Major Changes in Shaving Since 1960? 1970?

[Four for Luck]

Today while shaving I had a discussion with the guy in the mirror.
I started shaving in the late 60’s/ early 70’s. It was not a smooth beginning. I used as Schick injector razor and canned foam.
Today I used my 1937 Gillette razor, Wizamet blade, Badlands brush and TOBS cream.
To me it seems I am using tools, products that have been around for decades.
My question to myself was/has there been a major upgrade change since the 60s or 70s I missed?

 

[Jay21]

Plastic cartridges and canned gels are the first major changes that come to mind. It’s debatable if they’re upgrades. For some, probably. For many users here, probably not.

 

[silverlifter]

I'm pretty sure I don't recall being able to buy a (in today's dollars) $400 brush or a $600 razor when I started shaving in the late 1970s...

And if you asked anyone you knew back then if shaving was a hobby, they would have had you committed.

 

[Four for Luck]

Thank you. I didn’t find them an upgrade.
I stepped away from this thread. Brings some clarity.
I tried the multi blade razors. Tried the canned cream heater.
Then I went to an electric razor. After working and repeatedly going over you get an acceptable shave.
While in ‘Vegas with the wife for a concert found an Art of Shaving store. That got me looking on line and found here.
What a revelation. A bad shave now is better than the best before.
Has there been any real new technology added?

 

[Jay21]

Thank you. I didn’t find them an upgrade.
I stepped away from this thread. Brings some clarity.
I tried the multi blade razors. Tried the canned cream heater.
Then I went to an electric razor. After working and repeatedly going over you get an acceptable shave.
While in ‘Vegas with the wife for a concert found an Art of Shaving store. That got me looking on line and found here.
What a revelation. A bad shave now is better than the best before.
Has there been any real new technology added?

CNC milled razors with higher precision in manufacturing are more recent developments. But, some still claim their pre-war Techs shave better. This is an interesting thread. However, shaving will always be putting some sort of knife on your skin. We can go crazy with materials and manufacturing techniques, but it’ll always still be a knife.

 

[Four for Luck]

Did blade technology pick up?

 

[Jay21]

Did blade technology pick up?

I suppose there is now computer controlled grinding, which will be more precise, but it’s still grinding down some steel. There was an article I read a few years ago that said the future of blade production may be high pressure pressing to form an edge rather than grinding. It is thought that it will increase the life of the edge because dulling is really chipping. Pressing an edge helps slow down chipping, or something.

 

[Coler]

Getting your shaving soap shipped to you from another continent.

 

[Fourbtgait]

Having started shaving in the early 70’s, the only major change that I see is the quality, variety of blades available. Otherwise, a razor is still a basic design, just milled with updated technology. Soap is just soap, a brush the same. Though both are made from newer processes.
Taking up a DE razor again for me was just like riding a bicycle, muscle memory of where, how to stretch the skin.

 

[Lockback]

The Gillette Trac 2 cartridge razor made its debut in 1971. I had just started shaving at that time and to my recollection, never availed myself of double edge safety razors. I figured these new-fangled cartridge things must be the cat's meow and the best thing since the invention of electricity or something. And I used them almost unfailingly for almost 50 flippin' years, only occasionally breaking ranks to try yet another electric shaver which invariably met with gross disappointment. They just never worked for me. And so I'd go back to yet another cartridge and the ubiquitous canned shave cream. Not that I cared much; shaving was nothing more than a chore to be disposed of quickly, like taking out the trash. And I had a job to get to bright and early, so I never gave it much thought. I just did what I had to do.
But over the years, I became more disenchanted with the whole experience, particularly when Dollar Shave Club - a David that had taken on Goliath and prospered - sold out to Lever Brothers, a huge multi-national corporation and they dropped their phone app, probably to design a new one. I started looking elsewhere. And ended up ... well, you already know ... I ended up here.
My rambling point being: shaving tools haven't improved from 50 years ago. We were victims of clever marketing. Blades, after all, is where the shaving companies make their money and if you can charge $3.00 for one instead of 7 cents, you're in the money. Using the technology that was available to my grandfather and father, I get better shaves than at any time in my life. My guess is that blade technology has improved with CNC machining, etc. and the blades are probably sharper now and more consistent than they were back in the Olden Days.
As for the handles, Gillette pretty much crushed that with stamped brass and nickel plating 80 years ago. The newer razors that are Zamak with chrome plating are just fine and will last with care. But those old Super Speeds and Techs last forever.
I don't begrudge companies making profit; that's their reason for existing. But when they sell us a bill of goods under the guise "newer is better" when, in fact, it's really not, you can see why a whole lot of people are matriculating back into the Traditional Shaving world. I'm one of 'em and I only wish I had discovered it decades ago.

 

[Fourbtgait]

The Gillette Trac 2 cartridge razor made its debut in 1971. I had just started shaving at that time and to my recollection, never availed myself of double edge safety razors. I figured these new-fangled cartridge things must be the cat's meow and the best thing since the invention of electricity or something. And I used them almost unfailingly for almost 50 flippin' years, only occasionally breaking ranks to try yet another electric shaver which invariably met with gross disappointment. They just never worked for me. And so I'd go back to yet another cartridge and the ubiquitous canned shave cream. Not that I cared much; shaving was nothing more than a chore to be disposed of quickly, like taking out the trash. And I had a job to get to bright and early, so I never gave it much thought. I just did what I had to do.
But over the years, I became more disenchanted with the whole experience, particularly when Dollar Shave Club - a David that had taken on Goliath and prospered - sold out to Lever Brothers, a huge multi-national corporation and they dropped their phone app, probably to design a new one. I started looking elsewhere. And ended up ... well, you already know ... I ended up here.
My rambling point being: shaving tools haven't improved from 50 years ago. We were victims of clever marketing. Blades, after all, is where the shaving companies make their money and if you can charge $3.00 for one instead of 7 cents, you're in the money. Using the technology that was available to my grandfather and father, I get better shaves than at any time in my life. My guess is that blade technology has improved with CNC machining, etc. and the blades are probably sharper now and more consistent than they were back in the Olden Days.
As for the handles, Gillette pretty much crushed that with stamped brass and nickel plating 80 years ago. The newer razors that are Zamak with chrome plating are just fine and will last with care. But those old Super Speeds and Techs last forever.
I don't begrudge companies making profit; that's their reason for existing. But when they sell us a bill of goods under the guise "newer is better" when, in fact, it's really not, you can see why a whole lot of people are matriculating back into the Traditional Shaving world. I'm one of 'em and I only wish I had discovered it decades ago.

The biggest drawback I see with current, new design razors, is the size, thickness of the heads. Gillette and others had it right decades ago with head design, longevity of its designs. Who would imagine a Slim that sold so cheaply (in today’s $) would be still work consistently.

 

[EMG06]

I can think of two big improvements since the ‘60s/‘70s

1) The advent of Artist Club razors (Blackland Vector, Atelier Durdan La Faulx, etc) has been a great new addition to the shaving world that wasn’t available back then. Every time I have one of these razors come up in my rotation I am amazed by how well they work. Always my closest and most comfortable shaves with the least irritation.

2) Good synthetics. Yes synths existed back in the 60/70s but the quality of the fibers has improved dramatically over the past 10 years or so. The number of guys who primarily use synthetic brushes now is a testament to how much development has happened in this area.

 

[Lockback]

The biggest drawback I see with current, new design razors, is the size, thickness of the heads. Gillette and others had it right decades ago with head design, longevity of its designs. Who would imagine a Slim that sold so cheaply (in today’s $) would be still work consistently.

Exactly. I love the Rockwell 6C, for instance, but the head is huge. I don't shave my mustache since I have a goatee but if I did I would think the 6C would be difficult to work with in that regard.

 

[Jay21]

Exactly. I love the Rockwell 6C, for instance, but the head is huge. I don't shave my mustache since I have a goatee but if I did I would think the 6C would be difficult to work with in that regard.

I call my Rockwell an anvil on a stick.

 

[Lockback]

I call my Rockwell an anvil on a stick.

 

[Fordfather]

The availability of knowledge, is a nice change, IMO. It's nice to have a place to discuss things like this.

 

[Lockback]

The availability of knowledge, is a nice change, IMO. It's nice to have a place to discuss things like this.

Very true. Excellent point.

 

[gpjoe]

The biggest drawback I see with current, new design razors, is the size, thickness of the heads. Gillette and others had it right decades ago with head design, longevity of its designs. Who would imagine a Slim that sold so cheaply (in today’s $) would be still work consistently.

By "thickness", are you implying that the old Gillette razor heads were thicker or thinner than current razors?

In my view, either can be true depending on the razors.

Most of Gillette's old 3-piece razors (Old Type, Goodwill, New Improved, Tech) are very thin, while the TTO razors (Aristocrat, Fat Boy, Slim, and any Superspeed) are comparatively much thicker. and also thicker than many modern razors.

For example, a Razorock Game Changer is comparable in thickness to the Gillette 3-piece razors and both are much thinner than the TTO razors.

Of course there are also many modern razors with much thicker heads...like the Henson, Winning, and even the Timeless razors (razors I've owned).

 

[dotKomo]

I think there has been an improvement among artisan soap makers. Seems like there are lots of options for soaps/creams that deliver a slick product.

 

[BigJ]

Plastic cartridges and canned gels are the first major changes that come to mind. It’s debatable if they’re upgrades. For some, probably. For many users here, probably not.

+1! We agree; carts and canned goo were ’the’ major changes. No question (in my mind at least); no upgrade!