I received my first Gillette Old Type yesterday. I won it off of the Bay this last weekend. The razor is in, surprisingly, great shape considering how old it is. Since there was some tarnishing, it appears that it is silver plated. I cleaned it up using hot tap water, Scrubbing Bubbles, and silver polish. I managed to get a lot of the tarnish off.
Now on to this morning's shave. I went through my normal morning routine. Of course, I was chomping at the bit to get to the new razor. In the rotation today was Col Conk Bay Rum soap, an alum block, and Aqua Velva. I loaded a Shark Blade into the razor. Sharks aren't my favorite blade but its the blade I know best. I'm working through a sample pack and just finished up my pack of Derby's. I didnt feel comfortable putting an unknown blade into an unknown razor. I did not shim the blade. So, I worked up a good lather and began to shave. I used very little pressure, and I didn't need a very steep angle at all. My first impression was, WOW! What an unbelievable razor. It glided right through my beard. I have at least a medium beard. The first pass was like two passes.
I shaved my face first and then moved on to my neck. My neck is always tough to shave. I can never shave it as well as I would like, and I usually end up with irritation. The Old Type performed superbly! It glided right through the stubborn neck hairs and left only stubble behind. I completed my shave after two passes with not much of a finishing pass. After my cold water rinse, came the real test: the alum block. I glided the block over my face and had hardly any stinging. I rinsed off the alum and then followed with Aqua Velva, no sting.
Now, I have some questions. This is not only my first experience with an Old Type but also with an open comb. My favorite razor is a Merkur 1904 Straight Bar. But I do have a tendency to get some irritation with it and it takes at least three passes to get a DFS. I like the 1904 but the Old Type definitely gave me the superior shave this morning. I've tried a Gillette SS Flair Tip and Black Tip. I don't like either one, too mild. I'm wondering if the open comb design might be a better choice for me. So, for all you more experienced gents out there, how would a Merkur 1904 Open Comb compare to the Old Type? Also, how does the New Type compare to the Old Type? I know that the blade sits differently on the Old versus the New. I'm thinking about purchasing both to try them out. The Old Type is making my RAD worse.
Tomorrow, I plan on putting a different blade in the Old Type from my sample pack to continue trying it out. I have a feeling, though, that my 1904 is not going to be getting a lot of love for a while.
Now on to this morning's shave. I went through my normal morning routine. Of course, I was chomping at the bit to get to the new razor. In the rotation today was Col Conk Bay Rum soap, an alum block, and Aqua Velva. I loaded a Shark Blade into the razor. Sharks aren't my favorite blade but its the blade I know best. I'm working through a sample pack and just finished up my pack of Derby's. I didnt feel comfortable putting an unknown blade into an unknown razor. I did not shim the blade. So, I worked up a good lather and began to shave. I used very little pressure, and I didn't need a very steep angle at all. My first impression was, WOW! What an unbelievable razor. It glided right through my beard. I have at least a medium beard. The first pass was like two passes.
I shaved my face first and then moved on to my neck. My neck is always tough to shave. I can never shave it as well as I would like, and I usually end up with irritation. The Old Type performed superbly! It glided right through the stubborn neck hairs and left only stubble behind. I completed my shave after two passes with not much of a finishing pass. After my cold water rinse, came the real test: the alum block. I glided the block over my face and had hardly any stinging. I rinsed off the alum and then followed with Aqua Velva, no sting.
Now, I have some questions. This is not only my first experience with an Old Type but also with an open comb. My favorite razor is a Merkur 1904 Straight Bar. But I do have a tendency to get some irritation with it and it takes at least three passes to get a DFS. I like the 1904 but the Old Type definitely gave me the superior shave this morning. I've tried a Gillette SS Flair Tip and Black Tip. I don't like either one, too mild. I'm wondering if the open comb design might be a better choice for me. So, for all you more experienced gents out there, how would a Merkur 1904 Open Comb compare to the Old Type? Also, how does the New Type compare to the Old Type? I know that the blade sits differently on the Old versus the New. I'm thinking about purchasing both to try them out. The Old Type is making my RAD worse.
Tomorrow, I plan on putting a different blade in the Old Type from my sample pack to continue trying it out. I have a feeling, though, that my 1904 is not going to be getting a lot of love for a while.
