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my vintage gillette obsession..

good morning gents..fabulous cooler weather shave today now the skies finally opened..
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usual face wash with the imperial leather soap.
fine spitfire lather built with the custom badger brush-made from random bits of vintage brush handles, weighted and a finest badger knot installed.
2 smooth passes across the grain with pick ups with the new rfb 2 piece.platinum combo.love this razor,
splash of thayers and british sterling to finish.awesome.
this fine rfb is one of the last of the model made,it has no markings on the handle and a few patent numbers on the bottom of the baseplate.most of these were made from the early 1930's to 1939,possibly just after 1945 also but in limited amounts as a start up model.gillette england didn't make a safety bar type razor until 1947-ie aristocrat jr,aristocrat and tech.the u.s stopped making OC razors in 1939,canada also but only ever produced a tech,no tto types were ever built there.
the other unique parts on this razor is in that it has thicker teeth than older models and a crease on the inner cap in line with the pins like the new tech hybrid and flat bottom techs.something not seen in the 1931-39 models.the teeth,cap and patent numbers match those on my previously pictured 1945 #77 model.this razor could have been issued in a bakelite #77 case or nickel/steel #88 case,similar to a popular/aristocrat case.well. enough babbling.;)
have a fine friday everyone.:cool:
 
I tried a sample of British Sterling AS the other day and the wife was not impressed. Said I smelled like an "old man"....checking my birth certificate confirms her assessment. I liked it.
 
heysi said:
I tried a sample of British Sterling AS the other day and the wife was not impressed. Said I smelled like an "old man"....checking my birth certificate confirms her assessment. I liked it.
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haven't tried the original aftershave,wasn't in stock but got this one.woody,leathery and smooth.not bad for the $$.in the same realm as jeeves barbershop..
 
good morning gents,another fine brit rfb shave..
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lovely slick proraso lather built with the omega boar,love this scent.smooth 2 passer with touch uups across the grain,cold rinse to finish.a bit of matching balm and cologne seals the deal.awesome.
the #44 new rfb is my favorite brit gillette both in looks and performance,consistant near bbs (my standard) without issues.loves any blade i load in it but platinums are a favorite.this one has the rarer open end handle.slightly head heavy .sometimes i use a tech fat handle on it or something heavier-mood decides.i also have a french market version with a slightly thinner cap,but it shaves the same.this is a new long comb design that adopted the thick flat section to accommodate the fixed 1 piece handle available on other models #77 and #88.the #44 is a 3 piece version.england dropped the standard u.s long comb design in the early 1930s.
have a fine weekend everyone.:cool:
 
good evening folks.-just an update.having a lovely evening with my wife.thought i would do a 1 pass clean up after a long days work.no pics or fancy stuff.soaked and loaded a boar brush with imperial leather hand soap for s--ts and giggles.and was totally blown away.face lathered and the resulting lather was incredibly slick,rich and non drying or dissipating.smooth 1 passer /clean up shave to refresh this mornings results.now i get why old school shavers never bothered with the fancy stuff.this lather bettered modern williams in a third of the time spent.post shave was better also,though it took an extra cold rinse to remove the residue.true tallow soap.will do this again soon.have a fab weekend gents..:cool:
 
good morning gents..fabulous cooler weather shave.
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face wash with the imperial leather soap and a hot cloth soak.no shave since saturday night.
heavy rain pattering the roof,everyone else still sleeping..
lovely st.james lather built with the mighty simpson.liberal application with a good scrub.nice and slick.
smooth 2 passer in the usual manner with the 80+ year old aristocrat, very audible but comforting within this peaceful silence.can barely feel the fresh platinum blade.a little buffing in the usual spots on the neck.
cold water rinse,rubdown with the alum stick,another cold rinse to finish.light application of nivea balm.burberry for men edt seals the deal.
no issues, just whiskers be gone.no heat or irritation.awesome.
this #15 is a late model compared to most out there,no markings on the handle,430 030 baseplate and rhodium plated.earlier models were silver plated had a slightly different center bar and a 400621 baseplate.case liners had earlier/different scripts/logos/colors depending on their market-be it england,france or australia,and others.i believe this set to be from around 1939 or slimly possible to be a carryover after the war.all OC production stopped during this time.england's first safety barred TTO came about around late 1947 with their second gen aristocrat and aristocrat jr.as i always say.my knowledge may have holes or the years off a bit.please fill in any blanks if you know more.;)
have a fine start to the week everyone.:cool:
 
brit said:
good morning gents..fabulous cooler weather shave.
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face wash with the imperial leather soap and a hot cloth soak.no shave since saturday night.
heavy rain pattering the roof,everyone else still sleeping..
lovely st.james lather built with the mighty simpson.liberal application with a good scrub.nice and slick.
smooth 2 passer in the usual manner with the 80+ year old aristocrat, very audible but comforting within this peaceful silence.can barely feel the fresh platinum blade.a little buffing in the usual spots on the neck.
cold water rinse,rubdown with the alum stick,another cold rinse to finish.light application of nivea balm.burberry for men edt seals the deal.
no issues, just whiskers be gone.no heat or irritation.awesome.
this #15 is a late model compared to most out there,no markings on the handle,430 030 baseplate and rhodium plated.earlier models were silver plated had a slightly different center bar and a 400621 baseplate.case liners had earlier/different scripts/logos/colors depending on their market-be it england,france or australia,and others.i believe this set to be from around 1939 or slimly possible to be a carryover after the war.all OC production stopped during this time.england's first safety barred TTO came about around late 1947 with their second gen aristocrat and aristocrat jr.as i always say.my knowledge may have holes or the years off a bit.please fill in any blanks if you know more.;)
have a fine start to the week everyone.:cool:
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Lovely razor! :love:
 
good morning gents..a bit early but the urge was there..fine second gen 'crat shave.:)
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usual face prep with the imperial leather soap,hot facecloth.
lovely grecian horse lather built with the yaqi silvertip.slick and rich,predictable a & e quality..loves water.
smooth 2 passer in the usual manner.very little touch up.no issues.cold water rinse.true bbs with this razor.
fantastic post shave feel,matching splash to finish.awesome.
this bad boy 2nd gen 'crat is the real deal.don't snooze with this one..or it'll get ya.gets a bad rap with it's rhodium plating over brass.no nickel underneath.shave wise it's the red tip of the 40's.arrogant pricks will scoff and say blah blah blah.but this is the most efficient of the brit aristocrats.bar none..especially with today's blades..not those dull blue blades of yesteryear.;)
have a fab day everyone.:cool:
 
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good morning gents.another fine a & e shave in the books..
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fine asian pear lather built with the custom omega 10098,hand cast in metallic green resin.
smooth 2 passer with the #15 aristocrat/platinum combo.matching splash to finish.
lather didn't seem as slick this time around,but did the job without issue.
matching splash to finish.awesome.
this fine 'crat is the 1948 #15.same case as the oc version with a different liner.the #15 had a good run from 1936 to the early 1950s.
this razor is the 3rd genration of the 'crat.430030 baseplate but with new rocket type internals hence the gap between the twist knob and handle.
it also has the notched center bar for speed loading the blades from new dispensers,though this set never got a plastic dispenser.the center bar is now visible through the top doors when closed,unlike the earlier versions.this model is the heaviest unadjustble tto england made at 82 grams.
shave wise many say its the best of the 4 generations for smoothness and efficiency,though i find the 2nd gen i used yesterday to be a bit more efficient..could be the 3rd gen's extra weight as it's blade exposure is less than it's unidentical twin 2nd gen.yes they both came out in 1948,but the 3rd gen continued.finally ,the 3rd gen is rhodium plated over nickel,unlike the 2nd,which is rhodium over brass..this razor also came in the #16 and early #22 sets.
4th gen shave tomorrow.;)
have a fine day everyone.
 
good morning gents.fine club/'crat shave.again.:)
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fabulous club k-2 lather built with the wcs silvertip,loves water,very slick with great residual slickness.smooth 2 passer in the usual manner,light touch ups under the chin.matching splash to finish.awesome.great post shave feel.
this 4th generation aristocrat is the mildest feeling of the bunch,but is no slouch when it's number is called.very similar to the #58(fancy rocket hd) shave wise,but a bit heavier.this early1954 model is all brass/nickel/rhodium plated with pat pending in the diamond stamped blade tray.later models from '55 up had the pat number in the tray and came in #66 sets.-tan colored case.the #22 had the black case,though mine was trashed and i am presently hunting for another.this design razor was also in the 1953 coronation sets but is reported to be aluminum handled only.not sure,never had one.there is one other i haven't/don't own,which is the #70 set.unique case but the razor is nickel plated,no rhodium,from around 1960.that set would end the famous brit aristocrats..well,the slim adjustable would carry the banner name wise.out of the 4 i just used this one i could use daily.i do like and prefer milder razors for daily shaves.thanks again.
have a fine day everyone.:cool:
 
well i will say.i just shaved with a $1000+ worth of razors in 4 days..:D.thank you all for your input.these are just blade holders..the blade delivers the shave.just a point if you are obsessed with modern DE stuff..;):cool:
 
Aristocrat JR razors up next .starting with the pre war Popular from 1939.the brit version of the Senator/Sheraton series TTO. or,more tech stuff.ideas please gents..:)
 
good day gents..quick shave wiz ze germans..;)
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usual face prep with the imperial leather soap,fine klar face lather built with the wilkie boar.soap is easy to load,even with this thin floppier brush knot.
smooth 2 passer with a pick up here and there.cold water rinse,alt innsbruck to finish.awesome.
this tech is the german #34 from around 1953.not sure on how long they were produced,but a unique design-all aluminum,with polished cap that is narrower edge to edge with a sharper curve than other techs,won't fit anything else.unique baseplate also.loves a sharp blade..
lightest tech i have,but is fun to use and an efficient enough shaver.my thoughts-if it were successful enough it may have stayed in production much longer,but the standard post war tech design had taken over wordwide by now.even france had the standard version now in production.
more tech geekery coming in future posts,working all weekend so i'll start my aristocrat jr series of shaves on monday.looking forward.:)
thanks for following along.have a fine friday everyone.:cool:
 
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