Once upon a time,...
1. I started DE wet shaving with a band new, shiny E.J. DE89 "Barley Chrome" handle razor: Very nice and safe learning experience! Felt like a kid the day I bought my very own DE razor! I will always cherish my 1st DE razor, but I have since retired it to a nostalgic "first love" showpiece on my shelf.
2. As a pompadour-wearin', mid-century modern lifestyle devotee (you should see our home decor!), I found and purchased a very nice N.O.S. 1960 (F3) "Post-War" Ball End Tech: Blew my DE89 away for smoothness, efficiency, and overall feel! Plus having the original vintage box and some vintage Gillette Blue Blades just made it fun to own and display. The original nickel finish on Tech is pristine!
3. Not really on the "hunt" but happened across a "Pre-War" (1938-1945 no date code) Nickel Plated, Triangle-Slot, Fat Handle Tech while antiquing with my lovely wife. Clearly a "well used" instrument with some plating wear and signs of it's age, but with absolutely no dents, dings, or mechanical degradation of any sort. A vintage piece with real "Character", I thought to myself! Took it home and carefully cleaned it up and set it beside my two "shiny" razors for a day or so. Felt compelled to keep picking it up and contemplating who has used this and how many wonderful shaves has it given over the course of its ~80 year lifespan? Perhaps it was used on some gentleman's wedding day!!! ...or was it passed on from a father to his son on some momentous occasion? For my Sunday morning shave before church (my favorite shave of the week, where I can take my time and enjoy the moment), I loaded a Gillette Silver Blue blade in the old Fat Handle Tech and proceeded to have the absolute best and most personally satisfying shave of my life! Even more efficient than the pristine N.O.S. 1960 Ball-End Tech, the Fat Handle required only one concentrated pass with clean-up (although I kept lathering up and smoothing over the neck areas just because it felt so darn good)! This razor just has a great weight distribution (yes even with the hollow brass handle) and also has the most audible feedback among my three razors, which I rely heavily upon during my shaves. Even with the excessive buffing (that was not required), I came away with a magnificent and most memorable shave and no redness or irritation in any way.
4. It it possible to have found one's "destination razor" after only three attempts? I can say, without hesitation, that I have found mine in my old Gillette Pre-War Fat Handle Tech! Was considering having it re-plated, but it's well-warn vintage character are just too full of untold stories to cover up! I can only hope and pray that it has another 50+/- years of life to give in my tender care!
5. With the Pre-War Gillette Tech fulfilling it's rightful place of distinction as my "destination razor", is the story over for me? Heck no! ...now I can have a blast playing with Brushes, Soaps, Blades,... and live happily clean-shaven ever after!
Cheers!
1. I started DE wet shaving with a band new, shiny E.J. DE89 "Barley Chrome" handle razor: Very nice and safe learning experience! Felt like a kid the day I bought my very own DE razor! I will always cherish my 1st DE razor, but I have since retired it to a nostalgic "first love" showpiece on my shelf.
2. As a pompadour-wearin', mid-century modern lifestyle devotee (you should see our home decor!), I found and purchased a very nice N.O.S. 1960 (F3) "Post-War" Ball End Tech: Blew my DE89 away for smoothness, efficiency, and overall feel! Plus having the original vintage box and some vintage Gillette Blue Blades just made it fun to own and display. The original nickel finish on Tech is pristine!
3. Not really on the "hunt" but happened across a "Pre-War" (1938-1945 no date code) Nickel Plated, Triangle-Slot, Fat Handle Tech while antiquing with my lovely wife. Clearly a "well used" instrument with some plating wear and signs of it's age, but with absolutely no dents, dings, or mechanical degradation of any sort. A vintage piece with real "Character", I thought to myself! Took it home and carefully cleaned it up and set it beside my two "shiny" razors for a day or so. Felt compelled to keep picking it up and contemplating who has used this and how many wonderful shaves has it given over the course of its ~80 year lifespan? Perhaps it was used on some gentleman's wedding day!!! ...or was it passed on from a father to his son on some momentous occasion? For my Sunday morning shave before church (my favorite shave of the week, where I can take my time and enjoy the moment), I loaded a Gillette Silver Blue blade in the old Fat Handle Tech and proceeded to have the absolute best and most personally satisfying shave of my life! Even more efficient than the pristine N.O.S. 1960 Ball-End Tech, the Fat Handle required only one concentrated pass with clean-up (although I kept lathering up and smoothing over the neck areas just because it felt so darn good)! This razor just has a great weight distribution (yes even with the hollow brass handle) and also has the most audible feedback among my three razors, which I rely heavily upon during my shaves. Even with the excessive buffing (that was not required), I came away with a magnificent and most memorable shave and no redness or irritation in any way.
4. It it possible to have found one's "destination razor" after only three attempts? I can say, without hesitation, that I have found mine in my old Gillette Pre-War Fat Handle Tech! Was considering having it re-plated, but it's well-warn vintage character are just too full of untold stories to cover up! I can only hope and pray that it has another 50+/- years of life to give in my tender care!
5. With the Pre-War Gillette Tech fulfilling it's rightful place of distinction as my "destination razor", is the story over for me? Heck no! ...now I can have a blast playing with Brushes, Soaps, Blades,... and live happily clean-shaven ever after!
Cheers!
