I’ve long been a confirmed vintage razor enthusiast, but I’ve always paid attention to what’s going on in the modern world. Originally my interest in vintage razors was primarily economic.
In general, they are cheap.
You can easily buy 5-10 vintage Gillette razors for the price of one high end razor. That’s a lot of exposure to different styles, and different shaves, for 20.00 or 30.00 dollars a pop.
For whatever reason, I basically worked my way backwards through the timeline of Gillette razors. I got extremely obsessed with the NEW series, as there is such a variety of great shavers there. Lately the early Aristocrats are my obsession. There’s only a few styles I haven’t used, like a Toggle, and some of the true rarities like a Bottom Dial Fatboy. I still want a Bulldog, but the list of vintage Gillette’s I want to try is pretty short.
I always knew the point would come where if I wanted to try something new and different, I’d have to take a closer look at modern razors, and specifically some of the well regarded high end examples. And of course I’ve always been curious how the modern high end stacks up against the best of the vintage razors. At one point, I sent a NEW Deluxe to @Dragonsbeard to compare it to a Wolfman Geurilla, as I was curious to see how one of my favorites compared. The NEW Deluxe did quite well, and inspired a fairly intense interest in vintage razors for Frank.
Frank was nice enough to loan me a Charcoal Goods razor recently, with both the #2 and #3 plates.
First off, the handle is gorgeous!
Heavy enough to be used as a self defense device if ever attacked while shaving. Easy to grip is an understatement.
At one point, Charcoal Goods had it on their website that the design was inspired by the NEW. The relationship is obvious, but there are some significant differences.
Notice the Charcoal Goods cap is a no tab design, and the lack of the corner cut outs/notches in the baseplate. Simplified for manufacturing? Also notice the textured/ridged top of the cap.
So how does it shave?
First of all, I have to admit my biases. I like moderately aggressive razors with some blade feel that are smooth enough. I know some value smoothness above everything, but that’s not me.
First thing you notice with both baseplates is that it’s LOUD. Lots of audible feedback. The level 2 plate is dead mid range in aggressiveness. Not to much, not to little. Would be a wonderful daily shaver.
The level 3 plate kicks it up a long way.
Frank had cautioned me that this thing could bite. In fact, he calls it “The Beast.”
I didn’t get bit, but this plate requires mindful shaving. If you’re looking for mindless and quick, look elsewhere. My guess is this is the upper limit, or very close to it, of useful aggression. Anything much beyond would be unacceptably harsh. I enjoyed it, as it was a different experience, and very effective. Unlike any vintage Gillette, so fairly unique.
I had to try a couple other heads on the handle, just for giggles. The New Deluxe was phenomenal, and the NEW Short Comb was also a thing of wonder on this handle. The vintage heads revealed a few other points. Being heavier, they were a better match for the handle. They were also much smoother shavers with the plain polished caps. The ridges on the Charcoal Goods cap are smooth enough, but it’s behind a polished cap in comparison. I only recently thought of it, but it would be interesting to try a no tab cap from a NEW Flat Bottom on the Charcoal Goods baseplate. Might have to send one to Frank for evaluation.
This was a lot of fun, and my thanks to @Dragonsbeard for the opportunity to test drive a high end modern razor. Turns out there are some original experiences to be had.
In general, they are cheap.
You can easily buy 5-10 vintage Gillette razors for the price of one high end razor. That’s a lot of exposure to different styles, and different shaves, for 20.00 or 30.00 dollars a pop.
For whatever reason, I basically worked my way backwards through the timeline of Gillette razors. I got extremely obsessed with the NEW series, as there is such a variety of great shavers there. Lately the early Aristocrats are my obsession. There’s only a few styles I haven’t used, like a Toggle, and some of the true rarities like a Bottom Dial Fatboy. I still want a Bulldog, but the list of vintage Gillette’s I want to try is pretty short.
I always knew the point would come where if I wanted to try something new and different, I’d have to take a closer look at modern razors, and specifically some of the well regarded high end examples. And of course I’ve always been curious how the modern high end stacks up against the best of the vintage razors. At one point, I sent a NEW Deluxe to @Dragonsbeard to compare it to a Wolfman Geurilla, as I was curious to see how one of my favorites compared. The NEW Deluxe did quite well, and inspired a fairly intense interest in vintage razors for Frank.
Frank was nice enough to loan me a Charcoal Goods razor recently, with both the #2 and #3 plates.
First off, the handle is gorgeous!
Heavy enough to be used as a self defense device if ever attacked while shaving. Easy to grip is an understatement.
At one point, Charcoal Goods had it on their website that the design was inspired by the NEW. The relationship is obvious, but there are some significant differences.
Notice the Charcoal Goods cap is a no tab design, and the lack of the corner cut outs/notches in the baseplate. Simplified for manufacturing? Also notice the textured/ridged top of the cap.
So how does it shave?
First of all, I have to admit my biases. I like moderately aggressive razors with some blade feel that are smooth enough. I know some value smoothness above everything, but that’s not me.
First thing you notice with both baseplates is that it’s LOUD. Lots of audible feedback. The level 2 plate is dead mid range in aggressiveness. Not to much, not to little. Would be a wonderful daily shaver.
The level 3 plate kicks it up a long way.
Frank had cautioned me that this thing could bite. In fact, he calls it “The Beast.”
I didn’t get bit, but this plate requires mindful shaving. If you’re looking for mindless and quick, look elsewhere. My guess is this is the upper limit, or very close to it, of useful aggression. Anything much beyond would be unacceptably harsh. I enjoyed it, as it was a different experience, and very effective. Unlike any vintage Gillette, so fairly unique.
I had to try a couple other heads on the handle, just for giggles. The New Deluxe was phenomenal, and the NEW Short Comb was also a thing of wonder on this handle. The vintage heads revealed a few other points. Being heavier, they were a better match for the handle. They were also much smoother shavers with the plain polished caps. The ridges on the Charcoal Goods cap are smooth enough, but it’s behind a polished cap in comparison. I only recently thought of it, but it would be interesting to try a no tab cap from a NEW Flat Bottom on the Charcoal Goods baseplate. Might have to send one to Frank for evaluation.
This was a lot of fun, and my thanks to @Dragonsbeard for the opportunity to test drive a high end modern razor. Turns out there are some original experiences to be had.
