Thread: Watch Gillette Old Type Shave

Good vid on how to use an old Gillette OC. The OC Gillettes are some of my favourite DEs to use. They shave damn near as close as a Muhle R41 for me and because of that I would say it is an aggressive shaver which makes it an efficient shaver. I don't think you can have one without the other. I use a similar shallow angle with both DEs also and both operate in a narrow range as far as a suitable angle goes. I think that is another hallmark of an aggressive/efficient DE. You are definitely right that you really have to pay attention to what you are doing with the old OCs to be rewarded with a very fine shave. Thanks for posting this vid.

Bob

Bob, thanks, and thanks for watching and commenting. Much appreciated.
As for aggression, I tend to judge that differently. I judge aggression by the feel on my face. If the razor is a smooth shaver, but I get the feeling that if I mess up it'll make me pay, then to me that is aggressive.
This razor can be like that if the angle is wrong, but if you get the proper angle it is sweet.

I sort of agree with Mike re: aggression.

I make a distinction between efficiency and aggression. To me, 'efficiency' is gauged by how much hair a razor takes off in one pass, while 'aggression' is defined by how much of the blade I feel on my skin. A razor can be efficient without being aggressive, because it may take off a lot of hair without constantly reminding you that you have a lot of flexible blade on your skin.

The 2011 Muhle R41 is both efficient and aggressive. It's too aggressive for me to use comfortably.

The Old-Type Gillette is pretty efficient, but not really aggressive (to me). I really like them, though I usually use the ABC Gillettes (Old-Type head on beautiful handles).

Originally Posted by yohannrjm

I sort of agree with Mike re: aggression.

I make a distinction between efficiency and aggression. To me, 'efficiency' is gauged by how much hair a razor takes off in one pass, while 'aggression' is defined by how much of the blade I feel on my skin. A razor can be efficient without being aggressive, because it may take off a lot of hair without constantly reminding you that you have a lot of flexible blade on your skin.

The 2011 Muhle R41 is both efficient and aggressive. It's too aggressive for me to use comfortably.

The Old-Type Gillette is pretty efficient, but not really aggressive (to me). I really like them, though I usually use the ABC Gillettes (Old-Type head on beautiful handles).

Yes, I see your point. As for efficient, the Muhle R41, mine is the later model, is more efficient than the OC Gillette and yes more aggressive. OTH any DE that operates in a narrow widow of usable angle means you really have to watch what you are doing or suffer razor burn and/or cuts easily. On that basis I would still consider the Gillette OCs on the aggressive side. With a Gillette 58 you can relax and be pretty sloppy with your technique and not suffer as easily from razor burn and cuts compared to either the Muhle R41 or Gillette OCs. You pay for it in a shave that is not as close or long lasting as with the other two. I have found that the Merkur 37c slant is an easy shaving DE like the Gillette 58 but has the same draw back for closeness and longevity of the shaves. I have always found that you need use an aggressive DE to come close to the shave you can get with a straight razor no matter how efficient the DE is.

Bob

Actually, for me, and in my experience, most of the DEs that have a narrow window re the shaving angle are the milder ones, such as the Superspeed. Too shallow or too steep and the razor will not cut. Which is why some guys say they are "too mild", and they "can't get a decent shave with them".
I get great shaves with my Superspeed, I believe because I pay particular attention to that angle.
Most of the razors that many people call aggressive are like this one. There is a small window with regard to angle where you can get a comfortable, close shave. Too shallow won't cut it, but too open of an angle results in scraping and uncomfortable shaves.
IME.

Nice Job, Mike.

I really appreciate including "FULL STOP!, need new blade" part in the video. Great stuff to see for beginners.

Do you normally DE shave without skin stretching?

Cheers,
Simon

Simon, thanks!
Regarding skin stretching with the DE, most DE shavers don't stretch the skin. I'm kind of experimenting right now to see if it makes an appreciable difference. I normally stretch my skin no matter what I use, because I want to try to keep my technique similar across the different razors. With the straight, it's a necessity for me in certain areas to avoid the razor digging in and cutting me. I imagine that will be more important the older I get. It's easy to forget if you don't stay consistent.
I haven't really come to a conclusion regarding stretching with a DE, SE, etc. Still evaluating.

I guess it all depends on what you call a decent shave also. Out of the 16 or so DEs I have and use all will give a decent shave if you exclude a BBS one. With some the shaves last longer than others. Only a few will come close to a BBS long lasting shave and they are the aggressive ones. Top of the heap is the Muhle R41, latter version, for me.

For sure with any DE you have to use it with the proper angle. If you don't, as you say, they either won't cut properly or give you uncomfortable shaves. There are just some that when cutting properly will shave more closely because of the aggressive head design than others. The comfort part is mostly down to the right angle and no weight on the razor plus a good lather. Anyway, there are always more than one view points on any subject.

Bob

Yeah, Mike. I'm with you there. I'd imagine that if I ever went back to a cartridge(never!), I would definitely use all those aspects of proper shaving that I've learned.

For those who haven't bothered to watch the video, here's my favorite take away(paraphrasing):

If it don't feel right, STOP! Why would you want to do that to yourself?!? Just STOP!