Gillette Slim Adjustable -- Yet Another Look

My vintage 1963 Gillette Slim Adjustable was just about to go on the auction block. Then I decided to give it another go -- perhaps just one last time for sentimental reasons since it originally belonged to my father.

I put my current Astra blade in the Slim, which was set to one -- it's mildest setting. I lathered up and took a patch shave -- that is, one and only one lathering; shaving in small patches using slower, longer buffing strokes; and each patch being shaved in at least two directions.

I found the experience and outcome to be similar to using my venerable Merkur 33C Classic razor.

In fact, this shave was so satisfactory that I'm keeping the Slim and have re-thought my selection of razors on hand in my bathroom drawer.

The razors that I'm keeping at hand are the following:

• Gillette Slim Adjustable
• Gillette Tech (c. 1948)
• Merkur 33C Classic
• Merkur 15C Open Comb

The preceding list are those instruments that give me a consistently acceptable shave with a good chance of minimal skin insult. The Slim (set to one) and the 33C are good daily shavers for me and give me the option of variety to keep total boredom at bay. The Slim (on a more aggressive setting) and the Tech are good for those quick standard shaves (one pass, with grain) on those rare days when I'm really in a hurry or am seeking to give my skin a respite. The 15C is also an acceptable daily shaver for me, but I really keep it around for its open-comb design, which is ideal for shaving longer hair -- such as when I'm giving the back of my neck that occasional clean-up shave.

The razors I'm banishing to the razor shoebox in my bedroom closet are the following:

• Rimei RM2003 (slightly too aggressive to be perfect for my face)
• Lord LP1822L (blade-bar span just a bit too wide to be face friendly for my contours)
• Weishi 9306-F (just too mild, without the corresponding uber gentleness on my sensitive skin)

That's it for today. Happy shaving!