Advice on '73 "Black Beauty" adjustable, aggressiveness in general?

Ah... but you're presuming I *have* a Super Speed... which I do not. (grin)

My logic went the other way around... figured if I was going to try a Gillette TTO razor from my birth year, why not go with an adjustable, so I can dial in the setting that works best?

If I can't find a setting that works, I think I'll just call it quits on TTOs, and shave mostly with the Old Type and/or the Goodwill that's on its way to me.

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Is that a request

I'll admit that I haven't used any of my adjustables as of yet. Strange, considering I have five of them, but maybe not so strange when you consider I have close to a hundred razors lying around. I'm sort of working from oldest to newest at the moment, determining what I want to keep, and what to pass on. My point was simply that if you're forced to have ONE angle, you're more likely to pay attention to the shape of the head itself. The TTO head has been pretty much the same since the Regent Tech and Senator.

 

That's interesting. I was under that impression that the "5" setting was equal to the gap on the regular SuperSpeed. I though the Red Tip was about 8 or 9 and the Blue Tip about 1 or 2.

 

The step down is because there is less hair than the previous pass.
As far as sharp, aggressive, harsh, they're all sharp.
I'll use myself as an example.
As stated above, Voskhod in the SA-109. In my NEW Short Comb, GSB works the best. My '52 Super Speed Black Tip, it's a toss up between the Shark Super Chrome and the Voskie. From feel I give a slight edge to the Shark, but the Voskie would work too. In my EJ DE89bl Shark was the hands down winner. But that was before I was acquainted with Russian steel. I'm just too lazy to go back and audition again. I get great shaves with the Shark. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

 

@RetLEO-07 -- Are you using a 30°-ish angle, riding the cap, or something in-between? My Black Beauty seems to engage at a reeeally flat angle, i.e. really not that far from top-of-cap-on-face.

Ok... yes, there's less hair, but the remaining hair is also shorter... see my confusion? If you cut the longer hair with an aggressive setting, then back off on the aggressiveness, aren't you dialing down the blade's "reach" right when you most need it (to cut closer and remove shorter stubble)? If that's not the case, then I think I'm fundamentally misunderstanding the concept of aggressiveness when it comes to a razor.

Sure, but they're not all equally aggressive or harsh/mild, in my experience. For that matter, the general consensus (echoed by your own earlier post) is that they're not equally sharp, either... just saying that "sharpness" doesn't feel like a helpful measure for me. As long as the blade's not noticeably tugging at my beard, it's sharp enough in my book... all I care about is whether it's mild/smooth on my skin and whether it delivers a close shave with my razors.

Yeah, that's kind of what I came around to on blades, myself (eventually): Polsilver SIs and Rapira PLs are good enough that I'm not interested in auditioning even more blades. I've tried at least a dozen.

In the case of razor model, razor angle, adjustable razor settings, though... my shaving setup is still "broken," unless I'm gonna shave exclusively with my 1918 Old Type OC and Polsilver Super Iridium, which is the only combo I've nailed a BBS with so far.

I like the idea of having a razor rotation, though, so I'm fine with continuing to "fix" the experience on my other razors, even if it means trying them with some of my "runner-up" blades like GSBs, Derbys or 7 o'clock Greens.

 

With the SA-109 I don't really ride the cap. Not sure if the angle is thirty. I've heard it said that it's beard reduction we're all shooting for. Since there is no pressure as in cart shaving each pass cuts a little more hair until you get that BBS feeling.

 

Is that an offer?

That's a good data point. If accurate, then there's probably no point in acquiring a regular Super Speed (@Bookworm), because 5 didn't work for me without applying firm pressure. At least with a Polsilver SI.

Fair enough... although I could just exercise willpower and stop changing the adjustment setting every day. Nah, who am I kidding.

Well, it's possible I will have enough willpower at some point down the line. (grin)

 

That's how it was done on the Fatboy and I'm assuming the same for the Slim and Black Beauty.

 

Nice razor, enjoy your shaves.

 

Riding the cap is just a way to get the best angle for the shave. It is all the same for an aggressive or mild razor. The angle you want is the same right? The blade does not touch the face more on aggressive razor then a mild razor does it? Once it touches the skin that is all you want right? The shaves from a mild razor are just as good as those from an aggressive razor. Assuming solid technique and no damaged equipment.Adjustables are a way for someone to have several razors in one. Instead 0f buying a blue tip flair tip and red tip you buy a black beauty and set to what you prefer. Just my .02 as usual.

 

I totally agree with you there.

I don't know... this is not my understanding of razor aggressiveness at all. I don't think the angle you want really is always the same. Maybe a mod or board veteran can weigh in?

The adjustments seem to only change the distance between the baseplate and the blade... if you're riding the cap on any razor, the only thing that matters is the angle the razor head bends the blade into. That's going to be different from razor to razor, but afaik it's not affected by the adjustment on a Black Beauty.

Unless I'm missing something, if you're really riding the cap, it doesn't make any difference how far away the baseplate is... in fact, you could completely remove the safety bar and it wouldn't make any difference at all to the shave... so on a Black Beauty you have to use a steeper angle for the adjustment to make a difference.

I'd love to hear others weigh in... I'm still a newbie, and could easily be missing something in my understanding.

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It is still just a razor. Basically the adjustable is just a gimmick to guys like me. There is no need for it. With proper technique one razor is just like another. Like you pointed out your not adjusting anything on the blade. Who cares where the safety bar is? The razor does not control the angle the user does. People get too tied up in gimmicks.

 

Thus the 2,3,4,5 and now 6 bladed cartridge razor

 

Egggggggggzacally!!!

 

A razor being mild or aggressive does not make it a better or worse shaver. That is all controlled by the user. A guy who has good technique can shave with either and get a solid shave.

 

I pretty much agree with what you said, as I keep my adjustables on #5, same as Superspeed/Flair Tip gaps. The only times I raise the setting is when I don't shave for a number of days and put it at 8 or 9, but only on the first pass. Makes it easier to rinse out because of the larger gap. But it goes back down to 5 for the rest of the shave. But one difference is when using my Fatboy, it does seem to shave a bit better than my Slim or Black Beauties because of it being heavier, which I like. But that's me.

 

You make a good point. An aggressive blade gap is easier to keep clean with a longer beard. Good use for one because it does not clog. Your not changing the gap to change the shave. A lot of people like a heavier razor. I found out last night a heavier shavette feels better to me.

 

Dorco actually makes a 7-bladed cartridge razor. For the life of me, though, I just can't picture somebody sitting there and saying, "Damn! This 6-bladed razor just isn't shaving me close enough. If only someone would come out with a 7-bladed razor!"

Personally, though, I'm not sure I buy the idea of an adjustable razor being a "gimmick". But, admittedly, I don't have any experience with non-safety razors (e.g., straights and shavettes), so as much as I try to "ride the cap", I do still seem to need that safety bar there at an appropriate distance to keep me from hurting myself. That said, I do think agressiveness in a razor may be overrated. Basically, I think there are those people who have a mental disconnect on the idea of a mild yet efficient razor and only feel they are being shaved closely if they can literally feel the blade on their skin.

 

It's like when I first tried a DE89 head on a regular type handle. It just didn't do it for me. But after I received another razor with a heavy custom handle, I tried it on the DE89. And what a world of difference. It is now a favorite and in my daily rotation.

 

This is why the SA-109 is my least favorite Gillette Adjustable. I much prefer the heft of the Fatboy or even the Slim.