Well, I thought I was done acquiring new safety razors, as I have been using straights for a little while now. But, I came across this one at the local antique shop today. I had wanted to try one, so I went ahead and got it. I will give it a go tomorrow to see how it shaves, but I am pretty excited to try it.
Congrats on the find. I found mine in the Wild too. I didn't know what I had, but it looked good, and was heavy. Mine looked like yours, and I had it replated in nickel. Excellent razor that shaves very well.
It is the only vintage DE that made the cut in my den. If you like aggressive DE you will love this razor. I enjoyed mine so Michael I got it replated.
It is probably the best deal I have found in that store. They are usually a bit sparse. The weight is fantastic, though. Heaviest DE I have.
It's not even close, when you hold them together, or when you shave with them. The Barbasol is big, heavy, and is aggressive. The 23c isn't either.
The floating head and non floating head look very similar, until you take the cap off, so make sure you know before you bid. I would compare the Barbasol Razor with the Gillette Big Fellow, only slightly more agile, for some reason. Although I like them both.
That one has been there for a little while at least. I am surprised it doesn't get offered up on a true auction. It would probably sell for close to that, maybe more.
So I have a couple of shaves in with this razor. I posted about it in the July Focus thread, but here is the bulk of what I said: I don't want to rush to judgement, as I have just two shaves with it, but I will say it has potential to leap up my list of favorite DE razors. I have read about it being aggressive, and I guess that I could see that, but I would say it is extremely efficient. Some of the other razors I have tried in the past that were described as aggressive felt almost harsh. That probably isn't the best description, but I often get a little irritation afterwards, and I can definitely feel them cutting. This razor does not seem that way. I haven't had any irritation to speak of, and I don't really feel it cutting too much. I am interested to see if this opinion continues as I go through the month.
I don't understand why people are so ga-ga over vintage gillettes. This is The vintage razor in my book. Glad to see you are getting along so well with it.
I have a couple Gillettes I love, like the Aristocrat and FB, but honestly this one may be more impressive. I have been able to get my closest shaves with either a straight, injector, or Rolls. So far, this one is near that list.
I've said it in the past, when I first tried my Barbasol Floating Head Razor. It is like a very agile efficient Tank. Wonderful razor. All this talk is inspiring me to break it out and shave with it again. The only negative with this razor is its original chrome plating. Unfortunately it sucks. It deteriorates easily, with constant use, and the brass under the plating erodes, more than expected. So, when you get one with plating wear, find a good plating business that will take their time with it. I was lucky and the replate turned out well. In all, I spent $5.95 for the razor, and $35 to have it nickel plated.
