Gillette DE Aggressiveness

[DavidB]

I've read the sticky about DE blade gap, but as that's only one contributor to a DE's aggressiveness, I was wondering if there is a "scale of 1 to 10" rating of DE razor aggressiveness.

Reason I ask is that I just got a mint 1959 SuperSpeed flare tip to add to my collection of:

• Gold Gillette Tech ball handle
• Gold Gillette Tech fat handle
• Silver Gillette Tech fat handle
• Gold Aristocrat (1940s)
• SuperSpeed black tip (1951)

The Techs are clearly the mildest of this bunch. The blade gap sticky says the Aristocrat has a wider gap than the SS. But when I look at the heads of the Aristocrat and SSs, they look identical, and from what I've been able to tell after one shave with the '59, they're hard to tell apart.

Would also be curious as to how a Merkur compares. I hear more aggressive, but by a lot?

Dave

 

[The Kiwi]

Reason I ask is that I just got a mint 1959 SuperSpeed flare tip to add to my collection of:

• Gold Gillette Tech ball handle *
• Gold Gillette Tech fat handle *
• Silver Gillette Tech fat handle
• Gold Aristocrat (1940s) *
• SuperSpeed black tip (1951) *

The Techs are clearly the mildest of this bunch. The blade gap sticky says the Aristocrat has a wider gap than the SS. But when I look at the heads of the Aristocrat and SSs, they look identical, and from what I've been able to tell after one shave with the '59, they're hard to tell apart.

I have several Techs, several Super Speeds, and several Adjustables from among Gillette's models

The Tech is the mildest of all
My '48 Aristocrat seems next-mildest to me
My own Black Tip seemed little different in aggressiveness than my Red-Tip is

However, I need to try the two color-tip Super Speeds with switched blades. There's a Personna Platinum Chrome in the Red Tip and an Astra SP in the Black Tip right now.

I've been shaving a lot lately with SEs and Injectors, not DEs, but the Black Tip was quite new to me. I've never tried any kind of Merkur, sorry.

 

[fcdiscus]

I would consider all the Gillette models you identify as mild shavers. The most aggressive in My opinion is the Aristocrat (late 40's?)

 

[Doppelgaenger]

I have a 49 SS and a merkur 33C. The merkur is more aggressive than the SS.

I also have a slim and the SS shaves like a 2-3 setting on the slim, the merkur is probably more around a 4-5.

Set to 9 the slim is a lot more aggressive than the merkur. If I want DFS without doing 3 passes the slim cranked up to 9 is what I reach for, but if I want BBS in 3 passes with minimal touchup, the merkur is my weapon of choice. If I want no irritation, the SS.

 

[celestino]

All the vintage Gillette that you mentioned are a bit mild, but if you want more aggression, then the open-comb Aristocrats are quite different than the safety-bar (closed-combed) ones.
The Merkur Futur and Vision can be very aggressive if set at the highest level and the Progress can also be quite aggressive.

 

[woodfluter]

I can't add anything useful to the comments you've received already, but would like to put in a few words about "aggressiveness".

In my experience, "aggressive" does not equal "better". (Nor worse).

In contrast to some others, I cannot get a faster or closer shave with a more aggressive (read: less forgiving) razor. I can get an equally close shave with either kind; I can get an irritation-free shave with either kind. But the less forgiving razor will require more care, more passes and strokes - not fewer.

On planar surfaces like the cheeks, there is almost no difference. The tricky parts are firmer, rounded surfaces like the chin, and less-bony concave curves under the chin and on the neck.

With a "milder" razor, I can apply more pressure with the head (for low-angle shavers like me) or guard - not to stretch the skin, but to (a) flatten it and bring it closer to agreement with the straight line of the blade's edge, and (b) raise stubble by creating a skin wave (I just made that term up, goofy as it is).

With the "aggressive" razor, I must use a very light touch to avoid burn, so less flattening effect, less wave, and hence more passes. Same result, but a different path required to get there.

I like using both kinds. I'm addicted to variety!

Today I shaved with a SE Gem Damaskeene 1912, the least forgiving beastie in my stable.
It's sort of counter-intuitive, but having to take more care and do more strokes actually made me slow down enough to do a very thorough job of it. A tad better than average. Not directly because the razor was aggressive, but rather because I had to pay so much attention.

 

[LegionPrime]

Agression can actually be quantified in two separate ways. First there's blade gap, then there's blade exposure. Think of the capital "A" Think of the left side as being the gap with the top cap on top, the safety bar on the bottom of the left side and the blade being the horizontal. The blade gap is the total from the top to the bottom of the A and blade exposure is how much it sticks out beyond that line and can be either positive or negative (in theory). I think that different combinations of these two is what contributes to the wide variety of opinions on which razor is more or less aggressive as well as responding differently to different techniques such as pressure and razor weight. Some people may be more sensitive to blade exposure while others may be more sensitive to the blade gap and it is all the different combinations of the two along with blades and technique that can be a contributing factor in the transmission of RAD. Some of us on the other hand may just like shiny things that . . . oooh look, a kitty!
Personally I find that my postwar Aristocrat (46 or 47 haven't nailed it down for sure yet) feels a touch more aggressive than my 59 Fatboy on 3, yet shaves a touch more aggressive my Fatboy set on 4. My Aristocrat also feels about as aggressive as my 59 Flaretip which feels and shaves an infinitesimal amount less aggressive than my fatboy on 3. Can I explain it? Not yet without some precise measuring equipment and more time than I could possibly fit into my schedule, but it is fun and interesting to muse, hypothesize and SWAG.

 

[woodfluter]

Agression can actually be quantified in two separate ways. First there's blade gap, then there's blade exposure. \\\\\
I think that different combinations of these two is what contributes to the wide variety of opinions on which razor is more or less aggressive as well as responding differently to different techniques such as pressure and razor weight.

...plus shaving angle for sure. But yes, I think you're dead on target about this. Interplay of two primary head design factors with individual shaving style & habits. Ranking by one measure like blade gap is misleading IMO.

Some of us on the other hand may just like shiny things that . . . oooh look, a kitty!

Now you're talkin' bout me!

but it is fun and interesting to muse, hypothesize and SWAG.

For sure!
And can be very informative too. The hypotheses and speculations give you a basis for testing, let you see what to look for and how to compare.