Question re the Toggle mechanism

[dcnpaulk]

I have a question to you who have the big bucks or the good fortune to have one of the Gillette toggle razors.(And who actually USE it, not just admire it!) On the standard TTO's like the fat boys, slims, etc. one can feel a resistance after the TTO mechanism reaches a certain point, and then after about 1/4 turn additional, which requires a bit more effort, the blade is "set" in the head. And this requires some effort to bend the blade to conform to the head curvature. The older three piece types of course use a screw mechanism to tighten the head on the blade. The toggle uses a different mechanism, apparently a lever type mechanism to "set" the blade. I was wondering if this lever mechanism is as efficient in "setting" the blade properly, or if there is a bit more "play" in the blade because it is not sufficiently conformed to the razor's head curvature. This may become more apparent with age as the lever becomes stretched or looser.

Do any of you toggle users note any such difference between the toggle and standard TTO's ? I am curious because I am a user not a collector primarily, and I would want any razor, especially such an expensive one, to function properly.

 

[Blue-EyedSon]

I have a Toggle and it seems to set the blade perfectly. And mine has definitely seen better days. It even has a slightly lazy door. But even with this issue, there is no play in the blade and it locks down just like I would expect. The Toggle definitely is a heavy razor and the balance is unlike any other TTO razor I've used. It really is a very nice shaver. I wouldn't pay the hefty sums for which they sell on eBay, but I sure am glad I found one an antique shop.

 

[dcnpaulk]

Thanks to Brian and Alex for their input. I was really trying to find out if the toggle is as reliable and as good a shaver as a standard TTO type. I have a gorgeous mint Aristocrat adjustable which gives wonderful shaves, a lot of other gillette models, but no toggle! But I buy for use, not collection, so I was wondering if the toggle is also a good shaver. From Alex's post, the interior mechaism looks quite complex and prone to corrosion and gunk build-up!

 

[ctakim]

I think the reason the Fat Boy mechanism evolved from Toggle like (i.e., Red Dot Fat Boy) to the more common mechanism was the complexities of the initial design led to their failure at a high rate. They would freeze up too easily. This is my hypothesis, anyway!

 

[dcnpaulk]

I think the reason the Fat Boy mechanism evolved from Toggle like (i.e., Red Dot Fat Boy) to the more common mechanism was the complexities of the initial design led to their failure at a high rate. They would freeze up too easily. This is my hypothesis, anyway!

Sounds reasonable. Because I always wondered why the toggle had such a short production run, of the order of one year!, unless there was some underlying problem either in produciotn or QC!

 

[Pike]

I think the reason the Fat Boy mechanism evolved from Toggle like (i.e., Red Dot Fat Boy) to the more common mechanism was the complexities of the initial design led to their failure at a high rate. They would freeze up too easily. This is my hypothesis, anyway!

Is there a known issue with this type of mechanism? I think I've only seen one on the bay that was listed as having adjuster problems....That doesn't mean broken ones arent offered on the bay of course!

 

[johnmrson]

I've got one toggle and another on the way. It gets a regular run in my rotation and I've had no problems at all with the blade setting with the toggle mechanism. If you look at the shape of top of the toggle, it is shaped like a cam and that means increased resistance in the last part of the closing action.

 

[Pike]

I've got one toggle and another on the way. It gets a regular run in my rotation and I've had no problems at all with the blade setting with the toggle mechanism. If you look at the shape of top of the toggle, it is shaped like a cam and that means increased resistance in the last part of the closing action.

I was thinking more of the "red dot" type adjuster mechanism as opposed to the "regular" fat boy type?????