Gillette Rocket, the refined DE.

According to this, the exposure as well as the gap is different among the trio:

 

This is a terrific way to think about different razors with such a list. Can you share the source and whether the info/msmts are thought to be accurate/reliable?

If this is a good resource, I will approach razor selection differently now. Thanks

 

It would be great to get exposure data as well.

One thing I've noticed, even in the most precisely machined razors, as well as vintage Gillettes, there is always some play in blade alignment. In the best ones, it is not noticeable to the naked eye. When you place a blade in any razor, before tightening it up, the blade slips on the posts or the bar very easily -- it is never a tight fit. That's why I wonder about specs of razors that differ by .1 or even .2 mms.

 

and the handle weight,which does tend to make a difference.

 

https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/wiki/Double-Edged_Safety_Razors_Ranked_by_Blade_Gap

 

I know I'm straying way off topic now, but I shaved with my American Red Tip today, and really couldn't tell the difference from yesterday's shave with the Blue Tip. Same blade (on its 6th shave.)

Will need to try the "rocket" again soon for another comparison.

 

Thanks - much appreciated. I have haunted the halls of B&B for a long time and am surprised I missed that. What ya gonna do? I’m going to swipe my plug guage from the garage and grab a Canuck Rocket from a drawer. .70 eh?? I do like the idea of ranking by gap.

Yes exposure certainly counts. Its a tricky one too because of differing angles off the cap, bar, teeth, whatever to the blade apex. I still struggle with determining exposure.

Thanks guys for the comments.

 

Yup, gap is only one parameter of many.

Please see here what I just did to show exposure: https://theshaveden.com/forums/thre...started-wet-shaving.67752/page-2#post-2100793

 

hint..if one rides the cap a bit with any gillette they all shave the same..just sayin''

 

That fits in nicely with my theory that I found them just a bit different because I had to re-acclimate myself to shaving with flare-tips.

My shave this morning with my British "rocket" flare-tip: I couldn't tell the difference between that and yesteday's shave with the American red-tip.
So I think @brit might be on to something there.

So what is the correct name for the British flare-tips that don't have the telescoping TTO handle? We can't just call them British one-pieces -- we need to differentiate them.

 

they are called,- Superspeed from what i can gather.the rocket mechanism type of the 3 were made after these and not concurrently as far as i know.

the man in the shop will know..

 

Thanks.

I thought "rocket" was the British equivalent term for "Superspeed, " at least in Gillette's world. And that "rocket" had nothing to do with the telescoping TTO mechanism, but for the name on the package?

BTW, I had always considered a TTO as a kind of "gimmick", but using them day after day, it is so easy to take out the blade, rinse the razor and blade, dry both, and put blade back, and not have to worry about blades rusting. It really only takes about a minute.

 

"rocket" started around 1949 ish with a british telescoping knob aristocrat jr razor in a canadian red/clear case case for the canadian market.england adapted the rocket name to their hd 500 razor in the mid 50s.the rocket name continued with the early 60s british packaging of the telescoping knob type parat/rocket.

collectors have called most telescoping type non hd gillettes "rockets" for ease of identification.the only exceptions were the canadian rockets based on early u.s superspeeds from around 1951-54.canada never made a tto type razor so the u.s made the razors.they don't have any "made in..."on the baseplate.
early..


and later..


was available in nickel with the red case also.

 

This guy claims that 2 of the trio have the same gap, but different exposure. His gap measurement conflicts with the above.

Plus, saying that the red tip "compresses" the blade more is misleading -- it bends it less according to his subsequent statements.

Bending it more on the blue tip should lessen the exposure, contrary to what he says.

 

quite possible..

 

...that the youtube guy doesn't know what he's talking about!

 

quite possible.the curvature of the doors does change a bit between my brit regular superspeed and brit red tip superspeed..it could be how gillette manipulated the blade exposure between the 2 razors.gap alone doesn't mean much,how the blade is represented within the gap does.does it stick out beyond the 2 points? even with ? behind?

 

What I meant was that the guy said the red tip was "compressed" more, but the red tip is actually compressed (or bent) less, according to what he says later. I have not tried to observe it on mine yet.

It's like using a "reverse" shim -- putting the shim on the cap first before loading a blade (for a 3-piece), or on a TTO loading the blade first followed by a shim before closing the doors. This will bend (compress) the blade more, causing both a smaller gap, and less exposure.

When I look at the razors without a blade loaded, I don't see any obvious differences in the plates; but that's just with the naked eye.

What he says that doesn't make sense is:
1. They both have the same gap.
2. The red tip compresses the blade more. (I'm equating "compress" with "bend", but I guess he is not doing that.)

You need to take everything you read/hear on the internet with a grain of salt. (Oh, wait a minute, this is the internet.)

Exception: when you trust people's knowledge via experience, and you cross-check with other sources.

I would like to load up 2 blades now, but my old ones are already in my blade bank, and I don't want to unwrap 2 new blades then put one back in the wrapper. If I remember, I will experiment in a week or so when my fresh blade is ready to be binned.

 

some things get lost in translation,basically how a gillette adjustable works the gap changes a bit while the angle changes also.the angle of the inside of the doors does differ between razor types.even though the appear the same on the outside.

 

His video is in English, lol.

I didn't know about the angle of the doors. I assume you mean between the colored trio. I wouldn't be suprised if the doors get slightly bent over the years, which would change their aggression then.

This guy basically has the same observations as I have regarding British "rocket" vs American flare-tip: