Which Shaver... Modern/Vintage

[cundiff5535]

Been in this hobby for a very short amount of time. Right now I’m going through the paces of modern and vintage razors.

I have a red tip and blue tip coming and have been shaving with a Weishi. I like learning but at the same time I like having high quality stuff...

I am planning on going to a few local shave spots to get my hands on some shavers. Really been loving the look and reviews of the blackland blackbird, the merkur 34c, and several others... charcoal/razorock/game changer/karve. I’ve also heard great things about Vikings blade.

There is no way I can get them all... I want to learn toward Blackland due to the way it looks... but I have not idea. I am NOT in any rush to buy, and plan to read and research a lot! But I figured this was a good first step.

In addition to that, can anyone give me thoughts on the above stuff vs vintage Gillette razors? I know this really comes down to personal style and preference, just any and all insight will be very helpful to prevent me from getting to far down a rabbit hole!!

thanks in advance,
Bc

 

[Leverspro]

Some of the modern companies have 30 day trial return policies. The BST section is also great for picking up used gear. For me, personally, Karve gives me the closest shave of all I own, Timeless, Charcoal Goods, Wolfman, Raw. I also really like AC style single edge razors.

 

[Atlantic59]

I always like to suggest the Gillette Tech to people interested in vintage razors. The most efficient and best shaving Tech to me is the "pre-war" fat handle model with the "D-slots" or "triangle slots" circa late 1930s to early 1940s. Another excellent one is the English flat-bottom Tech.

mr-razor Tech razors

 

[BradWorld]

I am truely a fan of both vintage razors and modern razors. I use both regularly. There is something very satisfying about using a razor that is 50 or 100 years old. Or a razor made when I was made. The design, engineering and workmanship that went into to some vintage razors is mind blowing. I also really love modern razors made with high end materials like stainless, bronze, brass, titanium. The fit and finish of these new masterpieces are exceptional. And the shaves are sublime. I literally love all manners of razors and have collected hundreds. It’s a hobby of passion, and I fully embrace the hunt as much as I enjoy the shave. To summarize my thoughts regarding vintage razors versus modern, it’s like driving a finely crafted vintage sports car, versus driving a new modern supercar. They both rock!

 

[zed117]

I started vintage back in 2014. Shaved my way through quite a few of them. I love a good Gillette NEW or Aristocrat, but I tend to prefer modern razors now. Since your new I highly recommend a GameChanger or Rockwell 6c to start, both around $50. Enjoy that Red tip, great shaver and great looker.

 

[Vassilios]

Vintage NOS Schick Injector Razors shave extremely well. You can find a lot on ebay.

 

[Pippirull]

Would highly recommend a Rockwell 6s. It's stainless steel, last forever, eat every blade I tried so far (except one), and pretty affordable being a higher end razor.

 

[Pepin]

It will take time to find out which works best for you. You can get the modern razors cheap on the BST.

For me the vintage razors (Old Type, New Type, Superspeed, Aristocrats, Tech's etc.) give much better shaves than modern razors I have tried.

To me the modern razors are thick and clunky and not as maneuverable as the the thinner profile vintage razors.

Everyone is different, you need to try them out for a week or so straight to get to know how it works for you.

 

[Badgerstate36]

Both vintage and modern kind of do the same thing. They both hold a blade and when used properly, they shave off hair.
People love vintage Gillettes because of the history of them and because they were built to last a lifetime and then some. Theres just something about shaving with a razor that is 50-100+ years old. Most of them are fairly inexpensive too, as long as you dont want a Fatboy.
Modern razors are great too because you have so many options in being able to customize them. You can get an open comb or solid bar, mild or aggressive, different kinds of finishes, different kinds of metals, different kinds of handles. The options are almost endless.
IMO, there really is no, "better", its all what you like. Ive used vintage Gillettes and Schicks and theyre great. Ive used modern Muhles, Merkurs, Edwin Jaggers, Weishis, Bailis, ATTs and Timeless and theyre great too.
FWIW, Ive got an '80 Gillette Super Speed (and have owned various vintage Gillettes)as well as an ATT M2 Atlas and a Timeless with a smooth top cap, solid safety bar and .95mm gap baseplate with a barberpole handle and theyre all great razors.
I would say that if I had it to do all over again, I probably wouldnt buy the ATT and Timeless again. Theyre great razors but theyre $150-$200. Id probably just buy an EJ DE89 for $30 and call it a day.

 

[BigJ]

So many great options, so little time!

I suggest you try a selection of modern and vintage options; that’s the only way to see what works best!

 

[DickyRivers]

I’ve tried a few different flavors of vintage Gillettes... I've had about 10 and gave most away to try and introduce people to wet shaving. I only have a single travel razor with what looks like a tech head and a Slim adjustable.

My (only) daily is a Maggard with a V2 head. Cheap at $20-25 4 years ago. Moderate... kind of a ‘just right’ razor for me.

I found that it’s weight felt a bit better but, even more, it had a slick finish which, with a good lather made it glide better than any of my vintage razors. Those vintage razors didn’t appear to have wrecked finishes... but they just didn’t have a ‘mirror finish’ that allowed as good of a glide. I might have been able to work on them to make them better, but I never tried. Their weight didn’t feel right, with light heads that didn’t make me feel like I could shave well w/o adding pressure.

My Maggard was gotten probably around the 6 month to 1 year point as my technique was still developing but it was kind of my lightbulb moment that turned using a DE razor from an enjoyable if somewhat slow and tedious endeavor into something that felt natural and I could do rapidly in the morning w/o feeling like I was having to set my alarm earlier to accomplish it and still make it to work on time.

I’ve contemplated going back and trying my Slim some... it was restored and is gorgeous... but mostly just sits in my top dresser drawer. It probably hasn’t touched my face in a year or more. I know that I don’t care for the milder head for the techs... as I have to have the angle *just* right and I feel like it clogs easy and I have to rinse it constantly and it slows me down.

Try them all, though! I posted a little and read a bit on this site year 1 then just kind of settled into a routine, that was far cheaper than using cans of cream (I mostly use Arko at $1/stick and cheap Omega brushes) and cartridges (I’m on my last few slips of Crystal razors I spent $15 on 3 years ago... with another box of 120 I bought last year I’ve yet to open).

I’ve been more interested in the hobby aspect of it all though. I got my first Yaqi synthetic a couple weeks back when I ordered a replacement for my wife’s brush... pulled out 2 of my great grandfathers straights that have been sitting in my grandfathers, dads and my drawers... forgotten for probably about a 1/2 century. Posted a few pictures on here earlier today fishing for some info, with thoughts of restoring them. I did enjoy the hobby phase of shaving, even though I kind of sucked at it. Now a few years later... I think I could maybe give my early hobby phase a do-over and not be reintroducing variables before my technique was there that I’d keep struggling to accomplish job one for me: A good shave in the limited time I have to do so in the morning before work.

 

[nemo]

I suggest you try a selection of modern and vintage options; that’s the only way to see what works best!

Yep, this approach works for me, you'll end up with what shaves you the best. I use a variety of both.

 

[EclipseRedRing]

Try a few and see what you like. Aside from a Feather AC DX I use only vintage razors because of their history and character. I shun modern DE razors, no matter how good they may be, simply because they are not vintage. There is a huge variety of vintage razors, easily available, at a wide range of prices. Your red tip is a great razor, and you could try some techs, Super Speeds, maybe an adjustable. The Slim Adjustable is cheaper than a Fatboy but both are very affordable in user grade, and both very over rated in my opinion - you might love them. You could try a Schick Krona, a Gem 1932 SE razor, and a whole load of others, all at very little cost. Any you don't like you can generally sell for close to what you paid, which may not be the case with most new razors. I am now beginning to narrow in on what I really prefer but I am pleased that I took time to get to that point and tried many razors in the process, that has been a large part of the enjoyment of the hobby. Good luck.

 

[Old Hippie]

I use a variety of both.

Another vote for variety! One piece of the hobby is using razors as old as your grandfather. One piece is using the latest thing. And DE. And SE, and injector, and OC, and slant, and and and and...

Yeah, you can save money with wet shaving. I keep hearing that. And it's true, but really only true if you either have a razor that does well for you or can develop a technique that makes that razor do well. If that's your priority, go for it. If I'd picked up the ATT S2 Stainless OC slant FIRST, I would have stopped right there.

But I also enjoy using my oldest razors (Gem Jr. Bar, Damaskeene and Star lather catcher) and I enjoy my new ones just as much. While I'm not engaged by injectors, I cautiously experimented with AC and may return to it later, which will likely mean getting another razor or two for it...you see how this goes.

My best advice -- ONLY advice, really -- is to set aside a reasonable amount of money that you can dedicate to the hobby each month. Out of that you will buy brushes, soap, blades, balms, handles, heads, etc. If you're one of those who doesn't have to budget (that's not me!), fill your boots.

And keep telling us about your journey!

O.H.

 

[never-stop-learning]

So many great options, so little time!

I suggest you try a selection of modern and vintage options; that’s the only way to see what works best!

Yep, this approach works for me, you'll end up with what shaves you the best. I use a variety of both.

What @BigJ and @nemo said.

Try every razor you can - vintage, new, DE, SE.

You are the only one who can determine how a particular razor feels in your hand and on your face.

YMMV

 

[ehsa]

i have a red tip i use occasionally (a4) my oldest is a gillette double ring i use once in awhile as well and there many others but for the smoothest most comfortable shave i go modern.john

 

[cundiff5535]

Def enjoying the replies! Thanks so far guys!!

 

[Chesty]

My own experience is that there are so many razors, blades and other variables that there is no one piece of advice that is going to be fully reliable. Fat Handle Tech is a razor that you will likely never regret having and can be had for a good price usually. Many of the vintage razors out there fall into the same category. Gem MMOC takes some practice but gives an outstanding shave. I personally like a number of the Parkers and I freely confess that I can never see myself spending much over $50 for a razor. I would focus on getting your skills as consistent as you can get them and enjoy the rest of the ride. You may someday hot the one razor that is all you want but you have a lot of fun working into it for not a lot of money.