Regular 50s Ball End Techs - UK and USA.. identical?

[BelfastBlade]

Hello, friends.

Sorry to post a thread on such a small query. But I've not really found a definitive answer on this.

I was just wondering about the typical post war, diamond base, ball end Techs. Regular ones.. just the standard, run of the mill, brass versions made from late 40s up until maybe the early 60s I think.

I'm just curious is there any difference between the Made in England and the Made in USA ones?

I've never actually used a Tech. I have used a number of Tech inspired/clone razors like the AS-D2 and so on, most of which I never got on with. So Techs never really appealed to me that much to me before. Plus I suppose I'm a bit of a razor snob as I tend to like somewhat "fancier" razors when it comes to vintage Gillettes. The Tech seemed to be the sort of "base model" of the era.

I'd always heard they (in particular post war Techs) were very mild razors and that didn't help as I typically like a slightly more aggressive razor.

However, I think it'd be nice to try all the old Gillette razors, at least one of each overall classic design, so I've decided that I'll keep a look out for a Tech and was wondering if I'd be best looking for a English or American one.. or if they're the same and therefore irrelevant which one I look for?

As noted, I'm specifically asking about the later Techs, post war, typically come with the ball end handle, produced in the late 40s and 50s. Just would love to know if there's any difference in the English and USA made models. Are the they the exact same design? Same shave? Same gap? Same build quality?

I understand some of these questions are variable and subjective.. but just in regards to the actual razor, I'm sure you'll get what I'm saying. Generally the same razor produced in different country? They look identical to my eyes.. but I could be wrong. I'm sure there are plenty of folks much more knowledgeable than me on these razors who could verify.

Kind regards,

BB

 

[lasta]

Hi BB,

Tech are great, can't go wrong! Best razor of all time IMHO.

As for models, there are as much variation between date of production as there are with regards to where it's made.

~0.04mm gap difference between all Tech models.

General consensus is UK Techs are on the higher end. But out of my 8 Techs, the post war US is the one sticking out as having a tiny tiny bit more blade feel than the others.

Pick one in the best condition/price and roll with it. Can't go wrong.

 

[BradWorld]

As noted, all Techs are quite similar in their efficiency. However, I personally find the shaving feel to vary widely, even if the shave results do not. For example, regarding your question, let’s consider the standard USA post war Tech to be the baseline. If find that similar UK Tech razors are either heavier than their USA counterparts. Or they are ridiculously light weight because the handle, and/or baseplate, and/or top cap, are aluminum, as steel was scarce in the Uk after the war. I find the British Techs to feel quite different as a result. But again the shave results are quite similar. I don’t find a step up in efficiency until we bring the other Tech designs into the comparison. Such as the British Flat Bottom Tech or the Hybrid Tech. But even so, the increase in efficiency is still small. But as with many things with this hobby, we go to great lengths and spend lots of money to find minuscule improvements in our shave results. You would be well served with any Tech you acquire. But in true B&B fashion, just get one of each and compare for yourself.

 

[DesertIguana]

Think question one was good, and learned something from REPLIES.

 

[ivan_101]

The 50s Techs with ball end handles and oval slots from the US and UK shave identically. Even the English ones with aluminium bottom plate.