Gillette Short Comb (SC) admiration

[Ad Astra]

My worldview of believing Gillette OLDs are best was rocked last month during the "Razor of the Month: Gillette NEW" experience.

I picked up a Gillette NEW Long Comb (LC) and loved the shaves; there was something to it. Perhaps not as close as an OLD, but comfy for some reason. Very forgiving; may be the model itself or its angle. Anyways.

Noticed it was much hard to acquire a Gillette NEW Short Comb (SC) and also noticed the SC has its die-hard fans ... eventually I picked one up, a rodium replate.

SCs get complicated. There are a bunch of sets and variations ... eventually I got a Black & Red set with same razor, only the cap has the "long bars;" this one has the short. Then there are the mismatched handles (sigh), though that can be fixed with a small rubber o-ring. Anyways.

SC shaves are amazing. I can get mishap-free against-the-grain shaves, blade type and soap type notwithstanding. This is extraordinary, and I'm trying to glean just why ...

Angle? Blade rigidity in the long-bar cap? Unsure, but a glass-smooth ATG shave is pretty nice, especially without the bad-shave-price-to-pay of an ATG shave gone wrong.


AA

 

[Graybeard57]

Thanks for sharing, Mike. Haven't used one, but they certainly get a lot of love here.

 

[TADIII]

As Astra wrote, "Then there are the mismatched handles (sigh), though that can be fixed with a small rubber o-ring."

AA, if you are referring to the fit of the handle end to the bottom of the blade guard because the opening is too restrictive between the ridges on either side of the hole for the cap screw, I have noticed that pre-1932 (no Reissue #) base plates do require a narrower neck. Both Robert Smith (BRW/CooncatBob) and Raphael Sanchez (UFO) sized their handles to fit that narrower opening. Gillette handles from that same pre-1932 era, of course, fit. In your attached picture, it appears that you have the slightly wider neck, but also have the post-summer of '32 blade guard, which should result in a snug fit without recourse to an o-ring.

 

[BF&E]

Just got my first SC too! Not as pretty, more user-grade from off the popular auction website, but darn smooth! My only complaint is that it's not quite as close as my R41 daily driver... but I expected that!

FWIW, I've seen quite a few SC's on that popular auction site for very reasonable prices (less than $30) and some don't get ANY bids! I got mine for almost literally a song, and I had the only bid. If anyone would like a SC and doesn't mind rougher-looking models that are still functional, I'd recommend looking there. Just search "vintage open comb razor" b/c some sellers have no idea what they have!

 

[santamariasteve]

By coincidence I shaved with a Gillette NEW SC this morning, a razor that I recently had re-plated in 18K gold. Strikingly beautiful!

My 80 year old face increasingly has tough whiskers, and I'm transitioning into 4 pass shaving from a traditional 3 pass shaving. For the 4th pass I return to the 1st pass which is N to S.

The shave this morning on a 7th-shave old Personna Lab Blue blade was outstanding, close, and comfortable. Not even a hint of a weeper, though my old skin also is becoming increasingly thin. For an after shave application, I put a dab of some coconut oil moisturizing crème from the 99 cents store and one squirt of a men's cologne into my hand, rubbed my hands together and applied it to my face. BBS. My face feels like a pane of clean window glass.

There is some controversy over which is more aggressive, the LC or the SC NEW. I believe the LC is SLIGHTLY more aggressive, but only by a whisker (pun intended). I can't prove this, and if true I don't understand it, as to my eye the two heads are identical, with the exception of the length of the combs. I do not understand why a longer comb that is dramatically "bent down and curved" would increase aggression (if it does).

There are several things I love about the engineering of the Gillette NEW razors: (1) There are no pins on the backside of the heads. This enables one to easily clean the head daily with 10 seconds of "water and thumb work" between shaves, without disassembling the razor. (2) There is no hole at the south end of the handle for water and soap residue to enter.

I love the SC and the LC Gillette NEW razors! A few other razors may equal them, but nothing surpasses them. Nothing.

 

[Ad Astra]

Thanks for all the input, guys.

@TADIII , I'll post pix, but neither of my SCs are a good fit for the common bar handle. Could easily grind, but don't want to, in order to get a perfect flush fit. A Tech handle fits perfct, though.

@BF&E , yup. Sellers don't know, but a good photo helps. Wound up with an extra LC couple weeks ago, my bad and a poor photo. It is amazing and a great value to get a lifetime-use NEW for under $20.

@santamariasteve , congratulations sir on the gold NEW, and agree 100% these may be the very best Gillettes.

I can't decide if LC is less or more than SC; I lean toward thinking the SC is more aggressive. Both are comfortable shavers is the best thing.

Until I learned how to use it well, one of my OLDs would shave me raw ... NEWs are an easier go for sure.


AA

 

[TomCan]

I've had a SC for a bit and think it holds its own against razors I thought were "the one". I can get two weeks worth of shaves from nearly any blade in this razor and receive very smooth close shaves. It moves up in rank for me each rotation!

 

[Hoka Hey]

I have a few I haven't used in a while. Might have to get one out. I've been on a NEW Deluxe binge the last couple months.

 

[rabidus]

Rigidity...DUH!

The cap in your picture is a prewar Tech cap, which is the mildest of all the caps found on the SC. If it all original, it means your SC is dated around when the Prewar Tech was made, from 1938-1945. I have one SC with the same cap.

If you put the LC cap on the SC baseplate, it should increase efficiency a little.

 

[santamariasteve]

Rabidus,

The cap on my SC is as shown, except the flange touches the bolt. So what kind of a SC do I have? And what determines the difference in aggression, the thickness of the cap, or something else?

Also the cap on my LC New is identical.

 

[shave/brush]

Rabidus,

The cap on my SC is as shown, except the flange touches the bolt. So what kind of a SC do I have? And what determines the difference in aggression, the thickness of the cap, or something else?
Also the cap on my LC New is identical.

Aggressiveness is determined by blade exposure. The more blade that is past the guard or the teeth the more aggressive it will be.

 

[Ad Astra]

One of the resident SC aficionados has a baseplate styles photo ... as mentioned it gets complicated.


AA

 

[rabidus]

Rabidus,

The cap on my SC is as shown, except the flange touches the bolt. So what kind of a SC do I have? And what determines the difference in aggression, the thickness of the cap, or something else?

Also the cap on my LC New is identical.

The Prewar Tech cap is thicker and wider than other caps and offers the least blade exposure.

The original SC cap, which has squared off corner tabs, is thinner and not quite as wide as the Prewar Tech cap and offers the most blade exposure.

These are the only two caps that cap be identified in a picture.

The 15mm Deluxe cap offers the same amount of blade exposure as the original SC cap. Then there's the 17mm Deluxe and LC cap, which all "look" the same.

I believe the SC was still being sold in 1938 when the prewar Tech was made, which is why many of them have the Prewar Tech cap.

Anyone of the above caps came on the SC due to quality control!

From reviews, the 15 mm and 17mm Deluxe are consistent with having the correct cap. Quality control was lost with the LC and SC, they have a mystery cap. The original SC cap only fits on the SC baseplate, all the other caps are interchangeable and changes the aggression.

The order of aggression is as follows, from aggressive to mild:

15mm Deluxe/SC original cap
17mm Deluxe
LC
Prewar Tech

The SC's baseplate offers the most rigidity out of all the NEW's. The 15mm Deluxe and SC with original cap both feel the same, same blade exposure shave wise, but the SC's rigidity puts it on top! The Deluxe and SC both have the same comb profile.

 

[rabidus]

By coincidence I shaved with a Gillette NEW SC this morning, a razor that I recently had re-plated in 18K gold. Strikingly beautiful!

My 80 year old face increasingly has tough whiskers, and I'm transitioning into 4 pass shaving from a traditional 3 pass shaving. For the 4th pass I return to the 1st pass which is N to S.

The shave this morning on a 7th-shave old Personna Lab Blue blade was outstanding, close, and comfortable. Not even a hint of a weeper, though my old skin also is becoming increasingly thin. For an after shave application, I put a dab of some coconut oil moisturizing crème from the 99 cents store and one squirt of a men's cologne into my hand, rubbed my hands together and applied it to my face. BBS. My face feels like a pane of clean window glass.

There is some controversy over which is more aggressive, the LC or the SC NEW. I believe the LC is SLIGHTLY more aggressive, but only by a whisker (pun intended). I can't prove this, and if true I don't understand it, as to my eye the two heads are identical, with the exception of the length of the combs. I do not understand why a longer comb that is dramatically "bent down and curved" would increase aggression (if it does).

There are several things I love about the engineering of the Gillette NEW razors: (1) There are no pins on the backside of the heads. This enables one to easily clean the head daily with 10 seconds of "water and thumb work" between shaves, without disassembling the razor. (2) There is no hole at the south end of the handle for water and soap residue to enter.

I love the SC and the LC Gillette NEW razors! A few other razors may equal them, but nothing surpasses them. Nothing.

Weepers

The top picture is the SC and the Deluxe is in the bottom picture.

While shaving, coarse stubble will cause blade to flex with the Deluxe. The edge of the blade is forced up and the unsupported blade bends away from the cap. When the blade cuts through or releases the coarse stubble, the blade springs back to its normal position scraping/tearing the skin. You may notice that you get weepers in the same spot all the time, you probably have really coarse stubble there.

You can have the best technique on the planet and get weepers because of lack of rigidity, coarse stubble and skin type.

The SC, on the hand, locks the blade down like a vise, the blade does not flex or bend. The only way to cause a weeper is to go over an area too many times without relathering.

I don't bleed with a rigid razor design. I can go over areas many times without relathering and always hit BBS long before drawing blood or getting any kind of irritation.

I don't use the Deluxe or LC or any razor that lacks rigidity because they will cause blood loss and irritation.

To give you and example, it takes 15+ strokes ATG to BBS a spot on my chin with any aggressive razor. The SC will mow it down easily, never drawing blood and I don't relathering during the 15+ strokes. Any other less rigid razor will tear my chin while mowing it down.

Even though the SC locks down the blade like a vise, the blade is still vibrating a little during a shave, because the blade is thin, and possibly tearing the skin on a micro level. I've been using SE razors exclusively for over a month and my skin feels a lot different, smoother and better after a shave. The blades are thicker, more rigid. They are not more efficient than the SC, takes the same work to BBS, but my skin feels a little better after a shave. And my skin felt fine after using the SC, but I notice a difference.

If you get weepers, regardless of how coarse your stubble is, switch to a rigid razor design for a week or two and see if you stop getting them.

 

[Ad Astra]

Weepers

View attachment 814039

The top picture is the SC and the Deluxe is in the bottom picture.

While shaving, coarse stubble will cause blade to flex with the Deluxe. The edge of the blade is forced up and the unsupported blade bends away from the cap. When the blade cuts through or releases the coarse stubble, the blade springs back to its normal position scraping/tearing the skin. You may notice that you get weepers in the same spot all the time, you probably have really coarse stubble there.

You can have the best technique on the planet and get weepers because of lack of rigidity, coarse stubble and skin type.

The SC, on the hand, locks the blade down like a vise, the blade does not flex or bend. The only way to cause a weeper is to go over an area too many times without relathering.

I don't bleed with a rigid razor design. I can go over areas many times without relathering and always hit BBS long before drawing blood or getting any kind of irritation.

I don't use the Deluxe or LC or any razor that lacks rigidity because they will cause blood loss and irritation.

To give you and example, it takes 15+ strokes ATG to BBS a spot on my chin with any aggressive razor. The SC will mow it down easily, never drawing blood and I don't relathering during the 15+ strokes. Any other less rigid razor will tear my chin while mowing it down.

Even though the SC locks down the blade like a vise, the blade is still vibrating a little during a shave, because the blade is thin, and possibly tearing the skin on a micro level. I've been using SE razors exclusively for over a month and my skin feels a lot different, smoother and better after a shave. The blades are thicker, more rigid. They are not more efficient than the SC, takes the same work to BBS, but my skin feels a little better after a shave. And my skin felt fine after using the SC, but I notice a difference.

If you get weepers, regardless of how coarse your stubble is, switch to a rigid razor design for a week or two and see if you stop getting them.

Two definitive, out of the park, SC-clarifying posts! Many thanks, @rabidus .


AA

 

[imatabor]

Congratulations on the SC. A fine razor for sure.

Weepers

View attachment 814039

The top picture is the SC and the Deluxe is in the bottom picture.

While shaving, coarse stubble will cause blade to flex with the Deluxe. The edge of the blade is forced up and the unsupported blade bends away from the cap. When the blade cuts through or releases the coarse stubble, the blade springs back to its normal position scraping/tearing the skin. You may notice that you get weepers in the same spot all the time, you probably have really coarse stubble there.

You can have the best technique on the planet and get weepers because of lack of rigidity, coarse stubble and skin type.

The SC, on the hand, locks the blade down like a vise, the blade does not flex or bend. The only way to cause a weeper is to go over an area too many times without relathering.

I don't bleed with a rigid razor design. I can go over areas many times without relathering and always hit BBS long before drawing blood or getting any kind of irritation.

I don't use the Deluxe or LC or any razor that lacks rigidity because they will cause blood loss and irritation.

To give you and example, it takes 15+ strokes ATG to BBS a spot on my chin with any aggressive razor. The SC will mow it down easily, never drawing blood and I don't relathering during the 15+ strokes. Any other less rigid razor will tear my chin while mowing it down.

Even though the SC locks down the blade like a vise, the blade is still vibrating a little during a shave, because the blade is thin, and possibly tearing the skin on a micro level. I've been using SE razors exclusively for over a month and my skin feels a lot different, smoother and better after a shave. The blades are thicker, more rigid. They are not more efficient than the SC, takes the same work to BBS, but my skin feels a little better after a shave. And my skin felt fine after using the SC, but I notice a difference.

If you get weepers, regardless of how coarse your stubble is, switch to a rigid razor design for a week or two and see if you stop getting them.

Nice write up.

 

[rabidus]

Two definitive, out of the park, SC-clarifying posts! Many thanks, @rabidus .


AA

You're welcome!

Congratulations on the SC. A fine razor for sure.


Nice write up.

Thanks...

 

[gvw755]

It just happened that I ordered a New SC base plate from an eBay vendor and spent most of yesterday cleaning it up. I have two New LC, but one I stupidly converted to a hillbilly LC and thought that with the SC base plate, I would have one of each. I shaved with it tonight and found it to be a slightly different shave experience. The LC was a lot smoother of a shave, however I found the SC to be more efficient (two passes for the SC as opposed to two passes plus touch up for the LC). These OC Gillette just continue to amaze me. The only one I was not impressed with was the Sheraton.

 

[Esox]

The differences are more in the base plate design than the cap. The SC base fully supports the blade even to a point slightly past the end of the cap as the pics from rabidus show if you look closely. The LC base has no where near the support on the base.

SC on the left, LC on the right.

As you can see, the base plate support on the LC base ends well short of where the blade edge would be. That contributes a great deal to the smoothness mentioned when shaving ATG. The LC I had I gave away as I couldnt get a BBS shave over the two trouble areas I have on my neck, even with a shim. With the SC, it takes the stubble off like it never should have been there in the first place, effortlessly. As it turns out, my nephew that I gave it to also has ATG issues with it and has moved on to a Single Ring that has virtually the same base plate support, without the gap of the SC base.

For a simple eye opening test, load a blade in both your LC and your SC and try to deflect the blade edge downwards towards the comb with a paper clip or something similar. You'll see how much, and how easily, the blade edge will deflect on the LC. Whereas the blade in the SC will feel as though its a part of the razor head itself its so solid. That flex acts like a spring when shaving ATG, and for me, even when shimmed, skipped over the stubble on my trouble areas.

The pictures below are of the caps. SC on the left, LC on the right. Notice the corner tabs and how the tabs on the SC cap lock into the recesses in the base plate vs the LC tabs that only serve to help align the blade.

Both razors side by side.

Other than a Wolfman WR1 razor, I'm not sure theres a DE razor design that holds the blade as securely as the SC does with the proper SC cap.

 

[santamariasteve]

I need to digest all this. Yesterday I shaved with the NEW SC. Today I shaved with the NEW LC. Used same blade (Personna Blue), soap, and prep. Did leisurely 4 pass shaves on my tough whiskers. Both shaves were excellent.

But on a scale of 10, with 5 being average, I'd rate the shave with the SC as a strong 8 and the shave with the LC as a 10, as to closeness and comfort.

I respect the rigidity theory, but I'm having trouble demonstrating it in my experience.

Hmm. I need to digest all this.