Personna Floating Head Injector

[mjclark]

I just acquired a black Personna Floating Head Injector.
Does anybody have some info on this razor?
I think there may have been two versions.

Also I cannot decide whether to use the OEM Personna 74 Blades or the Japanese Schick Twins for its maiden voyage.
Ha ha - that really is a quality problem

 

[xxvaleria]

There was one model in black and another in blue, Marcus. They were produced in different years, however, one came with the Personna 74 blades and the other one with different blades (perhaps Personna twins?). The head is supposed to flex to keep the shaving head at the proper angle.

 

[mjclark]

There was one model in black and another in blue, Marcus. They were produced in different years, however, one came with the Personna 74 blades and the other one with different blades (perhaps Personna twins?). The head is supposed to flex to keep the shaving head at the proper angle.

Thanks! As you can see mine is the black one with the P74s.

I wonder how aggressive this is?
I’ve decided to use the Schick Twins since I hear that they are phenomenal blades and the PFH is the only razor I own that will take them.

 

[xxvaleria]

Thanks! As you can see mine is the black one with the P74s.

I wonder how aggressive this is?
I’ve decided to use the Schick Twins since I hear that they are phenomenal blades and the PFH is the only razor I own that will take them.

@DrumZalot told me that it is pretty aggressive and can bite if not handled carefully. He does, however, say that it gives excellent shaves. I think it was the forerunner of the pivoting head of the Gillette cartridge razors and the OneBlade.

 

[mjclark]

@DrumZalot told me that it is pretty aggressive and can bite if not handled carefully. He does, however, say that it gives excellent shaves. I think it was the forerunner of the pivoting head of the Gillette cartridge razors and the OneBlade.

Thanks again! I am massively excited to shave with this now

 

[santamariasteve]

MJ, give us a report after a few shaves.

 

[mjclark]

MJ, give us a report after a few shaves.

For sure Steve!
First impressions are very good - there’s a lot of blade feel to this razor but it’s still pretty forgiving and very smooth.
A lot of that could be down to the quite astonishing Japanese Schick II Twin blade which certainly suits this razor perfectly.

And the pivoting head does work excellently around the chin and jawline as well as making ATG shaving extremely effective.

My other Injectors are a White Personna Executive and a Schick B1 both of which are very beautiful razors indeed - the harsh early 70s look of the Floating Head on the other hand is going to take some getting used to.
Somehow it reminds me of a Lotus Elite.

And yes with a pivoting head and a twin blade this is surely the ancestor of the Atra.

 

[mjclark]

Second shave tonight with the Floating Head - this razor clearly loves these Japanese Twin Blades.

They are absolutely incredible blades and actually this was one of the best shaves of my life so far (!)
So I am rapidly falling in love with this razor.

And it also likes a bold and assertive technique - the Floating Head rewards confident strokes, which is what everyone says about the OneBlade and the Focus Dynamic isn’t it?
The pivoting head is great for negotiating curves and tonight it also became clear that to some extent it offsets any accidental pressure making it a really powerful feature when used correctly.

Rather like the Bakelite DEs it needs a light yet assertive touch, and that Floating Head then really does come into play and give an excellent shave.
And rather like the OneBlade and Focus Dynamic this razor clearly requires a technique all of its own.

Growing in confidence with this razor tonight it felt positively aggressive and weirdly I’m starting to think that it actually looks quite attractive too

Was this ASRs last Injector?
And isn’t it cool that Personna made a fierce and aggressive razor in the 1970s when everybody else was making mild and gentle shavers?

 

[fasa]

I have the blue one, i find this razor very aggressive, too much for my taste at this point tbh.

I am keeping mainly because it is quit collectable.

I ll try to post some pics over the week end.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[mjclark]

I have the blue one, i find this razor very aggressive, too much for my taste at this point tbh.

I am keeping mainly because it is quit collectable.

I ll try to post some pics over the week end.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Turns out the black PFH came out in 1972 bundled with Personna 74 Blades then the blue followed in 1973 bundled with Personna Twin blades.

Looking forward to the pics of your blue version...

 

[gvw755]

@mjclark reminded me that the Personna Floating Head was on my wish list and I just happened to find one on eBay this week and it arrived today. Test shaved without a blade (came unloaded) and it kind of reminded me of the OB Core, where you had to apply some pressure in order to activate the floating head. Loaded a blank into my key and then loaded the blank first and then a real blade. It seemed odd that there was a lot of play in the head when loading the blade and it actually went in crooked until the key was removed and then the blade aligned between the notches. For this shave, I loaded a single blade and not a twin.

Did a first shave tonight and first pass was WTG. It took a while for me to get a feel of the razor as the head was larger and less maneuverable than the normal injector razors. Also found that, as in practice, I had to apply some pressure to get the head working to hug my face. Like the Core (and unlike the other injectors), the angle needed to be steeper so that the head could find it's own angle. First pass was very efficient, but definitely needed a second pass.

ATG pass was very efficient and like Marcus pointed out, the head actually worked better going ATG. I think with more practice, the shaves will get better. This one definitely will make my injector rotation.

 

[oldmpf]

For sure Steve!
First impressions are very good - there’s a lot of blade feel to this razor but it’s still pretty forgiving and very smooth.
A lot of that could be down to the quite astonishing Japanese Schick II Twin blade which certainly suits this razor perfectly.

And the pivoting head does work excellently around the chin and jawline as well as making ATG shaving extremely effective.

My other Injectors are a White Personna Executive and a Schick B1 both of which are very beautiful razors indeed - the harsh early 70s look of the Floating Head on the other hand is going to take some getting used to.
Somehow it reminds me of a Lotus Elite.
View attachment 832156

And yes with a pivoting head and a twin blade this is surely the ancestor of the Atra.

Marcus,
you must be on the beginning of an Injector Journey. I reckon a PAL Injecto-Matic with a Proline blade would go down a treat with you. Suggest you read up on it, I could lend you one if you fancy a go.
Mike

 

[mjclark]

Marcus,
you must be on the beginning of an Injector Journey. I reckon a PAL Injecto-Matic with a Proline blade would go down a treat with you. Suggest you read up on it, I could lend you one if you fancy a go.
Mike

That’s very kind of you Mike!
I’ll PM you.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

It went for $129.93. I did not win. That's a lot of money for a razor which was given away free with the purchase of a few razor blades.

I was bidding right up to the last seconds, but someone must have entered a max bid higher than mine which applied automatically as soon as mine was entered.

I am sorry I didn't get the razor, but not sorry, too. My wife saw my bid an hour or so again; I told her I wasn't thinking I'd win. Now I can tell her I didn't win.

I still want one of these razors. Another will come around. I suspect this went high partially because it is NOS & with blades. I would be fine with a good example but used and without blades.

 

[mjclark]

It went for $129.93. I did not win. That's a lot of money for a razor which was given away free with the purchase of a few razor blades.

I was bidding right up to the last seconds, but someone must have entered a max bid higher than mine which applied automatically as soon as mine was entered.

I am sorry I didn't get the razor, but not sorry, too. My wife saw my bid an hour or so again; I told her I wasn't thinking I'd win. Now I can tell her I didn't win.

I still want one of these razors. Another will come around. I suspect this went high partially because it is NOS & with blades. I would be fine with a good example but used and without blades.

Gosh! I didn’t realise a PFH could command such prices.

It is amazingly awesome razor though - an aggressive Injector masterpiece!
If it’s truly in your heart to have one then I’m sure one will find you soon enough so do persist

 

[fasa]

Gosh! I didn’t realise a PFH could command such prices.

It is amazingly awesome razor though - an aggressive Injector masterpiece!
If it’s truly in your heart to have one then I’m sure one will find you soon enough so do persist

I bought mine for a lot less than this ...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Peter's coin]

“

Second shave tonight with the Floating Head - this razor clearly loves these Japanese Twin Blades.

They are absolutely incredible blades and actually this was one of the best shaves of my life so far (!)
So I am rapidly falling in love with this razor.

And it also likes a bold and assertive technique - the Floating Head rewards confident strokes, which is what everyone says about the OneBlade and the Focus Dynamic isn’t it?
The pivoting head is great for negotiating curves and tonight it also became clear that to some extent it offsets any accidental pressure making it a really powerful feature when used correctly.

Rather like the Bakelite DEs it needs a light yet assertive touch, and that Floating Head then really does come into play and give an excellent shave.
And rather like the OneBlade and Focus Dynamic this razor clearly requires a technique all of its own.

Growing in confidence with this razor tonight it felt positively aggressive and weirdly I’m starting to think that it actually looks quite attractive too.

Excellent review: you accurately describe the way this razor likes to be used: it rewards long strokes, confident strokes and pressure activates the head. I use the Japanese Schlick Twins, too. Some months ago I was thinning my den and I put mine, a pristine packaged black model I hadn’t used yet, on the BST for $45.00, then reduced it to $25.00, but got no takers! So, I kept it and tried it and it instantly became a favorite.