Vintage Gillettes and Feathers

[SafetyRazorDave]

Hey all,

So I've been using Feather blades lately but realized that although they cut very well it could be a bit more smooth for my face. I find with the Merkurs that I have (34c/HD and 39c/Sledgehammer) to be extremely light handed with Feather blades, or else they aren't so smooth on my sensitive skin and can lead to irritation. The 39c is especially aggressive with the Feathers, and will be a little harsh on my skin if I don't use the lightest pressure and care.

I have an old family Slim Adjustable that I tried a Feather out in recently. And even on a 4 or a 5, I found I could be a lot more liberal with the razor without the risks that I had when using a Feather in a Merkur (especially the 39c, but even the HD). I didn't have to be quite as careful even with a Feather blade in it, and it was a lot friendlier to my skin. I even found that the Slim was more gentle with other blades too as compared to the Merkurs.

I just bought a few more vintage Gillette razors to try and see if all Gillettes are more mild than my Merkurs, noteably with a sharp Feather in it. I like how sharp the Feather is, and I was hoping that if I paired it with a slightly milder razor it would be the perfect combination of sharp and smooth.

So what I have coming to me soon is:

-1964 Gillette Slim Adjustable (I bought another Slim since I don't want to use the heirloom one.)
-1958 Gillette Fat Boy
-1965 Gillette Flare-Tip Super Speed
-1952 Gillette 40s style Super Speed
-1950s Gillette Ball-End Tech

So I think with all those razors I will have a bit of a range from mild (Tech) to aggressive (Merkur 39c). From what I've read, pairing a milder razor like a Tech with a more aggressive razor like a Feather produces great results, and that's what I'm about to find out! I have no experience with these Gillettes vintages (except for a few shaves with the Slim I have now), but from what I've read about them they should be a treat.

I will try to keep up to date and keep track of how each vintage razor feels with a Feather blade in it. I will obviously try other blades in the Gillettes eventually too, but I really want to keep the blade variable constant for now. I have no idea what to expect, but I'm kind of excited!

 

[ctkelly]

Same boat here...I like how sharp a feather is and the close shave that it produces, but its not a very smooth cutter for me. I have found other blades that are close in sharpness and smoother, so I went with them....but every onnce in a while I load up a feather and compare.

 

[kingfisher]

I like a sharp blade, and I use a Slim exclusively. I find I can use a lower setting with a sharper blade, and get the best of both worlds. I dial it twice during each shave, starting with 4 or 5 for the first pass, dialing it down to 3 for the XTG pass, and then I eventually dial it down to 2 for very delicate areas just under my lower lip. This seemingly crazy routine has led to the best shaves of my life.

By the way, my blade of choice so far is a Kai. If you haven't tried Kai, you should. Almost as sharp as a Feather, but smoother and with better longevity. I palm strop it before the first shave, because it can be a little rough on the first shave, but I can easily get 4 two-pass shaves out of a blade. (I could probably get 5, but I toss 'em.)

Check out the vendor corner. A member here named Aneurysm sells 'em.

 

[SafetyRazorDave]

I've heard good things about the Kai blades, I think I will try them out sometime. What I think I'm finding with my face is that I much prefer smoothness over sharpness. With a smooth blade it may not cut quite as effectively, but I get great feedback from the blade and my face is left feeling comfy.

I've actually been out of the DE game for about a year and a half now and only fairly recently begun to get back in it. I have a bunch of Red Pack Personnas and Feathers, and I'm finding that these blades are VERY different. The Red Personnas are so kind to my face, aren't as sharp as the feathers, but so smooth on my skin. Always got a good shave from them from what I remember. The feathers cut very well and it doesn't seem a problem at all to get a close shave. The only trouble I'm finding is that if I shave a couple days in a row, my face gets a bit sensitive and prone to irritation.

If I don't get "smooth" shaves from my coming vintage gillettes with a Feather, I'm going to switch to a not so sharp but smoother blade like the Personna.

I'm learning that smooth is far more important than pure sharpness on my baby skin.

 

[SafetyRazorDave]

Well I've now shaved a couple of times with my new (to me) Super Speed and a Feather, and I really like it! It definitely does feel a bit smoother in this razor than my Merkurs. But I still need more shaves to really know exactly, but I do like how it feels so far. I will have to try other blades in my Super Speed to see if it's just the razor that's magical.