Still Love my New. I have had 3 or 4 over the years and given a few away. I use mine about once or twice a month but I like it on a modern handle, usually a DIY one that I made out of a punch years ago.
Anyone still using the Gillette NEW razor
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I've got one sitting in front of me right now. A Berkshire set.
Great razor that redefined what a close shave was after I got used to it.
I have two LC's and one SC. I need to use the SC more but yes, I still use one...or two...or three.
Dirty
Great razor that redefined what a close shave was after I got used to it.
I have two LC's and one SC. I need to use the SC more but yes, I still use one...or two...or three.
Dirty
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I don't know if it is a serial number or what, all I know is that Gillette started putting these numbers on the NEW razors in May 1932.
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I have a dozen or so NEWs. Don’t forget the Flat Bottom NEW, the RFB NEW, and especially the NEW Standard/Improved razors. All great shavers
Oh hey, let's make sure the various NEW Deluxe get a shout out. They are the choice for a heavier head and thicker handle in the NEW slotted blade format.
That said, Short Comb is my favorite NEW. My rhodium replate SC is a top razor.
That said, Short Comb is my favorite NEW. My rhodium replate SC is a top razor.
I still consider the New SC the pinnacle of DE razor design, and it has been all downhill since then
Just added this Bostonian-set Gold New LC last week, found it covered in gunk at a local antique mall - took a thorough, patient deep clean, but the plating is beautiful and it shaves like a dream with a fresh Nacet; will now be part of the regular rota along with my earlier Old Style.
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Yes, I have a couple of SC’s and LC’s, and spare parts in case they break in the next 90 or so years. I’ve really gotten the hang of using them and get excellent results.
I’ve really gotten the hang of using them and get excellent results.
Yep!
My top favorite OC razor is my 1939 Gillette NEW RFB. Here it is on its 15 gram GT handle {made by my (late) good friend Doug (@Rosseforp)}:
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I'm a big fan of the New. I have three, pictured below. The one on the left was the first one I acquired. It was an Ebay purchase and I wasn't sure what I even had. The handle is not original but it is a nice New LC head. The middle is a NEW LC that I had powder coated. Can't remember the guys who did it but they were buying old Gillettes to powder coat. This was one they had redone and I snapped it up. The shiny baby on the right is my pride and joy. It is a NEW Deluxe Short Comb. Different baseplate than the standard NEW Design, and it is the short comb. Smooth shave! It was being sold on Ebay as a "haunted razor", and the seller had discovered its history. It belonged to a young man who was killed in Korea, and the razor was never used after that. As proof, when I received it, the blade was still in the razor and it was an old Gillette Blue Blade. The razor was in horrible condition and unusable in that state. I cleaned it up and sent it off for replating and man is it a beauty!
The NEW is one of my favorite Gillette razors and I rotate through these fairly regularly.
The NEW is one of my favorite Gillette razors and I rotate through these fairly regularly.
The New’s are excellent razors. I think most of my OC Gillettes are New’s. I still see them appear regularly in SOTD posts as well.
Enjoy yours!
Guido
Enjoy yours!
Guido
I think the issue is Gillette News are “old news.”
I really didn’t like the open comb designs initially but I kept trying. When I finally found a blade that worked for me I was very impressed. My personal favorite is the English Flat bottom I need to take a good group photos, kind of sad I haven’t.
I really didn’t like the open comb designs initially but I kept trying. When I finally found a blade that worked for me I was very impressed. My personal favorite is the English Flat bottom I need to take a good group photos, kind of sad I haven’t.
That raises I question that I have also wondered about - what modern CNC razor is closest in feel and performance to the NEW?
It is a question I have tried to answer a little over the past few months by purchasing a couple of mild OC razors, and whilst I have found good razors, none of them are comparable to the NEW.
The shape of the teeth
The low gap / exposure
The low blade reveal / high rigidity
The compact, nimble head
Nothing yet has quite hit the spot on all criteria, but there must be a razor out there which does.
With all the talk of old Gillette razors, I am surprised some companies, likely out of China, haven't really closely duplicated them. Or perhaps they have and they are just lost "in all the noise".
For me, looking at Yaqi on Aliexpress, for a razor is generally a very frustrating experience with vague descriptions in many cases and superficial styling cues to appear like another razor without really duplicating it. Add to that trying to figure out what is really different between many options.
For me, looking at Yaqi on Aliexpress, for a razor is generally a very frustrating experience with vague descriptions in many cases and superficial styling cues to appear like another razor without really duplicating it. Add to that trying to figure out what is really different between many options.
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Yep!
My top favorite OC razor is my 1939 Gillette NEW RFB. Here it is on its 15 gram GT handle {made by my (late) good friend Doug (@Rosseforp)}:
View attachment 1967745
Very nice looking. Is that nickel plated?
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- #37
Why not just buy a real Gillette NEW razor. You can always have it plated in nickel or gold or rhodium.
I have a new SC and it's too aggressive for me. That being said, if you want to know what a rigid blade feels like...its definitely one to try.
Why not indeed?
But that doesn't detract from my interest in answering the original question. The design is so successful you would think that there would be a modern equivalent, but nothing yet quite seems to nail it.
I think that question is appropriate for many razor designs but there is a more fundamental underlying question. Gillette razors were usually very successful. Think Super Speed. Adjustables. The NEW certainly. So, while we may wonder why modern companies don't redesign them to match, the fundamental question is why did people stop using them in the first place?
Certainly there are several answers to that question, but the answer that I think is most correct is simply the desire to remove costs from production and the power of marketing. Even Gillette started using plastic in handles in order to produce razors at less cost for more profit. Eventually that leads to the entire twin blade cartridge model that then goes triple, quad, five, six...vibrating heads, pivoting heads, super comfy grips...all things that don't enhance the actual quality of the shave. But....we bought into the marketing that was attached. And now here we are, wishing somebody would copy the really truly great shaving tools.
My two cents.
