Shims - do you use them, and what are your experiences ?

[Pappa Piccolino]

Hi everyone.

I was just curious to hear from gents who use shims - do you have one always fitted to your razor, or do you use one occasionally, what type of shim do you use, have you ever had any issues etc.,

Thanks in advance.

 

[ajkel64]

Never used one and probably won’t. Just personal choice. Many use them and find that they improve their shave especially with older razors which used thicker blades back in the day. What ever works to give you the best shave.

 

[romsitsa]

Hello, I used shims (mostly vintage brass ones from 0.5 to 1.2 mm) for a longer while, then abandoned them as losening the handel has a pretty similar effect imho.

Adam

 

[eaterofdog]

It works in some cases but it's too much fiddling for me. I'm not looking to geek out on a razor.

 

[KQY61]

Hi,

Only on my Old Type Thin Cap. Made from a blade with the edges trimmed off. Under, over, and both. Made no real difference and so I quit using shims. The reason to begin was seeing a commercial shim from way back when the thick blades gave way to the thin ones. They were sold for the Old Type to put the cutting edge of a thin blade back to where it would have been with a thick blade. I never bothered to try and source one of those original shims.

Stan

 

[Hannah's Dad]

You may want to read this:

Shimming the Wolfman

This morning, for the second day in a row, I shimmed my Wolfman SS WR2 1.25mm SB with 3 shims, and proceeded to experience the smoothest and most efficient two-pass shave I’ve ever had. This experiment in shimming an already large gapped razor has me reconsidering my need for a ‘mild’ shaver...

www.badgerandblade.com

 

[jmudrick]

Use them all the time to increase rigidity in heads I think can benefit from it. No iseues. Rather than a survey, best way to decide if they do something for you is to take 10 seconds to make one and try it.

Sent from my LG-US998 using Tapatalk

 

[JoeLr]

I have, but it really didn't result in magical changes for me. I mean, unless shimming changes blade exposure (IME, it does not), the extra gap it provides just doesn't provide a material change (for me). For those who like to experiment, it's worth trying. I just fail to see the efficacy of it long term. YMMV.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Never used one, purely on principle. If a razor doesn't do what I need without having to shim it, I don't want it.

 

[EclipseRedRing]

I have used home made shims and would love to acquire a vintage brass one. I have had mixed results and now prefer to loosen the cap instead. I also find that some blade makes, not necessarily sharper ones, have the effect of increasing the aggression of a mild razor due to slight difference in the blade dimensions.

 

[santamariasteve]

Most of my razors (non adjustable) are a little mild for my tough coarse whiskers. So I often use a shim or two under the blade to fine tune them to my face. My shim/s simply are a used DE blade with the cutting edges cut off.

BTW my most comfortable and efficient razor probably is a Muhle R89 with two shims under the working blade.

 

[Pappa Piccolino]

Hi gents. Thanks to all respondents - I always appreciate the knowledge and diversity of opinions on offer at B+B.

I recently purchased a Merkur 15C. i have used it once (new Feather blade) and it gives a very nice, smooth irritation free shave. It gets very close to BBS, but seems to struggle to take off those last remaining whiskers very close to the skin, which is exactly what I had been told elsewhere on B+B.

My next shave is tomorrow, and i will try to add an old Voskhod blade as a shim, and see how I go.

Thanks again.

 

[Old-Fashioned Coughy Pot]

I shim my Lord L5 tech clone with a shim l made out of 'Folgers' coffee lid. It is a perfectly fine razor as it is, but my shim turns the mild into something else. I can fit a Canadian dime (.075 USD) between the blade and the baseplate = roughly a 1.22 mm gap. It feels like a GEM SE now. It was my 1st "new" razor l bought so it holds a fond place in my heart. I have a generic 'Bay used brass handle from a razor l bought from Eastern Europe in addition to the shim to give it more heft. l plan to use it for Shark Week.

 

[FarmerTan]

I shim my Lord L5 tech clone with a shim l made out of 'Folgers' coffee lid. It is a perfectly fine razor as it is, but my shim turns the mild into something else. I can fit a Canadian dime (.075 USD) between the blade and the baseplate = roughly a 1.22 mm gap. It feels like a GEM SE now. It was my 1st "new" razor l bought so it holds a fond place in my heart. I have a generic 'Bay used brass handle from a razor l bought from Eastern Europe in addition to the shim to give it more heft. l plan to use it for Shark Week.

This man either ain't right in the head, or the bravest among us!



(Or a bit of both, lol)

 

[JCarr]

How does this work?

 

[FarmerTan]

How does this work?

I've cut the sharp parts of a blade off a used blade, then put said "shim" on one side of the blade I'm shaving with. Changes the performance.

 

[kingfisher]

Never used one, purely on principle. If a razor doesn't do what I need without having to shim it, I don't want it.

This. I have no need for a shim. If I like a razor, I use it. If I don't like it, I sell it or PIF it. I don't need/want to be messing around with a razor to make it work the way I want it to.

 

[Piper]

This. I have no need for a shim. If I like a razor, I use it. If I don't like it, I sell it or PIF it. I don't need/want to be messing around with a razor to make it work the way I want it to.

Makes sense from a pragmatic and utilitarian point of view. However, if you're into vintage razors for the sport of it all it may make sense to use a shim. It allows you to use the old New or Old ( hehe) as it originally was meant to perform, mimicking the thicker blade. It takes all kinds to shave the world!


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[Mitzie]

My Wilkinson Sword black plastic razor with homemade shims made from the lid of used margarine container.

Depending on the sharpness of the blade I will use one the full shim underneath the blade for a closer shave.

Sometimes I use the 1/2 shim giving me two closeness options either side of the razor. For wider blades like Kia I will use the full shim on top of the blade (underneath the top cap) for extra blade rigidity to minimize blade flexing or chatter which acts like a gasket dampening blade movement. -And with this particular wider Kia blade, I use both these shims above and below the blade for optimum closeness and control

 

[balesofhay91]

I have never shimmed a razor and never will. I'm too lazy for all that.