I posted a thread a few months back about my wife finding a couple of vintage razors her dad had given her years ago, a Flair Tip Super Speed, and a Slim adjustable. I cleaned them up, and have begun using the adjustable in particular. What a shaving machine! I started on the 4 setting, moved up to 5, and then to 6. I absolutely love it! So far I've tried Personna Med Prep and Wilkinson Sword blades. It does great with either, but the Wilkies don't last beyond about 3 or 4 shaves. I just got a shipment from TSD, several soap samples, and some new blades to try. I got the Gillete 7:00 Yellow, Voskhod, and 7:00 A.M. Planning on trying one of those new blades shortly, but haven't decided which one yet. If you've never tried an adjustable razor, I highly recommend it. It has some heft, which I like, and i love the ability to dial in the aggressiveness to your liking.
I've been using the same Slim Adjustable since the early 70's and love it also. I've recently purchase a Fat Boy and love it even more than the Slim. If you ever get the chance give a Fat Boy a try. I think you will really enjoy it.
I used my Slim all last week. I agree it's a great shaver. The week before that I used a Super Adjustable and the Slim felt even smoother for some reason.
As I moved the settings up, the shaves were still smooth, and on 5, and especially 6, I had to do much less touch-up. I'll probably try 7 and see if I start getting weepers. If so, I'll be quite happy on 6. I don't have particularly sensitive skin, and a fairly heavy and tough beard. So far, I have not had any irritation whatsoever. Also, the Wilkinson Sword blades for me are so so in every other razor I have, but did well in the Slim. I'll still use my other razors, but I'm really impressed by the Slim.
That's the great thing about an adjustable, if you don't like the setting, change it until you find a setting you do like. Unlike a fixed head, if you don't like it, you're off in search of the next one, which you might not like, either! I leave mine locked at 6.
It's not so much that I get a better shave with the Fat Boy, it's just that it feels more comfortable to hold.
After the dozens of razors that I have used, it is still my overall favorite. It is my go to razor when I need to get it right the first time. It was what I used to baseline my long term blade testing. http://theshaveden.com/forums/threads/de-blade-challenge-ii-addendum.33136/
I tried my new (to me) 1966 Slim this morning. Set to 5, I got a great "for work" shave with 2 passes.
Sorry to hijack a thread, but I gotta ask... What is a "for work" shave? Is that different than a "dinner and a movie" shave? All my shaves are the same - I strive for the best I can get every time. There is no such thing as "not enough time so I had to rush my shave." If I don't have time to take my time and enjoy my shave, I don't have time to shave, period. We now return you to your regularly scheduled thread already in progress.
This weekend, I purchased three new razors at an antique store. I got a '58 Super Speed TV, a '58 Fat Boy Adjustable, and a "65 Slim Handled Adjustable. They cleaned up really nicely. Took them to work today and ran them through the autoclave so Shaving one in the morning will be on the agenda. Looking forward to it, it'll be the first time I've used an adjustable.
I'm very new to DE shaving (9 days), but I love my Slim. I also have a Super Speed and used it the first 5 days of shaving. The shave was close, but lots of irritation. I know my problem is mostly technique and will get better with practice. However, on day 6 I started using my Slim. The 4 days that I have been using the Slim have been great. Every shave has been irritation free and BBS with just a couple of spots that could have used a little more touch-up. I'm still learning, though, and expect that it will only get better.
Good example of YMMV. I prefer my Slims for the same reason. I have 3 Slims and 1 Fatboy; I may sell that Fatboy.
My definition of a"for work" shave is one that looks clean shaven (i believe its referred to as a DFS , Damn Fine Shave)but is not a Babes Bottom Smooth ,BBS shave . I would usually need 3-4 passes plus buffing to get a BBS. Dinner and movie shave would definitely have to be a BBS
I have a '62 Slim that I absolutely love. I haven't been using it lately, but it remains a special razor to me. My dad has one too and I got him a '72 Super Adjustable for Father's Day. I used that, but still like my Slim more. It's my most dependable shaver.
I've finally had a chance to try out my new/old adjustable. Started on 4, and worked up to 6 and it seems perfect. Not sure if I should take it any further, got BBS this morning right where it was at.
+1 I say this to many folks...a simple two pass shave is the epitome of wet DE shaving. The Slim is one of the tools of choice (is it in the permanent exhibition in MOMA...if not it should be!) and is the best means of re-introducing this art to lads who have strayed over to cartridge shavers. Let's face it, to get many more folks into DE, we need to make sure it's easy, quick and simple...
