I wish I would fall in love with Gillette razors... alas this is an elusive love... I have four Gillette vintage razors and they firmly fall into two categories: too mild for me (1960 Tech, 1971 Super 109) or too aggressive (New LC, pre-war Tech with triangular slots). And when I say "aggressive" I mean scratchy - I use razors that many define as fairly aggressive (Maggard V3A, Baili 131, Parker Variant on higher settings, Muhle R41 although not as a daily driver). But they are not scratchy, just effective yet smooth with the right technique. Using that New LC, my face feels raw every time no matter how careful I am. Pre-War Tech is similar, even though it doesn't have any more blade feel than V3A (actually a lot less), it leaves my face slightly irritated. That Super 109 can be opened up and gets better, but even at 7 it is still is nowhere near the smooth efficiency I am getting with Parker Variant OC even on the lower setting of 2 (out of 5). Although the blade gap table I saw somewhere seems to imply that 2 on Variant may be closer to a high setting on Gillette. I don't know if that's angle sensitivity or something else at play here... At any rate, there's something magic about using a razor that is older than myself. So, here's that Pre-War.
cool tech,the razors you use may have more blade exposure than the gillettes do,meaning the blade sticks out more,not just gap width.,i use gillettes with their sharpest blades,ie nacet ,platinum etc.thank you for postiong.
This still doesn't explain why I get smoother / milder shaves from a V3A (with its scary blade exposure and a large gap) than fro the Pre-War. I am indeed using sharp blades with them (Feathers ad Prema-Shaprps). With other razors, I mainly use Astra SP. At any rate, didn't intent to derail this thread.
No, I got a few packs of Parker blades as samples from purchases that I have made. I'am not crazy about them although they do the job. Sent from my SM-T387V using Tapatalk
Trying to solve my vintage Gillette issues once and for all by using them extensively for the next week or so. Here's the Super 109 (dated 1971) loaded with a Bic Chrome Platinum. Set on 7 and carefully watching the angle, I got a somewhat better shave than before, but still with a bit more cleanup than desired. Will keep trying.
I am hoping this 1953 Superspeed will be the vintage Gillette that works for me... the first shave seems a little less aggressive than the pre-war Tech and noticeably more efficient than either the 1971 Super Adjustable or 1960 Tech.
