No brainer for me......GEM Open Comb Micromatic......and they beat Gillette to the punch and released it in 1930.....go GEM!!
Thank you all for your responses,but over the weekend I acquired 2 TTO razors Sunday morning I went to a Flea Market to look for and buy a tool that I needed for my garage and I came home with 2 TTO, I didn't even think to look for razors but looking around on all those stands I saw these 2 From what research I've done,it's my first time doing this I think one is Gillette "Fatboy" - E1 and the other one is Gillette "Flair Tip" SS - G1 The guy was asking $8 for both and I got them down to $6 Any recommendation on what to use to clean them and make them look shiny is welcome
Great purchase! Let us hear about them after you have used them, please. I'd start by cleaning them with some Scrubbing Bubbles. That should remove any soap film. If they still need to be shined up (they may not) use some Flitz metal polish.
Great score. I'd start with a short soak in Scrubbing Bubbles, when bubbles stop working, remove and rinse, DO NOT LEAVE SOAKING. then if needed scrub with old toothbrush and tooth paste, use WD-40 or a few drops of gun oil, get a few drops down the barrel and work the mechanism, a few drops in the adjustment on the Fatboy and move the knob back and forth a few times. Always adjust with doors open. http://www.artofmanliness.com/2010/08/19/how-to-buy-and-restore-vintage-shaving-gear/ If the Fatboy needs replating it may be worth sending out to be worked on for replating or repair. http://www.razoremporium.com/services/
For me, it's a toss up between my '58 Gillette TV Special and my '59 Fatboy. I love both! Quickly moving up on my list is also my 1930's New Long Comb. I'm really digging that open comb. The New might be my favorite if it were only a TTO. I'd like to get a TTO open comb (vintage) razor one day for easier loading and unloading of blades (for cleaning or changing).
Good luck with that. Gillette only made one open comb TTO razor (the Sheraton/Senator), and that was in the 30's. They are fairly rare and very expensive. Cooper Monobilt's are almost as rare (or even rarer), but are usually less expensive, because fewer people hunt for those. Those are the only two TTO open combs I know of.
The thing is....if you change the adjustment on an adjustable with the doors shut....it just wont accurately 'change'....Might not hurt the razor, but I've tested this with my Slim...Try it with yours....you'll be able to see how the mechanism works....
True. I just looked at all the instruction booklets that came with the adjustables, none mention opening the razor before adjustment. Then there's this:
Adjusting an Adjustable: I had a Black Beauty that I used for nearly 30 years, kept it set at 5 , always used Wilkinson Sword blades in it. When I couldn't find WS blades in stores anymore, lastly Walmart in my area, I bought some Dollar Store brand, When trying them for the first time I made the mistake of adjusting with doors closed. The adjustment broke after 3 adjustments while shaving. I've always been fussy cleaning my razor and adding a drop of light oil when needed. It is possible that the age of the razor may have been a factor but I think I'll open the doors if I need to adjust, just as a precaution. Maybe it's a good thing my BB broke, I never shaved with a Cartridge razor before and hated every shave and was upset with Gillette for the high cost of carts but thankfully found that I could buy all my shaving needs on line and found this site. And here I am 15 razors, 8 brushes and a number of soaps mugs and bowls later, I guess I graduated from 1 razor 1 brush 1 soap etc. Thanks guys you made me a collector
Right now my favorite is a 47-50 SS. It shaves well, so I haven't been using my Red Tip or Jagger 89. Greg W.
