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Gillette 1-Piece razors

Jake

Jake

SU-Patron
Not sure why the pedestrian and ubiquitous Gillette one piece solid guard razors haven't yet made it onto this forum. Perhaps they are just too common. Easily acquired and middle of the road as far as shaving effectiveness. Nonetheless, they are classic, like American cars of the 1950s. And much more accessible and inexpensive. I had never owned any of the colored tip Gillettes. Blue, black, and red-tip Gillettes were popular variants in the mid-1950s. One of my sons lives in midcoast Maine, and recently purchased a small cabin on an island off the coast. While cleaning up the cabin he came upon this nice little blue tip Gillette. It needed considerable cleaning, but here's my 1st blue tip -- out of Maine from around 1955. Pretty nice looking razor -- if I do say so myself.
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Very nice restore. :daumenhoch

One of my earliest Gillette one piece was an X4 Super Speed which was my birth year/quarter razor. My previous TTO razor was the Feather Popular and the shave of the Super Speed was so boring compared to my Feather that I swore off TTO non adjustable razors until I got an Aristocrat Jr and then a 3rd Gen Aristocrat. Still it never kindled my need for more Super Speeds. :kopfkissen
 
Here is a question from a layman that reads: what is the difference between all the coloured tips?

So only the execution consisting of one piece, two or three parts?
Because I have been able to shave with several Gillettes (and I still have a few here in the display case) but in my opinion both the closed and open combs all have the same version and thus shaving characteristics.

Or am I completely wrong? :oops:
 
I can answer your first question - Blue TTO knob (like Jake's) is a milder version. Red is an aggressive version. No color is the medium. There was a Black knob, but this was a plastic knob and, to my knowledge, was the same as the medium. Some claim to have a Gold knob version, but I suspect it was just a custom replate.

As for all shaving similar, that has not been my experience. The OC razors all had different shaving charateristics from very mild to very aggressive depending on the models. The Old Type itself had a thick and thin cap which was about 1.5 setting difference in a Progress. The different versions of the New were different in aggression and smoothness. The Tech with the triangle slot was way more aggressive than the later aluminum handle ones, and definitely there was a big difference between a US made Super Speed and a made in England Aristocrat.

You just need to purchase more vintage Gillettes. ;)
 
That is a fine Blue Tip, Jake, a superb little shaver. A bit too mild for me but provides a superb shave with a bit of buffing.

Honestly, you could take your pick of any one of the vintage Gillette TTO solid bars and live happily with it as your only razor - they are indeed my favorite shavers of all!
 
I agree that there's quite a bit of variability among the Gillette razors -- by style, country of origin, model type, open or closed guard, etc. The search for the ideal shaving tool is endless, and after all, it's all part of the fascination of this hobby (or obsession). The blue tip is a very mild shaver, but with a super sharp Feather blade (for example) might be just what you're looking for. If you want to spend more and try other vintage razors, the search and opportunity is vast, and fun. But there's bound to be an ideal Gillette among your favorites, and this Blue Tip model might be just it.

Like others, once I discovered the Aristocrat Jr., I thought I had found my perfect shaver. Then I started enjoying the rhodium plated Gillettes, Then the Apollo adjustables. Unfortunately, once I tried a Timeless (.95 gap), I also thought I'd found my ideal razor. Meanwhile the search and discovery process continues.

Like many of you, I have more razors than I can use -- even if I shaved daily. Nonetheless, the hunt, search, and research to locate the so-called holy grail of razors continues to drive my curiosity and experimentation. I could also just grow a beard.
 
Don’t ever grow a beard, Jake, we minions need to live vicariously through your time machine acquisitions. So keep your wonderful pictures coming, sir!

My problem is that I have reached a dead end on finding new vintage holy grails to pursue - serious RAD has made me spend lots of time (and quite a bit of money :uhoh) to find what people generally refers to as grail razors. Any suggestions appreciated!

But in terms of shave happiness and satisfaction give me a 1949 Rocket and I don’t need anything else.
 
@Northstonehill, I totally understand where you are coming from. When I started my Gillette journey, I lusted for the New De Luxe. When I got that, then it was the RFB, then the 3rd Gen Aristocrat, then the Hybrid Tech. Now that I have all, my search for Gillettes now have an empty feeling. :(

As for a suggestion to your grail Gillette, two words - Gillette Heritage! :sabber1 :kaputtlachen1
 
Apparently, Gillette shavers went fishing too. Often enough to warrant a Gillette fishing set, with razor, blades, lure and lurebox.
Razor is a black handle flaretip or superspeed (not too good at keeping those apart, me), K2.
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