Using vintage blades?

[Hansel]

My grandfather uncovered some stuff recently, and since he knows I've got his old Gillette Tech, offered me some really REALLY old blades he just dug up in the back of a junk drawer.

Gillette blue blades and "Super" blue blades...

So, the question is...Do I start popping open boxes and shaving with them, or leave them be?

 

[Pioneer]

Are they sealed NOS blades? That is the question. Although I probably wouldn't even if they were sealed - especially if they were carbon steel blades. (If it's a Gillette Blue, which I think were plats, you might be ok.) And, generally speaking, I'd think the edge wouldn't be good after sitting so long either. My 2 cents.

 

[Timmy Dee]

Although I probably wouldn't even if they were sealed.

Seconded! Keep them for display purposes, slicing garlic in prison, or for kitting rats out with ninja weapons. Whatever you do, don't shave with them.

 

[honed]

The edge has most probably taken a toll from the long storage. Even if they look good to the naked eye, they will rip your face up if used

 

[Hansel]

Ouch, sounds painful!

OK, so I'll pass on using them, guess I'll have to get some modern blue-blades for retro shaving giggles.

 

[honed]

Treet have carbon steeled blades. I like, many hate it.

 

[Psicko]

Dont be a pansy, Shave with them. J/k

 

[rummwa]

I am getting ready to shave with blades made in 1900.... but I am having them honed first!

 

[Thebigspendur]

The really old super blues were plain carbon blades with no coatings on them. They had a very light oil on them to keep them from rusting which would have long disappeared. I wouldn't use them for full shave but you can try one light stroke just to see what happens. it won't hurt you if your careful.

 

[BroJohn]

Hansel --

Carbon steel blades don't fare well after several decades. I know you have to try them (I have, too), but don't expect much.

There's a reason that the shave industry migrated to stainless.

-- John Gehman

 

[nelson]

Both the "Blue" blades and the "Super Blue" blades are carbon steel. Over time they corrode. I recommend that you don't use them, even if they are NOS. The stainless steel blades which replaced them will also deteriorate over time.

nelson

 

[cavaliere]

I've only had bad experience with using vintage blades. Even if they seemed sharp, the feeling on the face was rough and my skin was sore for the whole day.
Blades don't loose sharpness as quickly as they become microscopically indented due to corrosion, and this can hurt like b*ch.

 

[Hansel]

I knew about the corrosion issue, but not the edge deterioration.

I guess the bluing process only really protected the flats of the blades and left the edges only protected by oil. I don't really know if it's possible to blue a blade after it's honed and still have the edge nice and sharp, anyway.

 

[Stubblefield]

If they were stainless steel, by all means, give them a shot. But they are not, so I'd pass.

 

[VolpeVerde]

I've been using an older blue blade for several days now. Got a bunch with a razor from ebay and they were all sealed in wrappers, not in a dispenser. I'm guessing they were manufactured in the '40s or '50s. I wanted to do some experimenting. I have it in a long toothed "New" and the first shave was a bit corse, but with only a few weepers. The blade did a good job, though. I stropped it on the outer portion of my palm and the next shave was much smoother. Stropped it again and used it this morning. The blade was even smoother and I ended up with a DFS. I touched up areas with a EJ89 and a Crystal for the full BBS. So the old blueblades are O.K. and were state-of-the-art years ago, but can't compare to todays technology. Blue blades are also thicker than todays stainless blades. I'll try it one more time, then go back to stainless.

 

[slickster514]

I've used 1960's Gillette Super Blues NOS, the first shave is OK, but the 2nd is a complete different story, rest assured there is no 3rd try. Carbon steel can be a hit or miss for long term storage.

On the other hand Gillette Super Stainless "Spoiler" blades from the 70's and 80's never let me down. This auction seems to be repetative on a weekly basis, but who knows for how much longer. From what I heard, this person bought the stock at an auction when the drug story closed its doors I'm guessing in the early 80's.

I bought a lot of these from an eBay auction just last month, 360 blades. These are slightly newer than I thought, being manufactured in 1984. I wasn't aware that Gillette was still making these in the early 80's. I'd really like to know when production stopped on these. If anyone knows anying, please chime in! )