Gillette Tech Aggressive, maybe a mismatch?

[DrakeMegrim]

Good day, all. Long time lurker, a first-time poster I think?

I recently bought a 1947-51 Gillette Fat Handle Tech from Razor Emporium and found it a rough shave. I bought the razor because I wanted a mild and efficient shave and have read mostly stellar reviews. I wanted something smaller for travel and settled on this. I've tried all sorts of shaving angles and razors but I still get irritation and razor burn with just a WTG pass. I'm normally a 3 pass plus pickups shaver. For the first shave I tried a 3 pass and it was a mistake, thankfully it was on the weekend and I could give my face a few days to recover.

I'm not sure if this was user error but I've never had an issue before now. I've been DE shaving daily for a little over a decade now. I have a Lord L6 and Rockwell 6c. I normally shave daily with R3 or R5 (depending on the mood) with a feather. I normally get a weeper or two on my problem areas but nothing substantial or lasting.

Just wanted to check in with y'all before I reach out to Razor Emporium with the issue. I've checked and made sure the handle is tightened all the way. Can't think of what's going on. Below is a picture of the Tech. Any input is appreciated.

 

[md1234]

First of all I think you have a pre war Tech (1938-45) and it is more aggressive than a post war variant.

Does the base plate have triangular slots?

 

[DrakeMegrim]

Oh, I think you're right! It's got triangular holes instead of ovals. Great catch! I apologize for that, I was just going by what RE said.

 

[Guido75]

Well Drake - first off welcome to B&B!

And second, it could be me or just the photo, but I believe the cap of my prewar Tech is much closer to the baseplate than yours appears to be. Yours appears to be hoovering thereby increasing the blade gap and lessening the blade clamping. And what blade dd you use?

I just went upstairs to check and both my prewar US and prewar Canada are almost snug to the baseplate (provided some room as I put a blade in). I know you probably already did or already know, but are you sure the handle is tight to the baseplate (not King Kong tight - just tight)?

Another part is that the Tech while mild does have positive blade exposure. The blade gap of a Tech is on average around 0.6.

Interestingly enough I read the Lord L6 to be quite the aggressive razor over the Tech - and apparently that's the other way around for you. Do give the Tech a chance. It is a marvellous razor.

Cheers,

Guido.

 

[sarimento1]

FWIW, none of my Gillette Tech's, whether pre- or post-war, are aggressive.
All shave mildly, and nicely, for me.

 

[Quaznoid]

Never heard of an aggressive Tech.

 

[Blackland Razors]

The blade gap looks a bit big for a tech, even pre-war. Still doesn't quite look like the blade is fully clamped down.

Things to check:

• Is the handle defective or maybe has debris in it?
  • That would prevent full tightening.
  • Thread a q-tip in and back out until clean. (Don't shove it in. Twist it down with the threads.)
  • Test another handle on the Tech head
• When assembled, does the base plate move if you pinch the side of the head together or push up on the safety bar?
• Does the base plate look bent at all to you?
  • It doesn't look like it to me, but pics are hard.

 

[Quaznoid]

Mine screws down flush. There is no gap on sides. There’s a problem there. Consider returning it.

 

[gpjoe]

I just looked at the pre-war Tech that I used today. If I hold it up to a light and look at the end of the razor (as in the OP's picture), I can see daylight between the top cap and base plate with a blade installed and fully snug.

I'm thinking that as long as the cap contacts the base plate firmly just behind both edges of the blade, it should be fine.

 

[Cal]

Mine screws down flush. There is no gap on sides. There’s a problem there. Consider returning it.

+1 (It looks like a cap/baseplate mismatch to me.)

 

[cranewarrior]

Here is my pre-war tech with a blade loaded. It's not a great specimen but shaves fantastically. Maybe this helps OP somehow.

 

[Hannah's Dad]

Sure looks like the cap has been modified/thinned out excessively. As others have said, it looks like a frankenrazor. Good luck getting relief from RE.

 

[geneaut]

To my eye, that blade gap looks excessive. I'll check out my Fat Handle Tech tonight.

 

[DesertIguana]

Aggressive is a word that is difficult to define, because it is sort of like Hot Sauce, everyone has different tolerance for the Hot Stuff.

Blade choice makes a huge difference, I would buy sampler of blades, and buy MILD BLADES SAMPLER to try and find one you like or ?

Last thought is are you bearing down as you shave, or letting the weight off razor do the work? Many people who do the DE thing and are new to it. USE TOO MUCH pressure like with a Disposable that has zero weight, causing skin irritation.

 

[BigJ]

The blade gap looks a bit big for a tech, even pre-war. Still doesn't quite look like the blade is fully clamped down.

Things to check:

• Is the handle defective or maybe has debris in it?
  • That would prevent full tightening.
  • Thread a q-tip in and back out until clean. (Don't shove it in. Twist it down with the threads.)
  • Test another handle on the Tech head
• When assembled, does the base plate move if you pinch the side of the head together or push up on the safety bar?
• Does the base plate look bent at all to you?
  • It doesn't look like it to me, but pics are hard.

Mine screws down flush. There is no gap on sides. There’s a problem there. Consider returning it.

+2! Looks like a mechanical problem to me also!

 

[bubo_strix]

I have a post war tech that is not damaged that I would be happy to pass along to you free of charge if that is something you would like. Please DM me with your address if you are comfortable with it and I’ll get it in the mail on Friday. This forum has been very kind to me since I joined a couple years ago and I have a few specimens collecting dust.

Edit: since your post count is still low you may not be able to DM other members yet, but I’ll shoot you one with my email so we can correspond if you’d like.

 

[DrakeMegrim]

Thank you everyone for your advice and kind offer from bubo_strix. I’ll post some more pictures below. Based on @cranewarrior’s picture, the gap looks greater on my tech and maybe the head and baseplate are mismatched.

@Guido75
Thank you for the welcome. I used Astra SP, Wilkinson Sword (Germany), and Gillette Platinum All gave the same amount of aggression.

The handle is as tight as I can get it without making it difficult to remove. I did look at the blade gap on the forums but I didn’t expect this to be more aggressive than a 6C with an R5 plate. I don’t mind blade exposure but couldn’t find a way to keep my face not getting torn up.

I really do want to give the Tech a chance and won’t let this be the end of my DE journey. I’m finally in a place where I’m not using an L6 to shave every day because that’s all I could afford.

@sarimento1
Lovely razor! I was honestly shocked and it’s why I posted here. I tend to lurk more than anything but wanted the collective wisdom of B&B to help me out.

@Quaznoid
Same except for ShaveByTheNumber’s detailed post about it but I figured he was just really sensitive to the blade exposure or something. The gap on the sides looks larger than what cranewarrior posted. I’ll have pics below.

@Blackland Razors
Handle is clean of debris and my 6C handle seems to clamp it about as well as the fat handle did. Fat handle seems to clamp the 6C just fine. Base plate on the tech is unbent.

@cranewarrior
The side gap loos much smaller on your Tech. Looks lovely and well-loved over the years.

@DesertIguana
Agreed that aggressive is hard to define. It’s definitely a YMMV moment. I’ve always found Astra SP to be very mild and thought that would be a good baseline. I use super light pressure, just enough to keep the razor on my face. I’ve been DE shaving for a while and figured I had a reasonable grasp on it. Like I said before, I expected this to be far more mild than a 6C R5 or L6 with a feather.

@bubo_strix
Thank you so much. I’d love to take you up on that and will find another way to PIF to others. You’re a legend.

 

[slimshavy]

FWIW, none of my Gillette Tech's, whether pre- or post-war, are aggressive.
All shave mildly, and nicely, for me.

View attachment 1781051

Do you know what year this Tech is? I think I have the same one, although in worse shape.

 

[NorthernSoul]

I checked your photos against a couple of the Techs I use regularly. It does appear the cap is too far away from the base plate in your photos. My razors have a much smaller blade gap and the blade is bent more over the base plate fulcrum points (which changes the blade edge angle). Might be a cap mismatch, but I don't see anything obviously wrong with the individual pieces. They just don't quite match up right.

 

[Guido75]

Thanks for the additional photos.

The handle is as tight as I can get it without making it difficult to remove.

Excellent. And you should not tighten it too much indeed.

I don’t mind blade exposure but couldn’t find a way to keep my face not getting torn up.

The cap intrigues me. I have taken two pictures of my caps with a blade:

The first one is with a cap similar to yours (which in my case is part of my Flat Bottom Tech) and the second one is the one that is part of my prewar. I am not the best photographer, but to me the space between baseplate and cap is much larger with yours in that the cap flexes the blade less - increasing blade exposure.

I really do want to give the Tech a chance and won’t let this be the end of my DE journey.

And please do, because the Tech is a wonderful razor that can punch above its weight. Honestly high end is nice and all, but in terms of results a Tech is equally great. And let’s not forget that Wolfman (while of course much more sophisticated in build and quality) is based on a Tech.

But I would seek it if you can find a donor cap of sorts to check if that is the culprit or not. You got good blades, so that’s covered.

Cheers,

Guido