Which Vintage Gillette Adjustable Razor is the best?

[GlennConti]

I don't think the sideways measuring technique is correct because the edges and center neck down. You should be measuring with the narrow end only under the lather slots, and jamming it in less than a millimetre.

How do you explain that I get a gap of approximately .011" on essentially new Fatboys at Position "1"? Are you saying that the gap pinches to .011" at the edges and center, but at the lather slots the gap opens up to .022"; twice as much!?! I would expect no more than a 20% difference using your methodology - from my pictures above. With the gauge across the entire space I got a .010" (the 1st picture) and with the gauge inserted as you suggest (my 3rd picture), I got a .012" gap. This is a difference of 20% which I believe I only got by dis-forming or distorting the razor blade in an area of less support for the blade.

Thought exercise: Shouldn't the blade edge be parallel to the safety bar along the entire edge of the safety bar? If so, why not use the gauge as I have done? If the gauge has to be "jammed" in at only the lather slots (the area of least support for the blade), this is giving you a distorted view of what the gap is along the entire width of the razor head.

 

[santamariasteve]

How do you explain that I get a gap of approximately .011" on essentially new Fatboys at Position "1"? Are you saying that the gap pinches to .011" at the edges and center, but at the lather slots the gap opens up to .022"; twice as much!?! I would expect no more than a 20% difference using your methodology - from my pictures above. With the gauge across the entire space I got a .010" (the 1st picture) and with the gauge inserted as you suggest (my 3rd picture), I got a .012" gap. This is a difference of 20% which I believe I only got by dis-forming or distorting the razor blade in an area of less support for the blade.

Thought exercise: Shouldn't the blade edge be parallel to the safety bar along the entire edge of the safety bar? If so, why not use the gauge as I have done? If the gauge has to be "jammed" in at only the lather slots (the area of least support for the blade), this is giving you a distorted view of what the gap is along the entire width of the razor head.

Brother GlennConti,

I agree with your thought exercise of using the gauge "lengthwise." Disclaimer: However, I'm not a machinist.

 

[rudyt]

How do you explain that I get a gap of approximately .011" on essentially new Fatboys at Position "1"? Are you saying that the gap pinches to .011" at the edges and center, but at the lather slots the gap opens up to .022"; twice as much!?!

Please don't put words in my mouth. I never said the gap doubles at the lather slots, I just said the edges pinch. 20% sounds right, which you've confirmed. I still can't explain why your new Fatboys have such a small gap other than (a) they came from the factory differently, or (b) we measure differently.

Anyway, we seem to be going in circles on this one - how about getting out of this rut and moving on to settings @ 5. CAP, the wiki, and I all agree on 0.032" @ 5, but your chart says 0.025" @ 5.

If the gauge has to be "jammed" in at only the lather slots (the area of least support for the blade), this is giving you a distorted view of what the gap is along the entire width of the razor head.

I've been using feeler gauges since the early 1980s, and an aware that the #1 rule for using them is not to have the gauge itself change the measurement.

There is absolutely no "jamming" going on. None. No distortion whatsoever when I do my measurements. I don't jam the gauge in the slots and pry up, I push it in at the right angle and check for loose positive contact with minimal grag while moving side to side - the feeler gauge is never snug.

 

[GlennConti]

I don't think the sideways measuring technique is correct because the edges and center neck down. You should be measuring with the narrow end only under the lather slots, and jamming it in less than a millimetre.

Sorry, I was just using your words. I didn't believe I was putting words in your mouth. I actually remember setting spark plug gaps on my dual carb old school 1969 Triumph Spitfire Mark III. Peace brother.

 

[rudyt]

Sorry, I was just using your words. I didn't believe I was putting words in your mouth. I actually remember setting spark plug gaps on my dual carb old school 1969 Triumph Spitfire Mark III. Peace brother.

OK I see the confusion. I thought you implied I said the gap doubles at the lather slots. In retrospect, I used the word "jamming" when I meant "inserting", and I can see where you thought I implied I forced it in.

Coincidentally, I'm in the process of going back to points on my 1965 Mustang to try to diagnose why it's running so badly - it has an electronic ignition conversion. I've owned the car since 1979, but it has not driven since 2001.

 

[rudyt]

I agree with your thought exercise of using the gauge "lengthwise." Disclaimer: However, I'm not a machinist.

Mechanical engineer here. Technically speaking, gaps are best measured with the narrowest "gauge" possible and moved side to side to detect gap variations. A "lengthwise" gauge will only measure the smallest gap.

Example: If just the endpoints of the width of the razor are at 0.020" and the rest is at 0.030", the sideways lengthwise feeler gauge would say the gap is 0.020" (because that's the thickest gauge that fits the whole span) while a narrow feeler moved side to side would give the true picture; the gap is mainly 0.030" with a pinch at the ends. If 95% of the span is at 0.030" and 5% of the span is at 0.020", the razor will feel more like a 30 thou gap than a 20 thou gap.

 

[emwolf]

wow, i really appreciate all the scientific research and graphic know-how that's gone into this post. I love my Gillette adjustable razors. I have a gold-plated super heirloom that started me down the rabbit hole, a birth year/quarter slim, and a few others. Still looking for that toggle in the wild.

 

[neil13]

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!)

Which razor is this ?

 

[rockviper]

Which razor is this ?

I'm pretty sure it's not an adjustable.

 

[Runnin_Ute]

Only have one - a 63 Slim. (I2) Love it. I could easily use this as my only razor.

 

[Benzadmiral]

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...

View attachment 778460

Glenn, your site is a fantastic resource. My daily and now only shaver is a Slim Adjustable with the red and clear plastic case. I think it's from 1962, but I'd have to look at the date code again and then compare it to the date code table on your site. After more than 50 years, the razor still works without a bobble.

The fascinating thing is the price. $1.50!!! I know I must have walked past them at the local drugstores as a kid.

 

[MarkPrater]

Only have one - a 63 Slim. (I2) Love it. I could easily use this as my only razor.

I agree with you, love my Slim.

 

[Juijitsu2010]

Gillette had a winner with the Adjustable Razor/Double Edge Blade combo and their greatest market share (70+%). But, they needed to keep growing the business for shareholders. Hence the need for expensive Proprietary Blades. First, the abortive Techmatic razor and subsequently the cartridge multi-blade razors. More expensive to consumers and cheaper to produce so more profit for shareholder. Gillette had to sell out to Procter & Gamble. As you said, a few decades later, they are losing market share and recently had to resort to discounting as new innovations have not been able to save them from the likes of Dollar Shave Club and Harrys.

But in the 1950s and 1960s, Gillette ruled with the adjustable razor/DE blade combo. If it doesn't work for you, well, as they say - you sir are an outlier. Gillette wanted to satisfy as many people with their product as possible to grab all the market. Prior to the adjustable, it was the Trio of Super-Speed Razors (Red Tip, etc..) to accomplish the same goal.

You fail to take into consideration the world doesn't shave like the U.S..Alot of the world still uses de razors and Gillette owns that market...India.....Russia........Africa.......South America......Gillette is huge.

 

[juno]

I would say the Slim is the best of the 3. I love my Fatboy, but the Slim is just an all around improvement. The Super adustables are a big step down in terms of quality and materials. Cost cutting measures took their toll. They feel light in weight and cheaply constructed.

 

[THall]

I have 195s, Slims, a Super 84 and Super 109s (Brass baseplates). Out of all, the best shaver for me is the 1973 Super 84. It is the smoothest and only takes me 2 passes for BBS. The rest are also terrific but not quite as smooth and take 3 passes for BBS.

One would think that the Super 84 would be exactly the same as the Slim. The heads do look just about identical except my 1962 and 1964 Slims have different hinge tabs and the Super 84 has the longer baseplate (Some 1968 Slims have the Super baseplate but don’t own one to compare). The Super 84 is slightly top heavy, not unbalanced but the aluminum handle makes a difference and there are some gap differences. Obviously the 109 has that longer handle but no real weight difference. My Slims have equal gaps and are in excellent functional condition. I should also note that my Super 84 is NOS or was until I got it.

The Super 84 is also tied with my Old Type and Gibbs adjustable out of all my razors, modern and vintage, expensive and not so in quality of shave. The Super 84 only edges out my Gibbs because it doesn’t require blade mods (Not a big deal) and it is my birthday razor (Big deal to me anyway).

 

[xiletero]

I have 195s, Slims, a Super 84 and Super 109s (Brass baseplates). Out of all, the best shaver for me is the 1973 Super 84. It is the smoothest and only takes me 2 passes for BBS. The rest are also terrific but not quite as smooth and take 3 passes for BBS.

One would think that the Super 84 would be exactly the same as the Slim. The heads do look just about identical except my 1962 and 1964 Slims have different hinge tabs and the Super 84 has the longer baseplate (Some 1968 Slims have the Super baseplate but don’t own one to compare). The Super 84 is slightly top heavy, not unbalanced but the aluminum handle makes a difference and there are some gap differences. Obviously the 109 has that longer handle but no real weight difference. My Slims have equal gaps and are in excellent functional condition. I should also note that my Super 84 is NOS or was until I got it.

The Super 84 is also tied with my Old Type and Gibbs adjustable out of all my razors, modern and vintage, expensive and not so in quality of shave. The Super 84 only edges out my Gibbs because it doesn’t require blade mods (Not a big deal) and it is my birthday razor (Big deal to me anyway).

Agree, I have a few of each and this seems to be the best shaver. Have one 84 that came with a broken "clicker" so that one spins 360 x 3... I don't like to use it... eyed it to a comparable #5 but the adjustment can move with little effort. Never tried how aggressive it might get.

 

[tonich]

OT got it totally wrong. Poor guy!
No one should really bother on using adjustable razors.

 

[THall]

Agree, I have a few of each and this seems to be the best shaver. Have one 84 that came with a broken "clicker" so that one spins 360 x 3... I don't like to use it... eyed it to a comparable #5 but the adjustment can move with little effort. Never tried how aggressive it might get.

You could possibly get a spring replacement via a challenged beater on eBay. I think RE also sells replacements now but I’m not sure of cost.

I really love that razor. Never tried the later Super Adjustables with the nylon baseplate. I think if I saw one in the wild, might pick one up out of curiosity but I’m not actively looking.

 

[xiletero]

You could possibly get a spring replacement via a challenged beater on eBay. I think RE also sells replacements now but I’m not sure of cost.

I really love that razor. Never tried the later Super Adjustables with the nylon baseplate. I think if I saw one in the wild, might pick one up out of curiosity but I’m not actively looking.

Interestingly I got one w plastic (for cheap) and it shaves very well, might be even more efficient.
The trouble w these is the aluminum used un the handles might prevent them from being crimped if you open them...so for the time I think I will leave the little one as a real super adjustable (from no gap to a lot of gap)

 

[THall]

Interestingly I got one w plastic (for cheap) and it shaves very well, might be even more efficient.
The trouble w these is the aluminum used un the handles might prevent them from being crimped if you open them...so for the time I think I will leave the little one as a real super adjustable (from no gap to a lot of gap)

The actual spring that is visible on the dial can be replaced. Wouldn’t have to replace the razor. Some people sell junked razors for cheap on auction for a few dollars which you could use as a donor.

The aluminum handles are fine, but you only get one shot to have one revamped for new plating because of the crimp. Can be done, once. If you get a beater, keep the handle also. The same spring for the Slims, Supers and SAs. Not sure if the 195 has the same spring.