Gillette Adj: 1/4 turn advice is a lie! Beware!

Ok, perhaps that was an overly-dramatic subject line, intended to be a tongue-in-cheek attention grabber; but I DID discover that the 1/4 turn thing is a myth. 

I got a '65 Slim from fleabay and had an awful experience.  From this forum, I learned how to straighten bent safety bars (thanks again, Chappy!) and also discovered the Top Secret (at least to newbies) "quarter turn" trick.  The idea is to close the missile silo doors on a Gillette Adjustable razor, and give the TTO knob an extra 1/4 turn to "lock the blade" in place.  Only on my Slim, it was more like a 1/2 turn.  While I got a much better shave after realigning the safety bars and giving it the "1/4 turn" (1/2 turn for me), I got acceptable results.  But I figured I had a damaged (or at least worn out) razor, because mine required 1/2 turn, not 1/4.  Figuring it was a junk razor, I didn't really take much of a shine to it.

But today, as I had my morning coffee, I watched a YouTube by Matt, from Razor Emporium.  He discussed the Gillette Adjustable razor history.  Interesting stuff!  He discussed the the famous (yet oddly secret) "quarter turn trick" to tighten the handle.  As he was describing the 1/4 turn thing, the video he was displaying showed the Gillette instructions... that clearly stated to give it a HALF TURN!   HALF, not quarter!  So my '65 Slim isn't gorked up after all, and a 1/2 turn to lock it is how it's SUPPOSED to be!  


Why EVERYONE seems to quote the 1/4 turn thang (instead of the 1/2 turn) is beyond me.  Maybe it was just a boo-boo someone made (who happened to own a particularly tight razor) and it got repeated over and over again until it became a fact in the wet shaving community.  Stuff like that happens every day.

I think I'll go give my '65 Slim another lap around my jaw.  Glad I saw the video before shaving this morning... or I'd have used a different razor!
  :-)
- Bax

Both my Slim and Fatboy are only a 1/4 turn to full stop.  I don't try to push past this fearful of causing damage as I think the previous owner did on the Fatboy.  Matt at Razor Emporium did a tune-up on the Fatboy so I'm guessing it is right.  Know it shaves great.  Have not sent my Slim in for tune-up as it seems okay.

In this video, Matt mentions a big variety among razors. They weren't exactly built to NASA standards. They are mass produced item intended to sell blades, after all, so each one is likely to be a little different.
-Bax

I just turn the knob until it feels right. There’s no 1/4 turn, 1/2 turn thing going on at all. I’m like the guy who stares at the image but doesn’t really see it.

Huh - I've had a number of Gillette Adjustables, my first shave those many grisly eons ago was with one.  I count 10+ here now, none of which goes the full 1/2 turn.  There is one Super Adjustable that has the 1/2 turn instruction printed on the card, it is NoS and only turns a quarter by my eye.  The Toggle doesn't count of course .. and I have a parts Fat Boy that didn't lock at all

But 5 Fatboys all go 1/4 turn
An Executive (gold plate)  Fatboy is 1/4 turn
Slim in box is 1/4 turn
3 Super Adjustables (long handle, short handle, & plastic bottomed Black Beauty) all seem to have just a hair less than 1/4 to close.

I have one 1958 Adjustable and it's only a 1/4 turn.

My lonely slim does a 1/4 turn, this is the first time I've heard about 1/2 turn.

Just double-checked my '65 Slim. 
Yep, it's a full half-turn, no doubt about it.
- Bax

(07-06-2021, 11:49 AM)Bax Wrote: Just double-checked my '65 Slim. 
Yep, it's a full half-turn, no doubt about it.
- Bax

You must have that '65 Slim that goes for about $500.00 on Ebay.   

I am mistaken!  Both my Fatboy and Slim do turn almost a 1/2 turn.  I carefully measured them today.  The Fatboy is still so tight from its' tune-up I had to use a washcloth to get a good grip it.

I thought I was wrong one time years ago but figured out I was only mistaken then too....  ?

Different settings (1-9) will affect the final turn. It can vary between quarter and half depending on what number you set. Try it and see.

And you do not have to unlock the knob to adjust the settings. That’s the myth part.

(07-06-2021, 05:21 PM)Chappy Wrote: I am mistaken!  Both my Fatboy and Slim do turn almost a 1/2 turn.  I carefully measured them today.  The Fatboy is still so tight from its' tune-up I had to use a washcloth to get a good grip it.

I thought I was wrong one time years ago but figured out I was only mistaken then too....  ?

"Different settings (1-9) will affect the final turn."
Hey Shaun, you're RIGHT!
Just checked my Slim, and there IS a difference that depends on the razor's setting!
Keen observation!
- Bax

Matt, from Razor Emporium, explained the mechanics... stuff inside the razor is all connected (the knee bone's connected to the shin bone...) so that even a dummy like me could understand it:  "...the wider the doors open, the less the quarter turn is present."  He knows stuff, and is smarter than I am... but this makes sense to me!  This, along with Shaun's observation (that the 1/4 turn changes with razor setting) explains the wide variation between razors, too.
Mystery solved!
- Bax


P.S. If you haven't seen Matt's videos, I highly recommend them -- fascinating, interesting, and sometimes nerdy.  The best ones are the nerdy ones.