Going to try "Vintage" DE Blades

[djs134]

Been reading quite a bit recently about the "golden age" of DE shaving and the blades that were produced in the 50's, 60's and 70's. Due to some RAD, I've acquired a few old blades and decided that I'd try some of them. For now, I'll probably stick with the SS blades, but who knows, I might venture into the CS realm later....

Right now I have:

Schick Plus Platinum
Schick Double Edge (no markings)
Gillette Super Stainless (Spoiler)

Waiting on delivery of some Wilkinson Sword Super Sword Edge

Looking at some Schick Super Chromium

I also have a bunch of Gillette Blues, but not sure I want to try them yet.

Which others should I keep an eye out for? There were some Wilki Light Brigades, but at $2.72/blade I passed.

 

[Cynomys]

I've used some vintage razor blades (Gillette from the early 80s)..I think a lot of the hype for the vintage razor blades is nostalgia of some type. I'm perfectly happy with the modern blades, and their variety. Give us a report on how they work for you.

 

[djs134]

I'll admit that I'm trying this in order to try blades that were being sold while I was growing up. Probably started shaving around '74 give or take a year or so, but went right to carts....guess I'm trying to recapture a past that I never had.

Plus, I've tried a few blades from my initial sample pack, Derby, Merkur, Astra and now 7 O'clock (yellow). Can't seem to get more than 3 or 4 comfortable shaves out of any of them. Thought I'd see if I could get more shaves out of the old ones... seems some members are.

 

[yomuppet]

...Thought I'd see if I could get more shaves out of the old ones... seems some members are.

That's definitely been my experience. Out of the ones you mention, I think the most likely to give you 'more shaves per blade' will be the Schick Plus Platinum, and one you haven't mentioned, the Gillette Platinum Plus. The Gillette Super Stainless (spoiler) is enjoyed by many, but I'm not sure I've seen claims of as many shaves as those using the 'platinum' labelled blades. Both the Schick and Gillette vintage blades are great.

Personally I've not had much luck with Wilkinsons, as they're both harder to find, and just seem rougher to my face. Except for the light brigades (ones with the guy on a horse holding a sword on the package), which are extremely hard to find. I believe the Gillette Blue blades are carbon steel, which can be prone to rusting, and will likely not give even as many shaves as your modern stainless blades. The slightest amount of moisture or humidity can cause issues with these.

Best of luck

J

 

[djs134]

Thanks 'muppet. I have opportunities to visit various Antique stores as I travel around for work and was hoping to get an idea of blades to keep an eye out for. Haven't really seen any so far, pretty much either had them in my drawer already from past purchases for grooming blades, or got them along with razors.... but you never know. Might run into a NOS box of Wilki Light Brigades...

Have to keep an eye out for the Gillette Platinum Plus.

Dan

 

[chrisf8657]

If you intend to try any of the regular Carbon steel vintage blades, be prepared for some tug & pull from them.
A SEM image posted here of a Gillette Blue Blade looked like a saw rather than a straight edge!

 

[bharvey60]

I've never had any luck with the carbons and only use them for display. Many of the vintage stainless blades are awesome.

 

[Stubblefield]

I have used vintage DE blades extensively since 2009. The ones that I would be on the lookout for would be Spoilers, and then Gillette Super Silvers (made in the UK). The Gillette Platinums can be harsh, and the Spoiler yields more shaves consistently. Older Gillette Super Stainless are the same blade as Spoilers, but sometimes come individually wrapped, you can sometimes get them cheap because people don't know what they are.

Schick Krona chromes or Plus Platinums are excellent. The Super stainless can be harsh.

The older Wilk Super Sword edge are really great blades. I find they are just as good as Light Brigades, and considerably cheaper.

Skip the Personna 74. It is easily the most overrated blade nowadays, and does not deserve the high price it commands.

Been reading quite a bit recently about the "golden age" of DE shaving and the blades that were produced in the 50's, 60's and 70's. Due to some RAD, I've acquired a few old blades and decided that I'd try some of them. For now, I'll probably stick with the SS blades, but who knows, I might venture into the CS realm later....

Right now I have:

Schick Plus Platinum
Schick Double Edge (no markings)
Gillette Super Stainless (Spoiler)

Waiting on delivery of some Wilkinson Sword Super Sword Edge

Looking at some Schick Super Chromium

I also have a bunch of Gillette Blues, but not sure I want to try them yet.

Which others should I keep an eye out for? There were some Wilki Light Brigades, but at $2.72/blade I passed.

 

[yomuppet]

Another thing I forgot to mention about these vintage blades - I find they do better (for me) when paired with vintage Gillette razors (like a superspeed), than with more modern razors like a Merkur, Weishi, Feather portable, etc. I particularly like the Schick/Gillette Platinums with a 40s style superspeed

I don't know what it is about the vintage blades liking a vintage razor - camaraderie?

 

[slim62]

I've had good luck with all the vintage stainless blades and even some of the early 60's Gillette carbons. None of the 50's or earlier have worked for me. My favorite older DE blades are the Schick Plus Platinum, the 70's Personna and Gillette's are very good also. Favorite vintage injectors are the Schick Plus Platinum and P74's. I prefer the vintage blades over the current modern blades except the Modern Personna Meds and Feather Pro wide injectors are pretty good.

 

[Stubblefield]

Gillette Spoilers are great when paired with an Aristocrat or Aristocrat Jr., but I didn't think the Krona Chromes were all that great in the Schick Krona.

 

[yomuppet]

Gillette Spoilers are great when paired with an Aristocrat or Aristocrat Jr., but I didn't think the Krona Chromes were all that great in the Schick Krona.

Agreed, I'm not much of a fan of the Krona, it's the only razor with which I seem to cut myself. I like the Gillettes.

 

[bharvey60]

Used a Spoiler (5th shave) with my Krona today. Awesome. Of the 30+ razors I own, the Krona shaves with the best of them. Like a Super Speed on Steroids. IMHO the Krona is the best bargain in Shaving.

 

[Stubblefield]

Used a Spoiler (5th shave) with my Krona today. Awesome. Of the 30+ razors I own, the Krona shaves with the best of them. Like a Super Speed on Steroids. IMHO the Krona is the best bargain in Shaving.

It certainly is a bargain and seems immune from the price spikes the Gillettes seem to be affected by. I think the handle is way more comfortable as well.

 

[Spang]

My experience with vintage blades is limited to a handful of SS types from the "golden age"; both Gillette and Schick Platinums, the ubiquitous Spoiler, the Wilkie Super Swords, and a couple of others. In general I would say the biggest difference in these vintage blades is that longevity is superior to anything in current production, in some cases by a wide margin. Shave quality , while very good, is not markedly better than the best of current production blades, IMO. I do pick up vintage NOS blades when I run across them at a reasonable price, and the retro-cool factor is fun. But, given current prevailing prices on, say, eBay, there isn't much value there even given their longevity, so I don't seek them out.

 

[djs134]

Ok, so I started to break into my vintage blades on Tuesday. Monday was the 1st shave since Friday, so it was the SE. On Tuesday, I loaded an "M" Super Stainless (1967 according to The Spoiler Chronicles) into my '46/'47 Aristocrat... smooth shave, a few weepers (operator error, no doubt) , but all in all a pretty good shave. WH splash and some Nivea ASB as usual. About an hour later, my face began to feel slightly irritated. Not sure why.

Yesterday, I loaded the same blade into my '59 Fatboy. Same smooth shave, same aftershave routine and same delayed irritation. Nothing bad, just unusual.

This morning, I loaded the same blade into my '49 SS. Somewhat smoother shave and only very minor irritation. Not sure if the blade is becoming more forgiving (as though I corked it).

I realize that I've introduced a couple of variables at one time... days on blade as well as changing razors... but I wanted to see if one of the chosen razors would provide a better "platform" for the blade. I think I'll use it in either my NEW or OLD tomorrow morning...

I'm hoping that as I progress to newer Super Stainless blades, I'll figure out why I'm not getting the mythic results I've been lead to believe that I will. But then, if the SS blades last as long as they've been touted to, I have plenty of time to work with them.....

 

[daedpa]

I find most vintage blades work great in my Fat Handle Tech. Both the Gillette Spoilers and Schick Super Chromium are excellent vintage stainless steel blades (testing both right now and neither are worn out yet and both are at about 5 shaves each). The Gillette Blue and also Gillette Super Blue are the best carbon steel blades (max 5 shaves per blade and not as sharp as the stainless steel blades).

Watch out for the blades that have just 3 holes in them (Gillette blades from around 1920s) because they feel dull (they were NOS).

 

[djs134]

Better today. Day 4 on the Gillette Super Stainless "M" in my FB(5). Slowed the draw down a bit. Still very smooth shave. No tugging or pulling yet. I've found that WH wasn't enough, had to splash a bit of AS (well... maybe I didn't HAVE to... but it IS Friday and it WAS British Sterling...). No irritation. I might be liking this blade. The longest I've gotten out of any blade in my sample pack was Derby's in the Tech I was given as the razor to start with. And even they tended to pull a bit after 3 or 4 uses. With the FB on 5, I wouldn't expect them to last more than 2 or 3 uses.

 

[djs134]

After using the Super Stainless M for 17 days, I finally felt it was pulling too much to continue using it. For me, that's between 55 and 60 passes! I only changed blades because I was starting a stretch of meetings and didn't want to chance looking like I shaved with a cheese grater...

Just loaded another M into my OLD... Might see if I can hit the 20 mark...

 

[yomuppet]

I usually lose count around 30, and just keep using it until I feel a bit of irritation. Haven't really made an effort to keep track beyond that, but I probably should.