New Improved? How does it shave?

[sandmountainslim]

I am familiar with the NEW and the Old Type having owned examples of each but I have never seen a New Improved at all and am curious as to how it performs.
I can tell from pics that the baseplate is similar to a NEW but it has the three hole design of the Old. Is the shave a hybrid of the two or is more along the lines a a NEW performance wise?

 

[Dr Roadrash]

New improved is more aggressive than the NEW and slightly less aggressive than the old types IMHO. Has a flat base plate and holds the blade more horizontal. Great shaves.
Aaron

 

[RaiserLiebe]

Been shaving since April 2012, so it is possible that I am inexperienced. Owned 2 (a New Standard and a Tuckaway with virtually identical heads). They were too much for my face even with extreme care on pressure and blade angle. Lots of burn.
I am sure someone else could use them effectively, I could not and now I am selling them.
Cheers.

 

[ironfist]

Been shaving since April 2012, so it is possible that I am inexperienced. Owned 2 (a New Standard and a Tuckaway with virtually identical heads). They were too much for my face even with extreme care on pressure and blade angle. Lots of burn.
I am sure someone else could use them effectively, I could not and now I am selling them.
Cheers.

I tried my tuckaway once, same thing happened to me. Keeping though hehe!

 

[Sledgehammer39]

Good razors, but I like the NEW's a bit better.

 

[bakerbarber]

A New Improved head is nice. It has extra heft in the base plate and like an Old Type can be finicky about seating the blade even.

They are a little less forgiving to the later New models. Personally it's not a razor I can comfortably shave with every day. A better design, the New Deluxe is somewhat rare and slightly more forgiving of poor technique.

I generally feel an Old Type is less aggressive and easier to maneuver in tight spots.

For me, I shave every day, I really enjoy using a New Improved when I've skipped a day or two and have some extra mowing that needs done.

It's the kind of razor that performs better with sharp blades. I really like to use Feather or Treet carbon blades when I use a New Standard.

With the open comb, if you have any blemishes, moles, or scars you run the risk of catching them between the combs and slicing them. I take special care on my cleft chin and the center of my upper lip under my nose. These areas can get between the teeth too and draw blood.

I think handle has a lot to do with it. If you find one as a Big Fellow the balance is better. The New Standard and Bostonian or Richwood sized handles demand more attention as that heavier head wants to take over and start biting. Finding a Tuck Away model gives you the most flexibility to try the razor head on various handles.

A similar, but better shaving model in my opinion is a British New. It has a heftier bottom plate and a similar flat part underneath, but is slotted like an American New and holds a blade very firm and solid without much tinkering. It is a great combination of hefty, tight tolerance construction and aggressive yet forgiving performance.

There are so many mongrel variations between the New Improved and New models that you rarely find two that perform the same. When New Standards gave way to New Deluxe models the world was in the midst of the Great Depression and Gillette was making less robust, more economical, design changes that eventually led to the complete phasing out of open combed models. The New models for example were a change down from milled heads to stamped heads using less material and lesser quality finishes.

Try and find a New without the gold wash missing from the cap. Not a very easy hunt.

The New Improved models had a great Silver plated finish and the Gold plated versions had a nice layer of protective lacquer that by now appears orange or red commensurate with age. In just a few short years these details and quality in the final finish and plating were traded down and all but abandoned.

The 40's and 50's saw a resurgence of exquisite attention to detail, but only on the highest end models like the number British Aristocrats and the American Aristocrats and President and Executive that came later. By then open comb models were dying on the vine.

I'm only speculating, but I think the open combs were most likely more costly to produce and at the same time men had stepped up their frequency of shaving thus switching their preferences to the more forgiving safety bar - closed comb models.

If I were to only shave every other day or even twice a week, as I suspect many men did in the first quarter of the twentieth century, I would take an open comb razor over a closed comb model. A New Standard would be a great choice.

I think some of the challenge now is using modern blades with razors that were designed to be used with slightly thicker, comparatively duller blades. A three hole Gillette blade from the 20's was probably not as keen as most blades available today. It was carbon steel and lacked any coating to protect it from oxidation and rust. It had no PTFE for comfort and men probably honed and stropped them themselves ignoring the "no honing - no stropping" instructions printed on the blade. Comparatively, three hole blades were pricey relative to the razor itself. Perhaps less costly than visiting a barber for a straight shave, but nonetheless not an item that was very cost effective to dispose of at the time.

So it makes sense to me that the New Improved is an aggressive razor today when paired with modern blades and tender skin that gets shaved and scraped every day.

Just my thoughts.