Will my old Gillette tech razor shave as good as the new razors?

[chris.hale]

At the moment I'm firmly in the honeymoon period with my Weber, but previously I was rotating a 1960s alu-handled Tech and a Merkur HD. They're shave differently, the HD is more aggressive, but they both give me a smooth comfortable shave. Which is better would be a matter of personal preference, and for me, is usually dependent on how I feel on the day.

 

[valhallan]

Personally, I prefer a ball-end Gillette Tech to anything else. I have an Edwin Jagger DE89, which is a beautiful razor, and a couple of superspeeds, but if you're getting great shaves with your Tech, why switch? Some guys CAN'T get a good shave with a Tech, and some guys (like me) get their best shaves with a Tech. It really is a YMMV situation, even with Techs; some guys swear by a fat-handle, some like the ball-end, etc.

Really, the three piece design of a Tech is as simple and elegant as it gets, and all other three piece razors (including modern ones) share the same basic design. Even the ultra-cool and pricey Feather All Stainless is basically a Tech design. Now, heads differ as far as blade angle, blade exposure, and such, but these aren't improvements per se. They're just different setups for different preferences. In other words, while there are those who certainly get better shaves from different razors, old and new, the Tech's design (IF it works for you) is a classic, and there's no reason to look for a modern update of it.

If you do want to try out some other razors, well, we're all prone to buying shiny new stuff around here; enjoy your quest. And if you find you greatly prefer your Tech, you can always sell your other razors on the BS&T.

It is rare indeed, but i couldn't have said it (logically) better than you did up there. Sound reasonsing indeed.

Personally, i got my first safety razors - Viking Blades' Chieftain and Vulcan (for face/head and body respectively) - as i didn't know much about DE-Shaving, but wanted to move from my Gillette Proglide experience to something that isn't grossly overpriced but as effective and better.

After the above, i discovered that one could even consider vintage models, and hence, i chose the Gillette Tech for my face and head shaves. I should be getting it in the mail in a day or two, and will adapt to it enough to have good, clean and smooth shaves with it. After all, i was thinking, my father had great shaves with his Gillette Superspeed for decades. Something about those times when men just got on with what they got and fused with the idiosyncracies of the scabbard that was available.

As i'm more into the past than the present - for its character - I'll retire my VBs and will stick to the Tech - though i'll still use the Vulcan for its long-handled and grippy convenience for body shaves in the shower - and will save my 'desire for something new' to picking up personal interests. And i'm sure my newly-discovered Concord quadruple-coated blades (made in Istanbul in the same factory that churns out Derbys) will be perfect with it. (real smooth and efficient....better than the Astras in my experience)

This isn't a diss on those with RAD of course.

 

[Rusty Blade]

IMO the Fat Handle Tech is the closest thing to shaving perfection. An engineering marvel. One of the Wonders of the World.

 

[Benzadmiral]

I enjoy using my postwar fat-handled Tech, and will have its gold finish replated before too much longer. I'm considering getting another nickel-finish one to use as a travel razor.

 

[ajkel64]

Yes, the Tech is just a fantastic razor. I just need to get a gold one.

 

[pdieten]

I'm not old enough to remember when these were sold new. Was the Tech a cheaper option than the TTO models when they were sold at the same time?

 

[steveclarkus]

The best DE I’ve ever used was the Gillette “New”. I thing they were made in the ‘20’s but there are plenty around.

 

[Macfrommichigan]

I shaved for years with a ball end Tech. Try one with a Feather blade!

 

[BigJ]

One of the best razors ever made IMHO!

 

[John Rose]

A Pre-war Fat-handle Tech was my second razor, and it's still near the top of my rotation.

These days though, I'm liking a couple of Super-Speed variations - Black-handle Super-Speed, a Flare-tip Rocket, and (I guess) a British Aristocrat Junior.

I like the lighter mass of vintage razors (45-70 g?), compared to modern 100-plus g razors.

[edit]
An undocumented feature of Techs (and many other 3-piece razors) is that you can flip the base plate, and throw it in a bag with a blade in it, and it will still be perfectly safe. The base plate will cover the blade edges.

 

[Howler]

I like my Techs. I have a couple of different models that I got when I was interested in collecting razors. I find that the techs are great shavers, I just happen to like my Merkur 34G and my RazoRock Mamba and Game Changer more.

 

[DougK]

I only have three models of DE left in my collection:

1. Wilkinson Sword Classic
2. Feather Popular
3. Gillette ball-end Tech

You can probably figure out from the title of this thread which one will be the last to go. For me, the Tech is nearly perfect, especially with a Feather blade. It just feels good in my hand and on my face. I PIF'd one away once, and promptly bought another. Take away the rest of my razors, but leave me that one and I'll be fine.

 

[Quaznoid]

Tech: Effortless BBS everytime

 

[Bumpymacaroon]

I have 6 techs of various ages, the pre war flat bottom is my favourite, however since purchasing a razorock teck 2 i have moved away from the vintage techs and use the new one as my go to daily, its a great razor for the price and it’s head also covers the wings of the blade a feature I like as I had a tendency to nick my nose