Gillette Ball-end vs Gillette TTO type

[JoeNobles]

Being new to DE shaving and having the bug to collect I was wondering about the pros and cons to adding a vintage Gillette TTO or Gillette Ball-end tech to my collection. What TTO's are good and how do they compare to the tech. My spending cap is $25.

Any thoughts?

 

[mossy-51]

Super speeds and tech's can easily be found for under twenty-five dollars.. Both are excellent razors.

 

[Northstonehill]

Welcome to the forum, Joe!

Well, which vintage to get obviously depends on your tastes - mild or aggressive, open comb or solid bar, light or heavy... So you need to figure this out. OR you can just start one razor at a time and work your way through them all, that is also a perfect way (I did this).

Based on my own journey (which is just 1 year old but has had me try 25+ vintages) I have really only one heartfelt advice: Besides the Tech - which in my opinion is an awesome shaver - I suggest you start your TTO journey with a Slim Adjustable. Reason being that an adjustable allows you to try out and find your preferred level of aggressiveness. A user grade Slim is accessible within your budget and an awesome shaver.

Otherwise you may end up buying razors which you won’t like. When you know your preference you can read reviews inhere of various razors and decide your way.

As for myself I prefer milder razors and like TTO’s best, but that has nothing to do with shaving quality, I just like the mechanics and looks. I run my adjustables on setting ‘3’ which is quite mild and makes me a softie compared to many in here

Basically I find all TTO’s wonderful, not least Rockets but also Super-Speeds which tend to be a little less costly (more of them out there). Go first for a Flare Tip as they seem to be the cheapest.

Have fun and enjoy the ride. Lots of threads inhere comparing various razors. But brace for impact, the vintage bug bites hard

 

[GearNoir]

I heavily prefer Tech-type/2-3 piece razors myself. TTOs are neat, can be beautiful, and can provide excellent shaves. There’s just something about styling and profile of a 3 piece though that just suits me better. I also prefer less moving parts/mechanical innards.

 

[Esox]

The made in England Gillette TTO's, especially the Flare Tip Rocket, can often be found for the same price as the US version Gillette SS. I've had both. I much prefer the British razor and I've seen them listed at under your budget.

The Brit Rocket is a great razor. All of the Gillette TTO's are very good razors, but in my opinion the older the better.

I've seen post war Techs in NiB condition for your listed budget as well, and their quite common at around $10.

The last lot of razors I bought I paid $22CAD. One British Tech, one D2 (1958) Gillette SS and one I believe unused T1 (1973) Lady Gillette.



Deals are out there but you have to act fast when you see them.

 

[Northstonehill]

The made in England Gillette TTO's, especially the Flare Tip Rocket, can often be found for the same price as the US version Gillette SS. I've had both. I much prefer the British razor and I've seen them listed at under your budget.

The Brit Rocket is a great razor. All of the Gillette TTO's are very good razors, but in my opinion the older the better.

Very much agree on all said, Mike. Rockets rock (pardon the pun)

 

[JOYCEfromNS]

The first Gillette you find within your budget - you can't go wrong. A TTO vs a 3 Piece is really tasters choice. They are all good and the $5 one shaves as well as the $1000 rare collector one, IMO

 

[cyberdog]

Once you become accustomed to the angle, and the angle used with the Tech will most likely be too shallow for most TTO models, they both shave well. This is a case where technique trumps hardware in most cases. - There are exceptions, but most of the vintage Gillettes easily give a nice shave with any reasonable skill or technique.

Your Tech is pretty light in weight compared to most of the TTO models, even with the heavier ball-end handle. I find the TTO models easier to use, primarily as a result of having a larger and easier to grip handle. I have rather large hands, and the stock ball-end handle almost feels like a toy when I hold it. - Easily fixed by using another handle, which can easily be done with a 3-piece razor, an advantage on their part. Provided you haven't become accustomed to applying pressure due to the mildness and light weight of the Tech, a nice Super-Speed or other TTO could be a nice next step. They're also generally, with some exceptions (Red Tip/English Models), every bit as smooth and mild as the Tech.

Plenty of options at the $25 and under limit. You might even be able to grab an adjustable at that level, I paid something like $14-$15 plus a couple bucks for shipping for my Super Adjustable (aka Black Beauty). Pay attention to the pictures to make sure the guards are level, some of the vintage models may have been dropped or banged around and now have bent or uneven base plates.

 

[Macfrommichigan]

Both are great. A Tech with a Feather blade is sweet. But so is a super speed. You can find good ones of both for $25 or less. The 1958 TV Special is a looker, IMO.

 

[santamariasteve]

Comparing a Gillette TTO razor to a Gillette non-TTO razor is kinda like comparing an automatic transmission to a manual shift. Both systems are excellent. Your decision on which razor (or which car) should be based on other considerations.

 

[JoeNobles]

Wow! Thanks for all the great advice, there is so much to consider. I love the way the 3 piece Techs look, especially the ones with the stamped logo on top.

I hadn't even thought about blades, I am currently using Israeli Personnas. My current razors are a new TTO Van Der Hagen, which I like and a Travel Tech (something a friend gave me) that I find too small. I have an all metal Rapira Platinum Lux with Platinum Lux blades on the way, but what other blades are worth looking at?

 

[GearNoir]

Personnas are well love here, as are: Nacet, Gillette Silver Blue, Astra SP, Feathers, 7 o’clock yellow, etc.

 

[Esox]

what other blades are worth looking at?

Gillette Yellow SharpEdge is the sharpest and smoothest blade I've used and outperform Feather in all my razors.

Polsilver SI is my go to blade.

Perma-Sharp Super. Sharp, smooth and long lasting.

Gillette 7O'Clock Platinum 'Black'. Smooth and sharp enough.

Astra SP and SS. The SS is a very smooth underrated blade.

Gillette Nacet. Sharp and smooth with a lot of 'bare blade' feel to me. A nice blade in my NEW SC but not a great match in my Fatip.

I personally really like Derby Extra blades, but they need to be in the right razor. They were a fantastic match for me in my British Rocket but Polsilver was #1 in that razor and is top 2 or 3 in all of my razors.

I have a Polsilver in my Fatip Grande with 20 shaves on it and its even better than it was when fresh. As sharp and a lot smoother.