Two PIFs for two vintage Gillette razors and Russian blades
- Thread starter macnutty
- Start date
Happy camper here. The Heavy Tech and blades arrived in today’s mail. A lovely and generous PIF. I’m looking forward to trying it out
Hot diggity damn! I got home from work today and found a cool little bounty on the porch. Looking forward to my very first shave with a vintage razor! Scored a 1958 Gillette Super Speed Flare Tip which is in great condition, along with 100 Russian-made blades. The variety pack includes: Astra SP, Astra SS, Gillette 7 O'clock Sharp Edge, 7 O'clock Super Stainless, and Ladas Super Stainless. Out of the five I've only tried the Astra SPs before so very excited to try these new blades. I'm going to get a few shaves done and then do a write up. Thanks again @macnutty for the generous PIF!
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Well I've had about 10 shaves now with the 1958 Gillette SS and the batch of Russian blades sent to me after winning the generous PIF from @macnutty and wanted to follow up as promised. I used the same soap and brush for all 10 shaves to keep that variable consistent. I of course switched out the blades so I could do a comparison. The soap was Proraso green and the brush was an Omega S Brush 10019.
First, let's talk about the razor. This is the fifth DE razor I own and the first vintage razor I've used. A Super Speed was the vintage razor I wanted to try first so I lucked out with this PIF. I gotta say, I really, really, like this razor. The blade gap suits me very nicely. And for being an instrument built more than 50 years ago the build quality is great. The twist knob at the bottom is smooth with a little tension and not janky like the Baili BD179 I have. The head opens very smoothly as well. The grip on the handle is great and I like the handle length. I used to prefer the longer handles, which is why I bought a Parker 98R and the Merkur 25C, but I'm used to using shorter handles now and this one works great in my hand.
The only thing that I would say I have a little difficulty with this razor is shaving under my nose. Trying to get all the whiskers there is a little tough with the head design so I just need to be careful as I need a few passes on that part of my face. But it works better than the Murker 25 for me there.
Now, for the blades. Loved the 100-blade sample pack. The only blade I had used before was the Astra SP so I started on the other ones. I must say, I think I have a new favorite blade in the Gillette 7 O'Clock yellows. I really like that blade. I found it sharp and smooth. The 7 O'Clock greens were my second favorite, followed by the Astra SS, and finally the Ladas. The Ladas I found a bit tuggy in this razor, but still got a great shave with them. I just need to focus more with that blade. Ahh, the fun of practicing, right?
So, on the whole, I love the Super Speed. I find it effective yet forgiving and I'm enjoying perfecting it. I'm curious to know if the feel of this 1958 SS is typical of all Super Speeds. My guess is that changed through the years but I do like the feel of this one. As for the blades, I'm going to start rotating them thru my other razors now. I'd like to see how the 7 O'Clock yellows feel in the Parker and Merkur.
Thanks again @macnutty and save on!
First, let's talk about the razor. This is the fifth DE razor I own and the first vintage razor I've used. A Super Speed was the vintage razor I wanted to try first so I lucked out with this PIF. I gotta say, I really, really, like this razor. The blade gap suits me very nicely. And for being an instrument built more than 50 years ago the build quality is great. The twist knob at the bottom is smooth with a little tension and not janky like the Baili BD179 I have. The head opens very smoothly as well. The grip on the handle is great and I like the handle length. I used to prefer the longer handles, which is why I bought a Parker 98R and the Merkur 25C, but I'm used to using shorter handles now and this one works great in my hand.
The only thing that I would say I have a little difficulty with this razor is shaving under my nose. Trying to get all the whiskers there is a little tough with the head design so I just need to be careful as I need a few passes on that part of my face. But it works better than the Murker 25 for me there.
Now, for the blades. Loved the 100-blade sample pack. The only blade I had used before was the Astra SP so I started on the other ones. I must say, I think I have a new favorite blade in the Gillette 7 O'Clock yellows. I really like that blade. I found it sharp and smooth. The 7 O'Clock greens were my second favorite, followed by the Astra SS, and finally the Ladas. The Ladas I found a bit tuggy in this razor, but still got a great shave with them. I just need to focus more with that blade. Ahh, the fun of practicing, right?
So, on the whole, I love the Super Speed. I find it effective yet forgiving and I'm enjoying perfecting it. I'm curious to know if the feel of this 1958 SS is typical of all Super Speeds. My guess is that changed through the years but I do like the feel of this one. As for the blades, I'm going to start rotating them thru my other razors now. I'd like to see how the 7 O'Clock yellows feel in the Parker and Merkur.
Thanks again @macnutty and save on!
I meant to write "Shave on" of course at the end there! 
I was the fortunate winner of a generous PIF from macnutty. It included a Gillette Heavy Tech and about 100 Russian blades to sample. I’ve been shaving for over half a century (it blows my mind to say I’ve been doing something for "half a century") but only using a safety razor and double edge blades for about 3 months. As a result my 'review' won’t be all that well-informed by knowledge and experience.
From what I’ve been able to discover this razor was manufactured sometime between the 1930s and 1950. Well before I was born and perhaps even before my father began to shave. Yet the razor is solid and does its job just as it was intended. There is a little loss of plating under the cap, but not really any on the rest of it.
In the hand it feels a bit smaller than my Merkur34c, but side by side there isn’t much difference in size. The head is quite thin allowing me to fairly easily get under my nose. I can readily feel the blade as I shave. It is quite smooth. It is interesting that the corners of the bottom plate are not as rounded and smooth as the modern razors I’ve tried. The plate, probably because of the material and manufacturing techniques used, is quite thin. The first time I shaved as I was learning about the razor I twisted the head a bit as I brought the razor to my face. That corner landed first and felt sharp enough that I thought that I had just sliced a chunk out of my cheek. Fortunately no harm at all, but it got my full attention.
Blades: I had used one yellow 7 O’clock before, but not the green, Ladas or the Astra. All have been enjoyed and are comfortable and effective for me. My beard isn’t particularly coarse or heavy nor my face really sensitive. Most blades that I’ve tried have worked.
I thought the Ladas was particularly comfortable and effective. After I had reached that conclusion I ran across some comments disparaging their quality control at bit. So I’ll have to check further because that wasn’t my experience with that first blade at all.
The testing and use of shaving paraphernalia is sort of a hobby in slow motion it seems to me. If you have a less impressive shave one morning you can’t just turn around and try a different technique to test a theory of why that happened. You have to wait until your beard grows before you can try again
In the end I am pleased and grateful for the PIF. I like the razor and the blades quite well. Thank you for the PIF, Drew
From what I’ve been able to discover this razor was manufactured sometime between the 1930s and 1950. Well before I was born and perhaps even before my father began to shave. Yet the razor is solid and does its job just as it was intended. There is a little loss of plating under the cap, but not really any on the rest of it.
In the hand it feels a bit smaller than my Merkur34c, but side by side there isn’t much difference in size. The head is quite thin allowing me to fairly easily get under my nose. I can readily feel the blade as I shave. It is quite smooth. It is interesting that the corners of the bottom plate are not as rounded and smooth as the modern razors I’ve tried. The plate, probably because of the material and manufacturing techniques used, is quite thin. The first time I shaved as I was learning about the razor I twisted the head a bit as I brought the razor to my face. That corner landed first and felt sharp enough that I thought that I had just sliced a chunk out of my cheek. Fortunately no harm at all, but it got my full attention.
Blades: I had used one yellow 7 O’clock before, but not the green, Ladas or the Astra. All have been enjoyed and are comfortable and effective for me. My beard isn’t particularly coarse or heavy nor my face really sensitive. Most blades that I’ve tried have worked.
I thought the Ladas was particularly comfortable and effective. After I had reached that conclusion I ran across some comments disparaging their quality control at bit. So I’ll have to check further because that wasn’t my experience with that first blade at all.
The testing and use of shaving paraphernalia is sort of a hobby in slow motion it seems to me. If you have a less impressive shave one morning you can’t just turn around and try a different technique to test a theory of why that happened. You have to wait until your beard grows before you can try again
In the end I am pleased and grateful for the PIF. I like the razor and the blades quite well. Thank you for the PIF, Drew
