What's new

Gillette NewDeluxe still the champ

I’ve been rotating razors the past few weeks using a new to me Kai blade. The Gillette NewDeluxe still gives me the best shave . The Karve CB , Gillette New short comb and Merkur slant come close and it’s hard to differentiate between them after the shave but 24 hours later I have the same amount of stubble with the NewDeluxe that I have after 10 hours with the others
2E9C13C0-4A7A-4B8C-9E9A-8DB37ED30AB0.jpeg
 
Good for you! That's a fine-looking specimen you have there. I had a quest to get a New DeLuxe for a while but it never worked out.
 
I still wonder if there's a huge difference between the 15mm and the 17mm versions of the New De Luxe. I have the 15mm, which is considered to be not as common as the 17mm and I was told that it's a bit better compared to the 17mm, but since I haven't used both I can't really confirm that for myself and from time to time I have an urge to try the 17mm version.
 
I still wonder if there's a huge difference between the 15mm and the 17mm versions of the New De Luxe. I have the 15mm, which is considered to be not as common as the 17mm and I was told that it's a bit better compared to the 17mm, but since I haven't used both I can't really confirm that for myself and from time to time I have an urge to try the 17mm version.
Better and worse in this case are completely subjective. One loves milder razors and prefers one of the versions, other users prefer more aggressive and would prefer the other. Just like Super-Speeds. Different decades have different level of aggression and some like one decade, others another. Or like the NEW LC vs NEW SC eternal preference discussion. :c1:

Is the 15mm USA or English made?

I have two New Improved .. will need to measure them I guess.

*Aren't all New Deluxe gold??
What the OP shows is not a NEW Improved. It is a later razor from the 30s with an aligning slot instead of the bullets on the earlier NEW Improved.

To answer your question. Not all New Deluxe are gold. Far from it.
 
Is the 15mm USA or English made?

I have two New Improved .. will need to measure them I guess.

*Aren't all New Deluxe gold??

Aside from the gold, some NEW De Luxe models are chrome and silver plated. I don't think nickel plated models exist There are also two versions of the New Improved. The older ones made before 1927 have a slightly different base plate and probably a slightly different top cap as well compared to the 1928 models. Here are some pictures.



New Improved versions:

$ta6.jpg





106 & 126.jpg





NEW De Luxe versions:



Screenshot 2023-01-31 at 22-50-57 Gillette NEW Deluxe - 15mm vs 17mm which one do you prefer.png
Screenshot 2023-01-31 at 22-51-05 Gillette NEW Deluxe - 15mm vs 17mm which one do you prefer.png
 
Aside from the gold, some NEW De Luxe models are chrome and silver plated. I don't think nickel plated models exist There are also two versions of the New Improved. The older ones made before 1927 have a slightly different base plate and probably a slightly different top cap as well compared to the 1928 models. Here are some pictures.



New Improved versions:

View attachment 1597896




View attachment 1597899




NEW De Luxe versions:



View attachment 1597900View attachment 1597901
That hole in the 17 mm De Luxe is huge!
 
Better and worse in this case are completely subjective. One loves milder razors and prefers one of the versions, other users prefer more aggressive and would prefer the other. Just like Super-Speeds. Different decades have different level of aggression and some like one decade, others another. Or like the NEW LC vs NEW SC eternal preference discussion. :c1:


What the OP shows is not a NEW Improved. It is a later razor from the 30s with an aligning slot instead of the bullets on the earlier NEW Improved.

To answer your question. Not all New Deluxe are gold. Far from it.

That's true. The feeling of a razor is very subjective from person to person. I was just saying that between the two versions, the 15mm is known to be a slightly better compared to the 17mm and obviously, that comes from people who have or had both at one point.

I myself find the 15mm too harsh and probably the worst NEW model with the Short Comb having almost the same qualities, but slightly better. The New Improved however, is probably my favorite vintage Gillette razor when it comes to shaving, but it's regarded by most people as harsh aggressive. YMMV at its best.
 
That hole in the 17 mm De Luxe is huge!

Yes, some 17mm (and I think I've seen even 15mm too, but I'm not 100% sure) have such holes, which people suspect were made that way, because they were ment to be 2-piece razors like the one OP has, but for whatever reason, they were used as 3-piece razors.
 
Last edited:
That's true. The feeling of a razor is very subjective from person to person. I was just saying that between the two versions, the 15mm is known to be a slightly better compared to the 17mm and obviously, that comes from people who have or had both at one point.

I myself find the 15mm too harsh and probably the worst NEW model with the Short Comb having almost the same qualities, but slightly better. The New Improved however, is probably my favorite vintage Gillette razor when it comes to shaving, but it's regarded by most people as harsh aggressive. YMMV at its best.
That is because you have one of the versions of the Short comb. Different SC razor versions exist. My SC is mild like a kitten. Slightly negative exposure. Pretty hard to get BBS.
 
That is because you have one of the versions of the Short comb. Different SC razor versions exist. My SC is mild like a kitten. Slightly negative exposure. Pretty hard to get BBS.

Yes, at least 3 different base plate versions and at least 2 top caps exist. Mine is regarded as the ''original'' SC as some folks like to call it with the proper SC top cap. I have no problem with the efficiency, it's just that the blade exposure feels weird to me just like with the NEW De Luxe and it feels more like scraping than shaving. I have no issues with any of the US or British LC versions.

271898863_3166732246938716_7079541212361432069_n.jpg
 
Top Bottom