RAD brand loyalty?

[Cubits]

Why do you aquire the razors you do? Are you after the closest shave with the minimum irritation? Do you have a pokemon-like drive to collect everything? Or do you enjoy the "life" in a razor due to it's origins, styling, and culture of the era?

For that last reason, i think i may never need to venture beyond the Gillette brand for my DE needs. On top of that, i would enjoy staying within the 50's and 60's.

There's just something magical about that period in time to me. Industrial design had filtered down into even the most mundane of items, and razors like the Fatboy had far more style and visual balance than just flowery adornment (i love the font of the numbering!). They were technically marvelous, built beyond the expectations of the day, and could deliver a decent shave by modern standards. Visually, i think the Fatboy/Slim knock the SS for six. I may need to have both...

My tech came in the original box (red cross cardboard, but still), and even though it's a basic razor in a basic form, i adore the history surrounding it. If a razor comes with the box, it has a "home".

This is the reason why i'll spend slightly "too much" money to aquire old razors which aren't the "best" at shaving. Even if a Merkur works twice as fast, i still won't have that sense of history/awe.

But someday my condition could progress...

Edit: Wow, pretty! But what is a Mark 2? http://cgi.ebay.com.au/GILLETTE-ADJ...rber_Shop_Collectables_LE&hash=item23085d56f2

 

[Chester]

No active auctions, please.

Myself, I've got mostly gillettes, but I've augmented recently with a hoffritz and a merkur, and I have one Parker and a schick dial adjustable injector. So there's a little mix in there.
-- Chet

 

[Hagbardr]

I have 4 razors, not quite enough to qualify for RAD.

The most I spent was $13 (incl. shipping) for the Lord Tech that came with 15 blades.

My Black Adjustable was $1 at a flea market.

My Slim Adjustable and Super Speed were picked up at my wife's grandfather's house when I helped him move.

At the moment, I don't need any more, but I would like to have a Soviet-era Russian safety razor at some point.

 

[pz93c]

Just looking for something that'll get under the nose with no fuss or muss.

Once it's found the rest are out.

 

[kingfisher]

Just looking for something that'll get under the nose with no fuss or muss.

Once it's found the rest are out.

Good luck with this.


the best razor I've ever found for this area is the Sensor Excel. Seriously.

 

[pz93c]

To be honest, it's looking like a NEW.

 

[Legion]

When I started collecting it was all about Gillette. But I ended up with a whole bunch of different brand razors because I would sometimes buy lots just to get one or two Gillettes that were hidden in the bunch.

Since then I have learned that some of the "weird" razors which I had gotten and just thrown into a draw were actually better shavers than the Gillette that I had been bidding on, things like the Gems, etc.

Now my horizons are much broader and If I can get a blade for it I will give it a go. Some are dogs, some are surprises. Adds to the fun of collecting.

 

[kalex]

So far my brand loyalty is not to get Merkur

I picked up reasonably priced Gillettes, one of them I'm shaving with now and another one is enroute. So far I like gillette super adjustable with no complaints. it might change without prior notice though

 

[pauls51]

My First ever DE razor was a Merkur..

Since joining this forum I have accumulated an abundance of Gillette razors! But that is about to be thrown out the window shortly when I invest in a Feather SS or PILS..

 

[Slivovitz]

All the razors I've bought are ones that I hoped to use, and that I hoped would work well. The reason for buying so many, though, was the urge for variety, and an interest in experimenting with different things. After buying a fairly big selection of DE razors, I started in on SEs, got a Rolls, then an ever increasing number of injectors, and even a couple of Auto Strops. Haven't tried everything yet, but I expect I will. Well, except that a couple of times, one razor bought as part of a lot turned out to be no good.

I've even bought a couple of cartridge razors that I probably wouldn't have tried if razors hadn't become a hobby.

And less than two years ago, I had little idea of ever shaving with anything but my twin-blade Atra.

Oh yeah, brand loyalty? No. DEs that I have include Gillette, Schick, Star, Merkur, Parker, Lord, and others. For SE, Gem, Star, EverReady and Kampfe all ended up as part of ASR, I believe, but anyway, I have some of each. Injectors, mostly Schick, but also Pal, Personna, and yes, even a Gillette injector.

 

[johnmrson]

In total, with straights, my razor collection is now nudging 300. I like to both shave with them and to look at them. To me, they are little pieces of history. The majority of my collection are Gillettes but that's because the majority of razors are Gillettes. I have DE's, SE's, Injectors and Straights of many different makes. The oldest razor is 1825 and the newest would have been made either this year or last year.

 

[Uncle Erik]

I've got about 25 so far and still pick up old ones when I find them in junk stores. I've been mostly interested in trying as many different razors as possible, not collecting for condition or to complete a set. I've narrowed down several I enjoy in rotation - it might be time to unload a few of the unused ones.

 

[maxman]

I collect Gillette's from the late 50's to late 60's.
I've tried others, but I just don't get the kind of shave i'm looking for.
the only exception is the Merkur Futur which is my usual daily razor.
I like the weight. It's very solid.

currently i'm obsessing over Rockets.
I just love them.

 

[Maul555]

I will purchase a razor only for the following reasons, and in this order with no brand loyalty....

1. It is reported to shave great, and is somewhat Aggressive

2. It is reported to be of great quality

3. It looks cool

4. It is in great/good shape, or looks like it will clean up well

5. It comes cased


I have only 2 razors that are not cased... 1 was a gift, the other was $3, but came with an original blade/razor holder... So I guess you could say that I follow 1 - 3 religiously, and 4 and 5 if I can, which is most of the time.