Check it Out...King Gillette was a Rigidity Evangelist!

[Dovo1695]

Here is a 1925 Pamphlet entitled "3 Reasons Why", in which Gillette explains 3 reasons why the Gillette New type is superior to the Old Type. Page 3 is a humdinger. This guy is a dyed-in-the-wool rigidity nut! Was King Gillette the OG BOSC'er??? You decide...

And yes, I know, Gillette probably didn't write the ad copy, but it's still pretty cool. I'm not a vintage guy, so it's probably common knowledge that the driving force behind the New Improved was to increase rigidity, but it was news to me. Thought I'd share.

 

[jmudrick]

Here is a 1925 Pamphlet entitled "3 Reasons Why", in which Gillette explains 3 why the Gillette New type is superior to the Old Type. Page 3 is a humdinger. This guy is dyed in the wool rigidity nut! Was King Gillette the OG BOSC'er??? You decide...

Clearly Gillette was misinformed, as the Rigidistas on the board will explain, without full bottom plate support and with the blade floating as it is in the cap the blade cannot be held rigid. Silly people at Gillette trying to pull a rigidity scam!

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[Hoka Hey]

#6 is interesting. Implies the N.I. Was also an adjustable, like the Old Type.

 

[Dovo1695]

Clearly Gillette was misinformed, as the Rigidistas on the board will explain, without full bottom plate support and with the blade floating as it is in the cap the blade cannot be held rigid. Silly people at Gillette trying to pull a rigidity scam!

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Lol. I'd never heard the term "Rigidista" before but it gave me a chuckle. We all have strong opinions about one thing or another when it comes to shaving, but I think shaving is and always will be a YMMV thing. I guess I'd classify as a rigidista for my own kit because I find rigid razors more comfortable, but I know many people don't notice a difference one way or another.

I just thought it was funny that the rigidity debate has such deep historical roots.

 

[Highspeedlane]

Very cool find and thanks for sharing.

 

[jmudrick]

#6 is interesting. Implies the N.I. Was also an adjustable, like the Old Type.

It sure is, I prefer to back off a bit.

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[jmudrick]

Lol. I'd never heard the term "Rigidista" before but it gave me a chuckle. We all have strong opinions about one thing or another when it comes to shaving, but I think shaving is and always will be a YMMV thing. I guess I'd classify as a rigidista for my own kit because I find rigid razors more comfortable, but I know many people don't notice a difference one way or another.

I just thought it was funny that the rigidity debate has such deep historical roots.

Read the original 1903 patent, the entire concept of the Gillette blade is based on it being thin and flexible enough to be bent by a razor frame to obtain rigidity comparable to thicker blades.

Do you consider the NI a rigid design?

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[Dovo1695]

#6 is interesting. Implies the N.I. Was also an adjustable, like the Old Type.

I hadn't realized that either. The pamphlet goes into greater detail on the razor adjustment on pages 8, 9, and 10 starting with part 28. I never knew any of this...

On page 10, the pamphlet suggests that when the blade becomes "less keen from use", the razor should be adjusted to increase blade exposure to improve the comfort of the shave. I've heard excaliber club guys mention that when they feel like the blade done, they often put it in a slim or fatboy at high exposure to finish it off. I thought that was interesting!

 

[jmudrick]

I hadn't realized that either. The pamphlet goes into greater detail on the razor adjustment on pages 8, 9, and 10 starting with part 28. I never knew any of this...

On page 10, the pamphlet suggests that when the blade becomes "less keen from use", the razor should be adjusted to increase blade exposure to improve the comfort of the shave. I've heard excaliber club guys mention that when they feel like the blade done, they often put it in a slim or fatboy at high exposure to finish it off. I thought that was interesting!

Good advice there on the diagonal slide as well. It took me from being a three pass to a two pass shaver.

Think I'll break out the NI tomorrow.

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[Dovo1695]

Read the original 1903 patent, the entire concept of the Gillette blade is based on it being thin and flexible enough to be bent by a razor frame to obtain rigidity comparable to thicker blades.

Do you consider the NI a rigid design?

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I couldn't say as I've never used one. If I recall though @Esox is a New SC enthusiast and I'm pretty sure he falls on the pro-rigid side of the debate.

 

[Dovo1695]

Good advice there on the diagonal slide as well. It took me from being a three pass to a two pass shaver.

Think I'll break out the NI tomorrow.

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I loved that picture on page 9. "Don't use your razor like a hoe..." might be my new sig line. It sounds like something Kanye West might say, but made even funnier coming from Gillette...

 

[jmudrick]

I couldn't say as I've never used one. If I recall though @Esox is a New SC enthusiast and I'm pretty sure he falls on the rigidista side of the debate.

The floating blade is a no-no amongst them, which is why I made the tongue-in-cheek comment. They would poo poo any claim to excellent rigidity in the NI.

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[Dovo1695]

For the interested, here is a link to the full pamphlet. Many thanks to @mblakele for scanning it and posting it for posterity.

mblakele

 

[Esox]

I couldn't say as I've never used one. If I recall though @Esox is a New SC enthusiast and I'm pretty sure he falls on the rigidista side of the debate.

I'm all for rigid blades and designs that offer the same.

Assuming "NI" is the Gillette New Improved, its design has more in common with the NEW LC than the NEW SC. The only other Gillette Razor to share a design similar to the NEW SC is the OLD type.

They ARE different! The SC is almost like an old!

The OLD type has no blade gap and fully supports the blade, the NEW SC has .023" gap and fully supports the blade, which is why rabidus has called it "an OLD type with blade gap".

The more support the blade has, the more rigid design. Figuring out which design gives one the best shave and how rigid a design one may need, is something completely different.

 

[Dovo1695]

I'm all for rigid blades and designs that offer the same.

Assuming "NI" is the Gillette New Improved, its design has more in common with the NEW LC than the NEW SC. The only other Gillette Razor to share a design similar to the NEW SC is the OLD type.

The OLD type has no blade gap and fully supports the blade, the NEW SC has .023" gap and fully supports the blade, which is why rabidus has called it "an OLD type with blade gap".

The more support the blade has, the more rigid design. Figuring out which design gives one the best shave and how rigid a design one may need, is something completely different.

Thanks for the clarification.

For my part, I say "Rigid is what rigid does sir...". If it doesn't cause painful tugging on my wiry whiskers, I proclaim it "rigid" and keep the razor. I have a lot of different razors but all of my favorites clamp the blade as close to the edge as possible and most have a steep bend radius as well. Maybe I should pick up a New SC and take it for a spin. I'm really curious to play around with the adjustment settings. It's basically science!

 

[jmudrick]

I loved that picture on page 9. "Don't use your razor like a hoe..." might be my new sig line. It sounds like something Kanye West might say, but made even funnier coming from Gillette...

I would definitely take advice from Gillette before Kanye West.

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[jmudrick]

Assuming "NI" is the Gillette New Improved, its design has more in common with the NEW LC than the NEW SC. The only other Gillette Razor to share a design similar to the NEW SC is the OLD type.

The OLD type has no blade gap and fully supports the blade, the NEW SC has .023" gap and fully supports the blade, which is why rabidus has called it "an OLD type with blade gap".

The more support the blade has, the more rigid design. Figuring out which design gives one the best shave and how rigid a design one may need, is something completely different.

For my part, I say "Rigid is what rigid does sir...". If it doesn't cause painful tugging on my wiry whiskers, I call it "rigid" and keep the razor. Maybe I should pick up a New Improved and take it for a spin. I'm really curious to play around with the adjustment settings. It's basically science.

It's not my theoretical outlook so I'll let others in the Rabidus camp opine as to the importance of base to edge distance vs. full bottom support or lack thereof. I do know the NI and New Deluxe are my two favorite Gillettes.

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[Laird]

So, as the New Improved pre-dated the NEW LC and SC, wouldn't the rigidity gained from the fulcrum shoulder and overhanging cap idea carry over to those models as well as the pre and post war Techs? It seems unlikely that they would have forgotten this when they brought out the NEWs and Techs. I've never experienced blade "chatter" and can't prove that it doesn't exist, but I find it unlikely that a LC is less rigid than a SC or that a pre-war Tech is less rigid than a post-war version. And the Old Type was a pretty rigid design anyway.

 

[jmudrick]

So, as the New Improved pre-dated the NEW LC and SC, wouldn't the rigidity gained from the fulcrum shoulder and overhanging cap idea carry over to those models as well as the pre and post war Techs? It seems unlikely that they would have forgotten this when they brought out the NEWs and Techs. I've never experienced blade "chatter" and can't prove that it doesn't exist, but I find it unlikely that a LC is less rigid than a SC or that a pre-war Tech is less rigid than a post-war version.

: popcorn: :can-of-worms:

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[Dovo1695]

: popcorn: :can-of-worms:

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I didn't mean to rekindle the rigidity debate. Honest. I just got a kick out of seeing Gillette taking about it so long ago. It's kind of cool to learn that Gillette himself kicked off the debate all the way back with his original patent.