- Joined
- Wednesday May 25, 2016
Rockwell 6s....you wont regret it
That's an excellent selection of blades and you'll find some that work for you among those.Many thanks for all the great replys.
Looks like the tech or r89 would both be good as a first razor for me, nice to see plenty of positive comments about them.
Of course there's always another suggestion that kind of throws you off a bit, in this case the Rockwell, lots of praise for it and having watched a few YouTube vids lt does appear to be a good bit of kit. Would it be worth me looking at the 6c, cheaper chrome version or is that one not going to be durable?
Another quick question, I've purchased a set of the mixed Gillette blades off the bay, perma sharp, nacet, silver blue, platinum, astra and 7 o'clock. Will these be fine to use in any of the above razors as well as being ok for a newbie like myself.
The 6c is a fantastic razor and will outlast you if you look after it.Many thanks for all the great replys.
Looks like the tech or r89 would both be good as a first razor for me, nice to see plenty of positive comments about them.
Of course there's always another suggestion that kind of throws you off a bit, in this case the Rockwell, lots of praise for it and having watched a few YouTube vids lt does appear to be a good bit of kit. Would it be worth me looking at the 6c, cheaper chrome version or is that one not going to be durable?
Another quick question, I've purchased a set of the mixed Gillette blades off the bay, perma sharp, nacet, silver blue, platinum, astra and 7 o'clock. Will these be fine to use in any of the above razors as well as being ok for a newbie like myself.
Yes - don't overpay for it though. £15 tops for that model.See this one on the auction site, it's a 1972 with s4 stamped on it, is this a Gillette tech?
That particular model you're looking at - the aluminium one. Other Techs can go for horrendous amounts.Thanks, is that the techs in general or that particular year?
Brilliant information, thanks for taking the time to go into the history of the razor and their different merits, I can see how people end up down the rabbit hole now with large collections.Welcome aboard!
While the R89 is undoubtedly a classic, it's a razor that I think you'd tire of quickly. Most folks seem to, yet out of curiosity bring it into service every blue moon and really enjoy it. But it then goes back on the shelf.
The Gillette Tech is more than that ... it's an absolute classic!
With a production run that spanned 50 years, or more, it is the very design that is so clearly copied by so many modern "artisianal" razors. All the foibles have already been worked out by an R&D budget larger than most modern producers will make in their entirety.
There are broadly four main epochs of the Gillette Tech:
pre-WW2 ... look out for triangular drain holes by the guard.
1940s ... British are flat based with two long slots. We call these the "flat bottom" or "twin slot".
1950s ... Diamond shape on the baseplate and ball-ended handles, generally all brass but handles and plates replaced with aluminium later in production.
1960s ... Again, diamond shape baseplate, but lighter. Aluminium handles. You linked to one above.
All have their merits. My preference is for the 1940s with an almost equal enjoyment of the lighter 1960s on. The next fellow will laud the 1950s @Bogeyman, while the next will insist that pre-WW2 (particularly in brass @TobyC) is the only way to go.
Given the trajectory that Gillette took, especially when considering the changes in blade manufacture from carbon to stainless/coated, the later ones are not to be skipped over.
Oh, and given that these razors are dated by year and quarter, you can seek out a "birth year/quarter" razor.
Cheers chaps, I'm going to look at getting a Gillette tech for starters I think, just need to decide on a decent brush and cream now!