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Shave comparison between US Aristocrat OC #36 vs US Aristocrat SB 47

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So I've been on somewhat of an Aristocrat Witch hunt lately and have accumulated a few fine examples of both US and Brits so I thought I'd do a comparison between the open comb and straight bar version of two US models. I've shaved with a British OC last week and it was a superb shave and I'd put it right up there with one of the best shaves ever! Oh and I listed the US OC as a #36 but I'm not 100% sure it's not a #34 which is what the former owner told me but the more I looked at it I'm almost certain it's a #36 and not a #34 but if anyone sees differently please chime in with your opinion.

So today I thought I'd do a traditional 3 pass shave going WTG, XTG and ATG using long to medium strokes and applying very little to no pressure just to see how the two compare to each other in this type of shave.

So on the advice of a member I used Polsilver blades in both razors and to be honest it's the first time using them for me. I ordered them since I read a lot of threads were members really like them. Normally I'd use a Kai, Feather or Astra SP in my DE razors so new territory here.

Soap - SV Fern
Brush - RR Monster
Blade - Polsilver
Bowl - Dirtybird
AS - Acqua Di Parma

So gave the OC the task of shaving the right side of my face with the nasty cowlick on my neck assuming the OC is a little more efficient and the SB on the other side.
Lathered up and nice thick yogurt lather and BTW love the Saponificio Varesino Fern soap not only the way it lathers and provides a nice glide but man it smells really fresh. Like the ADP aftershave as well and got it for a great price on Jet.com. So anyway loaded the blades and went at it.

Pass 1 WTG - I started with the #47 on my left side and noticed it was very smooth and felt mild but I was getting a nice audible feedback from it so I thought it sounds like it's taking down my 2 day growth which it did very nicely as I found out at the end of the pass. I think I like these Polsilver blades but I'm thinking I'd have to do a side by side with a Kai or Feather to really judge. Anyway time for the OC #36 and another smoother shaver that sang back at me as I moved across my face and neck. Nice 1st pass and after rinsing I felt my face and it was very close with the OC side leaving a little less hair and especially on my neck where it was noticeably closer by a bit.

Pass 2 XTG - So nose to ear I began this pass with the #36 and it didn't disappoint great feedback and yet so smooth. Same with the 47 on the other side. What great shavers these two are and a lot nicer than a lot of modern razors I have in my den. Gillette nailed it with the Aristocrat IMO and this pass left me with a solid DFS at the end. Again the OC seemed to leave just a little less hair but we are definitely splitting hairs here as it was very close to being the same.

Pass 3 ATG - Ok I have to say I've not been shaving ATG for a while now as I've had some issue going on just on one side of my face with red bumps and I'm going to see a dermatologist in the next week so I can find out what it is. I don't think it's ingrown hair as I have none on the other side. Anyway I decided to go ATG for this comparison to see what happens which one gets me closest. 47 started and finished by smoothly wiping away any stubble that was left. Same with the #36 I was left with a BBS shave and for those of you that know me that wasn't the proof I needed so out came the cotton to test which one got me the closest longer lasting BBS shave or what I've referred to as a Level 1,2 or 3 BBS shave. Well the cotton doesn't lie and after doing the test the 47 got me a BBS level 1 and the OC got me to a BBS level 2. Feeling it by hand you'd probably not know the difference and the only thing you'd notice is one sides growth would start to show up a little sooner than the other side.
None the less outstanding shave out of both razors! Did a warm rinse. Then cold and my new thing after a alum pass I rinse again and then take an ice cube out of the freezer ( only takes a second ) and use it like an alum bar. It feels amazing so try it sometime. I let my face dry naturally and then came back and used my Aftershave and I was like wow what a nice shave form start to finish. No weepers and no irritation and a BBS shave to boot so in my books it doesn't get much better than that.

As i was cleaning up things I thought to myself, I'd love to know who first purchased these 2 razors way back when they were new and how long did that person have it for and what they thought of how it shaves. One thing I love about vintage razors that modern razors lack at this time is history and I'm sure a lot of stories but then again I thought we are making that history now with some of the new modern razors and one day someone will be posting on a thread like this one talking about what a great shaver that razor is just like I just did on this thread.

Conclusion is Aristocrats in my book are awesome razors and I"m so glad Gillette made them. I'm curious to see what the Brit OC vs the US OC would be like in a shave comparison which I will do and maybe update this thread.

Great shaves my friends!
 
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Great review.
I love the shaves my '46/47 gives me. It's one of my favourite razors hands down.
I love the look of the aristocrat OC's but don't have one yet. I think this is the next razor on the list. It's good to have an idea of how it will perform. Knowing that it may perform like my '46/47 scares me a little, as I worry my RAD may kick in.

Just curious if you are going to do another head to head with these razors?
 
I'll get to try a few next week, see which I want to pursue. A member local to me has generously offered to lend me an English Aristocrat #15, #16, #21, and a Popular #47. Hopefully I'll hate them all. :a17:
 

Ad Astra

The Instigator
Very very interesting. I've been getting my first shaves with a user-grade 46/47 this week. They are definitely fun and different ... Wondering if the bulldog handle one sings?


AA
 

jar_

Too Fugly For Free.
Instead of an ice cube, put some aftershave in the refrigerator (I keep a bottle of Florida Water there) and splash that on.
 
Nice review and comparison!

I prefer the 48-50 Aristocrat slightly. Just as smooth, but I find it slightly more efficient with its increased bade gap. When my blade was done in my 41/46/47, I could get more life out of it in my 48-50.
 
Great review.
I love the shaves my '46/47 gives me. It's one of my favourite razors hands down.
I love the look of the aristocrat OC's but don't have one yet. I think this is the next razor on the list. It's good to have an idea of how it will perform. Knowing that it may perform like my '46/47 scares me a little, as I worry my RAD may kick in.


Just curious if you are going to do another head to head with these razors?
Thank you
Love the 46/47 I used today it's a sweet razor.

Get yourself a OC wether its a Brit or US version and that is exactly the next comparison and in fact I'll just tack it on this thread as I'll probably shave with them in the next two days cause the shave I got today is absolutely going to get me through tomorrow.
 
Instead of an ice cube, put some aftershave in the refrigerator (I keep a bottle of Florida Water there) and splash that on.
Great Idea I'll have to try it. I've also taken a fresh Aloe Vera stalk and put that in the fridge and then after a shave sliced it in half and put the nice cold juice on and it also feels great and it's healing if you have any redness.
 
Nice review and comparison!

I prefer the 48-50 Aristocrat slightly. Just as smooth, but I find it slightly more efficient with its increased bade gap. When my blade was done in my 41/46/47, I could get more life out of it in my 48-50.
I have a 50 on it's way from the UK and can't wait to try it with the increased blade gap it's probably a razor I'm gonna like. I think the British #16 and #22 are next more efficient than the 47 as well but honestly I haven't tried either of them yet as I wanted to start with the US models first and go from there. Oh and thanks for the recommendation on the Polsilver blades.. I liked them a lot. :thumbup1:
 
I'll get to try a few next week, see which I want to pursue. A member local to me has generously offered to lend me an English Aristocrat #15, #16, #21, and a Popular #47. Hopefully I'll hate them all. :a17:

Nice Mark
I was going to offer you one of mine to try. I was holding out as some of mine are heading out to Cap and Chris and I wasn't sure which ones until yesterday. I'll fill you in why when next we talk. I've also got a #16 and #22 that I haven't tried yet so looking forward to shaving with them.

Heres a real good story... about 4 days ago I bought what I thought was a British Aristocrat OC but it wasn't it was a Popular #47.. What a dummy I was and it was I was so focused on another razor that I was looking at and the Popular ( thinking it was an Aristocrat ) was on my watch list and it came up out of nowhere with only like 3 minutes left on it with 14 bids on it so seeing it wasn't going for very much money I thought it's an Aristocrat so there's probably a bunch of last second bidders waiting to place a bunch of bids on it at the last second but I thought I'd put a casual bid in just above what was showing to see how high the bidders would go on it and guess what someone must have been asleep at the wheel cause no one bid on it and I got it! Well the owner messaged me saying thank you and I'll ship out your Popular to you tomorrow and I'm like why is he calling it a Popular instead of an Aristocrat. Then it hit me! I didn't buy an Aristocrat I bought a Popular that I've only heard about once but had long forgotten about. As they are not very commonly seen. The owner gave me a brief rundown on the history of it and now I'm glad I got it and for a good price. BTW it has the same head as a #15 English Aristocrat. So stupid me got a cool razor and didn't even know what the heck I was buying.:mad2: That story go's down with some of the good ones. LOL
I'll give you a call one night this week..we've got some razor talkin to do buddy! :punk:
 
Very very interesting. I've been getting my first shaves with a user-grade 46/47 this week. They are definitely fun and different ... Wondering if the bulldog handle one sings?


AA
They both were singing but the OC it louder for sure.. Love the handle.
 
Fun reading your reviews on your collection of razors. I'm not a collector but a user as I truly enjoy shaving with the handful of Aristocrats 46'-47', 48'-50', and 55' Diplomat, all great shavers that I have. Love The Gold.

Most of my reason for joining B & B was for the information as in this thread. Thanks for your time and effort, I've enjoyed it.
 
Fun reading your reviews on your collection of razors. I'm not a collector but a user as I truly enjoy shaving with the handful of Aristocrats 46'-47', 48'-50', and 55' Diplomat, all great shavers that I have. Love The Gold.

Most of my reason for joining B & B was for the information as in this thread. Thanks for your time and effort, I've enjoyed it.
Thank you for the kind words.
I think of myself as a wet shaver first and a collector 2nd but I do search for nice conditioned razors for sure. Think it's my OCD as I like things clean and shining. It sounds like you have a nice stable of Aristocrats yourself. I don't have a Diplomat as of now but I did get a couple of President's and I had a great shave with one of them. I've heard they are similar as far as shaving goes to the Diplomat but can't say for sure.
Great shaves my friend! :thumbsup:
 
It would have been nice if you did the comparison with a Feather, since you're familiar with their shaves.
 
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