Vintage vs New Razors

[timsclips]

I am just in the process of going back to DE shaving after going to disposables in the late 70's. So far I have picked up a Tech and a SS vintage razors off of ebay. They are shaving okay, as everyone states they are not very aggressive and I find myself using more pressure than I should.
I am curious on the lower price strata razors from the "third world", ie Lord, Concord and Gillette 7'oclock razors that can be purchased for roughly the same price of vintage razors. Are any of these an improvement on the classics in terms of aggressiveness?

I am just not ready to spend the money on a Merkur razor at this time.

 

[Mako72]

I believe most will say the "Third World" DEs are passible but not good. I think your on the right track with the vintage razors. If you haven't done it yet get a blade sampler, different blades perform waayyy different in different razors. The Techs are pretty mellow, you don't say which SS you have but the 40s are generally considered more aggressive. If the SS still doesn't do it look at finding an Adjustable or a Red Tip SS, both of these get rave reviews on here for good reason. You should be able to get a decent Slim Adj, Super Adj, or Red Tip on BST for $25ish, a Fatboy Adj will run a bit more. Hope that helps!

Jay

 

[Obi Wan]

I had a bad experience with a used vintage razor so now I only buy NOS (new old stock) so far I have a '72 Super adjustable, '63 Slim Adjustable and a '78 black handled SuperSpeed, as these are not rare collectable models the prices were reasonable.NOS vintage razors are definetly the best of both worlds.

 

[rajagra]

How about a cheap, modern Japanese precision instrument? (Albeit with some plastic.)

Feather Popular.

 

[Go West Young Man]

A superspeed is plenty aggressive enough to shave you. If you're not getting a good shave, blame your still-developing technique, not the razor. Moving to a more aggressive razor now will only make things worse as they're even less forgiving of bad technique.

 

[The Count of Merkur Cristo]

I would tend to think that with Vintage Razors...you may or may not have no product support from the maker (you get what you pay for), vs. a totally opposite veiw when purchasing a new Razor.

Christopher

 

[El Judio Bravo]

How about a cheap, modern Japanese precision instrument? (Albeit with some plastic.)

Feather Popular.

Bravo!

 

[Kentos]

One thing about na ew razor is that you can have more confidence in it's ability to give you a consistent shave, while the vintage razor may be out of alignment, have uneven blade exposure, etc. More experienced shavers would be able to discern this after a few strokes, but newbies may not and keep soldiering on with their shave getting less than stellar results. I had this problem with an open comb where the top plate was tweaked ejuat nough to wrinkle the blade edge when tightened down for a shave, but I was clueless. I got major AD and ended getting a feather SS which is perfect and allowed me to focus on technique and lather with other variables remaining somewhat constant. I get great shaves with my other vintage razors, but not with that open comb.

 

[El Judio Bravo]

I tell you, my J4 Super Speed works like the day it was manufactured! If it had a longer handle, I'd make it No.1 in rotation!

 

[goby]

A superspeed is plenty aggressive enough to shave you. If you're not getting a good shave, blame your still-developing technique, not the razor. Moving to a more aggressive razor now will only make things worse as they're even less forgiving of bad technique.

Agree. I can get an amazing shave from a Tech. BTW, I've tried many vintage and several modern razors, and my favorite (and my only razor) is an Edward Jagger 89DEL. A very close second was the Gillette Rocket HD, but that's a $60+ razor, so I sold it and bought software. Stay away from the cheap Asian razors.

 

[Doug123]

What kind of blade are you using in your Tech?

If you put a very sharp blade in it is going to give you a great shave.

I do with mine...

 

[timsclips]

So far I have been using the german Wilkinson blades that Wal-mart carries. I thought I would go through a pack of these before branching out into different blades.

 

[mdevine]

I started with a new Parker 65R. I later added a 40s Super-speed. I found the 62 year old Gillette to be built to a much higher standard. As opposed to the Parker, the Gillette had perfect alignment and an even blade gap. I have since purchased nine other Gillettes, dating from between 1921 and 1961. I have yet to get one that wasn't built to exacting standards. There is a reason that so many users here shave with the vintage razors. One other benefit is the ease recouping the cost of the razor if you ever wish to sell it on BST. BTW, my favorites of the ten are the NDC SS and my two New Improved razors, a Tuckaway and a New Standard.

 

[michiganlover]

I would tend to think that with Vintage Razors...you may or may not have no product support from the maker (you get what you pay for)

But what you are getting is a razor built like a tank unmatched in build quality by anything built today. Most Vintage Gillette's shave today just as well as the day they first left the factory: the solid construction means very little can go wrong.

 

[El Judio Bravo]

So far I have been using the German Wilkinson blades that WalMart carries. I thought I would go through a pack of these before branching out into different blades.

Fasten your seat belt! What a long, wonderful trip you're going to take!

 

[jansob]

But what you are getting is a razor built like a tank unmatched in build quality by anything built today. Most Vintage Gillette's shave today just as well as the day they first left the factory: the solid construction means very little can go wrong.

Got to agree here. I've got a ton of vintage razors and they are just leagues ahead in quality from most modern razors. I fully expect my Slim and News and Techs to easily outlive me...my Merkur is beginning to pit after a year. Whether Merkur will replace it is less important than the fact that I'd have no more faith in the replacement.

Most damage that would result in a bad blade alignment would be quite obvious...look at it from all angles, and if the straight parts are straight, go for it. Also you will spend less unless you insist on the rare ones.

If you simply like new better because it's new, then of course go for it. But don't scare yourself away from the cheap and plentiful vintage razors because of concerns of quality or defects. They really are the best.

 

[Buck Melanoma]

I would tend to think that with Vintage Razors...you may or may not have no product support from the maker (you get what you pay for), vs. a totally opposite veiw when purchasing a new Razor.

Christopher

I am not sure what sort of product support new razor makers offer (?), but I have never had a vintage razor require any sort of support at all.

 

[michiganlover]

I am not sure what sort of product support new razor makers offer (?), but I have never had a vintage razor require any sort of support at all.

Merkur will exchange a faulty razor for a new one, and does on occasion supply replacement parts; however, the idea that you would need this kind of support on a supposed precision instrument is a reflection of underlying quality control problems.

A 3 piece razor is not a complex design, so there shouldn't be such wide variances in quality control.

 

[California Cajun]

I am just in the process of going back to DE shaving after going to disposables in the late 70's. So far I have picked up a Tech and a SS vintage razors off of ebay. They are shaving okay, as everyone states they are not very aggressive and I find myself using more pressure than I should.
I am curious on the lower price strata razors from the "third world", ie Lord, Concord and Gillette 7'oclock razors that can be purchased for roughly the same price of vintage razors. Are any of these an improvement on the classics in terms of aggressiveness?

I am just not ready to spend the money on a Merkur razor at this time.

My recommendation based on my 9 months of experience (and 40 bad years of mostly disposables and electric razors before that) for starters is a Merkur 34C HD. It is more aggressive than a Gillette SuperSpeed in my opinion. My favorite is a Merkur Slant (37C), which is still more aggressive.

Having said that, I think the razor blades make the razor. I use Personna Prep Blades, which are medical grade for hospital use. I buy a box of 100 from Robbins Industries and with the shipping they are about $35 or 35 cents per blade. The reason I like these is consistency from blade to blade. I used a Gillette 7 o'clock (just one) and it was sharper for the first shave or two then lost it's potency. I get 5-7 consistently quality shaves per blade with the Personna Prep.

Based on what you tell me, I would recommend a Slant razor for you. Remember that in terms of investment, this is a one-time cost that will last a lifetime. If you don't like the Slant you can sell it on our Buy/Sell/Trade forum and recoup most of your investment.

If you would rather try a 34C, I'll send you one plus a few Personna Prep blades to try out in exchange for becoming a B&B conributor. If I had a Slant to spare, I would make the same offer, and that's what I really think you want.

If you would like to try the Personna Prep blades, PM me and I'll send you a month's worth to try.

 

[TAP119]

Dear Timsclips, et al.:

I have returned to wetshaving and use both a new Parker 22R (TTO only) and a 1977 Gillette Super Adjustable Long Handle (Black Beauty). I await the arrival of a 1958 Fatboy, which is my birth year and the model with which my father shaved.

The Parker is an affordable, heavy, moderate DE razor with a good feel to it. It shaves me well with Merkur, Timor, Derby (green) and Shark ( ! ) blades after ManCave's Bay Rum shave soap. The Sharks are really good, for very little $!

Feathers =face hamburger.

My Gillette is my favorite, with the above blades and soap, on setting 3 of 9. This is almost to midrange, as 9 is the most aggressive setting. IMHO, the vintage razors are better made, unless one goes to a higher-end new DE such as a Merkur or such. I'd love to have a Merkur Vision, but they are a bit too costly for me right now.

Comparison: my Parker is made of solid metal and adequately made for the price I paid off Amazon (~$25) but the TTO doors are a bit floppy when open. It does close properly and shaves well. Color is nice, plating good, but surface is a bit slippery when soapy.
The Gillette has a much better "fit and finish" and the doors open and close firmly and smartly. The handle, while too thin to suit me is easily grippable when soapy. I think the Black Beauty may be a bit lighter in weight than the Parker, but the Black Beauty has good balance in the hand.

I have to recommend a vintage razor; look for an adjustable so as to optimize your razor's aggressiveness to your face and beard.

Also, I started with a Weishi and Dorco blades--the Weishi was well made, but of the wrong metal: aluminum. It had absolutely no weight and gave a poor shave.

I hope this has helped.