My vintage blade journal

[MyOldKentuckyHome]

I've never tried vintage blades - save for one experience with a NOS GEM blade that was interesting but meh at best.

However, I've spent a lot of time over the past few days reading up on various DE blades and I am really intrigued by them.

Remembered I had a NOS (sealed until this weekend) pack of French Gillette Super Platines so I decided to take the leap.

As I have also ordered or am tracking several different options of NOS blades online I figured I might as well keep a journal of my thoughts and experiences with the various blades.

I wasn't able to find much on this blade on the forum except:

Another blade that probably fits into this category is the French Gillette Silver Platine* that was introduced in either the late 1960s or early 1970s. The platinum version was supposedly the Gillette Platinum-Plus under another name. Of course, they are not really the same but roughly equivalent. They don't shave as well as the American or later French Platinum-Plus blades though. I should throw a few pics of those up sometime soon.

Another point withe Silver Platine balde, in my opino such close of the beloved Bleue Extra... I will compare them in the next days because this SP are really good to me!

So it sounds like it's supposed to be similar to the Platinum Plus and/or Bleue Extra - I'll have to find some to compare

My first shave with it came in my 1950 V3 Super Speed

First pass, WTG, was buttery smooth - nothing necessarily unique about it but could tell it was a nice blade.

Second pass, XTG, felt a little more efficient than my GSB but just as smooth.

Where it shined was my third pass, ATG, just as smooth and efficient as the first two passes.

I usually don't like the ATG pass. It's one of the reasons I use GSBs - with them I find the ATG pass smoother than others I tried but usually have to do a 4th buffing pass around the jawline and if I get irritation that's when and where it happens.

No need for that today - one ATG pass was smooth but also totally efficient.

Very nice shave today.

Im also interested to try this in various other razors but mostly I'm interested to see if I get more shaves from it.

I've never enjoyed a modern DE blade (SP, KCG, GSB, Nacet, a few others) past the third shave. I don't even bother anymore - after three I just toss it.

NOTE: I have some Schick Platinum Plus on the way and am looking at some Gillette Spoilers and Platinum Plus.

I'll keep and eye out for the Personna 74's and Wilkinson Sword Chromium but not really ready to pay what those are going for on the Bay (at least not yet - lol).

Any others that should definitely make my list?

 

[MyOldKentuckyHome]

Shave #2 with Gillette Silver Platine

First time using my new to me F1 Fatboy.

I had a Slim when I first started wet shaving but never really adjusted it. Decided to take advantage of the adjustment with this one.

Started with a 4 on the WTG - what I usually had my Slim at (I prefer a milder razor).

Went to 9 on the XTG - partly just to say I used it on 9, partly because I find that pass to be the least efficient with most razors based on how my hair grows (will likely settle around a 6-7 on this pass in future)

Went to 3 on the ATG - this is where I sometimes get irritation and why I'm excited to have an adjustable again.

Very nice shave - the blade was nice again. Again, looking forward to seeing how long I can say that.

 

[MyOldKentuckyHome]

Gillette Silver Platine Shave #3

Not that I've found a bad pairing with my Rockwell but this is definitely a GREAT pairing.

Tomorrow is the true test though.

I've taken several DE blades to a fourth shave but never finished thinking "I can definitely use this tomorrow"

Of course my NOS Schicks arrive in the mail today - I may have to use one of them on Sunday and come back to the Gillette

 

[Abz88]

Not sure how old a blade needs to be for you to consider it as "vintage" but Razor Blades Club has some out of production blades that could be worth a look.

Have fun trying everything out!

 

[Mouser]

I think most know that all I use are vintage blades, mainly stainless but a few carefully chosen carbons as well. Its quite a few different ones but ill list them by brand.
Gillette: Super Blues, Thins, Stainless, Super Stainless ( Spoilers ), Platinum Plus
Schick: Deluxe with Krona Edge, Stainless, Super Stainless, Plus Platinum,
Personna: Super Stainless both USA and GB editions, 74s
Wilkinson: Super Sword, Light Brigades, London Bridge

 

[MyOldKentuckyHome]

I just tried but failed to win 3 boxes of NOS Platinum Plus and 2 boxes of NOS Spoilers. Not only were the blades cool, I LOVE Gillette advertising and one of each of those boxes would have looked GREAT in my den.

I set a limit of what I was willing to spend factoring in "ok, if I buy it at this amount and sell half at this amount I will feel ok with myself". I then went about $25 over that amount on both auctions but still lost.

Sadness.

Maybe I'll get lucky and the person who won the auction will be a B&Ber and I can buy one of the empty boxes off of them!

 

[Dalejr]

I just tried but failed to win 3 boxes of NOS Platinum Plus and 2 boxes of NOS Spoilers. Not only were the blades cool, I LOVE Gillette advertising and one of each of those boxes would have looked GREAT in my den.

I set a limit of what I was willing to spend factoring in "ok, if I buy it at this amount and sell half at this amount I will feel ok with myself". I then went about $25 over that amount on both auctions but still lost.

Sadness.

Maybe I'll get lucky and the person who won the auction will be a B&Ber and I can buy one of the empty boxes off of them!

I was watching it too. I never pay over 60 cents per blade ever, I don't care how good it is.

 

[Mouser]

I just tried but failed to win 3 boxes of NOS Platinum Plus and 2 boxes of NOS Spoilers. Not only were the blades cool, I LOVE Gillette advertising and one of each of those boxes would have looked GREAT in my den.

I set a limit of what I was willing to spend factoring in "ok, if I buy it at this amount and sell half at this amount I will feel ok with myself". I then went about $25 over that amount on both auctions but still lost.

Sadness.

Maybe I'll get lucky and the person who won the auction will be a B&Ber and I can buy one of the empty boxes off of them!

I've bought all I need by a year or two ago but I still keep an eye on my old sources, mostly the bay, and pick up the odd pack but I think I was lucky and hit a window that seems to be closing fast. P74s are listed higher and fewer, Light Brigades ( which were always the rarest and most expensive) are through the roof and rarer. My strategy was to bid low and often, lose 8 or 9 times out of 10 and slowly build my stash. It took a long time but it would likely take longer now.
Acquiring my carbon blades took much longer and I have way fewer. Besides being sealed I tried to verify things like, " stored in Tupperware in my grandfather's attic in Arizona all these years". Sealed, in an airtight container in a very dry region. My carbon Schick Deluxe give me as good a BBS shave as any and with proper post shave care last a week.

 

[ivan_101]

I've never tried vintage blades - save for one experience with a NOS GEM blade that was interesting but meh at best.

However, I've spent a lot of time over the past few days reading up on various DE blades and I am really intrigued by them.

Remembered I had a NOS (sealed until this weekend) pack of French Gillette Super Platines so I decided to take the leap.

As I have also ordered or am tracking several different options of NOS blades online I figured I might as well keep a journal of my thoughts and experiences with the various blades.

I wasn't able to find much on this blade on the forum except:




So it sounds like it's supposed to be similar to the Platinum Plus and/or Bleue Extra - I'll have to find some to compare

My first shave with it came in my 1950 V3 Super Speed

First pass, WTG, was buttery smooth - nothing necessarily unique about it but could tell it was a nice blade.

Second pass, XTG, felt a little more efficient than my GSB but just as smooth.

Where it shined was my third pass, ATG, just as smooth and efficient as the first two passes.

I usually don't like the ATG pass. It's one of the reasons I use GSBs - with them I find the ATG pass smoother than others I tried but usually have to do a 4th buffing pass around the jawline and if I get irritation that's when and where it happens.

No need for that today - one ATG pass was smooth but also totally efficient.

Very nice shave today.

Im also interested to try this in various other razors but mostly I'm interested to see if I get more shaves from it.

I've never enjoyed a modern DE blade (SP, KCG, GSB, Nacet, a few others) past the third shave. I don't even bother anymore - after three I just toss it.

NOTE: I have some Schick Platinum Plus on the way and am looking at some Gillette Spoilers and Platinum Plus.

I'll keep and eye out for the Personna 74's and Wilkinson Sword Chromium but not really ready to pay what those are going for on the Bay (at least not yet - lol).

Any others that should definitely make my list?

The Platine was called Platina in the UK and Platino in Portugal and Spain. Later on they just renamed it to Platinum for all Europe. No, it is not supposed to be like the US Platinum-Plus. Blades for Europe were different most of the time.

 

[Mouser]

The Platine was called Platina in the UK and Platino in Portugal and Spain. Later on they just renamed it to Platinum for all Europe. No, it is not supposed to be like the US Platinum-Plus. Blades for Europe were different most of the time.

I can verify that, at least anecdotally. Both of my vintage Personna Super Stainless are great but different. One's made in US and the other Great Britain. The US ones are far rarer.

 

[ivan_101]

View attachment 1218523

Gillette Silver Platine Shave #3

Not that I've found a bad pairing with my Rockwell but this is definitely a GREAT pairing.

Tomorrow is the true test though.

I've taken several DE blades to a fourth shave but never finished thinking "I can definitely use this tomorrow"

Of course my NOS Schicks arrive in the mail today - I may have to use one of them on Sunday and come back to the Gillette

Those vintage Platinum blades from the late late 60s and early 70s last for 7 3-pass shaves for me. Most modern blades - only 3-5.

 

[MyOldKentuckyHome]

I couldn't resist the temptation of using the Schick Plus Platinum that arrived in the mail yesterday so shave #4 with the Platine will have to wait

First of all - it's fun to open a package that's been sealed for decades!

As far as the shave - took it for a spin in my King C Gillette that my wife gave me for our last anniversary with my MWF.

Again, first pass I've yet to find any blade (modern or vintage) that truly shocks me - though my total tried is still around a dozen. Just nice smooth cutting the whiskers.

As I've shaved every day this week I bypassed the XTG pass and went straight to the ATG and again this blade shines there. Very efficient but also very smooth. I did need to do a clean up pass under the jaw but that's the area of my thickest growth and where skipping the XTG showed up.

Overall very pleased with this shave and look forward to seeing how long it lasts.

 

[MyOldKentuckyHome]

Platine Shave #4

Still nice smooth shave. This was my first go round with a blue tip and very much looking forward to trying a Feather in it but it was a nice pairing for a nice smooth shave.

Definitely has more life in the blade!

 

[MyOldKentuckyHome]

Platine Shave #5

Threw the Platine in my new to me 1973 Super Adjustable. Started out on 5 and progressed down to 3 on the adjuster.

Really pleased - with both the razor and the longevity of the blade.

I've shaved with multiple blades on a 4th use and never, ever even remotely thought "I'm going to take this for another spin".

But I really can't tell any difference between shave number 2 and shave number 5 on this blade!

 

[ivan_101]

View attachment 1220001

Platine Shave #5

Threw the Platine in my new to me 1973 Super Adjustable. Started out on 5 and progressed down to 3 on the adjuster.

Really pleased - with both the razor and the longevity of the blade.

I've shaved with multiple blades on a 4th use and never, ever even remotely thought "I'm going to take this for another spin".

But I really can't tell any difference between shave number 2 and shave number 5 on this blade!

Told you so. The main difference for me with vintage Gillette, Schick and Wilkinson Sword has always been the longevity.

 

[MyOldKentuckyHome]

Took a Wilkinson Sword Super Sword Edge for a spin tonight

They did not want to come out of the blade dispenser. Ended up taking the dispenser apart, blow drying them for a while and soaking them in some alcohol.

Got 3 out of five separated but have up on the other two. I was afraid I was either going to cut myself or ruin the edge anyway and I have more incoming.

Overall this is probably the most efficient shave I've had.

Not the smoothest but efficient.

It wasn't rough by any stretch but definitely felt it working.

My lather was a little over hydrated though so that might have played a role.

Definitely want to try this in a slightly milder razor too.

I'm withholding judgement just yet due to being flustered over getting them out and the lather issue but first impression is a very nice blade but would rank below the Gillette or Schick I've tried so far but definitely a blade I would use again

 

[sliwolf]

I just tried but failed to win 3 boxes of NOS Platinum Plus and 2 boxes of NOS Spoilers. Not only were the blades cool, I LOVE Gillette advertising and one of each of those boxes would have looked GREAT in my den.

I set a limit of what I was willing to spend factoring in "ok, if I buy it at this amount and sell half at this amount I will feel ok with myself". I then went about $25 over that amount on both auctions but still lost.

Sadness.

Maybe I'll get lucky and the person who won the auction will be a B&Ber and I can buy one of the empty boxes off of them!

I was bidding on that also , I also didnt win.

 

[MyOldKentuckyHome]

Gillette Platine Shave #6

No pic because I forgot.

My setup today was Hensen AL13 in blue with my SF synthetic knot in my daughter's Canada flag handle (it's her birthday!) with WSP Rustic Barbershop soap.

The Hensen is a mild razor but I ended up with a smooth, close, comfortable shave with no irritation and there's still life in the Platine.

Saw some more of them posted on a site in Europe and seeing if I can get them sent here.

 

[MyOldKentuckyHome]

Platine Shave #7

First pass with my Hoffritz slant was amazing - hardly tell the blade was even in the razor

The ATG pass was a little tuggy - not sure if it's the slant or the blade starting to show it's age.

 

[MyOldKentuckyHome]

Gillette Platine Shave #8

Well, I was hoping yesterday's ATG pass wasn't an omen but alas I believe this blade is ready for the great blade bank in the sky.

Once again the WTG was totally fine - even had my hopes up. The XTG pass wasn't bad at all but I could tell it wasn't as smooth as previous shaves. And while I tried to talk myself into considering a 9th shave during the ATG the razor burn that showed up confirmed that it's time to say goodbye to this blade.

It wasn't a horrible shave - I've had much worse on a 4th use of a modern blade, but life's too short to settle for less than great shaves.

Will definitely keep my eye out for more Gillette Platines though as this, so far, is my favorite of the vintage I've tried. I still have 4 blades left but I know these will be harder to find than the other vintage I have (or have on the way).

Next up will be the NOS Spoilers that came in and then revisit the Wilkies and Schick PP's I've started on.