Item Description
I got this from the BST for $95- you can decide if that was a good price or not. In the Vtge market there's always tension between buyers & sellers trying to get the best deal for themselves and I've known some guitarists looking for/buying vintage instruments to switch their position 180 degrees when they change their role, without batting an eye.
I think the overall quality of the "real" Gillettes is well-known, though I'm sure there've been fluctuations over time which I'll learn about as I go. Certainly this particular model is in good condition and seems well-made. The silo-doors operate smoothly and secure in place very well. This is not as heavy as either my 11c or Slant, which took me by surprise, nor is the handle quite as thick. The colour of the piece is distinctly different too from any modern chroming I've seen and I don't know if this is the natural aging process or an aspect of '50s alloy choice.
You can't really get any more user friendly than this, can you?
Grip is fine.
Ease of blade-replacement: see above
This seems to have that un-losable sweet-spot that the HD has...it just turns around itself without you even thinking about it and suddenly your on your second pass. As to agression, I think this is a not-very-precise way of quantifying the most ephemeral aspect of DEs- the interaction between skin, blade and arm. Obviously something like a slant is blatantly agressive, but as you get into the middle of the range, I think lots of other things must affect it, including your soap/cream-choice and how twitchy your arm is that morning. I used to think more agression was better, but now I'm realising this is not the case. For me, the Rocket was quite forgiving but very effective and I'm definitely glad I've finally got a good Vtge G in my collection!
I think the overall quality of the "real" Gillettes is well-known, though I'm sure there've been fluctuations over time which I'll learn about as I go. Certainly this particular model is in good condition and seems well-made. The silo-doors operate smoothly and secure in place very well. This is not as heavy as either my 11c or Slant, which took me by surprise, nor is the handle quite as thick. The colour of the piece is distinctly different too from any modern chroming I've seen and I don't know if this is the natural aging process or an aspect of '50s alloy choice.
You can't really get any more user friendly than this, can you?
Grip is fine.
Ease of blade-replacement: see above
This seems to have that un-losable sweet-spot that the HD has...it just turns around itself without you even thinking about it and suddenly your on your second pass. As to agression, I think this is a not-very-precise way of quantifying the most ephemeral aspect of DEs- the interaction between skin, blade and arm. Obviously something like a slant is blatantly agressive, but as you get into the middle of the range, I think lots of other things must affect it, including your soap/cream-choice and how twitchy your arm is that morning. I used to think more agression was better, but now I'm realising this is not the case. For me, the Rocket was quite forgiving but very effective and I'm definitely glad I've finally got a good Vtge G in my collection!
