Gillette Knack / Slim Twist. Do you own one? Have you tried one?

[Ad Astra]

Do have a '69 Knack I picked up at an antiques mall. Same dark teal colored plastic handle.

I admit I haven't tried it yet ... doing a weekly razor rotation and just haven't gotten around to it.

But is SEEMS just like the Feather Popular, one I took on a long trip recently. Same feel- long, top heavy, but not bad / you get used to it.


AA

 

[Johnny DE]

If your plastic handle breaks, the head plus TTO can be removed and attached to a custom made handle.

Good to know, thanks for the tip!

 

[Johnny DE]

The Slim Twist and the Knack have an identical head indeed. My Slim Twist (white handle) is almost 50 years old (1967) and it must have been stored for years because although the handle features a micro fissure, the head is in almost pristine condition with no signs of wear whatsoever. The Knack with the blue handle is from 1971 and is also in excellent condition.

 

[Mightycolt]

I inherited a 1969 Knack from my father-in-law. Still shaves great, with the added benefit of it being a birth year razor. The only vintage razor in my collection, and I'm proud to have it

 

[Haiku]

My first razor. I bought mine when they first came out. I guess over 40 years ago now. I'm now surprised at how mild I find the razor and I'm also very surprised at how well the blue plastic has held up after all these years. It still looks fine.

 

[Johnny DE]

My first razor. I bought mine when they first came out. I guess over 40 years ago now. I'm now surprised at how mild I find the razor and I'm also very surprised at how well the blue plastic has held up after all these years. It still looks fine.

Yes indeed. My Knack with the blue plastic handle that I recently got on ebay is from 1971, almost 45 years old and is in great shape!

 

[Jacquers]

Some of the Knacks / Slim Twists have the diamond shape base plate and I've seen British white handled ones with Pat 694093. For those that have both variants (rectangular and diamond shape), do they differ significantly in how they shave?

 

[Samurai-Ray]

I just picked up a 1968 Blue Handle Knack from eBay last night for $12. I am looking forward to giving it a try.

View attachment 621231

 

[Johnny DE]

I just picked up a 1968 Blue Handle Knack from eBay last night for $12. I am looking forward to giving it a try.

View attachment 621231

Nice! looks like it's good condition. I have the very same one from 1971. Great score!

 

[dionesius3]

I have several of these and use a blue handled Knack pretty regularly. They shave much better than you would expect and are a fantastic value. Most of these saw little use back in the day because most folks thought of plastic as a disposable rather than a durable material. And thus these often were used little but were given as gifts often because they were cheap. Lots of them were opened and then put in a drawer or placed in a travel bag for next years vacation. If you lost it or left it no big deal.

I met a retired Gillette worker who helped set up and train the line workers to make these razors. Gillette bought new machines to produce these and other razors just before their introduction and this man said the Knack razors were one of the best made razors Gillette ever produced. The stamping and parts were held to tighter tolerances than any previous TTO. The top of the handle TTO knob made for less play in the opening and closing. And less area for water to collect and corrode the plating or base metal.

I enjoy joy using these because they perform so well, some scoff and dismiss them because of the plastic handle, I am glad they do because it keeps the prices low on these excellent razors.

 

[MicBP]

The Slim Twist and the Knack have an identical head indeed. My Slim Twist (white handle) is almost 50 years old (1967) and it must have been stored for years because although the handle features a micro fissure, the head is in almost pristine condition with no signs of wear whatsoever. The Knack with the blue handle is from 1971 and is also in excellent condition.
View attachment 609244

are there any diff between a slim twist and a knack or do they just have diff names because they were made in diff countries...???

 

[Chris Spertos]

Like these razors a lot. Nice gentle shavers. A must have for wet shavers.

 

[kingfisher]

I love mine.
The shave, for me, is better than a superspeed. Perfect amount of aggression, easy to use, always delivers a comfortable shave.

Very underrated razor, in my opinion.

 

[ivan_101]

I have 5 slim twists like yours with the blue handle. They are very good. I also have 5 G1000s some of them in the packages never used. The slim twists have more blade exposure than the G1000s

 

[Timeclo]

They are amazing razors. Easily my top 5 razor. Smooth, efficient, and enjoyable to use.

 

[marosi12]

I will try to post pictures later, but I have the dark blue plastic handled slim-twist/knack from 1968 (not sure what makes one a knack versus a slim-twist). It is one of my favorite razors. While I have a number of vintage razors including first-year offerings of both fatboy and slim adjustables, a multitude of superspeeds, techs, a brass open-comb gillette and some odds and ends, the Knack is one of my favorite, if not my overall favorite, razors. It is super user friendly, like goldilocks, not too much or too little aggression, and you can just knock out two or three passes and have a fine shave without thinking about anything. It is also in perfect condition, despite the handle they really seem to hold up - much better than my black tip super speed with an aluminum handle, for example, where the aluminum oxidizes.

For me the closest for comparison would be a flare tip superspeed (not one with color like blue or red) or an adjustable on 3-5 setting. If I had to pick one or two razors based on the perfect shave and ease of use I would probably pick the Knack and a Cooper monobilt (another grossly underated razor) that I own. totally unrelated to this thread but the Cooper just provides a fantastic shave, amazing. The Knack is milder but provides similar ease-of-use results. It is a little more aggressive (but not aggressive in any real sense) than a lot of the superspeeds but never anything to worry about, I do not think I have ever so much as nicked myself with it. The head geometry seems to be slightly different and easier to use than the superspeeds also, and definitely much better than a Tech or the like. These are highly underappreciated razors. The handle is a little longer than most Gillette's and is knurled so it is very easy to hang onto and work with. With respect to the handle once a year or so I wipe it down with some highly concentrated plastic protectant like formula 303 or similar and that seems to keep it looking like new. The nickel on the metal on mine, while perhaps needing a little buffing, is in perfect condition. You could easily buy one and never need another razor (sacrilege!).

 

[Chris Spertos]

I will try to post pictures later, but I have the dark blue plastic handled slim-twist/knack from 1968 (not sure what makes one a knack versus a slim-twist). It is one of my favorite razors. While I have a number of vintage razors including first-year offerings of both fatboy and slim adjustables, a multitude of superspeeds, techs, a brass open-comb gillette and some odds and ends, the Knack is one of my favorite, if not my overall favorite, razors. It is super user friendly, like goldilocks, not too much or too little aggression, and you can just knock out two or three passes and have a fine shave without thinking about anything. It is also in perfect condition, despite the handle they really seem to hold up - much better than my black tip super speed with an aluminum handle, for example, where the aluminum oxidizes.

For me the closest for comparison would be a flare tip superspeed (not one with color like blue or red) or an adjustable on 3-5 setting. If I had to pick one or two razors based on the perfect shave and ease of use I would probably pick the Knack and a Cooper monobilt (another grossly underated razor) that I own. totally unrelated to this thread but the Cooper just provides a fantastic shave, amazing. The Knack is milder but provides similar ease-of-use results. It is a little more aggressive (but not aggressive in any real sense) than a lot of the superspeeds but never anything to worry about, I do not think I have ever so much as nicked myself with it. The head geometry seems to be slightly different and easier to use than the superspeeds also, and definitely much better than a Tech or the like. These are highly underappreciated razors. The handle is a little longer than most Gillette's and is knurled so it is very easy to hang onto and work with. With respect to the handle once a year or so I wipe it down with some highly concentrated plastic protectant like formula 303 or similar and that seems to keep it looking like new. The nickel on the metal on mine, while perhaps needing a little buffing, is in perfect condition. You could easily buy one and never need another razor (sacrilege!).

I have both the Knack and Slim. Same heads different handles. Mine are British. They are smooth, nice razors. Another razor that fits in their category is the Schick Krona. Very underrated razors.

 

[ShaverAZ]

This was the last DE razor produced by Gillette & it was extremely cheaply made. I have several and their performance is extremely underrated. Expect a shave equal to a 60's Superspeed.
I shave primarily with Old Types, NEW LC &SC's and Techs. The underrated Knack (and also the Schick Krona) will easily hold their own againstmost of my "better" razors.

 

[marosi12]

I have both the Knack and Slim. Same heads different handles. Mine are British. They are smooth, nice razors. Another razor that fits in their category is the Schick Krona. Very underrated razors.

sorry it took me so long to reply, I have been busier than a one legged cat in a sandbox. Thank you for the info, I really like the other handle shape and the fact that they come in different colors, maybe someday. Here is the pic of my razor (over original pink tile from 1958!). I Did not polish it up or anything, and I use it regularly. As for whether they are cheaply made, I cannot comment on how much it cost for them to make them, but it is not a "cheap" razor, at least by today's standards. Everything is very solid and well put together, and it does not have a spot of brassing or other wear on it after more than fifty years. Not too shabby!

 

[kopasas]

I just clean mine after some years stored in a box. All British made, the white handle, the khaki one and the deluxe with the black handle and the gold head.