Favourite vintage DE

[NotTheStig]

Surprised there's no voting spot for superspeeds, even though they don't fit me personally.

It was really tough to narrow i down to the maximum of ten. I thought there were too many Gillettes in there and we needed at least one from Wilkinson Sword and one for Schick. I couldn't leave out the Old type given its provenance and the New Improved sometimes gets forgotten about. I wanted the Toggle in there too and Leresche and Stahly (Stahly just for you Martin!) but I had to make the tough decisions.
Maybe a separate poll for just vintage Gillettes would have been better, but I'd in danger of clogging up everyone's TSR browsing with polls. If we want them, though, I'm happy to set them up and see what happens.

By the way, there seems to be a mistake in the polling - the Fatboy is losing to the Slim Adjustable which obviously must be a mistake!!

 

[Francorelli]

Surprised there's no voting spot for superspeeds, even though they don't fit me personally.

In that case Martin, I'll cast a solitary vote for the venerable Red tip Superspeed.

It's the only vintage DE left in my small collection now (having owned a Slim, Techs, #58, other Superspeeds). I did enjoy the Fatboy from your passaround though, just never got around to buying one of my own.

 

[Jamies]

Heh, that razor snobbery line made me smile. Now it seems only fair to show what those old beaters look like to any members not familiar with em.

I didn't want to clog up the thread with my pic's, but seen as you asked here they are, just as an educational exercise of course.

 

[MachM]

It's a tough call. Out of the ones in the list I picked Slim Adjustable and Gillette New. Both of them are great. However I also really enjoy using my #15 Aristocrat and my Aristocrat Junior.

 

[dodgy]

I didn't want to clog up the thread with my pic's, but seen as you asked here they are, just as an educational exercise of course.

Hey buddy, thanks for the pics,

If that doesn't enable lots of members I don't know what will. Nice selection of fine old foreign shaving crap.

Martin

 

[Dave.B]

I've gone with other aswell after trying as many as 60+ razors maybe more i just keep going back to the Leresche #77 and a open comb tech that i picked up last year they are fantastic performing razors you look at the leresche and think nah thats just not gonna work but it does and perfoms well every time...

 

[JohnnyO]

Interesting that as I post the Slim & the Tech are leading the poll, yet aren't the ones being mentioned so much in this thread. perhaps a reminder that many of our members have firm opinions although they may not choose to voice them as frequently as some of us do.

JonhnnyO. \:icon_razz:

 

[WiffWaff]

Interesting that as I post the Slim & the Tech are leading the poll, yet aren't the ones being mentioned so much in this thread. perhaps a reminder that many of our members have firm opinions although they may not choose to voice them as frequently as some of us do.

JonhnnyO. \:icon_razz:

I think it may be that "other" requires more explanation, and being rarer, is potentially more interesting

 

[chrisbell]

Rocket HD would be my choice, though I've only used 4 vintage razors.

 

[dodgy]

Interesting that as I post the Slim & the Tech are leading the poll, yet aren't the ones being mentioned so much in this thread.
JonhnnyO. \:icon_razz:

What's doin Johnny,

Well the Slim/Fatboy race usually ends up pretty even after a while, but the Tech really is a surprise. Now if I hadda guess why, I'd say generally those members like a comfortable drama free shave most days. The Tech isn't a glamorous razor, but that head design is a good fit for lots of people it seems.

To NTS: Yeah, your poll is messed up all right. I can't prove it, but I think the Slim rep musta paid someone off for those votes.

Ok, that last part might not be true. That was rude. No, I believe the Slim's leading because many of the members here just do not know any better. After all, I never said this was the smartest forum.

There now, so much for the nice apology. Certainly no offense meant to the dumb guys. This should make things right.

 

[49er]

Tech?

Father Ted has worked out how to stuff the ballot box. Fix!

 

[dodgy]

Tech?

Pretty crazy eh?
I see em all the time in the wild here in the Chicago area and have tried a number over the years. Good shavers in general, but you don't hear that much about em.

Now those people who went for that razor are missing something if they don't try the Stahly head on a nice handle being passed around. Similar to the Tech head, but more fun. Anyway.........just saying.

On a sad and depressing note, I see another member has voted for the Slim.

 

[Johnus]

Sad, yes, it is sad! I really don't know how you can think of the Slim and Fatboy as Vintage Razors! Even more troubling you're selecting two razor with such poor design that they had to be made into Adjustables just so people could shave with them!
Lets go back to when a shave was a shave. A razor was a razor and a blade a blade, the Nineteen Teens and the '04's!
Some beards are coarse, some beards are fine. But Mr Gillette made them all equal with his '04.

 

[scottymac]

Hoffritz Slant it's all i have been using for the last year while all the rest of my razors are just sitting in a cupboard

 

[dodgy]

Sad, yes, it is sad! I really don't know how you can think of the Slim and Fatboy as Vintage Razors! Even more troubling you're selecting two razor with such poor design that they had to be made into Adjustables just so people could shave with them!
Lets go back to when a shave was a shave. A razor was a razor and a blade a blade, the Nineteen Teens and the '04's!
Some beards are coarse, some beards are fine. But Mr Gillette made them all equal with his '04.

You are a crazy old bastard, but I like you,

Now John......really.......that adjustable story is a little far fetched even for you. Heh, so those razors were so screwed up that only the adjustable setting keeps em from being utter crap. I have never heard that before and it made me smile.

To be serious for a fleeting minute, I think those 1904 models and any others with the Old Type heads were the start of the evolutionary process. Then through the years, that head was changed repeatedly, with what I imagine the reason being to improve the shave in certain ways. That sound right?

The goal seemed to make the shave more comfortable and less prone to nicks, with sacrificing a little closeness as a result. Then you had the safety bar heads down the road.

So to me it seems like the Old Type head is the least refined and least comfortable. Yeah, the shave is very close, but the experience is too harsh to enjoy. I have to tell you that you really don't like using those things. Too harsh? Sorry for the dose of reality buddy, but you are nuts.

Now when it comes to those antique Blue Blades..... I KNOW you must be kidding there too. Talk about a brutal shave. Man, using a 1904/Blue Blade combo gives me the creeps even thinking about. I woulda used a straight back then in self defense.

The Dr is IN all week.

 

[NotTheStig]

Well if we look at the popularity of the Old types, at time of writing it's the only razor with zero votes. I think chrisbell has it right, and also that they were trying to make shaving more intuitive and for those not wanting to have to learn and adapt.