I'm anti merkur as they're all pot metal. Pot metal corrodes from within, meaning it won't last forever even if you never touch it. One of my main reasons I love the old Gillettes is they're mechanical marvels that will last for generations. I've been building a collection, figuring I have a nephew and 2 boys of my own. If I give them each one when they start shaving I'll still need one for myself. Now if my son's have sons I'll still need mine, they'll need theirs and their boys will need them as well. By then they may be hard to come by, sooooo I'm thinking I need at least 24 vintage gillettes That said what should you get? IMO pick up an adjustable (fatboy, slim, black beauty, toggle), whatever fits your budget. Reason being I'm sure one of the settings will surely give you the shave you're looking for while still satisfying the non-requirements you have like aesthetics and cool factor!
Totally agree. Since I've discovered the adjustable it's my go to razor. They just don't make them like that anymore Plus I think they're one of the best looking razors out there.
My 2 cents says I would take into consideration the fatness or thickness of the head of the adjustable razor in question. A fair comparison would be the Progress vs the Fat Boy. Both have 2 thick heads that make under the nose shaving a challenge. But, the Progress is currently in production so can be had as new. Fat head razors are Do-able of course, but not without care and careful manipulation. The Gillette Slim however has a thinner head and has all the adjustment anyone would need. Not produced today, but readily available used and sometimes in new condition. My vote is for the Gillette Slim!!! Under the nose---no problem. Great materials to built from and a great shaver that can be adjusted for different situations!!! IMHO, the best Gillette could come up with before giving up the ghost as far as D/E razors are concerned.
I'm just reading through this thread for the first time and it appears your OP was on Thursday and you bought a Slim on Friday so I'm a bit late to this. Anywho... I see that your profile page says you're in West Michigan so if you'd like to borrow a Fatboy, a Super Adjustable (long or short), or any other razor for that matter - shoot me a PM and I'll drop one off to you. A week long test drive will answer any concerns since it's your face and your shave.
I heard all of you, which led me to procure a slim from from evil bay. The price of the vintage Gillettes keeps going higher as demand gets stronger.
I have used a Gillette Black Beauty for years... then I became afflicted with RAD. Now I look at the BB in my cabinet, but reach for the Red Tip or the Rocket... I have a couple other SS's but they are on a hiatus. I'm still getting used to the short handle... after using the long handle BB, it's a bit of a learning curve. And this morning, because I was just too distracted... and my hand just doesn't have the muscle memory yet, I cut my ear lobe! Don't ask... (of course as I am learning, on here, that will be totally ignored...)
I too would like to know the difference between the slim and the black beauty adjustable.. I just acquired the slim but want my birth year which is a black beauty 1975.
Got the Slim for $22 off ebay. The pictures looked like there was tarnish and grimy. I took a chance and the razor arrived in this condition: After some cleaning and polish:
I'd love to get a slim also. I have 4 black beauty's now. 2 golds and 2 nickel. I am selling one gold and one nickel on ebay. This RAD is very contagious.
My nickels are a Few & P4. The gold is a P1. The other gold has not arrived yet and I don't know what # it is because it's still in the unopened original packaging. It's been 5 days and it's has not been shipped yet so I hope it's not a scam. It's covered by eBay buyer protection so I should be ok.
I may not have hit a grand slam, but I feel I hit a home run with this one The adjustment knob works flawlessly, the doors are smooth and the locking mechanism works as it should. I loaded in a new Willkie black blade; set at 7 and ended up with a bbs shave with no weepers or irritation. I'm really pleased with the advice I received within this thread, and totally satisfied that I followed the recommendations.
The Super Adjustables have a bit wider range of adjustment (they can go both milder and wilder than a Slim) and have aluminum handles, compared to the Slim's brass handle. This makes the SA's head heavy compared to the Slim. SA's are also more prone to "gunking up" on the inside due to corrosion, according to some people. I've never had any issues myself.
