Hey all, I knew my folks had a couple old DE razors at the house, was curious about them, so I had mom send them to me. In the picture is what I got. They're both old Gillettes; one adjustable, one not, both twist open. I would like some help identifying what they are since I'm new to this DE thing and these are my first vintage razors. Will the patent #'s help me figure out what they are? The adjustable and brush were my mom's dad's and the regular was my dad's. I'm thinking the adjustable is really old. Also, what's the best way to clean these up and sterilize them for use. I'm still really digging my Merkur 180(and haven't finished the 30 day rule yet), so I don't know when I'll mess with these. Thanks!
Hello and Welcome Aboard, What you have there is a Gillette "Slim" (what we call it) adjustable, and what looks like a 1950s-1960s middle of the road Super Speed. The letter-number combo on the bottom of each is Gillette's date code that will tell you the year and the quarter each was produced. The brush I can tell you nothing about.
As gorgo2 stated the Adjustable is a "Slim" and the other a SuperSpeed. Check underneath the the heads on each for a Letter which corresponds to the year of manufacture, and a number which corresponds to the quarter. Here is a website that has the datecodes and the corresponding year each razor would have been manufactured in. http://www.razorarchive.com/gillette-date-codes
Nice! Those look really clean already, a soak in warm soapy water made with Dawn dish soap is all they really need. That brush is flat out awesome.
+1. Those are your father's and grandfather's razors. They look well cared for. I would take an old toothbrush and a sink of warm, soapy water and clean them, dry them with a clean soft towel, pop a blade into one of them, and proceed to slicing whiskers. MHO.
Since I posted this, I have tried out both razors with the Merkur blades and the cheapos from Kroger. Neither gave me as an enjoyable shave as my Merkur 180 and I gave both of them several tries. Both razors gave me knicks and razor burn to the degree that I don't really care to use them again. I see a lot of praise and great reviews on the 180, so I know I'm not alone. It was still pretty fun shaving with something my grandpa and dad used. I did like the slim adjustable a bit better than the superspeed, but I am concerned about how it compresses the blade. Is there a way to adjust how the blade sits in the chassis? I don't mean the blade opening adjuster, but when the blade is secured, the gap is not the same all the way across. At one end the blade is pushed down a little more and is mirrored on the other side. How do I fix this?
First off welcome to the Den! Sounds like the adjusters in the slim are not working together. First remember when you adjust the settings do it with out closing the doors all the way. Without a blade in it click the adjustment from 1 to 9 and see that the 4 bars looking down from the top of the razor are moving and that you can feel a click at each setting. Could be some grit in there so soak in some Dawn or some such dish washing soap, over night. Be carefull loading a blade if it does not line up, as you could do some damage to yourself and the razor.
Hi, welcome! I have a flaretip myself, and what I would say is, it is a slightly different feel, so the technique is slightly different. Maybe a different blade, and a focused intention will make them very good (but different) shaving razors indeed. Good luck man! I think it's awesome to have.
Those are neat razors. Even if you don't like to shave with them, hang on to them, as family mementos. You may want to pass them on to sons, daughters, etc., later on. As for the brush, obviously, the bristles are beat up, but the handle is nice. You could remove them and replace them with a new knot. (Knot= the cluster of bristles.)
Sorry I missed this thread earlier. Very nice hand-me-downs. Congratulations. I too would be inclined to reknot that brush. . .
Those are some good hand me downs. As to blades even though the Slim is a multi setting razor, blade selection still plays a big dynamic with the type of shave you get. Take a look at one Slim and various blades with all other conditions the same. http://theshaveden.com/forums/threads/de-blade-challenge-ii.28223/ Enjoy your shaves!
The Slim adjustable should provide an excellent shave. I use my Fatboy set at 7 with a Derby blade and obtain the most amazing shaves- the Slim should provide similar performance. Have not tried a Flair Superspeed but my 48/50 Superspeed is also a great daily shaver... Give them another try- as they say" YMMV"...
Family heirlooms are always great. I don't particularly like a super speed razor, but my Slim is one of my favorites. Start it out on 3 and go from there. Don't give up on it yet.
I've seen brushes like that listed as Lath-R-Ade boar bristle vintage 1940s. I couldn't say for sure if that one is that old but it looks exactly the same to me.
Well I guess I missed this thread some time back. Welcome to the Shave Den. Nice Hand me Downs if I do say so myself. Congratulations.
Those are some nice hand me downs, Brian. However the blade gap should be the same all the way across. Remember to only change the Slim's settings when the razor is open. If problem continues, not sure it can be fixed.
Well it may be something that can be fixed. Check this out.... Especially Chronarch, post #4. http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/410091-Issue-With-Gillette-Slim
