Question about interchangeability of blades and razors

A

Ambedkarite

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6
Ok, firstly I'm not sure if this question is actually in the right board, so forgive me if it's not.

Question is quite basic:
Firstly, I'm living in India, but I also spend a lot of time in the UK and elsewhere in Europe. This has a bearing on the rest I'm going to ask about. I currently shave with a Gillette Vector, which I seem to remember has a different name in UK. More importantly, blades for this didn't seem to be availabe at all in Britan when I was last there (April-May this year), nor did I see them elsewhere in Europe that I was. Here in India they're widely available. This is one reason I'm thinking of changing to what I believe is called here a double edged razor. I'm sure you all know what I mean, anyway. Other reasons would be not wanting to throw away a bit of useless plastic and that green lubricating strip, or whatever it's called, every time a blade is (or rather, two blades are) blunt; and the idea that it could be cheaper!

So I want to know if all DE blades fit all DE razors? Can, say, Wilkinson blades be used with a Gillette razor? The only such razor I can find here, in India, is the Gillette 7 O'clock. I understand there are different types of razor like TTO, twist to open, but I confess I don't know what sort this 7 o'clock razor is. So in short I don't want to buy this only to find I can't get blades for it outside India. Or indeed to buy something else - Merkur or whatever - in UK only to find no blades for it elsewhere.

Did that make sense?
 
And I'm sure I could find the answers to all this and a whole lot more if I just perused this forum thoroughly, but... that's a bit of a chore when you don't know exactly when you're looking for! And the Wikipedia page wasn't much help on this. Forgive me and thanks!
 
Yes, DE blades are not for specific brands of Razor.

There may be some odd vintage blades/razors that are an exception to the rule but all modern kit will be fine.
 
Hi AmberK,
You're okay on that one m8. Gillette 7 O'Clocks will fit double edged Merkurs, Parkers, Muhles, Wiliknsons etc. Just as Wilkinson Sword blades will fit Gillette razors also.
All the best
JohnnyO.
 
Some blade brands you're likely to come across in India:

Topaz
365 (made by Gillette)
Wilkinson Sword (made by Gillette)
Gillette 7 o'clock (3 flavours - yellow, green & black)
Laser Ultra
Supermax Titanium

From what I gather, busy city centre type outlets will have none of them, so you need to head further afield to "local" centres.
 
The Gillette Vector is known as the Contour over here and the Atra in the US. The cartridges are still widely available.

The 7 o'clock DE razor is a very simple 3-piece razor and is quite good value for money. The 7 o'clock blades are excellent.
 
Thanks, I thought it had another name but didn't remember that it was Contour. I think the packaging must be rather different as well?

Bought myself a 7 O'clock today. Using it tomorrow. :shave It actually comes in two varieties. What is described above (and I bought) is the superior version, there is a significantly cheaper one which is all plastic and the top clicks down to hold the blade in place.
 
Dont forget if your swapping from a cartridge razor to a Duel Edge razor for the first time there is a change of technique involved.
Check out the Help forum for some basic info - plus check out the Videos by Mark (Mantic59) on Youtube (<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.youtube.com/user/mantic59?blend=1&ob=4" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.youtube.com/user/mantic59?blend=1&ob=4</a><!-- m -->)- they are absolutely invaluable.

It will help make the transition less troublesome.

Let us know how you get on Ambedkarite!
 
Thanks for that link, the videos were interesting, if a trifle over didactic!
How have I been getting on? I immediately noticed, as soon as I held the DE razor in my hand, that the balance was completely different. All the weight seems to be concentrated in the head. This may be accentuated cos the Gillette 7 O'clock I have has a mostly plastic handle with a metal head, and the handle is slightly shorter than the cartridge razor I've been using, but I presume it's common to all "traditional" razors. The shave itself, well at first the blade felt as if it were a little blunt, despite being brand new. But the next day with the same blade it felt less so - probably a matter of finding the appropriate angle (not that I'd claim to have found it yet). Haven't been able to follow which edge of the blade I'm using. Nor am I sure whether turning the same blade over and using the other side is going to give in effect another "new" edge to use. :roll: But certainly my skin felt better afterwards - not dried out or sore - and the biggest immediate advantage for me was that a DE blade, unlike a twin-bladed cartridge, does not get clogged at all.

Now back in England and for some reason have been using the cartridge again, but have also noticed that the water quality makes a huge difference to how my skin feels. The water in India may not be safe to drink straight from the tap, but UK tap water has a drying effect. Perhaps it's the chlorine, or maybe it's softening chemicals?
 
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