102 vs 102a

[mjclark]

How does the post-1921 thick head Old Type compare as a shaver with the pre-1921 thin head?
I've only got clones of both types (which are obviously made to different tolerances to the real Gillette deal), but the thin head is wicked aggressive - big blade gap, big blade extension, requires close attention to blade angle - whereas the thick head is really rather mild- the blade almost rests on the combs and has small blade extension.
Is this the case for the genuine Gillette 102 and 102a models?

Also the thick head seems just too clunky for shaving tight areas around the nostrils etc, and I was wondering what other peoples experiences of these two different head types were.

 

[MacDaddy]

It sounds like the clones that you have are more different than the originals. If I'm paying close attention I can tell the thick and thin Old Type heads apart, but they're much more similar than what you're describing your clones are like. If I had to try to describe it, the later 102A head has a bit of a "rounder" feel than the earlier 102 head, but the differences are really rather minor. To me, anyway...

 

[mjclark]

It sounds like the clones that you have are more different than the originals. If I'm paying close attention I can tell the thick and thin Old Type heads apart, but they're much more similar than what you're describing your clones are like. If I had to try to describe it, the later 102A head has a bit of a "rounder" feel than the earlier 102 head, but the differences are really rather minor. To me, anyway...

Yup...here's those clones:



The one on the left has the thin cap, also thinner handle and plain ball Canadian style and it certainly requires a mindful shave.
The one on the right is milder than my Tech and feels great in the hand, but it's a little bit clunky.

 

[MacDaddy]

Wow... going of on a bit of a tangent here, but that gold handle looks like a remarkably good copy of the Canadian thin ball-end handle from just that one photo. Could I see some other angles of that head? Also, are there no markings on it at all?

 

[mjclark]

Wow... going of on a bit of a tangent here, but that gold handle looks like a remarkably good copy of the Canadian thin ball-end handle from just that one photo. Could I see some other angles of that head? Also, are there no markings on it at all?

And I can't see any ​markings anywhere...

 

[MacDaddy]

Oh! OK, I recognize that one now. The lighting in the other photo was hiding some of the differences in the handle.

In any case, yes, that one does look like it would be a little harsher than a proper Gillette Old Type head. Beyond the thinness of the guard, it's also slightly less curved than a Gillette would be. I would hazard a guess that you'd find either style Old Type head to be somewhere between those two that you have.

 

[mjclark]

Oh! OK, I recognize that one now. The lighting in the other photo was hiding some of the differences in the handle.

In any case, yes, that one does look like it would be a little harsher than a proper Gillette Old Type head. Beyond the thinness of the guard, it's also slightly less curved than a Gillette would be. I would hazard a guess that you'd find either style Old Type head to be somewhere between those two that you have.

Thanks- that's exactly what I wanted to know. And a level of aggressivenes somewhere between the brass and silver clones sounds just about right for me.
I've recently been shaving with an English NEW which is totally fantastic, so now I'm thinking about adding a genuine Gillette Old Type to the collection too