Found this guy today at an antique store. It was the only razor they had and I never had an open comb so I figured what the hell. Pictures are before and after polishing, it really cleaned up nicely especially compared to the condition it was in. Only one nick on the side and some wear on the bottom of the handle but other then that it's in good shape. Does anybody know what I have here? There's no markings on it except for a serial number on the open comb part of the head reading PC 47205. Unfortunately no box came with it :/
Not sure (someone will know) but the teeth are remarkably straight for its age. Probably on the aggressive side, shavewise.
Don't be scared. Just be cautious. Remember these are called 'safety razors' for a reason. And it cleaned up great! I'd say: pop in a blade and have a shave!
You've got a Gillette 'old type' open comb DE..maybe 1912-14. At first it's best to run it on the shallower side..riding the cap..to get the optimum cutting angle and it might take a bit of fiddling to get the blade exposure even on both sides. Looks in nice shape congrats...
http://www.mr-razor.com/Rasierer/Old Type/Old Type.htm Looks like a Franken Razor with the 1910/1911 head made in Canada
No way! Im very new to the vintage razor world and still learning a lot. I came across something really cool then. Thank you!
No problem. Some really like this razor and can get great shaves with it. Here's a fellow doing a shave with a similar shaver to yours..
I don't find those Old Types very aggressive at all. The blade pretty much sits on the comb so there's almost no blade gap. I saw an ad someone posted a while back that showed for a more aggressive shave you can loosen the handle. I'm not sure I'm comfortable doing that. Anyway, don't sweat it. Just give it a try.
I agree with Brian. An Old Type of one ilk or another has been my go-to razor of choice for over 25 years and personally, I think you're in for a real treat. Congrats and enjoy! Here's a copy of an old advert detailing the "adjustability" of the Old Type as well. It shows the Single Ring but the technique is equally effective with a 3-piece design like in the OP. "Tilt the handle so you can just feel the blade engage the beard."
Nah, go for it. They're not anywhere near as harsh as they look. I use one of these often. Great shave.
So I just shaved with it. Its not the best shave Ive gotten but its definitely a close one. I really had to go in afterwards with my Merkur HD (34C) and go against the grain one more time to get the BBS feel I really love. I'm sure with the right blade though it could be a fantastic razor, for now I may need more practice with it because when I go against the grain on my final pass it had a lot of pulling and tugging. Anybody know of the best blade to use with this razor or their most prefered to use with it? Thanks!
That is going to depend on you. YMMV on blades and razors. Get a sampler pack and try what you'd like. What blade did you use?
You need to remember though that blades back then were much thicker. Methinks this is a recipe for disaster.
It's true that the original blades were thicker, but the technique still works with modern thin blades. Basically you loose the rigidity and spring rate created by the blade curvature faster with modern blades. The onus of any disaster would be on the operator and not the tool though.
If you have handle tighted down snug and the blade edge is almost touching the comb, the Old Type is very sensitive to the correct blade angle. If you get that right you can get a good close shave but it's easy to be a little off on the blade angle. The good part of this is it's easy to get an irritation free shave. The blade edge just lifts off the skin when the angle is wrong. That's why I say this is a mild razor. You pay for your imperfect technique with leftover stubble, not with blood usually.
