Gap Sizes on Gillette Adjustables Are NOT All Created Equal

[GlennConti]

S e t t i n g	F a t b o y E 4	E x e c u t i v e D 3	S l i m M 4	A r i s t o c r a t S l i m G 3	S u p e r 8 4 O 3	R e d D o t D 1	B o t t o m D i a l F 4	T o g g l e D 1	C h r o m e T o g g l e F 4	S e r i a l T o g g l e 1 3 3 9
1	.010	.011	.015	.014	.018	.023	.037	.021	.014	.012
2	.014	.015	.017	.016	.024	.026	.040	.025	.019	.013
3	.017	.019	.022	.020	.026	.029	.043	.027	.021	.019
4	.020	.022	.025	.025	.028	.031	.046	.031	.024	.020
5	.022	.025	.027	.026	.031	.034	.048	.032	.026	.023
6	.025	.027	.030	.031	.035	.036	.050	.036	.028	.027
7	.028	.030	.034	.033	.038	.041	.053	.039	.031	.030
8	.032	.034	.036	.035	.042	.044	.056	.041	.034	.032
9	.034	.038	.039	.039	.045	.047	.059	.043	.037	.034
Avg Gap	.022	.026	.027	.027	.032	.035	.048	.033	.026	.023

GAP SIZES BY RAZOR TYPE:

So you can see I have a lot of spare time on my hands. But what this shows is the Bottom Dial is the most aggressive (avg gap .048) Gillette Adjustable. And the Red Dot is next most aggressive (avg gap .035). Followed by the Super 84 and the D1 Toggle (avg gaps about .032 or .033). The Fat boys, Silms and Serial Toggle all come in around the same (avg gap from .022 to .027) With the slims being more aggressive than the Fat boys at the higher settings. My Super 109 was not giving me the same gaps on each side of the razor so I excluded it from the test.

Conclusion: Gap size wiki is wrong if it implies all different models of Gillette Adjustables give roughly the same gap sizes by setting.

Any statisticians among us, please feel free to interpret the data.

 

[KeenEdger]

Boy that's a lot to take in, but a well done job!

I would guess to think that the Super 84, and the Super 109 are the same... At least it seems to be with the two that I have.

I also did think that the Super's had a wider range than most others... as your results shows. I think that they shave better than the FB's and Slims IMHO.

 

[GlennConti]

Boy that's a lot to take in, but a well done job!

I would guess to think that the Super 84, and the Super 109 are the same... At least it seems to be with the two that I have.

I also did think that the Super's had a wider range than most others... as your results shows. I think that they shave better than the FB's and Slims IMHO.

Thanks. I am also assuming the Super 84 and Super 109 are the same. I was happy to see the Aristocrat Slim and standard Slim were about the same. But the Executive Fatboy and standard Fatboy did differ by more than I had hoped. The gap wiki says a tolerance of .003 difference can be expected so I guess the Fatboy differences can be explained that way. I was wicked surprised by the Bottom Dial's aggressiveness. I have never shaved with it but as you can see a Bottom Dial set at "1" is more aggressive than a Fatboy set at "9"!!!!! I only have one Bottom Dial so I would be interested in hearing from others to see if their experience matches my results. I too really like my Super 84. The settings on the D1 Toggle match pretty close to the Super 84. Zoink!

 

[ColtRevolver]

Have you compared two of the same model to see if the numbers are consistent?....I will be surprised if they are.

 

[GlennConti]

Have you compared two of the same model to see if the numbers are consistent?....I will be surprised if they are.

No I haven't because I don't have duplicates of my razors (except some NOS ones that I can't open). But the only difference between the Aristocrat Slim and Standard Slim is the gold vs nickle finish. Same for the Executive FB and Standard FB. The same models should be fairly consistent to Gillette's manufacturing tolerance.

 

[mblakele]

No I haven't because I don't have duplicates of my razors (except some NOS ones that I can't open). But the only difference between the Aristocrat Slim and Standard Slim is the gold vs nickle finish. Same for the Executive FB and Standard FB. The same models should be fairly consistent to Gillette's manufacturing tolerance.

First, let me thank you for posting your data. The data on the existing wiki page is suspect, and I agree that different models of adjustable are likely to have different ranges. Recording that would be great.

My next thought is: can we get more data? Right now have no idea what kind of variation showed up in these razors, and no single column of your data agrees with the generic "adjustable" on the wiki page. That should not surprise us, because these razors have all spent years of knocking around in the wild. For example it makes sense that the earlier adjustables generally have higher blade gaps than the later ones. But even so your bottom-dial F4 looks like an outlier. Could it be misaligned or overclocked? Can we get more data from other bottom-dial owners?

Again, thanks for posting your data. I agree that different models of adjustable probably had different ranges, and we should fix that.

 

[GlennConti]

But even so your bottom-dial F4 looks like an outlier. Could it be misaligned or overclocked?

My Bottom Dial is a 24 kt replate. So, there is always the possibility that in "REVAMPING" the razor they did not do it properly. I bought it newly revamped and have never shaved with it. I can't wait to hear from others if my Bottom Dial is indeed an outlier.

 

[Jeff_H]

It my be an outlier, but it sure is damn pretty.

 

[mblakele]

Yes, ordinarily I prefer nickel but that looks magnificent.

 

[GlennConti]

Thanks guys. I got it as a consultation prize when I missed out on this one on ebay. Of course my bid was second best.



PS: The gaps on this one pictured here look huge. So maybe mine isn't an outlier??????

 

[Copierguy]

I will slip on my white lab coat and take some measurements this weekend.
I should be able to provide multiples of many of the models listed so far.

 

[Jeff_H]

I'd rather have yours.

 

[Copierguy]

It my be an outlier, but it sure is damn pretty.

+1

Yes, ordinarily I prefer nickel, but that looks magnificent.

+1 It is a looker for sure.

 

[GlennConti]

I will slip on my white lab coat and take some measurements this weekend.
I should be able to provide multiples of many of the models listed so far.

Thanks Tom. That would be great!

 

[Teppanyaki]

Many thanks for the work and number publishing! The nerd in me salutes you.

 

[Haegar]

Great effort, thanks for taking that plunge!
Did you use feeler gauges for measuring?

 

[GlennConti]

Great effort, thanks for taking that plunge!
Did you use feeler gauges for measuring?

Yes. This is the type of thing. Like $6.00 at the auto supply store.

 

[Haegar]

Thank you.

And what did you measure, A, B, or C?

 

[GlennConti]

Thank you.

And what did you measure, A, B, or C?

View attachment 457796

I measured "B". Straight in center center. I read this first.

 

[Haegar]

I measured "B". Straight in center center. I read this first.

I have read that one too, but I disagree regarding that it would be this gap measurement that would be relevant to "aggressiveness" of the razor, which is why I asked.