Thread: Vintage DE Blades

Well gents, heres a question for ya. We all hear the thoughts on the new blades out there such as feathers etc. Personally I'm happy with the gillettes you can buy almost anywhere. But has anyone tried and what are the thoughts on the old vintage blades you see for sale on fleabay etc.?

Rob,

Were you referring to the Wal Mart Gillette blades like these, or the 7 O'Clock variants? If it's the former you will definitely notice a difference with almost any other blade, especially Feather.

I've never used vintage DE blades but they do have their fans. I think it's thebigspendur who says the old blades would last for 10 or more shaves. But since many old blades were not coated they would be prone to deterioration unless the owner stored them correctly over the decades. Hopefully some vintage blade users will chime in with a more definitive answer.

BTW - I believe member DeLayne (sp?) is a vintage blade fan, you could try sending him a pm...

Originally Posted by Ryan82

Rob,

Were you referring to the Wal Mart Gillette blades like these, or the 7 O'Clock variants? If it's the former you will definitely notice a difference with almost any other blade, especially Feather.

I've never used vintage DE blades but they do have their fans. I think it's thebigspendur who says the old blades would last for 10 or more shaves. But since many old blades were not coated they would be prone to deterioration unless the owner stored them correctly over the decades. Hopefully some vintage blade users will chime in with a more definitive answer.

BTW - I believe member DeLayne (sp?) is a vintage blade fan, you could try sending him a pm...

I've actually tried both and to be honest, for me at least I don't notice a huge difference. Ya, I would be worried about the deterioration factor but if they're NOS sealed blades I would think they'd be ok. I bought a Gillette Super Speed the other day and there were a few old blue blades with it and they looked to be in good shape for that amount of time

Originally Posted by Catrentshaving

I've actually tried both and to be honest, for me at least I don't notice a huge difference. Ya, I would be worried about the deterioration factor but if they're NOS sealed blades I would think they'd be ok. I bought a Gillette Super Speed the other day and there were a few old blue blades with it and they looked to be in good shape for that amount of time

Well, pop in a blue blade and give it a whirl.... and if I hear you booked out of work for a few days I'll know why

Did you find the Gillette blades in b&m shops? I know they used to sell them at Wal Mart, but I haven't seen them at any store for the last few years....

Originally Posted by Ryan82

Well, pop in a blue blade and give it a whirl.... and if I hear you booked out of work for a few days I'll know why

Did you find the Gillette blades in b&m shops? I know they used to sell them at Wal Mart, but I haven't seen them at any store for the last few years....

You gotta keep your eyes open...check Safeway

I think the blades today are much better than vintage blades. I started shaving over 40 years ago with a Gillette Slim Adjustable and used whatever blades my dad would give me. Probably the cheapest ones he could find, I am sure, but I know that I didn't like them. Of course I had 0 technique going for me as well.

I do remember that the Gillette Platinum blade called the "Spoiler" was pretty good I thought, as were the Wilkinson Swords. I have since tried some of the older Blue Blades and the vintage Thin Gillettes and I did make sure that they were not corroded and in good shape. They were moderate to me. The Blue blades felt a little harsh like a Treet carbon blade.

New Feathers and such today are smoother and sharper. I will stick with them.

Will N.

Reminds me of my first VCR (remember those? har har) it was all metal and weighed about 15 pounds and lasted forever. Newer ones were all plastic and designed to last a few years and then you just pitch em but the newer ones performed better because the electronics inside had improved.

The older blades were better quality but the sharpening was so-so but you could improve on that until the first stainless blades came out and those Wilkinson's lasted forever. The newer blades perform real good only because of the coatings on them which the old ones didn't have but the blades themselves are inferior.

Gentlemen:
Every vintage DE blade I have tried has given me a rough shave. Indeed, the coating on modern blades, among other considerations, adds the silky sheen to the edge.

Originally Posted by Obie

Gentlemen:
Every vintage DE blade I have tried has given me a rough shave. Indeed, the coating on modern blades, among other considerations, adds the silky sheen to the edge.

Well Obie, that's because you are a vintage person and you know it's like algebra where in signed numbers two of the same cancel each other out.

My dear thebigspendur:

Vintage, indeed.