Flat bottom oval hole vs. Standard ovel hole Techs

[HazMat Shaver]

I recently picked up a flat bottom Tech and Im trying to compare the shave between these two Techs. After the first try Im feeling like the FB might be a touch more agressive. Of course this is very hard to tell going by the feel of the shave. A Tech with oval holes is very mild so trying to find a difference is tough.

If you have both of these razors please let me know what you feel the difference is if any. I will test this a few more times before I can be sure about this. But as of now Im having a hard time telling any difference besides the thickness of the handles.

 

[dmshaver]

I find the English flat bottom Tech a slightly more efficient shave compared to its counterpart, the made-in-USA Tech. Some might say this increased efficiency is a more aggressive shave. I find the smoothness of both razors quite similar.

 

[never-stop-learning]

I find the English flat bottom Tech a slightly more efficient shave compared to its counterpart, the made-in-USA Tech. Some might say this increased efficiency is a more aggressive shave. I find the smoothness of both razors quite similar.

Agree with @dmshaver's comments.

 

[HazMat Shaver]

This sound to be about what i found on my first try. Agressive is not really the correct word.
Thanks for the comments

 

[Chaucer]

I have in rotation a US pre-WW2 Tech, the one with triangular slots. I wouldn't ever give it up. I tried a FB Tech, and it was noticeably more "aggressive." For me, that is the correct word. I much prefer the US pre-WW2 Tech.

 

[Phoenixkh]

I only have one Tech... the British Flat Bottom Tech... for me, it's such a nice shaving razor. I do have a British NEW Raised Bottom razor on the way. I'm really looking forward to comparing the two. My first two DE razors after using an AC single edge razor for the last 5 months.

 

[Cal]

If you have both of these razors please let me know what you feel the difference is if any. I will test this a few more times before I can be sure about this. But as of now Im having a hard time telling any difference besides the thickness of the handles.

(IMO) if you're not using THE SAME handles on both razors you won't be able to discover their differences (at all accurately).

Of the few Techs that I own, the Flat Bottom is the most efficient (for me).

 

[HazMat Shaver]

@Cal
I have a hard time believing that what you have there is an original handle. LOL.
Thanks for the idea. I will try the next few shaves with matching handles.

 

[HazMat Shaver]

I have in rotation a US pre-WW2 Tech, the one with triangular slots. I wouldn't ever give it up. I tried a FB Tech, and it was noticeably more "aggressive." For me, that is the correct word. I much prefer the US pre-WW2 Tech.

That's a bit odd to me. I found the Pre-war with the triangle slots to be not as smooth and the Post-war with the oval slots. The FB to be more than the oval, but less than the Triangle.

Guess I need to try out 3 techs on the same shave to compare as I have all three. and with 3 same handles. Thanks for the idea. Now I have even more reason to shave.

 

[Cal]

Now I have even more reason to shave.

 

[Chaucer]

That's a bit odd to me. I found the Pre-war with the triangle slots to be not as smooth and the Post-war with the oval slots. The FB to be more than the oval, but less than the Triangle.

Guess I need to try out 3 techs on the same shave to compare as I have all three. and with 3 same handles. Thanks for the idea. Now I have even more reason to shave.

I agree that the post-WW2 version is smoother than the pre-WW2. I like the balance between smoothness and efficiency of the pre-WW2--more than the FB (too aggressive) or the post-WW2 (too mild).

I could live happily with any of them. The differences are small, but that's what we live on, right?

 

[Slock]

I havn't had a chance to shave with a flat bottom. I have a U.S. post and prewar but I like my Canadian prewar the best.

 

[Quaznoid]

My postwar oval slot shaves better than my prewar triangular

 

[nemo]

I have a U.S. post and prewar but I like my Canadian prewar the best.

Those Canadian Techs are truly something special, oval or pre-war.

 

[CCS]

I've got one of the Flat bottom WWII era Techs as well as a couple of ball end Techs. One is a '64 and the other is a gold NDC so pre-1950/51. I vastly prefer the shave of the Ball Ends (which is why I have a gold and a silver).

 

[HazMat Shaver]

After today's shave with all three razors (matching handles and blades as I have plenty so I didn't need to swap), I've found.......

They all shave nicely. I think the post-war (Oval) is a little too soft of a shaver. It gets the job done but it's so smooth and mild. When having to go back and touch up the bad spot in my neck it just doesn't have enough bite to get in and shave close enough.

For the other two razors, I really had a hard time telling them apart. Except the F.B. has a little more weight to it. This makes it glide across the skin a little easier. So this will take some more testing but I'm not sure if I will ever pick one being better than the other. Maybe I need to toss in a Canadian Tech in the group. LOL. A thought I had is if I was a young man and had whiskers that were not gray and like wire, maybe I'd be able to tell more difference.

All of this is YMMV / Personal choice. I can shave with a new razor of this time period that is very aggressive, and get along just fine with it even daily. But I just keep going back to the Gillettes. Maybe it's the old man in me.

 

[Phoenixkh]

I'm quite pleased with my British Flat Bottom Tech (thanks to Cal for his guidance). It really shaves quite similar to my AC Claymore Evolution. They are different, of course, but the end results are close enough that if someone was to feel my face, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference (my wife has done just that and can't feel any difference... a good test).

As I mentioned, I'm looking forward to trying a British NEW Raise Bottom razor (1933 in this case) when it gets here. At least, I hope it's a "when" and not an "if"..... It hit the States from Canada on August 6th.... crickets since then. Perhaps it will show up without ever being scanned as it moves around the country.

 

[HazMat Shaver]

I think I've tested enough.
The Flat bottom gets my first choice in Techs.
The Triangle slot is a very close second as it was hard to tell them apart but there was a difference.
The oval slot Tech goes to the bottom of these 3 razors.

Everyone is different. But this is how I rate them.

 

[Felix G]

This is my English Flat Bottom I got from my 103 year old father in law. Much more effective than the regular Tech.

 

[Phoenixkh]

This is my English Flat Bottom I got from my 103 year old father in law. Much more effective than the regular Tech.

It looks like a great candidate for a Back Roads Gold replate. I just love mine. I've only 5 shaves in with it so far.... each one better than the last, as I learn to use a DE razor. 6 months with an AC single edge razor doesn't hurt but I'm developing new techniques for DE shaving.