brit
Sr. Shave Member
hello gents.my deal in a nutshell.i learned to shave with a bic disposable then gillette 2 blade carts in the early 1980's.not enjoyable by any means and and always viewed it as a chore.i chose to shave as little as possible as i was in the auto industry and saw little client front line contact.leave me be and i'll get the job done was my moto..skip a few years and a marriage or 2,i started using William's soap and a brush around 2006,but still used mach 3's.still hated it but was marginally better.at least more "traditional "I always got a lower neck irritation line/ingrown hairs. Thoroughly frustrated at having these issues in my late 40s i grew a full beard and did the least needed to maintain a respectable appearance.2017 ..i owned an auto repair shop and had some space to show off some cool old school memorabilia in the front office/reception area.i was always into vintage tools,cars old stuff so i bought a fatboy razor to display in a cabinet.well .that just piqued my interest and i decided to actually try it.after a trial run with readily available wilkinson blades i was intrigued and proceeded to purchase anything vintage.Rabbit holes-101
Long story short..
i decided to narrow my gillette adventure to british gillettes..well i am british born and my RAF WW2 serving grandad was a gillette man since the late 1930s.it made sense to honour his indulgence and enjoy stuff he could of acquired. His last gillette i remember was a white handled slim twist.from the early 70's.
History done..
i purchased many brit gillette sets online from the uk and hooked up with some brit gillette collectors over the last few years.i wasn't greedy and only got what i wanted,not multiples to gloat about or sell for profit.gillette tech razors became a weak spot as their are so many variants around the world and over the course of 60+ years of manufacture.they are also cheap to acquire/collect if you have an eye..Some shave better than others..
These days i shave daily due to work expectations and have since 2018.i change my razor almost daily as to be honest,they all shave quite similar.no shelf queens in my den.once you have the technique down pat it's a no brainer.there are exceptions..old type/single ring/new improved require an extra bit of attention.(all early 3 hole blade).and the brit red tip of course,don't get complacent with that one..
i usually use gillette st .petes blades and have acquired a few thousand,mostly blue/white tuck platinums-the new swedes as as some say,gsb-the old 7oclock blues as reported by some.and nacets.i also indulge in vintage spoilers when the mood arises.astras,polislvers,various other 7 oclocks and others fill bins in the archives also,just to keep things authentic to the cause.feathers and kai blades are around but rarely used.i buy barber 100 packs to keep things affordable and share with my friends.
obviously i shave daily so there is little use for a 3 pass shave.i do 2 across the grain with some buffing/touch up for near bbs,being mindful of the lower nech area-source of ingrowns for many years.
my favorite gillettes are brit OC NEW rfb's,with the new sc a close second-i have all 4 generations of aristocrat and 'crat jr variants/populars but they are mostly for fun and nostalgia.i do a touch up pass most of the time with a lowly 1965 brit flair tip rocket with residual slickness and/or water/witch hazel.it gets the last stragglers and hard to get whiskers with it's slim head and positive exposure.only made from 1964 -66 it is really gillette's best all brass non adjustable.imo.brit/canada market as far as i know.so there it is..my story.sorry for the longish ramble.happy shaves gents.
Long story short..
i decided to narrow my gillette adventure to british gillettes..well i am british born and my RAF WW2 serving grandad was a gillette man since the late 1930s.it made sense to honour his indulgence and enjoy stuff he could of acquired. His last gillette i remember was a white handled slim twist.from the early 70's.
History done..
i purchased many brit gillette sets online from the uk and hooked up with some brit gillette collectors over the last few years.i wasn't greedy and only got what i wanted,not multiples to gloat about or sell for profit.gillette tech razors became a weak spot as their are so many variants around the world and over the course of 60+ years of manufacture.they are also cheap to acquire/collect if you have an eye..Some shave better than others..
These days i shave daily due to work expectations and have since 2018.i change my razor almost daily as to be honest,they all shave quite similar.no shelf queens in my den.once you have the technique down pat it's a no brainer.there are exceptions..old type/single ring/new improved require an extra bit of attention.(all early 3 hole blade).and the brit red tip of course,don't get complacent with that one..
i usually use gillette st .petes blades and have acquired a few thousand,mostly blue/white tuck platinums-the new swedes as as some say,gsb-the old 7oclock blues as reported by some.and nacets.i also indulge in vintage spoilers when the mood arises.astras,polislvers,various other 7 oclocks and others fill bins in the archives also,just to keep things authentic to the cause.feathers and kai blades are around but rarely used.i buy barber 100 packs to keep things affordable and share with my friends.
obviously i shave daily so there is little use for a 3 pass shave.i do 2 across the grain with some buffing/touch up for near bbs,being mindful of the lower nech area-source of ingrowns for many years.
my favorite gillettes are brit OC NEW rfb's,with the new sc a close second-i have all 4 generations of aristocrat and 'crat jr variants/populars but they are mostly for fun and nostalgia.i do a touch up pass most of the time with a lowly 1965 brit flair tip rocket with residual slickness and/or water/witch hazel.it gets the last stragglers and hard to get whiskers with it's slim head and positive exposure.only made from 1964 -66 it is really gillette's best all brass non adjustable.imo.brit/canada market as far as i know.so there it is..my story.sorry for the longish ramble.happy shaves gents.
