NEW SC First Shave: LOVE IT!

[juno]

So I finally got around to trying my Gillette NEW SC. Here are the reasons I hadn't tried it. It came as a Red/Black set but the collar is too fat to fit correctly. I am really not a fan of the CBH at all anyway due to a complete lack of a balance point, so I just put it in a drawer. I do have a NEW ball-end handle from a NEW LC I test fit. Perfect! Only the handle is cracked on the top and bottom and not safe to use as the head easily spins.

Recently I saw that there are some repro ball-end handles available that should fit this base plate so I decided to give It a go with a ball-end tech handle.

Perfect!
Now, onto the shave.....
Holy cow!
I did 3 passes, and it was somewhat of a rush job since I was running late for work.
I am a huge fan of the Tech, and this razor seemed like a Tech with just the right amount of added efficiency. BBS. And to think I was somewhat afraid of this razor due to reports of aggression? Super smooth. It smoked my Karve C SB plate (I've been thinking of trying the D SB) AND my Timeless Aluminum. Unbelievable!
My problem with those two, as well as the Tech, is that I can feel whisker growth pretty quickly. I'll see how this shave ages.
I can only imagine that a slightly larger correct size ball-end handle will make it even even better. I love this thing! And to think it's just been sitting in a drawer for a year + just waiting to show me how freaking amazing it is!
It's getting replated and put in the top 5 do not sell category. Simply amazing!

Edited to add: The blade was a new Gillette SB.
Soap was Stirling Bergamot Lavender, followed by the the same scent witch hazel/aloe and then the splash.
This was truly an irritation free shave.
I'll have to try out the Long Comb next, but figured this would be better for a 2 day growth.

 

[razorhead63]

Glad to hear of your success Juno. It’s alway nice to find out for the first time that a certain razor gives a great shave.

 

[Iron Paw]

Great write up. Nice to see another convert to the NEW SC. This is mine.

https://imgur.com/eQCye8A

They are a great wee razor. I use it sparingly as the gold plating is in such nice condition. It's my 'special' razor.
Yes to the shave. I usually use the Timeless .68 OC, or Karve SB #C plate (have the #D plate but not bothered with that yet). The SC is a very close comparison.
Will I ever sell mine? Probably not. I enjoy the ease of use of the stainless razors I own, but I also like using a vintage razor as good as the NEW SC is.
I had a similar condition LC but sold it as the SC was the better shaver (for me).

 

[juno]

Great write up. Nice to see another convert to the NEW SC. This is mine.

https://imgur.com/eQCye8A

They are a great wee razor. I use it sparingly as the gold plating is in such nice condition. It's my 'special' razor.
Yes to the shave. I usually use the Timeless .68 OC, or Karve SB #C plate (have the #D plate but not bothered with that yet). The SC is a very close comparison.
Will I ever sell mine? Probably not. I enjoy the ease of use of the stainless razors I own, but I also like using a vintage razor as good as the NEW SC is.
I had a similar condition LC but sold it as the SC was the better shaver (for me).

Very nice SC you have!
I will be on the lookout for another one for sure, hopefully in a little nicer shape.
I really prefer the tech handle over the common bar. it looks nice, but is functionally probably the worst handle ever designed. I really like the warm tone the early gold plated Gillette razors have.

 

[MTG Jr]

I actually shaved with my NSC this morning. Such a smooth and efficient little razor....no-nonsense, just gets the job done.

 

[never-stop-learning]

A great razor. Definitely a keeper!

 

[Esox]

The NEW SC is a favorite of mine too. It is similar to the post war Tech in that the base plate fully supports the blade giving a very smooth shave but it has more blade exposure making it more efficient. Blade gap is also comparable between the two.

NEW SC left. Post war D2 Tech right.



The NEW LC is a different design and doesnt support the blade as much as the SC or post war Tech. They arent made to the same tolerances either. The NEW SC base is a very precisely machined piece. @rabidus measured blade gaps of several NEW SC razors and found they all had exactly the same blade gap at .023". When he measured several samples of NEW LC gaps, he found they varied by as much as .017" between them. Thats a considerable difference and when gap varies, so does blade exposure.

NEW SC base left. NEW LC base right.



The NEW SC, if I remember right, came with one of seven different caps. The difference between the caps being blade exposure. The proper SC cap offers the most blade exposure, the post war Tech cap the least blade exposure. The proper SC cap however, will only fit the SC base.

SC cap left. LC cap right. Notice the square corner tabs of the SC cap that mate into the machined recesses in the base.

The NEW SC is a great razor. Many of the best modern high end razors have much the same design as the SC does and clamp the blade equally like a vise from both top and bottom. I'm not aware of any modern DE razors that have such little blade gap and yet have positive blade exposure. Gap alone doesnt make a razor efficient, blade exposure does.

The SC is, in my opinion, the second best razor Gillette made. I find the Old Type a better shaver because it has little to no blade gap at all which, I find, makes it both smoother and irritates my skin less. The NEW SC is pretty much an Old Type with blade gap. The NEW SC is the more forgiving razor of the two. A Thin Cap Old Type is a fantastic razor but its far more unforgiving of weak technique.

The NEW LC, as nice as it is, as well as being a very smooth shaver, didnt support the blade enough to BBS my trouble spots.

Gillette NEW LC Not Cutting It - https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/threads/gillette-new-lc-not-cutting-it.520246/

The SC on the other hand, with either Polsilver, Blue Diamond Titanium and even the dreaded Derby Extra, give me an effortless 10 hour BBS.

Derby Extra is a very good blade, but they need maximum blade support to get the most from. Blue Diamond Titanium and Polsilver blades I couldnt tell apart in that razor. Gillette Yellow, Bic Chrome Platinum and Feather are a bit to much for me in the SC. In my Old Types and Fatip Grande however, because they have little to no blade gap, are fantastic blades.

I like a fat Tech handle on all my Gillette heads but it could use some weight added to the inside of it for better balance.

Theres a lot to read around the forum about the SC. Its very highly regarded by those that have used one.

 

[Cepasaccus]

Interesting stuff! I should try to get one.

Only the handle is cracked on the top and bottom and not safe to use as the head easily spins.

You could just glue the parts together.

 

[It's Hedley]

Welcome to the New SC appreciation club. I like mine so much it made my cut down to 10 razors and I had it re-plated in nickel. Just an amazing shaver.

 

[JayFromBrooklyn]

I found one kinda beat up at a thrift shop, but beat up in a cool way. The baseplate is gold/brass color & the top cap is very copper looking (just like the one in the above pic from @Esox), and it's on a black contract tech ball-end handle that most of the black paint fell off of after scrubbing it clean.

So it looks very sci-fi/steampunk retro. Sort of has a battle scarred light-saber vibe or maybe like the razor Han Solo / Indiana Jones would've used. But the teeth are perfect, everything fits together perfectly, and the shaves with it are really great !!

 

[MTG Jr]

I found one kinda beat up at a thrift shop, but beat up in a cool way. The baseplate is gold/brass color & the top cap is very copper looking (just like the one in the above pic from @Esox), and it's on a black contract tech ball-end handle that most of the black paint fell off of after scrubbing it clean.

So it looks very sci-fi/steampunk retro. Sort of has a battle scarred light-saber vibe or maybe like the razor Han Solo / Indiana Jones would've used. But the teeth are perfect, everything fits together perfectly, and the shaves with it are really great !!

Pics or it didn’t happen!

 

[juno]

Welcome to the New SC appreciation club. I like mine so much it made my cut down to 10 razors and I had it re-plated in nickel. Just an amazing shaver.

View attachment 1032278

Wow! Looks lovely replated. I will probably go with nickel as well.

 

[MTG Jr]

These guys did a nice job with mine....

 

[JayFromBrooklyn]

Pics or it didn’t happen!

before cleaning -

After - top is shiny as a bright copper kettle, hard to take a pic of it. -

Anybody know why the alignment bars on the underside of the cap are only small little half lines when the baseplate indent is full length all the way across?

it's not showing right in the pics, but all the knurling is gray now, paint all gone and the top of the handle has hardly any paint left at all.

 

[JayFromBrooklyn]

holy moly, mine looks like a piece of cr@p... being posted right after those beauties, LOL haha

 

[juno]

holy moly, mine looks like a piece of cr@p... being posted right after those beauties, LOL haha

It has a certain charm. By the way, I have a NEW LC that looked horrible. It had no plating left and was basically black when I got it. I polished it with Flitz and the entire razor is high copper content brass like your top cap so it looks reddish. It's really gorgeous when it's all shined up. I also have one of those techs with a handle like yours. That was the first one I used to see if a Tech handle fit my SC base plate.

 

[BigJ]

Great razors! Glad that you finally got around to trying yours!!

 

[juno]

Just a breif update. It's been about 24 hours since I shaved and I am just now starting to feel some stubble.

 

[Esox]

Brass cleans and polishes pretty easily with a little bit of work.

Before cleaning and polishing.

After.

The cap and the common bar handle are both red brass. Once cleaned and polished, if not dried after use, they can quickly develop a patina. Water drops left on the cap to dry will leave a black dot as the brass oxidizes. A quick polish with any polishing compound will remove it.

Back Roads Gold also does some nice plating work. I think @Somnos has a few razors done by them.

Anybody know why the alignment bars on the underside of the cap are only small little half lines when the baseplate indent is full length all the way across?

I believe its so the base can accommodate all NEW or Tech type caps.

Made in England Gillette Tech cap and base on the left. Made in USA Tech cap and base on the right.

Caps from any NEW or Tech Gillette razor will fit the SC base but the SC cap will only fit the SC base.

 

[JayFromBrooklyn]

The cap and the common bar handle are both red brass. Once cleaned and polished, if not dried after use, they can quickly develop a patina. Water drops left on the cap to dry will leave a black dot as the brass oxidizes. A quick polish with any polishing compound will remove it.

I believe its so the base can accommodate all NEW or Tech type caps.

Caps from any NEW or Tech Gillette razor will fit the SC base but the SC cap will only fit the SC base.

So the top of mine might be red brass, not copper....did they come this way or has all the plating just worn off? And the short bars mean it might be the top from a tech? Looks like i found a really mixed up frankenrazor.,...new sc base with top & handle from 2 different techs (the contract tech top was black with long bars). Do you think my baseplate is gold plated or bare brass?

Sorry for having so many questions, i'm just starting to dip into the vintage waters & hunting grounds, didn't think i would ever do that.