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Vintage Star DE

The Personna Star DE is what the Gillette Tech wants to be when it grows up.
This.

The Star is one of the more under-the-radar vintage DEs, but doesn't deserve to be. It was produced circa late 50s to mid-60s as the American Safety Razor Company’s (ASR) entry into the DE razor market. ASR of course was for decades a producer of single edge devices, including those branded Star, Ever Ready, Treet, Pal (which were Schick injector knock offs), and the ubiquitous Gem razors, along with all things Personna. In an apparent concession to the double edge blade’s late 1950s dominance of the market, ASR produced the Star double edge razor. As noted above, it is sort of Tech-like, but a better, more efficient shaver. I concur with @Salty O'Rourke , you should get one.
 
I've read the Star is a fine shaver very similar to a tech. But I've also read that unlike most techs they were not solid brass and therefore aren't nearly as durable? I read that in a thread on this forum some time ago but I've not ever owned a star so I have no idea if it's true or not?
 
The Star is as comfortable, and more efficient, as a Tech. While I love my techs, the Star is a better shaver.
 

never-stop-learning

Demoted To Moderator
Staff member
The Star DE is a very good razor. Marginally more efficient than the Gillette Tech. I believe that the baseplate (at least on the earlier Star DEs in my Den) is brass. The handle is also heavy enough to be brass. Not sure about the cap.

I also have a Personna DE (different than the BBS-0) that looks exactly like the Star, but is much lighter in weight.

YMMV
 

ajkel64

Check Out Chick
Staff member
I have a couple of Star DE razors and I like them. Much like a Tech and I think that every shave den should have one.
 
I have two Star DE's. One is sort of a gold colored metal thing, while the second is mostly black bakelite with a pot-metal cap.

This second one is my daily driver, or perhaps it is more accurate to say that it gets more riding than anything else in the stable. Works with just about any blade.
 
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