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A More Aggressive TTO Razor In The Gillette Red Tip Tradition. Recommendations?

I am hoping to acquire a Gillette Slim Adjustable next year, but to round off my little collection I am also looking for a more aggressive stand-alone razor, for use with mild blades and for times when I have heavier growth.

I am in love with the classic Gillette TTO's period 47- early 60's, and especially am attracted to the Gillette Red Tips. But also Global Shave Club make a 'RepliSpeed' which they claim to be about the same as the Red Tip in performance. To further confuse things they are also producing their own replica Red Tip which they claim to have a slightly higher efficiency than the original.

Cost comparisons come in here as well as performance. An original Red Tip will probably be the most expensive option. The Global Shave Club replicas seem cost-effective.

Has anyone any thoughts on this? Anyone have experience with the Global Shave Club razors I've mentioned? How do they stack up with the original?

I'm not interested in the Muhle 41 at all. It would be down purely to the Gillette TTO Red Tip and replicas mentioned. I now have a pre-51 Super Speed via the kindness of a well known B&B colleague, so I am becoming familiar with the Head characteristics and feel of the S/S. I love 'em!

Insights and advice would be much welcomed Gents.
 
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It seems like all the modern re-imagining of Gillette razors have gone away from TTO, though I am not an expert. What about Merkur? I am going to go check out the one you are talking about...

... Interesting. I do wish they were making them up to the standard of their Fatguy. I would go with vintage for a little bit more and expect to have to do some work on it.
 
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If you are planning on getting a Slim (great plan, btw!), perhaps you might consider a slant as a complementary razor for heavier growth days? The settings of the Slim allow a great deal of flexibility, so a slant would be more of a step change. Just a thought. :)
 
If you are planning on getting a Slim (great plan, btw!), perhaps you might consider a slant as a complementary razor for heavier growth days? The settings of the Slim allow a great deal of flexibility, so a slant would be more of a step change. Just a thought. :)
Great thoughts from yourself and @APBinNCA, appreciated :)
I am just a little wary of the slant concept and design. I suspect it would not fit into my current development as a DE newbie. (TL;DR..they scare the xxxx out of me)

I'm just thinking of comfort zones. I'm loving the TTO Gillette designs, and the Slim would be a natural progression. It will be coming from the collection of a great B&B colleague, but that will be next year, hopefully.

I just would like to aquire the pre-adjustable Red Tip type as a stand alone aggressive model. I have a nice old English Tech and a venerable 49-50 Super Speed, and a modern DE89. All are mild/medium depending on blade choice.

I will not buy any more razors after that. It seems a nicely balanced thematic little collection IMHO.
 
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Sometimes I get caught up in what people are currently into on here, I go onto The Bay, watch a couple auctions, think about bidding and they end. Luckily without me parting with money. It's some kind of B&B cycle. I like to really understand what they are hoping to get out of a purchase and imagine how their options might work for them. With newer shavers I can make some constructive recommendations, but with most on here I just sit back and read. And watch their bank accounts drain. 😁
 
It seems like all the modern re-imagining of Gillette razors have gone away from TTO, though I am not an expert. What about Merkur? I am going to go check out the one you are talking about...

... Interesting. I do wish they were making them up to the standard of their Fatguy. I would go with vintage for a little bit more and expect to have to do some work on it.
What do you make of them, based on the site specs and descriptions of them @APBinNCA?
 
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What do you make of them, based on the site specs and descriptions of them @APBinNCA?
Well it took me a minute to recognize, I saw the Fatguy and the Toggle replica and a light slowly came on. Some reviews for the more modest priced options don't give me much confidence. I have read reviews of these somewhere at some time in the past. I also don't like how they are trying to avoid admitting that the barn doors are zamac. You are getting approximately what you are paying for if I am trying to be nice. I just don't see spending 100 freedom bucks on a vintage razor as a bad deal. If there was something with high quality manufacture that cost the same, there might be something to debate. As it is, you are never going to loose money on the real thing and it will give more satisfaction just looking at it. I have about half a dozen vintage razors that don't get much use in the $30-$50 range. I am glad to have them for the experience. Since you know what you want and how it is going to perform, spending up to around $100 seems like a smart investment. I know they are available for that.

Obviously, I know you are on GBP. I am too lazy to convert and you will probably have to buy in $ anyway.
 
Within the Superspeed range you have varying degrees of aggressiveness with the UK made Red Tip on the top end (rare and expensive). At least you are UK based and can watch for deals.

The heavy HD500 should in most cases also have a bigger gap compared to Flare Tip or US Red Tip and is still rather easy to find in France. @ivan_101 is quite the buff when it comes to variations within the models and built years maybe he can specify a better match.

9EF94D05-AA8E-4B3C-8E1F-5E335ABD20AA.jpeg
 
Within the Superspeed range you have varying degrees of aggressiveness with the UK made Red Tip on the top end (rare and expensive). At least you are UK based and can watch for deals.

The heavy HD500 should in most cases also have a bigger gap compared to Flare Tip or US Red Tip and is still rather easy to find in France. @ivan_101 is quite the buff when it comes to variations within the models and built years maybe he can specify a better match.

View attachment 1376408
Yes, that Rocket of yours has more gap an exposure than the US Red tip. But it can be found with 2 gaps - normal and big. If it has "II" on the bottom plate, it means the smaller standard gap - "medium", an it will be very mild.
 
Within the Superspeed range you have varying degrees of aggressiveness with the UK made Red Tip on the top end (rare and expensive). At least you are UK based and can watch for deals.

The heavy HD500 should in most cases also have a bigger gap compared to Flare Tip or US Red Tip and is still rather easy to find in France. @ivan_101 is quite the buff when it comes to variations within the models and built years maybe he can specify a better match.

View attachment 1376408
Yes, that Rocket of yours has more gap an exposure than the US Red tip. But it can be found with 2 gaps - nornal and big. If it has "II" on the bottom plate, it means the smaller standard gap - "medium", an it will be very mild. The bad thing is there are soem without the "II", but with the small gap.
 
Aggressive TTO razors are made by Pearl & Parker. Also by Romer-7.

Global Shave Club has a few Romer - 7 razors in their line up, including the CS-11 which is marketed as their R-41 tribute.

Pearl, Parker & Romer-7 have been around for a long time.
 
Aggressive TTO razors are made by Pearl & Parker. Also by Romer-7.

Global Shave Club has a few Romer - 7 razors in their line up, including the CS-11 which is marketed as their R-41 tribute.

Pearl, Parker & Romer-7 have been around for a long time.
I wouldn't recommend to him a Pearl TTO. They are too aggressive. I have 4 - 3 CC and 1 OC and like them. But they are not user friendly, very easy to get cut, especially if you are accustomed to Gillette TTOs
 
I wouldn't recommend to him a Pearl TTO. They are too aggressive. I have 4 - 3 CC and 1 OC and like them. But they are not user friendly, very easy to get cut, especially if you are accustomed to Gillette TTOs
Yes, they are.

But as I understand it, that's exactly what the OP is looking for. Pearl is the only razor manufacturer that makes a TTO that's an OC.

Milder TTO razors by Parker are another possibility.

I have a soft spot for TTO razors because that's what I started with. I used a Slim Twist for many years until it was lost while shifting house in 1999.

I often use a Superspeed (black handle) with one shim under the blade for blade rigidity & some additional aggression, so I can understand where the OP is coming from.
 

Hannah's Dad

I Can See Better Than Bigfoot.
I highly recommend that you post a ‘Want to Buy’ in the BST section for a British version of a Gillette Red Tip. It has a higher gap than its American brother and provides a supreme shave. Some fine B&B’er might just have one that they are willing to sell you.
 
Very helpful information from all, thanks Gentlemen :thumbup1:

I spent all day (well a few hours maybe) on the bay, looking at options. In terms of price it is all relative. Actually you are IMO better off going with a vintage (of any type) than a 'modern' in terms of bang for the buck. You think ohh that's a lot for a Gillette 195 Adjustable, but then you look at the price of a Rex Ambassador and other razors in the £200+ bracket and then suddenly they seem very reasonable, especially with a bit of luck searching.

I'm not really a collector, I just use them - although I hugely appreciate their incredible build quality, performance and heritage - so things that push up prices, like a perfect original box, instruction booklet and other details are not really relevant to me, so that helps in terms of affordability too.

So I will be on the hunt for a Red Tip, (thanks for the advice about the English one's performance BTW @Hannah's Dad) and eventually an adjustable. There is no Rush, and if it takes another year that's cool.

Oh and maybe 2 or 3 of the 20's - 30's Gillette types...

After!
 
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My recommendation is a Gillette New Short Comb. Slightly more aggressive than a Red Tip, open comb is perfect for multi day growth but still smooth with that vintage look and feel. JM
 
My recommendation is a Gillette New Short Comb. Slightly more aggressive than a Red Tip, open comb is perfect for multi day growth but still smooth with that vintage look and feel. JM
I have a Gillette Old handle. I am wondering if anyone would have a head for it. How does an Old perform? It appears to be brass, ball end. It has no cracks. Here is pics where it is more visible Help needed in identifying a ball end handle - https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/threads/help-needed-in-identifying-a-ball-end-handle.615945/

I did not fit the Tech head, I found out to my cost!
 
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Good questions. The general consensus on the Old is that it is a step up in aggression vs the New. My feeling is that a New is a nice bump up for you on its own. I'll see if someone else may be able to assist regarding threading on the New vs Old..
 
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