Newbie Gillette Recommendation

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slackman99

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9
Evening all, first post so be gentle!

I'm a recent convert to DE shaving (from Mach 3) and am really enjoying the whole shaving experience.

I've been using a Wilkinson Sword Classic from Boots, but have decided that i'd like to try something with a bit more quality, so would like to get an old Gillette, the question is, which one?!

I like the idea of an adjustable purely so I can fiddle with the aggressiveness and see what works for me, but I also like the simplicity of a non adjustable. I don't think I want anything too aggressive (yet) but i'm not really sure what the different Gillettes are like.

Can anyone recommend to me or explain the differences between tech, superspeeds, slims, flair tips etc, and which would be the best bet for a beginner like me?!
 
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great shaver and a bargain
 
Welcome to the Forum!

In the Shaving Help section there are some great sticky posts on Gillette identification, have a browse of those. At first the Gillette range seems unfathomable, but you'll soon get the hang of it.

My first DE razor was a Superspeed, and I'd thoroughly recommend on of those. There's a great deal on one in the BST section here:

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Well worth a go ;)
 
Hi guys,

Thanks for the replies. I'll be certain to check out the thread about Gillette types and identification. I've just pm'd about the Flair Tip as the price does seem to be good!
 
I've just bought a Flare Tip, that's my first Gillette.

Can I just say, seeing as you're after some quality, don't rule out modern razors. Something like a Merkur or an Edwin Jagger are really top quality, (argualby better than a Gillette) and brand new ones can be had for 20 quid.
For 30 quid, the HD feels beautiful in the hand.
 
Well i've just bought the Flair Tip in the link above, so am looking forward to giving it a whirl. I might keep my eye for an adjustable too as i'd still like to give one a go!
 
slackman99 said:
Well i've just bought the Flair Tip in the link above, so am looking forward to giving it a whirl. I might keep my eye for an adjustable too as i'd still like to give one a go!
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Great start. Enjoy it.
 
I'll be practising my technique (and also my pre shave prep which i'm finding makes quite a big difference to the shave).

I would say that twiddling before technique never hurt anyone, but in the case of razors that may well not be true! ;)

I've got a nice bowl of Tabac soap, plus a Palmolive stick and English Shaving Company cream to try out, plus a blade sampler pack to go with my badger hair brush (that was a present from the other half a few years back), so plan to have a nice smooth face for the next few weeks at least with all the practice!
 
slackman99 said:
I would say that twiddling before technique never hurt anyone, but in the case of razors that may well not be true! ;)
Click to expand...

It's ok to a point.... but if you get good (or bad) results you need to be able to determine which of the changes have caused it. There's no point changing too many variables at once or you never know where you are!
 
Right well I started with modern razors, then on a whim purchased from FrenchBlade A £13 USA made Flare Tip, cheapest razor I had by far. Loved it so then, when he had a British made Aristocrat Junior for sale, still lower than I had paid for any modern razor I jumped on it. The build quality compared to the USA made Flare Tip is astounding,I can see why they called them Aristocrats.
This is now my razor of choice including an iKon. It had not been my intention to go the vintage route, I was only curious to see what they were like but now only use the Aristocrat. For what it is worth I have only been at this for the last 2 months, had I have known how good Gillette's are I could have saved a lot of money buying new. Not an unfamiliar story I bet.
 
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