not smooth enough and does not live up to the reputation of their razor. Personna is a brand name owned by American Safety Razor (and now owned by the company that makes Wilkinson and Schick) and is used on many different blades made all over the world. Some like the Israeli Personna, others have high regard for the medical prep Personnas. The "drug store" Personnas come in different varieties of stainless and platinum. Personna also makes "house brand" and dollar store blades.

Wilkinsons are ok . . . we can buy them in the states at Wal-Mart for under $2 for a 10-pack. My personal favorites are from the Dollar General store . . . their house blades are made in Korea by Dorco and IMHO are better than any other "store" blade available from Personna or Wilkinson.

The best thing to do is stick with one blade in your Tech for a month or so, and spend the time perfecting your prep and shave techniques. Switching blades and/or razors is not advised at this point in your journey. After you are getting good, consistent, irritation-free shaves (and your technique is solid) you can branch out with a "sample pack" from any one of several Internet vendors. Then, with a solid reference point to work from, you can find the blade or blades that work best for you.

Also, if you find something that doesn't work for you now, don't be afraid to go back and try that item after a few more months. I get great performance now from razors and blades that didn't work for me three years ago!
 
Some feel the Merkur is not smooth enough and does not live up to the reputation of their razor. Personna is a brand name owned by American Safety Razor (and now owned by the company that makes Wilkinson and Schick) and is used on many different blades made all over the world. Some like the Israeli Personna, others have high regard for the medical prep Personnas. The "drug store" Personnas come in different varieties of stainless and platinum. Personna also makes "house brand" and dollar store blades.

Wilkinsons are ok . . . we can buy them in the states at Wal-Mart for under $2 for a 10-pack. My personal favorites are from the Dollar General store . . . their house blades are made in Korea by Dorco and IMHO are better than any other "store" blade available from Personna or Wilkinson.

The best thing to do is stick with one blade in your Tech for a month or so, and spend the time perfecting your prep and shave techniques. Switching blades and/or razors is not advised at this point in your journey. After you are getting good, consistent, irritation-free shaves (and your technique is solid) you can branch out with a "sample pack" from any one of several Internet vendors. Then, with a solid reference point to work from, you can find the blade or blades that work best for you.

Also, if you find something that doesn't work for you now, don't be afraid to go back and try that item after a few more months. I get great performance now from razors and blades that didn't work for me three years ago!

Good to know, thanks! :)


Also, how many times is a blade often used for? Enough until it's not at peak performance anymore? Or would one suggest a one-time use?
 
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For me, blade life depends on both the blade and what razor I'm using it in. Some razors get better "mileage" out of a blade than others. It is more a matter of when the shave deteriorates and becomes irritating, rough, and bloody, rather than any exact shave count. Some only get one or two shaves from a blade, depending on their circumstances.

Generally, I get five good shaves from a blade, and as many as eight or nine in the right razor. For me, the best shaves are the second through the fourth. By the fifth shave I'm feeling a little tug and can easily irritate if my technique is not perfect.

I rotate razors with every new blade, and use straights mixed in as well, so I use about one blade per week.
 
For me, blade life depends on both the blade and what razor I'm using it in. Some razors get better "mileage" out of a blade than others. It is more a matter of when the shave deteriorates and becomes irritating, rough, and bloody, rather than any exact shave count. Some only get one or two shaves from a blade, depending on their circumstances.

Generally, I get five good shaves from a blade, and as many as eight or nine in the right razor. For me, the best shaves are the second through the fourth. By the fifth shave I'm feeling a little tug and can easily irritate if my technique is not perfect.

I rotate razors with every new blade, and use straights mixed in as well, so I use about one blade per week.

Sounds alright to me. To be honest, I'm currently only shaving once to twice a week at most. I consider it almost a blessing that my facial hair isn't that quick to grow, albeit patchy, but the one thing I dislike is that the patchiness is not symmetrical! :p
 
Since I got away from carts and back into proper wetshaving, I shave daily even if I don't have to! Joy!!!
 
Blade life?? Interesting. Depends on the razor, blade and prep for me. In my techs, I generally get 4, sometimes 5, very good shaves from a Feather, 2 or 3 from a Voskhod or Wal-Mart Wilkinson. With my Schick Krona I get 5, maybe 6 from a feather and 3 or 4 from the WallyWilkie or Voskhod. I have a 1932 Gillette "Good Will" and I get 3 or 4 very good shaves from my wallyWilkies and Voskhods. I don't like Feathers in the OC razors. They seem to be a bit aggressive to me.

My favorite razors these days are my Schick Injectors but they really aren't part of this discussion.
 
A pre-WWII Tech was one of my first razors. I put it away as I moved on to more and more aggressive razors, under the mistaken belief that more aggressive meant better shaving. I pulled it back out after a year or two of DE shaving and was amazed to find what a great shave it gave, topping my more expensive, more aggressive razors. I have since picked up a second Tech, and none of my many razors gets as much use. While it is a great "starter" razor, don't make the mistake I did. While it is a lot of fun to try a variety of razors, it can match up with any of them. Check out the Tech Tuesday thread to see how much love many of the experienced members here give the Tech.

Mike
 
Blade life?? Interesting. Depends on the razor, blade and prep for me. In my techs, I generally get 4, sometimes 5, very good shaves from a Feather, 2 or 3 from a Voskhod or Wal-Mart Wilkinson. With my Schick Krona I get 5, maybe 6 from a feather and 3 or 4 from the WallyWilkie or Voskhod. I have a 1932 Gillette "Good Will" and I get 3 or 4 very good shaves from my wallyWilkies and Voskhods. I don't like Feathers in the OC razors. They seem to be a bit aggressive to me.

My favorite razors these days are my Schick Injectors but they really aren't part of this discussion.

I guess only practice will tell!


A pre-WWII Tech was one of my first razors. I put it away as I moved on to more and more aggressive razors, under the mistaken belief that more aggressive meant better shaving. I pulled it back out after a year or two of DE shaving and was amazed to find what a great shave it gave, topping my more expensive, more aggressive razors. I have since picked up a second Tech, and none of my many razors gets as much use. While it is a great "starter" razor, don't make the mistake I did. While it is a lot of fun to try a variety of razors, it can match up with any of them. Check out the Tech Tuesday thread to see how much love many of the experienced members here give the Tech.

Mike

I will definitely have to check that thread out! Thanks :)
 
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