I'm curious as to which handles are compatible with which heads when it comes to the various three piece razors. i.e. will a Gillette Tech head fit on a Lord L6 handle or a RiMei handle, will a will a Lord L6 head fit on an Edwin Jagger handle or a Cadet handle? Mostly I'm curious about the vintage Gillette razors and their compatibility with the less expensive razor handles (RiMei, Concord, Cadet, Lord), but I would like to know about compatibility in general.
AFAIK, all the thread sizes and "genders" were standardized early on, so interchanging parts should not be an issue. There are a few vintage off brands that are either a different thread size or are swapped gender (male end where modern is a female end or vice versa) but those oddballs are rare.
I was under the impression that many European razors (Edwin Jagger, Merkur, etc.) used metric sized threads, while many others (Gillette, Ikon, Weber) use standard sizes.
I could be wrong, but I don't think that's the case. I'm sure an expert will be along soon to clear it up for us.
I know that Jagger heads can fit on Weber handles, Tech handles, just from seeing other people using these various combos. I don't know if Merkur is interchangeable even with other Merkurs.
Even with the metric to non-metric, most fit. There are some exceptions, of course. The FaTip, for example, as a slightly different thread size and the screw part of the head is extremely long, so it won't fit on all handles. You can put a Tech head on an EJ handle, and vice versa.
Interesting. I have a Gillette Old Type head coming my way, but the only three piece razors that I currently own are an Edwin Jagger DE86 and a Sik Bay plastic. I had a Lord L6, but I gave it away (I never tried the Edwin Jagger head on its handle or vice versa). I wasn't sure if I was going to have to buy a Tech off of eBay to use the Gillette Old Type head or not, which got me thinking about compatibility in general. I have some RiMei razors coming that might work, but they won't be here for a while and I don't want to wait to use the Old Type head.
An Old Type shouldn't have any issues with handles, I've used several vintage Gillettes on Jagger Handles, iKon Bulldog handle, etc and there were no issues. Similarly I've tossed Jagger heads on old Gillette handles without issue as well.
The Old Type fits just about anything very well. The only issue I have is with Gillette NEW heads not fitting a number of handles. There is a small bump that runs the length of the underside of the head with a small area milled out for the handle to attach. Many of the artisan handles are of too large a diameter to snug down.
On the handle sights like UFO, they list the types of razors the handle is compatible with. Be aware though, that there is a difference in the diameter of that slot PanChano is referring to, between the Long and short comb Gillette new type..the long comb has a wider slot diameter. The tech has an open plan on the baseplate, but is significantly lighter than the head on a new or an Edwin. The Tech head weighs about 20 grams compared to 30 or so on the EJ. This discrepancy in head weight will show a noticeable difference in the balance of the razor, with the Tech being significantly more handle heavy...
I've done a fair amount of experimenting with Frankenrazors. I've never had a problem getting a handle to attach to a head. I currently have a Lord Tech clone and a Gillette NEW. I used to have a Sabi , an old MP r89 (the old Fatip design) and miscellaneous Tech parts. The problems I had were tightness and balance. Sometimes the handle would screw too tight or not tight enough. And especially with the long and heavy Sabi handle, sometimes the razor balance was significantly thrown off, which would create a significantly more aggressive shave.
I think this actually may be the issue I have with my New Long Comb + iKon Bulldog, causing some uneven blade exposure. I noticed the stock handle has a much thinner neck.
No my friend,the majority of handles works to any other head There is a great interchangeability at 8 x 0.5 mm i can say From all of my DE's one or two have a problem with that but they are No famous. Here is one example: Vintage Rasoi Open Comb Long Tooth Safety Razor (Silver - Made in Italy) http://ksyrisma-shaving.blogspot.gr/2011/11/de-safety-razors_17.html
To add to this, the 3-piece RiMei chinese razors have a shorter hole (for a shorter screw) that doesn't allow many razor heads to fit. Don't know if others also have this issue.
That was my impression, also. I do know that every one of my 3 piece handles will fit every one of my 3 piece heads.
The most of razors use either metric (mm) M5 x 0.8 or Imperial (inch) 10-32 threads. Female M5 x 0.8 will work with male 10-32, but female 10--32 will NOT work with male M5 x 0.8. Now, the modern Fatip appeared to be a different story. I do not know what thread they use. My prewar Fat Handle appeared to be metric. so it will work with say DE89 head.
I hereby certify that they are indeed interchangeable. I have used my Jagger handle on my vintage Gillette Ball End and have this custom handle that I use on my Feather, Jagger and Gillette. The only one I believe it won't work on is the one that has a long screw that goes deep into the handle.
I just took a trip where I used the handle from a $3 Rimei and a 1960s Gillette Travel Tech head. No problems and the combo was a nice, mild shaver. Perfect for rushed morning shaves by a guy suffering from jet lag in a strange hotel room.