Fat Handle Tech - British vs USA

Discussion in 'Safety Razors' started by dmshaver, Sep 23, 2018.

  1. dmshaver

    dmshaver Well-Known Member

    My American made prewar fat handle tech is my smoothest most efficient razor. I love my Aristocrat Junior & Rocket HD, both British made. But my tech is currently #1 in my book. Does anyone have experience with The fat handle tech both British and American made? Are they similar or is the British made tech superior? Let’s specifically look at the prewar American compared to the 1940s British.
     
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  2. brit

    brit in a box

    i have a few british flat bottom techs with various handles, a canadian prewar and a u.s. prewar, and a new tech hybrid. plus some post war 45-53 british and canadian techs. many say the canadian is the best and has the largest blade gap.that matters not to me, however the brits are my favorite for many reasons. i have not done comparison shaves to date and probably won t.i use the u.s. one the least but not because of the shave. i am a brit/ canadian and love the brit history during the 40s and 50s. 20180923_152745.jpg
    top left -brit flat bottom thin handle ,#26 brit 4 piece , brit new tech hybrid,lower left-brit flat bottom fat handle, canadian prewar in bake lite case, u.s. prewar.
    second razor in bakelite case -brit flat bottom with fluted handle from canadian 1953 miltary set. i tend to use this handle with most as i like the weight and balance.
    i find they all shave excellent.
     
    Last edited: Sep 23, 2018
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  3. gorgo2

    gorgo2 geezerhood

    Used to I wasn't impressed with any Tech I had tried. Then a few years ago I found a 1932. Now I understand.
     
  4. Jorvaljr

    Jorvaljr Operation Daytona 8000

    The Brit one feels slightly more aggressive to me but just a tad. To me there is a little more blade feel.
     
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  5. dmshaver

    dmshaver Well-Known Member

    Thank you gentlemen. It seems I need to look for a British & Canadian tech, darn the luck! I would like to see how the others shave.

    @brit, you have a very nice collection of techs, thank you for sharing your knowledge. Thank you to all for sharing your experiences.
     
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  6. John Ruschmeyer

    John Ruschmeyer Well-Known Member

    If you are any kind of fan of the Tech, it is definitely worth finding a British Flat Bottom Tech.
     
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  7. dmshaver

    dmshaver Well-Known Member

    That's what I'm thinking too. Is the British flat bottom Tech known by any other name I should be looking for? Are the flat bottom techs the 1945-1953 models?
     
  8. jmudrick

    jmudrick Type A Man

    I think there's a bit of Anglophile propoganda at work, my post war US Tech is both smoother and more effective ATG than my BFB. The Brit looks cool though.
     
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  9. John Ruschmeyer

    John Ruschmeyer Well-Known Member

    Ah! The purists would say that you are close to comparing apples and oranges. To explain... The post-War Tech is notable for providing additional blade support over its predecessors. This is probably why it is both smoother and more effective on your ATG pass.

    By comparison, the BFB is more like a New LC with safety bars. As a result, it doesn't support the blade as close to the edge.
     
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  10. jmudrick

    jmudrick Type A Man

    You would be correct. And if I just shaved my beard I might prefer the Brit.
     
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  11. brit

    brit in a box

    which is a new tech hybrid ,which is a new rfb with safety bars. they all seem to stem from the new lc. the post tech razors look like they have the same blade support as the new sc...
     
  12. brit

    brit in a box

    no anglo propaganda here.... just like them for many reasons. my canadian and u.s. prewars are awesome razors . some one here stated that the british razors were modified early technology where as the u.s versions were the newest technology..
     
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  13. ajc347

    ajc347 Well-Known Member

    I only ever use British flat bottomed Techs (apart from an aluminium French fat handled Tech I own) and got rid of my US and Canadian versions for the simple reason that the British version shaves better.

    They’re pretty easy to pick up cheaply on eBay here in the UK so that also made my decision much easier to make.

    Interestingly, I don’t notice any difference in use between the standard flat bottomed British Tech and my Hybrid Tech.

    They are, in my view, the pinnacle of all of the Tech variants Gillette produced.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
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  14. jmudrick

    jmudrick Type A Man

    Like I said.....

    Rule Britannia.....
     
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  15. jmudrick

    jmudrick Type A Man

    As noted above the differences between the New Long Comb and UK Tech in terms of geometry are pretty inconsequential. If one prefers the LC over the Short, pretty good chance you'll like the UK Tech. [​IMG][​IMG]
     
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  16. brit

    brit in a box

    20180924_153223.jpg
    top- post war techs and new sc have similar blade support. middle -flat bottom and prewar u.s techs have similar blade support.-lower- new hybrid and rfb
     
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  17. Jorvaljr

    Jorvaljr Operation Daytona 8000

    I’m looking for the new hybrid and RFB
     
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  18. brit

    brit in a box

    ebay uk has them more frequently.. new hybrids fetch $ 150 on average for a cleaner/complete one as they are rhodium plated...plus the allure of owning one...imo .the rfb and flat bottom also came with the zipper case so one could build one if you acquired a hybrid baseplate..
    i would like another rfb as well...
     
    Last edited: Sep 24, 2018
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  19. jmudrick

    jmudrick Type A Man

    I will agree that the P-W Tech and New SC share substantial bottom support. But if you look at the.side by side it's apparent that this Tech is not a modification of the New. The profile of the Brit FB Tech in contrast is virtually identical to the Long Comb.
    [​IMG]
     
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  20. brit

    brit in a box

    i agree. are new lc and sc plates stamped or machined?
     

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