The entrepreneur King Gillette revolutionized the world of wet shaving when he patented the disposable blade double edge safety razor (the patent was submitted in 1901 and approved in 1904). This new razor was included in the issued field gear of every American service man during World War I, and the returning troops were even allowed to keep these new razors upon their return state side. In one fell swoop Gillette managed to create a huge new market for a relatively simple and easy to manufacture piece of equipment with a built in huge demand. Eventually Gillette would move on from the first design to create many new and different styles of razors, but this first disposable blade double edge safety razor (currently known as the Gillette Old Type) remained a popular razor. The Gillette Old Type three piece razor can be found relatively easily in antique shops and on-line sites, thanks in large part to its initial wide spread use and popularity. It is still a fairly popular razor with many dedicated collectors and users. A razor that came out 110 years ago (the Gillette Old Type was first released in 1903) and is still used and loved today must have a lot going for it, so when I was given the opportunity to use this historic and storied razor I jumped at it. I was PIFed a Gillette Old Type razor head by a generous member of another forum. I have never used an open comb razor before and am really looking forward to trying out this razor head. It fit reasonably well on my Sik Bay plastic razor handle and more or less fit on my Edwin Jagger DE86 handle (it did not tighten down all of the way on the DE86 handle without a blade, but seemed to lose pretty much all of its extra play once a blade was installed). I have a Gillette fat handled Tech coming soon, so I am betting that the fat handle will work out better, but until then I'll use what I have on hand. The head was a bit beat up aesthetically speaking, but in perfectly functional condition. I cleaned, sanded, and polished the head to reveal some pretty brass and an extremely nice looking razor head. I left the bottom of the base plate alone because it still had most of its plating on it. One of the end teeth is slightly bent, but not enough to worry about, so I left that alone too. I'm very happy with how well this head turned out and I look forward to using it. I planned on skipping my shave tomorrow, so I may not pull it out until Wednesday. I'll keep you fine folks posted, but until then here are some before and after pictures (my tablet's camera does not have a macro option, so you'll have to forgive the mediocre quality): Before shot #1 Before shot #2 After shot #1 After shot #2 After shot #3 After shot #4 On the Sik Bay handle #1 On the Sik Bay handle #2
Love those old razors, I remember watching my dad shave with a Gillette like that back in the early 1940's. I have been using one like that for the last three years, It has a Pat. date of 1904 on the handle and also the teeth on the corners are bent. I think that comes from taping them on the sink to clean them. I remember dad would make a couple of passes then loosen the handle and bang the razor under water in the sink. I have several of these old razors and they all have the corner teeth bent. Sure like the shave they give.
That makes a lot of sense, I would guess that after a few decades of tapping the edge that a few teeth might get bent. Mine only has one slightly bent tooth, so I guess I've gotten a pretty good head.
So, I couldn't resist the pull of new gear. I ended up doing a mid day shave with the Old Type head on the Sik Bay handle. I decided to do a PIF themed shave and only used gear that had been given to me or that I acquired for free. The Gillette Old Type head (PIFed to me by a member of another forum), the Sik Bay handle (which was thrown into an order from bestshave.net as a freebie), a Wilkinson-Sword blade (PIFed to me by our very own Weeper Warrior), The Body Shop Maca Root shaving cream (given to me by my wife) and a Comoy/Vulfix 376S Super Badger brush (PIFed to me by another member of another forum). I did a three pass wtg/atg/xtg shave followed by a cold water rinse, which resulted in a DFS with zero nicks and mild irritation on my neck. It took a little effort to get the angle right and I had to keep reminding myself to use the comb as a lather guide rather than a placement guide, but I eventually got it down. Going against the grain was a little bit difficult because I kept trying to revert back to my usual DE angle, but that adjustment will come with practice. This razor head has a reputation for aggressive shaves, with that fact plus the added bonus of never having used an open comb razor before I was feeling a little bit intimidated going into this shave, but it turned out well. I do have to say that shaving with this razor feels less like shaving a typical DE razor and more like shaving with a Rolls Razor. The angle and the aggressiveness are both fairly similar even though the blade on a Rolls Razor is a completely different creature. I really enjoy using this razor and even think that the way lather slides between the open teeth is kind of cool. My one complaint is that I had a much harder time judging how aggressive I could be, which resulted in a less than completely smooth neck and one or two patches of minor scruff on my jaw line. I know that with a little practice I will get the ins and outs down. In the mean time I will continue to work with this razor head and finish up by calling this a successful first open comb shave. Pre: Hot Shower and warm water splash Razor: Gillette Old Type/Sik Bay frankenrazor Blade: Wilkinson-Sword Brush: Comoy/Vulfix 376S Super Badger Soap: TBS Maca Root shaving cream Post: Cold water rinse
Hey, Jab~~Thanks for your usual well-researched / photo'ed / written work, as it pertains to the Gillette Old open-comb safety razor--interesting read!! I was at an estate sale a couple of weeks ago; my sharp-eyed lovely bride spotted a Gillette New open-comb in a bucket full of miscellaneous odds-and-ends. It was in great condition, no pranged teeth, finish was okay, no cracks in the handle, just needed a good cleaning. Bought it for a song; took it home and cleaned it up as best as it would go with stuff on hand. Read on various forums about the aggressiveness of open-combs; loaded it with a fresh Feather, and prepared to get eaten... Oh, my--this little piece of low-tech shaves me like my personal barber! Smooth shaving, irritation-free, DFS to BBS! The usual trouble spots, around the sides of the Adam' Apple and just beneath the angle of the jaw--as close as any shave I've ever had! I have been working intermittently with a Dovo Shavette lately, and gotten some DFS's with it, but I unzipped my chin with it a couple of weeks ago, and that kind of rattled my my cage--either I need to upgrade this RBSR (and my concentration...) to something more like a Feather or the like, or just walk away from Str8s entirely--wrestling with "why risk it, if this open-comb think shaves me just as well with a fraction of the hazard?" But, that said, I am also wrestling with thinning out the safety razors, cuz none of them shave me as well and as consistently as this New...
I'm glad that you liked it. The photos did not come out as well as I would have liked, but they're serviceable. Once upon a time I was a writer, so I usually approach my posts as lazy versions of articles. A full work up would require more background, more technical data, better structure, and much more editing...I just don't have the energy for that when things like my family, the John Hughes movie marathon, work, and (on rare occasions) sleep call my name. I do like to contribute though. If it weren't for sites like this then I would probably still be shelling out $30 for a package of six cartridges... I'm interested in the Gillette New, I've heard that it is very similar to the Old Type, but with a more rounded head and slightly less aggressive blade gap. I may pick one up after I master the Old Type, I'm beginning to understand why some folks are so obsessive about open comb razors. I haven,t tried the Dovo Shavette yet, but disposable blade straight razors are my favorite razors. They have the aesthetic appeal and style of a traditional straight razor, but with more maneuverability, less required maintenance, lower cost, and a wider option of blade types. They do require just as much time to master as a traditional straight razor (usually a few months of practice), but it's worth it. If you're having difficulties you might consider trying a different type of DBSR. Parker makes some nice, low cost models and the hair shaper type DBSRs are available at Sally's Beauty Supply for less than $7 (just pull off the hair guard and go to it). In the end, it all comes down to what you enjoy. Some folks are fanatical about straights, some swear by open combs, and some believe slants to be the pinnacle of shaving greatness. No answer is wrong, and not every razor is right for every one. I've actually started to consider whittling down my collection to just two or three razors and soaps.
I am a "traditional guy" in many things so those Old DE make me happy stock or modified My shaving world would be much smaller without them Those Old DE's give me experience lessons.
