Gillette TracII, Atra, Contour Cartridge Razor for Travel (Carry-on Friendly)

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Location
Croydon, London, Uk
Hi guys, I am looking to put together a shave kit that is carry-on friendly.
I am looking at the likes of Gillette TracII, Atra and Contour, and was wondering if anyone has any experience of using any of these razors?
 
Those early Gillette cartridge razors clog quite easily as the backs are closed - not like the later Sensor, Mach III and Fusion which are a lot easier to rinse.

People often bang on about how good those older razors were, but the fact is, if the newer ones weren't better then people wouldn't have bought them.
 
I was in a Savers shop yesterday and they had a SuperMax 3-blade disposable set (handle + 10 cartridges) for a pound.
I nearly bought it but remembered I have a travel kit. I may pop back in and buy it anyway seeing how cheap it was.
 
Mach3 disposables or any Contour/GII clone. The Dorco TG-II at Superdrug - marketed as Superdrug Twin Blade and formerly at Sainsbury's is
an excellent Contour compatible razor. I am not a fan of the blades, however many Contour/GII compatible blades are available on eBay such as the Profiles/Profiles Plus...
 
I used to use the Contour back in the 1980s and early 1990s. You can still get the cartridges but not the handles unless on e Bay or somewhere. But I have heard that the Boots twin blade cartridge handle takes Contour cartridges.

In its day it was not a bad razor, but the cartridges did tend to inadvertently swivel during shaving, causing the odd nick.

The reason I stopped using it was because even in those days cartridge prices started going up and were getting harder to find. I then started using the Wilkinson Sword Classic double edge razor.
 
The Bic Metal is a good shave. More aggressive than the Bic Sensitive which might frustrate shavers used to DE shaving, it has a single blade and a metal bar up front to "lift the hair" like a smooth runner guard on a DE.

Blade Mail sell 'em: http://www.blademail.co.uk/acatalog/bic_metal_disposable_razor.html

In action ...

IMG_5362.JPG
 
for some reason i forgot to put my ikon in my travel bag
so i've just bought a gillette fusion pro glide with a power button come with 1 blade
£5 from asda on offer ,plus a pack og 4 blades for a £5

had a reasonable shave with and guess what sliced me self with the bloody thing ,not used to 5 blades
the power bit was garbage, not sure what its supposed to do or achive

it'll come in handy for when i've only got hand luggage
 
I have a few contours. Used with Slalom blades they are fantastic.

Old contours have metal handles. These feel great in the hand and are made quite well.
 
Re: RE: Gillette TracII, Atra, Contour Cartridge Razor for Travel (Carry-on Friendly)

Dipesh said:
Old contours have metal handles. These feel great in the hand and are made quite well.
I do have an original GII and a Contour handle. Well made indeed, and still surviving as my travel razors.
 
Just had a second try with the Feather FII Neo. The shave was ok and the angle needs some getting used to. The handle is nice with a bit of weight to it, plus it gives you the option of "locking" the blade or letting it "swivel".

At the moment the Sensor and Trac II I use on the Merkur MII and the Wilkinson Hydro 5 still come out on top for me, cart wise.

Though after Expano and pjgh's comments about the guard I might have to try one. :icon_rolleyes: :D
 
The earlier post with the photo shows my favorite carry-on — Bic METAL. Unfortunately, here in America they are nearly impossible to find. I found someone on eBay who had five un-opened packs, so I snapped up those 25. When they're gone......
The only twin blade disposable I like pretty well is the Schick slim twin ST2. Each razor has a small tab activated by a button above the blades — pushes out the schmutz.
I was going through some old shaving stuff and I found the handle (decades old blade still mounted) of my first razor; a Gillette TracII. I also found two vintage Atra handles. Maybe I'll get some blades and take a trip down memory lane.
~
 
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