Vintage adjustable DE for head shaving

davidwoodhead

davidwoodhead

Messages
38
Location
Nottingham
Newbie here.

Have been using Merkur 34c and 38c for five years with Derby blades, very happy.
This week took the plunge and shaved my head. Went with the grain and got no nicks or burn, it was easier than I feared.

I'm interested in trying an adjustable next, and have the taste for something vintage. So my question to other DE head shavers is what would be a good model to look out for?
 
My personal favourites are:

Digress
Digress Long Handled
Futur

My routine is 2 passes. One set wide open 6 or + for one pass and 3 for the second.

In my experiences, modern de's is better than vintage de's for head shaving.
 
Vintage Adjustable = Gillette

The most common Gillette adjustable is the slim adjustable, the 'Bond Razor' from the 1964 film :)

I use one, my birth year and quarter, almost every day and it's superb. You can pick them up for £30 delivered off the bay, less if you take a chance on a Bulgarian vendor.

If you want one that is guaranteed to outlast you, get an early (1959) Gillette FatBoy, they can be stripped down and very relatively easily if anythign goes wrong with them. The slim can be rebuilt too, but the FatBoys seems built to be rebuilt if you follow me?
 
Thanks both, some useful advice. I had looked at the Futur as a possible, might add it to a rotation.

TRXnMe - the Gillettes are really interesting. I bought my birth year watch a while back, didn't know it was possible to date a razor so accurately. Would anyone know what Jan 1971 Gillette code would be to look out for please?

And '59 FatBoy sounds great, will keep an eye on the BST section for one of those.
 
davidwoodhead said:
Thanks both, some useful advice. I had looked at the Futur as a possible, might add it to a rotation.

TRXnMe - the Gillettes are really interesting. I bought my birth year watch a while back, didn't know it was possible to date a razor so accurately. Would anyone know what Jan 1971 Gillette code would be to look out for please?

And '59 FatBoy sounds great, will keep an eye on the BST section for one of those.
Click to expand...

If you decide on a fatboy give me a shout I have one taking drawer space up.
 
davidwoodhead said:
Thanks both, some useful advice. I had looked at the Futur as a possible, might add it to a rotation.

TRXnMe - the Gillettes are really interesting. I bought my birth year watch a while back, didn't know it was possible to date a razor so accurately. Would anyone know what Jan 1971 Gillette code would be to look out for please?

And '59 FatBoy sounds great, will keep an eye on the BST section for one of those.
Click to expand...

This is useful for dating pretty much any Gillette razor :)

http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/US_Gillette_Dating_Information
 
Not an adjustable but any good for you?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vintage-Gillette-Super-Speed-Flair-Tip-Black-Handle-Safety-Razor-1971-R1-/131109402130?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1e86bab612#ht_595wt_1275
 
Thanks p.b. have added that to my watch list.
To be honest I'd rather buy from TSR than risk the auction site, but I guess if finding your birth year model is difficult then I might roll the dice and see what comes.

Thank you for the tip.

Quick update if anyone has interest in DE head shaving.

Made my second attempt last night: Proraso green, Merkur 38c, fresh Derby blade.
This time did two passes, the second against the grain. Wow! silky smooth result. No irritation whatsoever.
And even though the back of head is done blind, by feel alone, I've not yet nicked myself.

I've had five years of my DE routine on my face, this was the first week on my scalp. So far no complaints.
 
I shave my head WTG and ATG. I use my EJ89 with an astra blade and any shave soap/cream I have around. Its easier to get bbs on my head than my face :blank:, I always finish off with a splash of old spice :icon_biggrin:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom