ADJUSTABLE'S.......share your thought....

[tattooer601]

Hello everyone.....
Well I believe I have made myself one with the standard DE, a none adjustable Copper Tech with a Bakelite handle.

I would like to know / hear you guys thoughts on adjustables??
Obviously they are adjustable, but in what aspect?
My thinking would be that the DE razor's mechanic's use some sort of tension being pressed on the blade that gives the razor more blade exposure.......
Hope I got that right.....

If the above is the case, do you guys find that one particular setting,is all that you use on the Adj. razor?
Or do you guys shave in steps utilizing the adjustable feature.......thanks for the thoughts,ideas , and answers......Russell

 

[WhosYerBob]

No adjustable tension on the blade - it's actually the gap between the blade and guard that narrows or widens with adjustment. Narrow for a mild shave and wide for an aggressive one. Some people adjust it with each shave - aggressive for the first pass or two, then mild for the final pass. Others like being able to adjust to a certain width and leave it there forever. YMMV.

 

[aquilla]

to my eye the doors raise causing both a larger blade gap and i guess a little more exposure aswell and a slightly changed angle. my favorite razor for shaving so far is the slim adjustable and i use mine wtg on 3, atg 9 and xtg 9 thats probably over kill but i like the way it feels on 9, i find that the same on my fatboy, long super adjustable and short super adjustable, but ofcourse ymmv.
looks like whosyerbob answered whilst i was very slowly typing

 

[michiganlover]

I love my Slim Adjustable, and although it goes up to 9, I never use it above 3/4.

It's actually the blade bed (that the blade sits on top of) that moves up, and down in a Slim Adjustable in order to modify the blade gap.

~John~

 

[garyg]

I love my Slim Adjustable, and although it goes up to 9, I never use it above 3/4.

It's actually the blade bed (that the blade sits on top of) that moves up, and down in a Slim Adjustable in order to modify the blade gap.

~John~

+ but, sorry, it does come on down to your particular beard & technique, some days a *** Merkur slant works, others are all the Fat Boy, or an adjustable Schick

 

[benvh]

I used my fatboy a few times and have been using my slim adjustable this week for the first time. I just don't get as smooth of a shave compared to my superspeeds. I get a lot of catching/snags on the 3 setting, which is all I've used so far. I'm going to play around with some different blades and settings before I give up, but that's my experience thus far. If they don't work out I can easily find new homes for them and I still have a nice selection of razors to use that work great for me.

(Between the two I like the slim better...the weight/length combo of the fatboy just wasn't comfortable in my hand)

Ben

 

[mkevenson]

I have a Futur and can go with #1 and have gone as high as #2.5. I have used several non-adjustables as well, but keep going back to the adjustable. I haven't found a negative to adjustables, tho there might be some. I did have a fat boy but sold it cause the mechanism was a bit loose. Would love to hear from those who don't like adjustables and the reasons why?

 

[aquilla]

the only negatives i can see is that for a newb it adds in alot of variables and so makes refinement trickier and the head as with most ttos is a little thicker, i suppose some might prefer the lightness of say a tech but thats more of a preference for a different razor than a negative for the adjustable. cleaning a three piece or a two piece is almost always easier than a one piece aswell.

 

[tattooer601]

+ but, sorry, it does come on down to your particular beard & technique, some days a *** Merkur slant works, others are all the Fat Boy, or an adjustable Schick

Very cool.......
I have one in the mail headed my way.......
The slim that is,
I figured I would ask, to see what all you guys have to say about the adjustables, and apply the knowledge to the Gillette Slim, when it hits the mail box

 

[82R100]

Put it this way: If a very good deal on an adjustable falls into your hands (estate sale, flea market, etc.) there's no harm in picking it up for later.

For many, the adjustability's used to fine tune the razor to a level that works best for them after they've gotten their technique consistent. For many, the adjustment stays there from that point on.

Others like to play with the setting, trying one for the first pass, another for the next pass, etc. and this is where a novice, particularly, can get crossed up with his technique.

It's not magic, but there are many who like the ability to dial in the razor in a way that they couldn't otherwise.

- Chris

[Edit: OK, I see you have a Slim on the way. I have a Slim and I get very nice shaves with it. Try to resist playing around with the setting too much.]

 

[tattooer601]

the only negatives i can see is that for a newb it adds in alot of variables and so makes refinement trickier and the head as with most ttos is a little thicker, i suppose some might prefer the lightness of say a tech but thats more of a preference for a different razor than a negative for the adjustable. cleaning a three piece or a two piece is almost always easier than a one piece aswell.

Funny ya mention it....
If I could change something about, the Tech I have that has the copper top and bake-lite handle would be its weight,grip and handle diameter.

A forum member here sent me a fat handle tech,this razor feels better in the hand, but the Fat handle has to be aluminum...because of its weight.
I need 2 things out of a DE,a fat handle, and for the handle to have some weight to it.......I hope the Slim fits this bill..........Russell

 

[Swampfox]

I have a Slim, but haven't used it yet. I am still using my Blue Tip to test drive blades. I will probably start using my Slim in another week or two. And I am looking forward to it!

 

[82R100]

Funny ya mention it....
If I could change something about, the Tech I have that has the copper top and bake-lite handle would be its weight,grip and handle diameter.

A forum member here sent me a fat handle tech,this razor feels better in the hand, but the Fat handle has to be aluminum...because of its weight.
I need 2 things out of a DE,a fat handle, and for the handle to have some weight to it.......I hope the Slim fits this bill..........Russell

In another thread, there's someone who cut lengths of solder and slid them into the hollow handle of their fat handle tech to make it heavier. You could do that easily enough.

- Chris

 

[tattooer601]

Hey Chris,
Very good idea, thanks for bringing that up.
I'm working on the Christmas gift, razors that I posted a WTB thread about...
I still would like to get any and all Gillette heads the 2 pieces, that I can get, to make gifts for family, and friends.....
So Ive been working on custom handles,anyhow.....
When I make them I'm gonna post a picture laden post.....
I'm looking forward to making the thread.........Russell

 

[profsaffel]

I own 3 Gillette adjustables and I'm not impressed with any of them. Any setting I put them on seems no more comfortable than the other. I would like to try another brand of adjustable one day, but for now, I'll stick with the various SS, Techs, Schicks, etc, in my rotations.

 

[bill mcdill]

I need 2 things out of a DE,a fat handle, and for the handle to have some weight to it

Sounds like a fatboy to me...

 

[Legion]

I have several Gillette adjustables in my stable. They are all good razors but they don't really get that much use these days. To be honest I never really saw the point. From Gillette's point of view it makes a lot of sense. Make one razor that can be adjusted to suit all users. Good idea. You only have to have the equipment to make one product and you can sell it to pretty much 100% of your market.

From a user standpoint most people play with it until they decide in the setting they like and then leave it there. So it is no longer an adjustable razor.

After surviving a fairly severe case of RAD I now have plenty of razors to chose from. If I feel like I might want to get a change in aggressiveness (which I never really do) I would just reach for a whole new razor.

Having said that give an adjustable a go. They work fine and you will satisfy your own curiosity. But, as I said, the benefits of adjustability is more in marketing than improved performance.

My two cents, anyway.

 

[fidjit]

See my sig for piccies of setting 1 vs setting 9 on an adjustable

Mine pretty much sits on 7 most of the time........

 

[moonshine44]

I like my Slim. My shaving is usually in the short time before work, so I do a two-pass, WTG shave. If I'm shaving with my Slim, I do the first pass on 4 and the second on 5. Don't remember how I got started that way, but that's how I do it. I've found that the Slim can make a less than perfect blade, like a WalMart Personna, a pretty good shaver by letting the blade express itself better than it can with a fixed setting razor. I've found the same thing with Crystals...

 

[jpkunst]

I do my WTG/ATG passes on 3 with my Super Adjustable, but I dial down to 1 for ATG on the upper lip. If I don't I get weepers.