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My Gillette New Model

Hello everyone!
I just received my Gillette New Model razor today. I tried it out with one of the blades provided and it was a rather aggressive shave, kinda hurt a little. I only had a day’s growth, so that may have had something to do with it, and I’m sure I need to probably adjust my angle some also. It is a beautiful razor and I would hate to not be able to use it once in awhile. There is one small crack in the handle but there is no play in the handle. Everything is tight. Attached are some pics. I welcome any comments or advice. Thanks for looking!
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The Long Comb NEW is a medium-aggressive razor. Mine shaves fairly similarly to my Old Type, maybe slightly smoother. Probably about like adjusting a Fatboy to 7, maybe even 6. Like the Old Type, I find the NEW LC prefers a somewhat steeper angle, but generally it's pretty forgiving of angle. Be careful of too much pressure, but you don't have to shave gingerly with it.

Your problem may be in using those vintage carbon steel Gillette Thins. Vintage carbons are generally considered unusable now due to corrosion. Even the ones that look new still have micro-corrosion on the edges, unless they were stored in absolutely moisture-free conditions for the last 80 years, such as vacuum packing.

Try your NEW with a smooth modern blade, like an Astra SP or Dorco, and you may be surprised at how easy and effective a shaver it is. I wouldn't go with a sharper blade, like a Feather, Nacet or Kai.

Oh, and that set is stunning. Congratulations!
 
Hello everyone!
I just received my Gillette New Model razor today. I tried it out with one of the blades provided and it was a rather aggressive shave, kinda hurt a little. I only had a day’s growth, so that may have had something to do with it, and I’m sure I need to probably adjust my angle some also. It is a beautiful razor and I would hate to not be able to use it once in awhile. There is one small crack in the handle but there is no play in the handle. Everything is tight. Attached are some pics. I welcome any comments or advice. Thanks for looking!View attachment 1912515View attachment 1912516View attachment 1912514


I find my New LC to be fairly aggressive. It's easy to go overboard with it.

The blades in your photo are Gillette "Red" Thins. I just popped one open and had so far three shaves with it and they were fantastic, smooth and efficient. However, some old carbon blades get edge deterioration and people are saying that they are very rough.

I would try this razor with a known good modern blade to see if the shave is gentler.
 
Oh my, you tried one of those 90 year old blades?
Ouch.

I doubt they are that old. I also got three of these with my New LC and they were date coded to 1952. Well, that's "only" 72 years old...

However, I used one of them (had 3 shaves with it so far, it's still in rotation) and it was excellent, butter smooth and efficient. Right up there with some of my best modern blades.

That said, I do understand that this is a lottery, there'a no saying what condition the blades are in after all these decades.
 
I think it's an excellent razor. It shaves at about a 6 on the aggression scale, and it gives excellent results when paired with the right blade for you personally.
 

EclipseRedRing

I smell like a Christmas pudding
I use the same Gillette Thin blades frequently and, assuming they are in decent condition, they can be a bit tuggy on the first pass but they soon improve; I find them excellent. I also use the Gillette Blue blades and have no problem with those either. Are they as smooth and comfortable as most modern blades? Probably not but I prefer them anyway and they are very far from unusable. That said, they are not for everyone so I agree with the consensus to try a modern blade. Nice razor 👍
 
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