Thinking about an adjustable

You have chosen wisely. I got a Slim in decent nick from Spain for under £30 a few months back, and it's a wonderful razor. Although I generally use it on higher settings, I dial it down to 2/3 for touch-ups and going ATG on the upper lip and I get BBS every time. Good luck to you.

PS: In case you weren't aware, the Slim needs an extra 1/4 turn to lock in the blade. It's a definite extra movement when you think you've closed the doors, so look out for that.
 
eh a rubber o ring holding in a plug, that when removed lets you undo a screw.....

I believe Gillette was using a screw to hold the tto rod in the razor in oh, the 1930s..
 
@Bezoar - I wouldn't doubt it. It seems that a lot of good ideas were developed during the heyday of the DE. However, and you seem to have more knowledge than I about this, isn't it the case that the Gillette adjustables were not particularly easy to disassemble and in fact were not particularly designed for disassembly. I vaguely recall that the very first Fat Boys could be taken apart, but then Gillette changed the design, making it harder.

Compare, for example, the Rockwell video with this video:


As you can see, disassembling the Rockwell is much easier (because it was designed to be easier). I can link to the Futur disassembly instructions, but you can easily find them on Google. And so far as I know, none of the TTOs made today are designed for easy takedown, and really the comparison I was think of was razors currently in new production.

Don't you think it's a good idea to make a TTO (and especially an adjustable TTO) easy to disassemble for cleaning? I certainly do. Aren't you pleased that a modern manufacturer is doing it? I certainly am.

But maybe it's not your cup of tea. People vary in their preferences.
 
Last edited:
on super speeds, the screw comes out, the tto knob is turned and the mechanism pops out with the doors. that is all the take apart needed for any possible maintanence or repairs.
Some videos even by captain murphy show removing the handle tube/ferrule assembly from the blade tray/base plate as "normal" and even "safe" to do. Issue is, in MOST Gillette tto razors, the base plate/blade tray is PEENED over after the ferrule is friction fitted to the tray. And thus removing the ferrulefrom blade tray can effectively kill the razor as the peening over was done all the time..
Aristocrats are the same way. its a tad different for the british tto razors. It is considered SLIGHTLY common to pop the handle tube off the ferrule, and to even remove the tto knob itself from the handle tube. but that is stupiditiy.

The adjustable gillettes are different in that for the service notch fat boy, you just unscrew the retainer cap and take it and the spring out, and work the tto rod and doors out. Every thing else isn't meant to be touched unless some actually happens to the razor.

The slim and black beauty were never meant to be taken apart by any one. As a result the few folks who DO take one apart on their own, have made it a lucrative job for Captain Murphy to put them back together again.
 
Thought I'd post an update now I've had a few shaves with the Slim. I have to say a great big thanks to the folks around here as I'm now getting (for the first time since switching to DE) a nice comfortable nick free shave. I've settled on routine that starts with lathering my face and head (Omega 49 brush), then shave my head (all done in the shower) with, currently, a Dorco Pace 4. While doing that the lather (TOBS Sandalwood) had been soaking into my beard. I then go over the face with the brush again and then a 2 pass shave with the number 6 setting on the Slim. Follow that up with an alum block and Nivea sensitive balm after and I'm getting what I consider to be the perfect shave. I've also found my favourite blade (Personna platinum chrome)
 
yGTHt4BhLWJ3FOFyUq2uBEs_lyTVQXnxzko1En5eZfRnGLr3ZyumahfMl17tRJx9rWxd4T1nGlAY3KeYEmTAsFtNXA03gJzkA160TSBYuXHIxqy656corhU4zDjDo8Fr1T2K2uThPblxv6WAKFuj54MCP0L6h9Avq3JTvF20lypVx0Eidv0IV_1gw4Sg-5U9-RUkk2fi7ezrmS5nrbTRQ84lmy2pDyJwp4lwdKo0gcXNeVK-I5QA9tgJLlCWH8PoVX0GskkR8NZpNafKdh7yEArkiX-8CNDiWZHKxjkoF3CEQis9cXEYwFsGHatsR2akLesi-BiCZP32jk31vtLqDrKmAIuNDdrIhDgmccsjVTGLTKQ4TFisROYju2ryQEmy-_Nune_ZxU-koFcPmNGBSAODHb6EdM3ywObK3j1RrO_PGQzajCH2_YNT6RoQ6185dcVQtvMBTz_VR5JGvlJYKWLqkBPrA97RGcaULoZobX-nJRgmVsMqi2CMTDQdPTDP5GunjQo-IZG8nFkfkCwxaOVE9LslU3Cu-m0k9_ozCv0T523Ioe3-L0axURFm4jAa18F8eQEh80w1m0pvnc3BqlI9hLHjTibO70tJcYfI2zJ5xoeT4eJX=w1206-h678-no


Pre-74 Black Beauty. A nice looking and good shaving razor. But it's head heavy.
 
For reasons I do not understand; started to get curious about an adjustable :eek: Once tried the Fatboy which is doing the rounds in the Lending Pool; thats it. Any experience out here with the Parker? Or is vintage still the way to go?
 
No, it's not that bad but is just looking like a Futur - not a true clone.

I received a Ming Shi 2000 from aliexpress and I found it lighter and less aggressive than the true Futur. Weight is about 90 grams and blade gap does not reach the astounding blade gap of the Futur.

Anyway, getting back in topic, in my opinion the Progress is the best choice ever among adjustables; I mean the true Progress and not Mergress neither Digress as the heavier bottom notch modifies the balance of the razor.

I bought (and then sold) all Gillette adjustables: Fat Boy, Slim, Black Beauty both short and long handle. They gave me what I considered perfect shaves but, as time went by, my technique improved and I became more hard to please about achieving BBS. Then I bought a Progress and found my holy graal in safety razors! It gives me far better shaves than any closed comb Gillette (adjustables, rocket or superspeed) can give. May be I never could find the right feeling with Gillette head, may be.

I had also a Gibbs adjustable: very beautiful, but not so comfortable due to the shape of the head that does not bend enough the blade - it is too flat, in my opinion.

I have also a chrome Futur: a wonderful looking razor, highly efficient but ... may bo too much. As a friend of mine used to say, the Futur begins where all other adjustables end. I like to use it, low settings, now and then but I won't say it's an everyday razor.

(YMMV ever!!!!!)
 
Last edited:
Radonauta said:
...I bought (and then sold) all Gillette adjustables: Fat Boy, Slim, Black Beauty both short and long handle. They gave me what I considered perfect shaves but, as time went by, my technique improved and I became more hard to please about achieving BBS. Then I bought a Progress and found my holy graal in safety razors! It gives me far better shaves than any lclosed comb Gillette (adjustables, rocket or superspeed) can give. May be I never could find the right feeling with Gillette head, may be.
Click to expand...

The "Fatboy" is historically novel for sure, but overrated. I've owned up to six and now have only one for posterity and never use it. The head is too highly domed to get under the nose very well. The "Slim" & Super Adjustable are better at this being less domed, but I prefer Gillette's DE pièce de résistance, the Tech. ;)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom