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vintage v modern de razors - which do you prefer and why?

vintage v modern de razors - which do you prefer and why?

  • Vintage DE Razor

  • Modern DE Razor

  • Too Close To Call


Results are only viewable after voting.

Ron R

I survived a lathey foreman
I like both Vintage & modern razors, but as a hobbyist having 40 razor rotation and my Razor racks are indicating 80% are vintage and 20% modern so looks like Vintage wins but that can change. I always liked history and it shows after giving your question a little thought.
Razor racks.jpg

Have some great shaves! Stay & think safe in these times!
 
I prefer the vintage. There are awesome models that are plentiful and cheap. In addition, the cost to produce a razor like this today is far higher than we are used to paying. A 47' Super Speed produced today exactly like the actual thing would be $100+. A 50's English Ball End Tech would also be equally pricey. The modern equivalents are similar but really not the same as the real thing and yet the cost the same as buying pre-owned.
 
I am vintage. Having purchased a 200 dollar ish blackland (and sold it)and a 2 dollar red tip among many others, my real pleasure is found in the thrill of the chase of finding a great ebay, antique store, or flea market razor. I'll pick up a 'modern' razor again one of these days...fatip something or another...but I cannot fathom what will give me a better shave or make me happier than a red tip, gem micromatic series razor, or schick injector.
 

Chef455

Head Cheese Head Chef
One could easily get lost in their preferences/prejudices here. Myself included. I really do believe that a vintage tech could (and maybe should) be a one and done purchase for many wet shavers. Simple, durable and hard to beat. Put up against my modern razors there is just, if I am honest with myself, a sliver of a preference for a modern. Timeless .68 > than British tech... There. I have said it. Both razors as daily drivers are amazing. When it comes down to it it is the solidity of the SS over the lightness of the tech. Until it isn't.

Bottom line (IMHO) is that one is splitting hairs on the subject. Amazing razors can be found in both modern and vintage.
 
I have limited experience with vintage razors but I do own three, two post war ball handle Techs and one third generation British Aristocrat. My shaving experience with these have not been the best. One thing that is a problem for me is they come with very short handles. The Aristocrat is what it is, but I have ordered handles for my Tech and for my Gillette Heritage razors. The Gillette Heritage (modern Muhle R89 head) has given me both good and bad shaves. I think with a larger handle I can control it better. Same goes for the Tech. My modern Rockwell 6S and Hansen AL13 medium razor shave well for me. Two other things about vintage razors is that for me the shaving angle isn’t as intuitive and the Aristocrat in particular seems to have more blade exposure. Northstonehill has informed me that my version is the most efficient of the British Aristocrats. I am a mild razor kinda guy that shaves daily. So for now, modern razors are my cup of tea. Perhaps if I started with vintage razors that would be different. I reserve the right to change my opinion as I gain more experience with vintage razors.
 

Space_Cadet

I don't have a funny description.
I love both. This is an impossible pick. :)
Just yesterday had a shave with my beloved NEW SC. I also have the LC. Both are great.
In my collection both vintage and modern are represented almost equally.
 
I voted modern camp. If I could have only one, it'd be my Wolfman WR1 0.86. Therefore, voted modern. That said I enjoy and have both, vintage and modern.

Vintage has a lot of great options to offer and typically at vary reasonably priced. Old Types, New Improved, NEWs, adjustables, Techs, all have a variety of shave preferences covered. I started with vintage and tried most of them and leaned more towards the New Improved and Old Type, liking some blade feel and efficiency. Vintage I found had the mild to medium aggressive covered very well.

Modern have great options from mild to aggressive but, I think attracts some, are that they top out with more efficient options. The Charcoal Lvl 3 and Blackland Blackbird come to mind, there aren't vintage that quite match these options. Wolfman for the fit and finish is wonderful and is a luxury item.

The great thing with vintage is the value, you can try lots for relatively cheap compared to modern. Modern I think excels at finish or if you want something on the higher end of the efficiency scale. That said, it is more costly to test and trial the modern varients.

Everyone's journey is different, modern or vintage, both are great and the journey is what's enjoyable (as well as a great shave).
 
I lean towards my vintage Gillettes but I have to say that I bought a Timeless several months ago and that is the only razor I have been using. It just works...very well.
 

FarmerTan

"Self appointed king of Arkoland"
I love both. This is an impossible pick. :)
Just yesterday had a shave with my beloved NEW SC. I also have the LC. Both are great.
In my collection both vintage and modern are represented almost equally.
Do you note much difference between the LC and SC? I have an LC from @Tanuki that is basically my daily driver. Perfection!
 

Kilroy6644

Smoking a corn dog in aviators and a top hat
Vintage. I have four modern razors: a plastic 7 O'Clock Click, Gillette Rubie (low-end Tech clone), Gillette Heritage, and King C. Gillette. They're all great shavers*, but not any better than my vintage razors, and they have no history. I'm a history buff, and half the fun for me is doing it the old-fashioned way. I figure, if I'm going to shave that way, why not use old gear? It's a tangible connection to history. Those old razors were "there," and for a few minutes every day, so am I. Also, I tend to be a brand-loyal guy, and ever since Gillette sent me a Mach 3 for my 18th birthday, I've been a faithful Gillette customer. But if you want a Gillette DE, vintage is pretty much your only choice. At least that was the case when I started.

*The Heritage and KCG have each been used once, and since it's winter beard season, they didn't get a full shakedown. But the first results were promising.
 
Do you note much difference between the LC and SC? I have an LC from @Tanuki that is basically my daily driver. Perfection!
I have one LC and one SC. I find the LC to be smoother than the SC, but my SC has been replated in nickel and has a heavier reproduction ball end handle, so this may have skewed my results.
 
i do find it amazing as well as interesting that some razors which are so many years old are still built to last after all these years and with the advancement
of engineering, sciences and technology they still outperform the latest of modern razors

I'm not sure about "outperform the latest of modern razors" - hold their own alongside certainly, but the idea that even the pinnacles of vintage design are superior to everything modern is something that would be very much in the eye of the beholder (big dose of YMMV!!).

For me?

I like techs a lot, they're great razors and if I had to live with a tech and nothing more I'd be happy enough...

But on a daily basis, I reach for my modern razors - especially the Mamba 70.
 

Tirvine

ancient grey sweatophile
Vintage, just like guitars, they got it right a long time ago.
They did indeed, but the Martin Modern Deluxe series actually has two innovations I wish the older ones had, a titanium truss rod and a sandwiched maple and carbon fiber bridge plate. I like to imagine how it might have been if older razors had had the benefit of modern metallurgy and machining.
 
My answer, as usual, is "it depends." For open combs, I generally prefer vintage Gillettes or the vintage GEM Micromatic Open Comb (but that is SE, not DE). For safety bar/closed comb razors, I generally prefer modern stainless steel razors. For adjustables, I like both vintage (Gillette Fat Boy) and modern (Merkur Progress, which is sort of vintage because production started in 1960 or so).
 
They did indeed, but the Martin Modern Deluxe series actually has two innovations I wish the older ones had, a titanium truss rod and a sandwiched maple and carbon fiber bridge plate. I like to imagine how it might have been if older razors had had the benefit of modern metallurgy and machining.
Does this prevent buzzing?
 

Tirvine

ancient grey sweatophile
Does this prevent buzzing?
The titanium truss rod just keeps the neck straight, a big issue with dreads, and the bridge plates replaces the big tone killing plates on recent dreads, being more like the older pre-war small maple plates. Buzzing sounds like either a set-up issue or an electric razor.
 
I went with modern since that's what I tend to buy and use in DEs and SEs. I will say that I bought a Diplomat off BST mostly because I just thought I should have something 'vintage' in my collection such as it is, and, uh … it blew my tiny mind.

I love my brass CG and my Timeless Ti (battling it out for my heart), but if for some reason they were smelted in a tragic fire and all I had left was that Diplomat … I might not buy another DE.
 
I voted for modern razors and my daily is a titanium Timeless .68 scalloped. I prefer titanium as a metal due to its ease of maintenance and lighter weight. I also find it a little strange to use a razor that was once owned by someone else but that's just me. I do have one vintage razor that I use from time to time and that's a Gillette NEW SC.
 
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