If you had any idea about how many razors we all have been through to find a few that work for us.. I began with a Merkur HD and thought I made a huge mistake switching from ye olde Mach 3... Then got an adjustable Gillette and set it on 1 and got technique set, then dialed it up to 3.. then 5, then 7, then 9... and still felt a shade disappointing... bought a nice TECH and was left very disappointed... Have tried dozens of different Super Speeds from the 1940's onwards... not for me! Bought a ratty old NEW... First shave with it... LOVE! Loved my NEW so much, I went had had it re-plated in Gold! It pays to try as many razors as your budget allows.. what works for one person is hell for another! Enjoy!
There's some pretty nice looking OC types, and I admit to being an admirer. I'll include just a couple pics of some purty thangs. The silver one's a 1919 Gillette Bulldog, and the gold one's a 1934 type Aristocrat. The gold one's in my rotation, and the silver one is in my permanent dog house. Bad doggie. I hope this helps enable you in some small way,
Took a while but finally shaved with the short comb new I picked up. Loaded up a dorco 301 and wow what a great shave. I see why so many people like this razor. I like how the open comb gives you a better feel for getting the angle right too.
i wish my NEW was that pretty... mine is total user grade and on aggressiveness... i find my NEW cuts beard better than my tech but at the same time i find i don't need to be any more careful with technique as i am with the tech... i'd say it's a fairly noob friendly OC
This is true but take it with a grain of salt. I had an open comb- a Gillette Sheraton- that was as mild as a tech. I also had a red tip that was on par with my NEW in terms of aggression. The big difference was the shape of the razor head. I don't like the shape of TTO razor heads. Just don't work for me. Three piece razors on the other hand, do, with the best of this type being an open comb. Finding the right razor is a matter of trial and error. +1. mine is doggone ugly and it's a frankenrazor to boot. NEW head + handle from a fat handled tech. Shaves great, though!
I've got a NEW and it is my favorite among my several open comb razors. I also have both a ball end and fat handle Tech razors. I get great shaves from all three but the open comb NEW seems to be my favorite. I get a better shave with a lot less work, meaning buffing after my final pass. On the other hand I will tend to get a couple more weepers with the NEW or any of my open comb DEs than I will with the Tech. I found that the Tech is a great travel razor. In fact I do have travel edition of the Tech. Has a much shorter handle. Not really in love with it since I have somewhat larger fatter hands and the short handle is a bit too small for me. I can make it work very well though. I will normally take two razors with me when I travel for more than one night. Usually one of my Techs and a travel version of my 1912 GEM SE. Why don't you look into getting both razors. I think you will find both will provide you a lot of enjoyable shaves.
Oh I caved and got one. I have the tech in both variations and the new, also a few extra's. Dang this forum for making me spend money, but I do enjoy it.
In fact, if you look at Country Joe's razor ID page, you'll see MY Neillite 400 and Star DE safety razor that I bought from him. That Neillite is one of my favorite shavers. Haven't gotten around to trying the Star DE just yet. The Star is the 2nd one from the bottom of the page. The Neillite is the 14th one from the bottom.
Here is my favorite razor, a short toothed New with the plating gone on the cap. What you see is the copper top with no plating. It works for me. I get a bbs shave with only two passes. I can't get a bbs shave with a Tech. A pretty razor doesn't mean a great shave. Len
