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First time with gillette slim

Ok got my gillette slim and SS in the mail last night, i only tried the slim this morning. I gotta say i think they are a BIT over hyped. I dont want to pass a full judgement yet as it was only my first shave but i was expecting slightly better. In the Slim's defense i did use it at settings 5-9, so fairly aggressive to all the way aggressive. HOWEVER i didnt really notice too much difference between the settings first with grain pass i did at 7 and it went NORMAL the 2nd pass i went 5 on one side and 9 on the other (just to see the difference) same thing on the 3rd and final pass 9 on the left side and 6 on the right. The closeness of shave on both side is the SAME but my left side does feel a bit more raw as compared to the right, there was definately more skin taken off on the left. I can also feel the same once i put on my aftershave balm, the left stings slightly more than the right. I would say its bbs on cheeks and smooth on neck (but i did that purposefully as my neck has odd growth and i dont want to go slicing it on my first try with an aggresive razor.) I used a brand new astra platinum, these seemed to work the best for me so far out of the sampler pack.

Now i dont think the slim is a BAD razor at all i just think its a bit over hyped, in comparison to my favorite and first razor so far the EJ86, it has not provided a closer shave, i get similar results but without my skin feeling as raw. When i saw skin feeling raw, i dont mean that OMG IT HURTS LIKE A *****, mostly just that in comparison to the right side i can certainly feel that more skin was taken off on the left but not to the point that its uncomfortable. It by no means looks better or feels better as a razor ( but this is subjective.) The only thing i do like i the way the razor is loaded. I am going to give it a full week of shaving, and then move to the SS. So far it seems like i've let curiosity get better of me and i dont really need any razors in addition to an EJ86. Also more in the Slim's defense, i did use a new soap today that i also received in the mail, Mama Bear almond. My next shave with the slim will be a bit more conservative, utilizing the lower end of the scale, i am hoping to see just as close of a shave without the raw feeling on the left side. I will also be using soaps that i regularly use instead of the new mamabear.
 
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Naturally, you're focusing on the settings themselves, and you went through four settings in one shave, and you did not use different blades, either. You only have one razor to compare it to, and it's one you've used for awhile, and one to which your technique is completely accustomed. Am I surprised that you're unimpressed? Nope. It was guaranteed.

The principal advantage of adjustability, imo, is to accommodate different blades, as I tend to leave my setting in-place for the whole shave, these days. I can throw in a feather and set it to '3' and get approximately similar results to using a derby at a '7' setting.

That said, there was about six months where I would dial up the aggressiveness for my second pass (some folks dial down for this) and I felt like I was getting better-quality shaves that way.

Where the slim is preferable, as I see it, is in how it compares to the fatboy -- longer handle, a little lighter-weight and flatter head profile. Adjustability, in and of itself, is not especially remarkable.

I evaluate any new blades I want to try in a slim. I don't want to try and establish any comparisons using different tools. It's funny, but once I get a blade "dialed in" (so to speak), that number gives me a basis on which to gauge sharpness.

I think you should use the slim for a full month before ditching it, but it sounds like you mind is made up, regardless. I'm sure someone will take it off your hands.
-- Chet
 
Don't be dissing on my Slim, man!

Keep at it for awhile and you'll see its beauty.

I do change settings during the shave, but only once. I am loving it with a Feather. I go with 4 for the first pass and 2 or 3 for subsequent passes.

It's a great razor; you just haven't gotten the hang of it yet.
 
I was very impressed with my recently bought Slim. I used it set to 1 from the start. This worked well so I never changed it. In fact I went to my other adjustable (Futur) and set that to 1 too.

Aggressive settings do not move the blade closer to the skin.* They just enable you to get the angle wrong more while still shaving (i.e. the safety bar only does its job when you tip the handle further.) Setting 1 shaves as close as setting 9 if you are shaving right.

* I'm going to correct myself. Aggressive settings will allow the blade to project a tiny bit more as well as giving a steeper blade angle. If you want to plough your face rather than shave the hairs off, go for it! :lol:

http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/index.php/Blade_Angle#The_adjustable_razor
 
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Chester is right on the money with his words of wisdom.

I learned a long time ago that one shave does not a good trial make! While a "first shave" may impress the heck out of me, I generally find it takes three or four shaves to really evaluate how well (or poor) a razor performs.

Start out at a lower setting (3) and stay there for a shave or two. Get a feel for the razor, and then dial it up and compare performance. Once you find the base adjustment that works best, you can, if you wish, try changing the setting for subsequent passes. But, even then, give the changes a chance to work (or not) before jumping to a different setting.

My "razor of the week" this week is my Aristocrat Adjustable - the gold-plated Slim. It is my favorite Gillette adjustable, but did take a few shaves to earn its place as my #1 DE.

Don't throw out the baby with the bathwater . . . slow down and give the Slim a chance!
 
Chester is right on the money with his words of wisdom.

I learned a long time ago that one shave does not a good trial make! While a "first shave" may impress the heck out of me, I generally find it takes three or four shaves to really evaluate how well (or poor) a razor performs.

Start out at a lower setting (3) and stay there for a shave or two. Get a feel for the razor, and then dial it up and compare performance. Once you find the base adjustment that works best, you can, if you wish, try changing the setting for subsequent passes. But, even then, give the changes a chance to work (or not) before jumping to a different setting.

My "razor of the week" this week is my Aristocrat Adjustable - the gold-plated Slim. It is my favorite Gillette adjustable, but did take a few shaves to earn its place as my #1 DE.

Don't throw out the baby with the bathwater . . . slow down and give the Slim a chance!


Well i plan on giving it a chance, i originally stated that it will be my goto razor for the week. Iam not saying that the shave was TERRIBLE and OMG i will never return to it ever again. All iam saying is i didnt get anything better than what the EJ does. I will for the next few shaves leave it at a SET setting possibly starting low and as the week goes by or possibly into next week change the settings to a bit higher. By no means is this a bad razor, i have no cuts or even extreme irritation even at 9 but the smoothness of closeness of shave is exactly the same from 5-9. I think iam going to try what chester has recommended, to change the settings with blades. I will give it another go at 4 on my astra platinum and afterwards switch to a red persona (a blade iam not fond of in the EJ) and set it to 7. Later finishing it off with a feather at 2-3ish.


So from what i can gather, i should start off with a lower setting and as the blade gets dull i should increase it to compensate? i usually use the astra for no more than 2-3 shaves and the persona's for no more than 2. Would i be correct in assuming that i would use 4-5 on the first day with astra then on the last day have gone up to 7? same with Persona's start off at 6-7 and finish on 8-9?
 
I doubt that changing the exposure will compensate for a dull blade. I would recommend setting it and leaving it until you have adjusted to the razor. Once you have the angle figured out then go ahead, adjust away (if you want).
 
I also have a Slim from eBay, and have not had very great shaves with it. I plan to try again in a couple months, maybe with Personna blades, the Derby's were not as good as I expected.

In the meantime, I am getting BBS shaves with a relatively cheap Diamond made in Pakistan...

VW
 
It's a great razor for me. Great weight, I like the slightly longer handle and its balance. I prefer it's head to some of the other Vintage TTOs I've used. For me it's a nice razor to open up all the way and let rip. It's especially easy at getting the tight spots under nostrils and in the corners of my mouth.

YMMV, though.
 
ok 2nd day... went a bit better, iam starting to see where an adjustable can be beneficial. Still not fully convinced of the full hype around these... but iam gonna give it a whole 2 week period. It will definately stay in my arsenal of razor's i think the purchase of the superseed might of been a hasty decision, it may end back up on BST
 
I doubt that changing the exposure will compensate for a dull blade. I would recommend setting it and leaving it until you have adjusted to the razor. Once you have the angle figured out then go ahead, adjust away (if you want).

+1. The objective of an adjustable is to use the mildest setting you can while still getting a good shave, NOT to see how aggressive a setting you can tolerate. A Slim is 9 razors in 1.

I noticed that the geometry of the head is different from that of my EJ DE, so you may have to experiment a little before you get it right. Good luck.
 
what i learned from today's shave was NOT the fact that u can change aggressiveness to give a closer shave but u can essentially make it mild for certain areas of the face. I have moderately SLOW hair growth, i barely ever do a shave on the 2nd day, BUT setting the slim on 3 i was able to get a very very good shave on the 2nd day. This is where the razor REALLY SHINES FOR ME, also i NEVER get bbs around where my adams apple is because i have the wierdest hair growth pattern here. It groes east to west, i never attempt to closely shave this as even with the EJ i can get crazy irritation. Today was the first time i have EVER gotten a close shave on the same area. Also a VERY happy feeling face for the first time ever on a 2nd day shave, i also went just 2 passes, one accross and one against, skipped the with the grain pass. I dont think the EJ would of been able to do that without some minor irritation. I am starting to really like the slim, but its still not quite in my heart just yet. I've been thinking of giving a futur a go as well, but at $80 i am not sure i want to get another razor.
 
what i learned from today's shave was NOT the fact that u can change aggressiveness to give a closer shave but u can essentially make it mild for certain areas of the face. I have moderately SLOW hair growth, i barely ever do a shave on the 2nd day, BUT setting the slim on 3 i was able to get a very very good shave on the 2nd day. This is where the razor REALLY SHINES FOR ME, also i NEVER get bbs around where my adams apple is because i have the wierdest hair growth pattern here. It groes east to west, i never attempt to closely shave this as even with the EJ i can get crazy irritation. Today was the first time i have EVER gotten a close shave on the same area. Also a VERY happy feeling face for the first time ever on a 2nd day shave, i also went just 2 passes, one accross and one against, skipped the with the grain pass. I dont think the EJ would of been able to do that without some minor irritation. I am starting to really like the slim, but its still not quite in my heart just yet. I've been thinking of giving a futur a go as well, but at $80 i am not sure i want to get another razor.

Yes, that's one area where the Slim really shines.

Don't be afraid to put a very sharp blade in there and open it up wide to do that crazy spot on your neck. It might seem counterintuitive, but that extra sharpness and extra blade exposure can get that spot close without the need to do multi passes and thus you will, after some practice, likely see a reduction of irritation there.

Glad you're liking it.
 
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