Which Vintage Gillette Adjustable Razor is the best?

[GlennConti]

So, I decided to revisit some work I did with Tom Owens (@Copierguy). We painstakingly measured the blade gaps of various type of Gillette Adjustables at all the different settings to see what it would tell us.

Here are the results:

How will your shave differ depending of the Adjustable Razor Type you choose?

Raw blade gap data located at the following link (sorry, I tried to cut and paste the data here but the table came out all hosed and it would have been a bear to fix. A link to the data was my next best option):

Gillette Date Codes | 1955 - 1988 | The Adjustable Era

Maybe it will help you "guesstimate" which type will shave better. My takeaways are as follows:

1) The Aristocrat Slim is closest razor to the "Average" adjustable razor.
2) The Bottom Dial Prototype was the mildest of the bunch.
3) The most aggressive commonly available adjustable razor is the "Black Beauty".
4) Good News! The "rare" adjustables are not going to provide you a much different shave than the "common" adjustables.
5) All the adjustable razors are great!
6) Fatboys are cool!
7) Everyone should try a vintage Gillette Adjustable razor. (Ha ha.. I don't sell them!)

 

[tetraodon]

i have a slim right now, but i ordered a fatboy so i await for its arrival, cant any gillette razor be an aristocrat if it has a gold finish or are they mechanically or just different someway?

 

[GlennConti]

i have a slim right now, but i ordered a fatboy so i await for its arrival, cant any gillette razor be an aristocrat if it has a gold finish or are they mechanically or just different someway?

Well, not "any" Gillette razor can be an Aristocrat. For example, the Fatboy has different parts. But, you make a great point! An Aristocrat is basically a Standard Slim, just with gold plating. The tolerances on razors can change over time because of use. The Aristocrat used for the gap testing was a New-Old-Stock one. So, it was most like the from-the-factory conditions as far as alignment or adjustment is concerned. I tried to pick razors that had the least amount of use on them for the testing. So, I should have said "The Aristocrat or the Slim are the closest to the "Average" adjustable Gillette razor." Also, I could have used even more razors to increase the sample size then I would have even better results statistically speaking. About 15 were used for the data collection effort. Captain Murphy just sets all of his razors to one gap regardless of the type. I believe he sets them at position "5" and if you have a Slim or a Super Adjustable or a Fatboy they all get the same treatment calibration wise. I think he uses .032 at position 5. But, I do get the question of how does each razor type compare against another. And, which adjustable type is best? So, as always YMMV. But, at least we now have some data on each of the different types. The Bottom Dial Prototype was also an unused razor in my tests and measurements, and it's blade gaps are significantly different than the average ones. To me that says, Gillette was toying with the setting adjustments and they changed many things over time. So, why not this too?

PS: The difference between gaps from one setting to the next on the same razor seems to be pretty consistent at .003 regardless of razor type. For example, when you go from a "6" to a "7" the gap is going to increase by .003. It does vary a little but I definitely think that is what Gillette was going for.

 

[tetraodon]

Well, not "any" Gillette razor can be an Aristocrat. For example, the Fatboy has different parts. But, you make a great point! An Aristocrat is basically a Standard Slim, just with gold plating. The tolerances on razors can change over time because of use. The Aristocrat used for the gap testing was a New-Old-Stock one. So, it was most like the from-the-factory conditions as far as alignment or adjustment is concerned. I tried to pick razors that had the least amount of use on them for the testing. So, I should have said "The Aristocrat or the Slim are the closest to the "Average" adjustable Gillette razor." Also, I could have used even more razors to increase the sample size then I would have even better results statistically speaking. About 15 were used for the data collection effort. Captain Murphy just sets all of his razors to one gap regardless of the type. I believe he sets them at position "5" and if you have a Slim or a Super Adjustable or a Fatboy they all get the same treatment calibration wise. I think he uses .032 at position 5. But, I do get the question of how does each razor type compare against another. And, which adjustable type is best? So, as always YMMV. But, at least we now have some data on each of the different types. The Bottom Dial Prototype was also an unused razor in my tests and measurements, and it's blade gaps are significantly different than the average ones. To me that says, Gillette was toying with the setting adjustments and they changed many things over time. So, why not this too?

i guess i mixed my term up, i thought all of the gold plated razors where aristocrats, i wonder how different ways of adjusting would affect gap, like loosen silo doors, then adjust, or adjust without loosening. but from the chart the blade gaps seam to be within a few thousandths for the most part.

 

[GlennConti]

i guess i mixed my term up, i thought all of the gold plated razors where aristocrats, i wonder how different ways of adjusting would affect gap, like loosen silo doors, then adjust, or adjust without loosening. but from the chart the blade gaps seam to be within a few thousandths for the most part.

Well when I was measuring the gaps, I loosened the TTO knob or Toggle Lever, then turned the Adjuster Dial, then re-tightened the knob or lever. Cap says there is no need to do that and it doesn't make a difference or hurt your razor. But for consistency that's how I took the measurements. Oh, never shave with the Silo Doors not seated or locked.

 

[olpski]

Great article. I can attest to the observation the Black Beauties are indeed the most aggressive of the bunch.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Dave in KY]

You forgot the Old Type Adjustables

 

[Northstonehill]

Thanks for sharing. Adjustables are my favourite topic

Of the three types I have (Fatboy, Slim, Black Beauty) I find they all have the lead in one dimension or other:

Overall winner (by a small margin): The Slim
Balance: Slim
Size of head: Slim/BB
Grip: Fatboy
Weight: Fatboy
Looks: All beautiful, but to my surprise I find that the Black Beauty has a certain something/"Je ne sais quois"

In terms of shaving quality and aggressiveness I have to say that to me they are quite alike...

I have never been fortunate enough to be near a Bottom Dial or Toggle, so no input there.

YMMV.

 

[GlennConti]

You forgot the Old Type Adjustables
View attachment 778458

Ha! I did say "Vintage" not Antique! But you are giving me some ideas. How about researching the Pre-history of the Vintage Gillette Adjustables? Here is a drugstore ad from September of 1955. Another one of Gillette's attempts to have razor solutions for different buyers. Here we have 3 "adjustments": Light, Medium and Heavy.

 

[GlennConti]

Thanks for sharing. Adjustables are my favourite topic

Of the three types I have (Fatboy, Slim, Black Beauty) I find they all have the lead in one dimension or other:

Overall winner (by a small margin): The Slim
Balance: Slim
Size of head: Slim/BB
Grip: Fatboy
Weight: Fatboy
Looks: All beautiful, but to my surprise I find that the Black Beauty has a certain something/"Je ne sais quois"

In terms of shaving quality and aggressiveness I have to say that to me they are quite alike...

I have never been fortunate enough to be near a Bottom Dial or Toggle, so no input there.

YMMV.

Nice. Here is what Gillette had to say about their new Slim in June of 1962:

The Slim was Trimmer - more compact design. Slimmer - for hard to reach shaving areas. Longer - for better balance with sure grip knurling. Lighter - for easier handling (won't drop it?). And it was about 23% cheaper too!! Low, low price of $1.50 complete. The Slim is still a bargain today...

 

[maybe smith]

I exclusively used a Black Beauty 109 for 30 years and loved it. Never a complaint about the razor or the shave.
RAD has set in and I now have several vintage Gillette's. The BB is now getting serious competition from a 1957 Red Tip Super-Speed.

 

[GlennConti]

I exclusively used a Black Beauty 109 for 30 years and loved it. Never a complaint about the razor or the shave.
RAD has set in and I now have several vintage Gillette's. The BB is now getting serious competition from a 1957 Red Tip Super-Speed.

Makes sense. Now if you would have said Blue Tip, it would have raised eyebrows. Ha, I been shaving with my Slim on "9" and alternating other days with a Red Tip.

 

[Northstonehill]

You guys are tough - some of us are more whimpy, I run my adjustibles at '3'

 

[GlennConti]

You guys are tough - some of us are more whimpy, I run my adjustibles at '3'

I don't have a tough beard, I just like to feel the blade on my skin. Now, I just have to bring myself the courage to run my Merkur Futur at a "6"...

 

[KQY61]

Hi,

The original Aristocrat was a gold plated Old Type with a Bell-end replacing the Ball-end of the handle and in a fancy box.

The second Aristocrat was the first TTO razor, still sporting the Open Comb. It was gold plated though.

Then followed several iterations of Safety Bar TTO units. Some Gold plated, some Rhodium.

Next came the gold plated Slim adjustable. And Glenn has pointed out that the gold plated SA was sold as an Aristocrat as well.

So, all we can say for sure about the Aristocrat name is that Gillette sure did like using it!

Stan

 

[imatabor]

I'm curious about how much the weight of the razor plays into the shave. You say the rarer (I'm guessing the Toggle would be in this category ) razors aren't better gap wise but the heavy weight does add to the aggressiveness.

 

[GlennConti]

I'm curious about how much the weight of the razor plays into the shave. You say the rarer (I'm guessing the Toggle would be in this category ) razors aren't better gap wise but the heavy weight does add to the aggressiveness.

True. Some were heavier and had bulkier heads too. Razor weight, for me, doesn't matter as much. I mean I am controlling the razor with the strength in my hand because I am always "feeling" for the right angle. But, I can see if you have a super-light touch, the razor weight can make a difference on aggressiveness. As far as the gap, the Toggle is more aggressive so a Fatboy "5" doesn't equal a Toggle "5", but it might equal a Toggle at "3". If you are up against the range of an adjustable like I am, you might like the "9" on a Toggle because it gives you a better shave than a "9" on a Fatboy. Or, if you shave at the low end of an adjustable range, a "1" on a Fatboy would work better than a "1" on a Toggle.

 

[BSAGuy]

Interesting research. While there are definitely differences in blade gap, exposure. etc. among razors, I believe that most of the difference in shave has to do with operator skill, angle, blade newness, lather quality, and one's alignment with the earth's magnetic fields.

YMMV.

 

[GlennConti]

Interesting research. While there are definitely differences in blade gap, exposure. etc. among razors, I believe that most of the difference in shave has to do with operator skill, angle, blade newness, lather quality, and one's alignment with the earth's magnetic fields.

YMMV.

Yes, that could very well be true. But, for me what explains RAD is the search for the perfect shaving tool. If most of it was operator skill, any tool would work just as well; and no need for the RAD. It could be only novice and journeyman shavers have the need to acquire so many razors? If they just waited for their skill to catch up to the shaving tool they had, no need to be on the quest. Or, maybe the razor does make a difference?

 

[GlennConti]

PS: My RAD has definitely calmed down a lot since the early days, so there may be a lot of truth to the operator skill/blade newness argument; maybe I have more skill now? But, I have a ton-o-razors. And, I have only bought 2 razors in the last week or two. I am just collecting now though; not for personal use. I most certainly have a tool that works well in the tool box if I need a good shave.