Best mild vintage razor?

[Alum Ladd]

Both my choices are non-Gillette's:
#1 Schick Krona (Mild, super efficient and works with any blade) Best kept secret in vintage!
#2 Star Model 100 (Mild but a notch up from Gillette Techs in term of efficiency) A hidden gem!
I tried out a couple of Tech's and sold them both. Super mild but zero efficiency.
The only Gillette I've kept is the Slim adjustable!

I have the English late 50's Tech and I also have the PAL, an English model of the 100 (STAR). They are both close, and probably more efficient than the US Techs. I also have a WW2 Canadian Tech I have not tried yet.

The English Flat Bottom simply blows all the other Techs, and the PAL out of the water.

If you have not tried one, I strongly suggest you do. Some say the RFB beats it. I don't know, but the EFB is a killer good razor.

 

[LRod]

I have the English late 50's Tech and I also have the PAL, an English model of the 100 (STAR). They are both close, and probably more efficient than the US Techs. I also have a WW2 Canadian Tech I have not tried yet.

The English Flat Bottom simply blows all the other Techs, and the PAL out of the water.

If you have not tried one, I strongly suggest you do. Some say the RFB beats it. I don't know, but the EFB is a killer good razor.

At some point I'll look for one to try out. I have heard that about the English ones. Both I had were US models and I really didn't like either.

 

[GR5233]

Oh, hell yes! I have three Techs. One is a war era, fat handle with the triangular slots, one is a 1946 gold ball end (dated from the unopened blades in the box), and the '61. All are in incredibly good shape and have 99% or better of their original plating. All have been owned by me for years. The '61 has been heavily used in that time and considering it's 61 years old this year has another 61 years easy (if it's taken care of). I like those old plated brass razors a lot!

Does your 1946 tech have the fullered ball end handle? To my knowledge the fullered ball end handle was only put out in 1946 and of all the techs I have that one is my favorite

 

[CCS]

Does your 1946 tech have the fullered ball end handle? To my knowledge the fullered ball end handle was only put out in 1946 and of all the techs I have that one is my favorite

I have no idea what that handle is. Got pix?

 

[Quaznoid]

In my experience, the Krona is mild, but also finicky and somewhat odd. It requires a steeper shave angle than a Gillette, similar to that of a Schick injector, which is probably not a coincidence. IMHO, it requires a more experienced hand to shave well.

 

[Phoenixkh]

I have the English late 50's Tech and I also have the PAL, an English model of the 100 (STAR). They are both close, and probably more efficient than the US Techs. I also have a WW2 Canadian Tech I have not tried yet.

The English Flat Bottom simply blows all the other Techs, and the PAL out of the water.

If you have not tried one, I strongly suggest you do. Some say the RFB beats it. I don't know, but the EFB is a killer good razor.

I sort of followed the advice from several people here on B&B and started out with a British/England Flat Bottom Tech... it provides a very nice shave. I do have the British Raised Flat Bottom but I haven't had a chance to use it yet. But it's in the queue. <eg>

I think I have 5 Vintage Gillette razors at this point.. let's see: the British Flat Bottom Tech (2), British Raise Flat Bottom (3 piece), the British Rocket HD 500, a Super Speed Y2, 1953 second quarter (birth year and quarter razor)...that seems to be it for now.

 

[BigJ]

You've got the best already haha. Now you can look for shiny examples of both!

+2! Yes indeed!! ‘Tough to beat a tech,’ especially as you prefer milder razors!

 

[Dapper Gent]

1956 flair tip is my favorite. Although marketed as medium, for me it's mild, and just right.

 

[Dodger59]

I’m going to go against the grain here, pun intended, and state my opinion that I don’t think a Tech is a mild razor. I believe any iteration of Super Speed I’ve tried has been not only milder but more efficient for me due to the fact that it’s a milder design. If you haven’t tried an authentic Gillette Super Speed, you are missing out!

Not sure if it’s a question of “mildness” or not, but I have more irritation from shaves with my post war Tech than any other razor I have. The SS is quite a bit better for me.

 

[Leo K]

I really love my ball-end Tech, not sure what year but it's probably post-war. It sure is nice and mild. Think I'll take it out again soon for a spin.

 

[Alum Ladd]

Does your 1946 tech have the fullered ball end handle? To my knowledge the fullered ball end handle was only put out in 1946 and of all the techs I have that one is my favorite

Do you mean this pattern of handle?

 

[GR5233]

Do you mean this pattern of handle?

Yes. That’s the one

 

[CCS]

Yes. That’s the one

Then no, I don't have that version. Very cool handle though! The 1946 dating was purely based on the blade codes.

 

[Goatrope]

Does anyone have a particular favourite mild vintage razor? I know about the Post-War Tech & Super Speed Blue- and I have, & like, both. Any other suggestions?

Thx,
-Z

I shaved with a Gillette 1941 Ranger Tech recently and it seemed pretty mild to me.

 

[BudgetShaverGuy]

Not sure if it’s a question of “mildness” or not, but I have more irritation from shaves with my post war Tech than any other razor I have. The SS is quite a bit better for me.

For me it is. Whenever I get a razor, I do the palm test. I load up a fresh Gillette Silver Blue and then run the razor gently over the fleshy part of my thumb. If I feel the blade a lot and hear a lot of ringing, that razor is not going anywhere near my face. With that said no Gillette DE has ever “rang” like some other razors I’ve used, so it’s purely a matter of the blade exposure and gap.

Any Tech I’ve tried, which has been at least from 5 different years, has a lot more blade feel on my palm than any Super Speed I’ve owned, which has been several also as above.

The Super Speeds are always milder. My chin is very hard to shave. Milder razors do better there for whatever reason, my data does not lie! But everyone’s different, so there it is.

I personally consider the Super Speeds the peak of Gillettes DE razor engineering. Having tried several types of Gillette’s from the beginning I can feel the tweaks and progress they made with the DE razor. My opinion of course!

 

[Dools]

Great question with great answers.

I'm going to treat this like a poll.

I'm gonna' vote:

Blue Tip
Fat Handle Tech
Black Tip
Krona
Slim Twist

I have used All of them, and others......There are So Many mild razors, which is wonderful.

Most importantly, Enjoy!

........................................................................................................................................

 

[Fiddler]

The Aristocrat #16 set in rhodium is the finest, smoothest vintage
razor I have used. Rare but very satisfying.

 

[Spang]

I realize this one is pretty well off the beaten path, but this Swing Swedish-made razor is easily my favorite mild vintage DE. Nicely built and hefty at 90 grams, it has even less blade feel and is gentler than a Tech, while being quite efficient. It's one of the few of my vintage razors that sees a lot of action in my rotation.

I don't know a whole lot about this razor, but from what I have found it was likely made sometime in the 1940s, obviously in Sweden. The company that made Swing razors started out as primarily a blade manufacturer, but also made razors from roughly the early 1920s through the early 1950s. Apparently they made a large array of different razors, with no identifying marks as to model or name, so it is hard to pin down anything more specific about this particular specimen.

Yeah, the odds aren't great of finding one of these, but if you do happen to get lucky enough to run across one, and you enjoy mild feeling razors, I highly recommend it.

 

[Frank Discussion]

All of my vintage Gillette razors are on the mild spectrum, I think.

From left to right: 1954 Speed Razor, 1951 Tech, 1962 Tech, late 1940's Tech

 

[CCS]

All of my vintage Gillette razors are on the mild spectrum, I think.

From left to right: 1954 Speed Razor, 1951 Tech, 1962 Tech, late 1940's Tech

View attachment 1552273

Nice selection.