Which vintage razor?

Hi gents!

I am planing on getting a vintage razor. Till now, I've only shaved with a EJ DE89 and a Merkur travel razor. No experience with vintage razors.

What is a good vintage razor to start with? I have looked at a red tip, and a English Aristocrat, just because I like the look

my vote would be a Gillette Slim.

lots of them out there, won't break the bank and is a fantastic razor that shaves as good or better (YMMV) then the Fatboy.

set on 1 for mild shave, 9 for aggressive.

i use mine for the following 3 passes (6, 6, 5) and get a BBS every time.

there are many other great vintage razors, but for me, none beat the value and versatility of the Slim

Gillette Black beauty (long handle) superadjustable, 1941 Gillette Tech, Gillette Flair, Knack; Schick Krona.

(06-17-2012, 01:28 PM)lindyhop66 Wrote: Gillette Black beauty (long handle) superadjustable, 1941 Gillette Tech, Gillette Flair, Knack; Schick Krona.

+1 +1 +1 +1 +1

perhaps it's best if we know what you are looking for in a vintage and a budge.

an aristocrat, president, toggle are all nice, but expensive.

krona was nice, but very mild and i didn't care for the cheap handle. techs are nice, but very mild and basically just sit in my razor box, unused (ball end and fat handle)

can you add some info at to what you are expecting from a vintage or are you just looking to expand and have some fun.

you have an EJ89 which is a great razor (i have one headed my way, after letting 2 go in the past), and it's a great measure as far as what you want from other razors (more or less aggressive)

+1 Brucered. Need more info. But in the vacuum, I'd suggest a Slim also.

Striky, are you open to a single edge razor? They can be excellent shavers and can be incredibly inexpensive. Blades aren't a problem, but you may need to have some sent to you. In a SE razor, good starter razors are a GEM Featherweight, GEM G-Bar (aka Heavy Flat Top), or a closed comb GEM Damaskeene.

SE razors IMO are actually easier to use than a DE because they make a nice sound, like buttering toast, when the angle is right.

(06-17-2012, 01:04 PM)Striky Wrote: What is a good vintage razor to start with? I have looked at a red tip, and a English Aristocrat, just because I like the look

The Red Tip is great. It's, however, the only vintage razor I've used so I can't compare it to anything else.

I think I want my next razor to be an adjustable so that I can have a little more versatility.

So many choices.......What are your parameters?

(06-17-2012, 02:22 PM)Pnume Wrote:

(06-17-2012, 01:04 PM)Striky Wrote: What is a good vintage razor to start with? I have looked at a red tip, and a English Aristocrat, just because I like the look

The Red Tip is great. It's, however, the only vintage razor I've used so I can't compare it to anything else.

I think I want my next razor to be an adjustable so that I can have a little more versatility.

from 1 Winnipeg to another, you need to try a SLIM soon.

I would get any adjustable to find out what setting you like. Once you know that, you will know which direction to head. Could be a real time saver.

I agree with Shadowsdad that SE's are great and I find them easier than DE's as well. You can get the GEM type SE blades in any drugstore. The Damaskeene is my favorite, but any 1912 is fine.

Gillette Slim!

It is simply the gallant workhorse of the DE vintage world!

There is a Slim here. Page 2 if it doesn't come up there.

John is good to do business with and his pricing is fair. I have no idea what he wants for it or even if he'll ship it outside the US, but you can ask Johnny9 . If it has any condition issues he'll let you know, but I doubt that he would have acquired it if it has issues.

(06-17-2012, 01:10 PM)brucered Wrote: my vote would be a Gillette Slim.

lots of them out there, won't break the bank and is a fantastic razor that shaves as good or better (YMMV) then the Fatboy.

set on 1 for mild shave, 9 for aggressive.

i use mine for the following 3 passes (6, 6, 5) and get a BBS every time.

there are many other great vintage razors, but for me, none beat the value and versatility of the Slim

+1. I agree 100 percent!

Another vote for a Slim.

(06-17-2012, 01:04 PM)Striky Wrote: Hi gents!

I am planing on getting a vintage razor. Till now, I've only shaved with a EJ DE89 and a Merkur travel razor. No experience with vintage razors.

What is a good vintage razor to start with? I have looked at a red tip, and a English Aristocrat, just because I like the look

You have experience shaving, so I think you should go with whatever looks good to you. British Aristocrats are the best looking razors Gillette ever made, IMO. They can be a bit expensive, but you would never have any issue reselling it if you didn't like it. Stay away from slant razors at all costs, I don't need anymore competition. Go through the SOTD threads, there's plenty of eye-candy there to see what's available in the vintage arena.

Gillette Super Speed. Gives you the Gillette experience with minimal investment. That way you can tell if vintage is for you. Gillette adjustables are highly overpriced and overrated, IMHO. I used them on and off for 35 years. They are like any adjustable, ie Merkur, in that they just widen the gap.

Expand and have fun sounds great My thoughts were since I only have tried two razors, I've want to try something different. And since I love vintage stuff, I want to try a vintage razor. I know the EJ DE89 is a very good razor, and might be the best razor for me, but I want to expand my experience.

What I want:
I thought first about a DE razor, because thats what I'm used to. I want a razor of good quality, and that it feels like a good quality razor (doesn't feel cheap in my hand).

An adjustable razor might be interesting, as I can experiment with the aggressiveness.

I haven't thought much about Single edge razors, but it's a possibility. Yes, I have to have blades sent to me, since there is no way I can get blades in Norway, or even any other shaving products for that matter (except canned goo and cartridge razors). How do I go about getting these blades?

Budget:
Up till $100 is affordable. But a razor that cost less, leaves more room for soaps, creams etc So it doesn't have to be an expensive razor. What is important is that the razor is in very good shape.

(06-18-2012, 05:09 AM)SteelTown Wrote: Gillette Super Speed. Gives you the Gillette experience with minimal investment. That way you can tell if vintage is for you. Gillette adjustables are highly overpriced and overrated, IMHO. I used them on and off for 35 years. They are like any adjustable, ie Merkur, in that they just widen the gap.

Gillette Adjustables (slim etc) overpriced? really...i have 3 in my current den (2 slims, 1 blk short adjustable) and all 3 combined cost me less then $50. 2 are MINT and 1 is VG+ (blk handle has some wht scuffing).

my last slim i just picked up, after cleaning, looks to be only used a couple times and cost me a whopping $5 locally.

all 3 give me fatastic shaves, are build 100x better then any merkur adjustable, hold the blade perfectly and are not prone to flaking/chipping etc like i've seen many merkurs and will outlast any current razor and they all have 30-40years on them.

as always YMMV.

Adjustables are overpriced on ebay and that's more than likely where Øystein will be doing his shopping for them. I doubt he has antique stores holding vintage razors like the US does. I agree though that the Gillette adjustables are good razors and they're built like tanks.

A vintage Merkur Progress would be my choice of adjustables, but they're hard to get.
For $100 or less, you have a lot of options. Just look for something that appeals to you, I can't really see how you could make a bad choice.