I currently have about 2000 blades with some 300 vintage (1950's Personnas, Fuller Club, Gillette blues, English 7 o'clock) among them. Are they usable (no signs of rust although they are not stainless steel)? Can I shave with them? I'm asking because I don't see anyone of you shave using vintage blades.
Assuming for now you mean just DE blades, I believe that many of the stainless ones from the 1970s have a good reputation as vintage. I've used some Gillette Super Stainless from 1972 (date codes on the blades) and found them as good as anything I'd ever tried. Lasted about 7-8 shaves, too. Also have a pack or two of others, Schick Platinum, Personna 74, that I'll get around to in good time. From what I've read, carbon steel blades are less likely to be worth trying, and the old they are, the truer that is. That's not from personal experience,though, and some people may disagree. I've used many vintage injector blades, and most were very good, probably none made before the 1970s.
I've only tried two - Gillette Thin and Segal. The Gillette worked out very well. The Segal... let's just say the razor has been relegated to a conversation piece. The Segal takes proprietary blades and I wasn't impressed in the least. I'm not sure if the rough (very rough) shave was because of a vintage blade or a very aggressive razor. I looked into having a guy I work with punch out some DE blades to fit the Segal, but it would have been way too expensive for him to set up the die.
No rust is the best sign of usability on old carbon blades ('50s era and prior). A stropper, and possibly a hone, improves them greatly, but some are fine as is. All you can do is try them out and see; no harm in that (again, assuming there's no rust). If you have them, and if they'll shave, might as well use them.
I use vintage carbon blades on a regular basis including Fuller Club, Gillette Blue, Pal, Don Juan, Fan, and many others. They are usable if you can find them in good condition. Even so, the shaves are markedly different than what you've come to expect from stainless blades. Takes some getting used to but in the long run I prefer them. Good shaves with much less nicks and irritation.
Never tried vintage blades, but its something I have contemplated, there is a lot of choice out there. any suggestions?
I've gotten good if not great results from many old brands, including those mentioned above (except Fuller Club, I don't know that one). My advice, for what it's worth: *Rule #1, buy CHEAP or not at all. Don't bother paying more for them than you would pay for a comparable number of modern, cheap stainless blades. It may be fun but shave-wise just isn't worth it. But a couple bucks for a display box full of sealed carbons? Heck yeah! *The key is rust or corrosion. If you see even the slightest trace, pitch it. Try another in the same pack; sometimes one will be bad and the others not. *In my experience, the later the carbon, 1950s, say, the smoother the shave (improved blade technology, no doubt). But good shaves can be had from older ones, too. * I've yet to see a well-preserved, sealed (still glued shut or in cellophane) pack of carbon blades that showed rust -- not even blades from the late '30s. You might could use that as a rule of thumb. *Even some packs that are open can have good blades, but it's more hit and miss. *Injectors: I've never seen an old injector blade that was bad, assuming the magazine was well preserved. The heavy oil they were coated with is why. *I've found far more unusably rusty vintage SEs than DEs. Not sure why. Some I've tried and/or own: Gillette (Thins, Blues, etc) Goldtone Clix Don Juan Pal Rexall (probably Pal) Sheffield Cooper New Wonder Permedge Berkely Sears Roebuck Smith Marlin Silver Star -- a consistently superb carbon blade, imo, if you can find them. I'd like to try Mystery Edge just to say I did but the display boxes I see locally are WAY overpriced. Hope this helps.
Can't say that I've tried the stainless vtg blades but the carbon blades cut me up or tug so much that it is a painful shave. I don't have a stropper for them though but I don't have enough to care, they just kinda sit there.
The thought has occurred to me but I only have a few so it wouldn't be a big thing. I'll probably segregate them from the rest one of these days and then PIF them to someone who appreciates them. I gave some of them to my dad when I went down to FL for t-giving but I still have a few left.
I have been shaving with a pack of old carbon steel Schick injector blades that I got at a flea market for 50 cents. They shave MUCH better than my modern SS injector blades. They give a very comfortable BBS. I have a few vintage Gillette blue blades and thin stainless blades I need to try, as well as a couple of Gem Double life blades that came with my recent acquisition.
Thank you all for your answers! I'll give them a try. As I initially mentioned, all of them are in excellent condition: Gillette blues are factory sealed, Personnas are in metal-plastic dispensers and carton boxed, Fuller Club (blue-black colored blades) and English 7 o'clock are like new. Thanks again. Merry Christmas to everyone .
I pondered this when I came across a box of durex blades at a local antique store. So I went home and shaved with a Gillette thin blade that came with my tuckaway set. I didn't love it. It wasn't as smooth to shave with as my modern blades so I didn't buy the box.
I haven't tried any vintage blades yet, but it's only a matter of time since I've got about a 30 year supply of Astra SPs on hand.
vannm I don't use a DE often, but when I do it's usually with a vintage blade. I love old British Wilkinsons and I've also got a box of blue steel "Regatta" blades from Fuller Brush Co. that I dig into from time to time with good results. I've got a fairly large stock of Minoras that I like too. The current gems in my collection are three packs of Wardonia blades that fit my old bakelite Wardonia razor. They give a great shave, but I hate to use them up. That's the quandry with good vintage blades - find something you like and where do you get more of them? By all means use your vintage blades. You'll likely find some real winners among them. Best Regards Goshawk
I've got some vintage blades as well. No problem so far. I own an Allegro honer/stropper as well and use it on my vintage blades. I remember having an old blade which didn't pas the HH test (hanging hair), but after some honing & stropping it did pass. Had some really nice shaves out of it! So I'd say: use 'em! Enjoy!
With vintage injector blades, definitely, especially Personna 74. With DE and Ender blades, not a chance.
I've used a few vintage Gillette stainless blades. I find them comparable to some of the better modern blades and they last a little longer. But as the shaves are actually superior to what I get from modern blades I'm not willing to pay more or spend much time hunting for them and haven't aquired many.
Same here. Got a pile of Vintage Injector blades (approx. 150 or so...) and have started using them. Although the first one did not impress too much. But in all fairness, that was also my first Injector shave ever, so I will not pass judgment. Have not yet used Vintage DEs (currently Vintage that is). My Feathers might be considered Vintage 10 years from now, as I have enough to last me that long and some..
