Improvement ? Which improvement ?

[Selig]

Here is my question that I wish to propose to your skills,

After few months having used some DE razors :

From the 1900's, with the Gillette production, up to now, have some technical improvements occured about the Safety razor construction?
(not talking about the looking, not talking about the blades, just the tool itself and its reliability, its lasting).

Why this question : I ve just a short and limited experience for now, and I ve been using some different DE razors as Gillette models (1940, 1957), as Leresche one (1950), as Parker one (2009), as unbranded one (around 1930).
I ve been using these razors several times with same model of blades all of them ( Wilkinson, Feather, Gillette Platinum ) and same thing for the soap (Monsavon, Proraso, Musgo Real) : My favorite for the moment seems to be the unbranded one, around 1930 (no manufacturer mark, nothing etched at all) : an opencomb, 3 parts. 59gr ( secure, close shave...)

So what about improvement within the last past 70 years ? ,
better and more secure should be the shave with the more recent quality razor ?

Thanks for your comments.
Thanks B&B

 

[sandmountainslim]

I see nothing to suggest that razors have improved since the mid twentieth century.

Some believe the one piece Gillette design like the Super Speed was the height of razor design and eveything since then has been nothing but gimmicks and bling.

As an example I look at a Gillette Fusion and my Gillette Old Type....is the Fusion a superior design to my Old Type?? Hardly It is a piece of plastic that causes ingrown hairs and irritation while my Old Gillette is still going strong after over 80 years.
Wp

 

[Wil Dorenbos]

: My favorite for the moment seems to be the unbranded one, around 1930 (no manufacturer mark, nothing etched at all) : an opencomb, 3 parts. 59gr ( secure, close shave...)
Thanks B&B

Same here, tho mine has an E on it...(and is much heavier, with two unequal closed combs), but it is my favourite. Because of the "E" I call it the Enigma.

 

[oldandcrotchety]

I think that the Gillettes are kind of like hammers. Once the basic design was created, there were only minor changes made over the years. And just like the the hammers, where you have a claw hammer and a ball peen, with the razors, you have the TTO and the 3 piece. And they are both are well designed and durable products. A 70 year old razor will usually (barring some damage) work just as well today as it did when it was new. Same as a 70 year old hammer. Fred

 

[michiganlover]

I think that the Gillettes are kind of like hammers. Once the basic design was created, there were only minor changes made over the years. And just like the the hammers, where you have a claw hammer and a ball peen, with the razors, you have the TTO and the 3 piece. And they are both are well designed and durable products. A 70 year old razor will usually (barring some damage) work just as well today as it did when it was new. Same as a 70 year old hammer. Fred

I fully agree, the basic design has remained unchanged. Many of us would argue that the modern made razors are not superior to their vintage counterparts. This is especially true for the Merkurs, and Weishi line of razors, which have known quality control problems.

Many think the Gillette New was the best razor ever made. For me the Tech was the best razor ever made.

While I like the Gillette TTO design, it really was an attempt at solving a problem that didn't exist in the first place (how to safely change the blade in a 3 piece model). You have to be a pretty big moron to consistently cut yourself when changing out a sharp blade!!

 

[T Rick]

So what about improvement within the last past 70 years ?

Profitability?

Keeping in mind that a company is in business for one reason, and one reason only. To make money (profit). Can't blame them for working towards the goal of maximizing that. It's what they do, it's why they exist. Gillette was founded on the idea of making a disposable product (the blade) which would need to be bought over and over again. That philosophy has served them well. Fortunately for us, along the way in their road to "improving" on that business model, they made some really cool razors that were durable enough to last 100 yrs + and attractive enough that we like to collect them today!

 

[klm099]

I agree that the super speed was the last real innovation, Gillette is a marketing company, always has been. They created the desire for another product, no real advances, just a sexier image

ken

 

[bill_mchale]

I would say that there was one potential improvement made to the safety razor in the last 40 years or so and that was having tilting heads. Now I say it was a potential improvement because it has been tied to the multi-blade monstrosities that drove us all to dig up old razors .

Now I am not sure you could do it with a DE razor, but I imagine you could develop a tilting head razor that used GEM blades. Granted, if you have mastered using a DE you probably are not going to gain anything by switching, but for a person just getting started with shaving...

--
Bill

 

[Selig]

"For me the Tech was the best razor ever made"

Thanks for your comments, in order to try the model, which razor are you talking about with Gillette Tech ? It looks as # ones are named this way, Is it the old "ball end" one 1920', or the basic one in red cartoon box "45 cents" or another ?

 

[michiganlover]

"For me the Tech was the best razor ever made"

Thanks for your comments, in order to try the model, which razor are you talking about with Gillette Tech ?

The Tech had a very long production run, and was made into the 1980's, and there is even a variation of it still sold by Gillette in India. There were quite a few variations on the Tech, but the two major ones were the Ball End Tech, and the Fat Handle Tech. These two variants shave nearly identical, so it's merely a matter of what you find more aesthetically pleasing to your eye.

Fat Handle Tech:

Ball End Tech: