Vintage Gillette Thin Blades?

[Medic_Coop]

How good are these blades? I got some NOS ones with a Gillette NEW I just purchased. I am assuming they are from the 30's? I opened one up and it is gold toned and is a very very nice looking blade. Such nice attention to detail! I have not seen a blade look this good yet! How does it shave?

 

[dichdiggr]

I recently got a pack and am interested in the answer too.

 

[shamus]

I've used these Gillette Thin Blades but mine were stainless steel and most likely from the 1960's. I got about 7 or 8 great shaves out of each blade. However, I'm not familiar with the Gold Tone Gillette Thin Blades.

I've found that the Gillette Super Thins from Vietnam to be a very comparable blade to the Gillette Thin Blades. It makes me wonder if the same equipment to manufacture the Gillette Thin Blades from the 1960's somehow made it's way to Asia to produce the Gillette Super Thins.

I guess only Gillette knows this for sure.

Cheers

I just checked the empty medicine botte for the Date codes on the Gillette Thin Blades. The Gillette Thin Blades in Super Stainless that I had used had a Date Code of L-3. That put it at 3rd quarter of 1966 and made in the USA. These were some nice blades.

 

[Medic_Coop]

Here is a picture of the gold tone of the blade.

 

[americanarmsdealer]

Check out this thread for my thoughts on these: http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=142791
Try them out, if you are brave, because, as we all know, YMMV!

 

[haiti222]

I think the thins are carbon steel blades, but the later ones give excellent shaves, they just don't last as long (same opinion about the bleue extras which were the Gillette version of the Super Blue for Europe originally). Gillette had an exclusive patent starting in the early 70's for a process
to add teflon coating to non-stainless blades. They started putting this on all their non-stainless blades (blue, thins, super blue) and they are excellent shavers.......


One note about all these blades. Around 1989-90 production for the US Market was transferred to France. The Super Blue blades from France were no longer "blued" but were silver in appearance. I think the Bleue Extras are the continuation of the Super Blue/Bleue Extra line........

 

[sandmountainslim]

Those old gold Gillette Thins will probably shave on par with a piece of flint


The current production Gillette Super Thins are the modern version and they are wonderful.

Wp

 

[brz90]

I've got a few packs of carbon steel, gold coloured Gillette Thins, made in France and dated W3 which I think is 1976. They shave very well indeed - as good as a good modern blade. I think they are probably ptfe coated which is why they haven't lost their edge.
Yours look older than mine though. Do they have a date code on the other side of the blade? Whatever - I would have a go at shaving with them. If they are uncoated they will almost certainly be a very rough shave though.

 

[HoosierTrooper]

What's the date code on them? I tried a couple just like those with date code W2 (1952), still sealed in the wax paper. Like you said they are beautful blades but absolutely brutal to shave with.

 

[IanD]

I recently purchased a super adjustable and got a pack of vintage Gillette Thin blades. Used one then went to a feather - if anybody wants the remaining thin blades then please let me know as I don't need them.

ian

 

[shamus]

I just went to the empty medicine bottle used to store used razor blades and found the date code of the Gillette Thin Blades in Stainless that I used. See the change to my post above......

 

[shamus]

I apologize for my prior posts in wrongly identifying the Gillette blades I had used. I was wrong in my ID of the blades I was using. Upon further inspection, the blades I had used were the Gillette Stainless instead of the Gillette Thin blades. The date that I posted, M-3, was correct.

I guess I had a senior moment.....

 

[Boge]

...I tried a couple just like those with date code W2 (1952), still sealed in the wax paper. Like you said they are beautful blades but absolutely brutal to shave with.

One of the worst blades I've ever used. Brutal, yes. However, if I lived then (pre-coated blade era) I probably would have thought them normal.