I'm not up to par with the names of these razors. I've had several DE razors now; micro-touch, Futur, along with a couple of non-branded ones. I have a Gillette H-3 adjustable now and I love it. It works very well. My question is: Should I clean it, is there an advantage to this, does it need lubrication... Thanks..... Rich.
I think it's always good to thoroughly clean Gillette adjustables every now and then, but you don't have obsess over it. There are lots of places where soap sum can get in and gum up the works. Dow bathroom cleaner or something that cuts through soap scum is a good idea, maybe, once or twice a year. Perhaps every time the clocks change or whenever you decide to wash your pickup truck. Use a little mineral oil, gun oil or other thin oil to keep things operating smoothly after the cleaning. Just make sure the oil is skin safe.
An H-3 Gillette would be from the third quarter (July, August, September) of 1962. An adjustable with that date would be a model called the Slim Adjustable. It's a great shaver. Clean it up with some Scrubbing Bubbles and if the mechanics feel a little stiff, a little mineral oil down the barrel may loosen things up for you.
Let me see if I can get this right. For 1971 the Gillette Co. did not want to use the letter "Q" because it looked too much like "O". So when they started stamping, thru human error not only the year was stamped R but the quarter also. I don't know how many were produced that way, but I'm betting it was a lot. They are allegedly more valuable than the numbered ones.
I bought this razor off of Ebay for under 20 bucks. It doesn't stick, is easy to open and adjust. I never even cleaned it. It shaves great. Never one nick or weeper. Did I just get lucky?
Good workhorse slim, and for the price and that the adjustment is working correctly, you got a bargain. All of mine want to stick a bit.
Yes, and no. I've had 7 or 9 adjustable Gillettes pass through my den. I shop thrift / antique stores, estate & garage sales. None of the razors I've purchased were cleaned when I found them. Only one had a stuck adjuster and I took that opportunity to partially disassemble it. These razors are made of brass and have survived to still function fifty or more years lather. So Yes - lucky you found one that had not been abused. And No - Gillette made them to last and they continue to do so.
