+1. My Super 84 is my favorite of all the Gillette adjustables. A great shaver.
Super Adjustable Black Beauty
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+1. My Super 84 is my favorite of all the Gillette adjustables. A great shaver.
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- #22
+1! Yes indeed!! Enjoy the razor!
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- #23
Oops! Anyhow, Checked blade gaps, and here are the results with a 70'S Gillette blade, and a automotive feeler gauge, loosening when moving adj. dial. Proper gaps in parentheses.
Setting 1. - .010 would not fit (.018)
Setting 5. .020 (.031)
Setting 9. .031 (.045)
Definitely out of calibration! Since the last 1/4 turn is hard, I will soak in near boiling water in Dawn for a few hours to try to loosen it up more.
Setting 1. - .010 would not fit (.018)
Setting 5. .020 (.031)
Setting 9. .031 (.045)
Definitely out of calibration! Since the last 1/4 turn is hard, I will soak in near boiling water in Dawn for a few hours to try to loosen it up more.
If you happen to have an ultrasonic cleaner, a couple runs through that with hot tap water and a dishwashing soap like Dawn will help too. If not soap more times in Dawn and almost boiling water. I would say do it at least three more times then put some mineral oil down the shaft from the top and bottom. Good luck!
Not sure about this, but isn't the proper way to measure the razor's gap is WITHOUT a blade installed???
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- #26
Measured my Slim with a blade in, and it measured close to blade gap specs for a slim.
How would you do that (head scratch emoji)?
We do it by measuring the vertical distance between the top of the safety bar and the bottom front of the cap. For this measurement the blade is irrelevant. We are measuring only the gap of an empty razor that is properly closed and tightened down. We don't care about the blade. Besides, blade thicknesses can vary.
I learn something new in this hobby every day. I always thought blade gap was a measure of the gap between the blade and the safety bar.
Brother Iron Paw,
Are you aware Gillette makes no such statement in its instructions for its adjustable razors? And are you aware the specialist on the forum who works on refurbishing Gillette adjustable razors (I think his name is Cap) also has said on the forum it's not necessary to loosen the doors on an adjustable razor in good condition before adjusting the razor?
I've done it both ways. My non-professional finding is if the razor is mechanically sound and if the interior is clean, it's not necessary to loosen the doors. But if the interior of the razor is mucked up with soap residue, or whatever, it's easier on the mechanism (and on one's fingers!) to loosen before adjusting. So the annswer, I guess, is yes and no. Both answers can be correct.
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Great razor
R
romsitsa
Hello, something looks wrong with those numbers. The numbers/settings are spread evenly on the dial and the thread pitch is given, so all distances should be the same. For eg. if the gap difference between setting 1-2 is 1 mm than 8-9 should also be 1 mm, on every razor.
The difference between 0.010 and 0.014 doesn’t look possible, except the adjuster rings have different threads or a different measuring method was used.
Adam
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- #34
My measurements are in inches, not milimeters. Old American razor, old American measuring system.
Anyhow, gaps are too small, and razor doesn't shave right. Probably why my dad mothballed it in the 80'S.
R
romsitsa
Hello. It’s either 0.010 or 0.013 (0.014) between settings, both can’t be true, except one razor has a different thread pitch or one measurement is off.
Recalibration only alters the relative distance of the starting and end points measured from the edge of the cap, but not the distances between the settings.
In other words, if you reset the dial, distances still should be 0.010 between settings.
Adam
I have a slim that is assembled out-of-spec. I'm a set-and-forget adjustable razor user. My adjustable Gillettes (2 fatboys, 2 slims, 3 BBs) are usually set on 6. My out-of-spec slim has the same blade gap set on 3 as my other slim set on 6*. It shaves the same too. After watching the video of the disassembly, it's obvious where the problem occurred. I thought about fixing it, but decided to just use it as-is. It's like it adjusts from 4 to 12 rather than 1 to 9. The relative steps between numbers are the same between the two razors. They have to be, since the adjusters have the same thread pitch.
Internal soap scum build up is a common problem that often requires multiple soakings in soap scum remover (without bleach!). Since Super Adjustables have aluminum handles with a polymer outside coating, the aluminum is known to corrode more so than brass, sometimes rendering the razor unrepairable. I'm guessing you probably won't have this problem since your dad didn't use the razor much.
* Looking at your numbers, it appears your razor is approximately four steps out of spec, but in the opposite direction to mine (your indicated setting 5 is pretty close to the correct gap on setting 1, and your indicated setting 9 is the correct gap for setting 5)
Internal soap scum build up is a common problem that often requires multiple soakings in soap scum remover (without bleach!). Since Super Adjustables have aluminum handles with a polymer outside coating, the aluminum is known to corrode more so than brass, sometimes rendering the razor unrepairable. I'm guessing you probably won't have this problem since your dad didn't use the razor much.
* Looking at your numbers, it appears your razor is approximately four steps out of spec, but in the opposite direction to mine (your indicated setting 5 is pretty close to the correct gap on setting 1, and your indicated setting 9 is the correct gap for setting 5)
Given the keepsake value, and the fact that it's a great razor, I'd send it in for a tune up. If you have above average mechanical skills, you could do it yourself.
I have a question. If I go from say 5 to 7 will the shave be more efficient? As in lasting longer? I guess I could try it and find out, but thought someone would know.
It might. Or it might not. There's only one way to tell.
It absolutely can be .010 AND .013
Your statement would be correct IF the dial ROTATED the blade angle. However the dial curves the blade, which should create a parabolic change in the blade gap, and not a linear adjustment curve.
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