A Tale Of Two Techs

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unky_gumbi

Joined
Aug 28, 2009
Messages
7,951
There is often discussion on what Tech is more aggressive, Pre WWII or Post WWII. Well I am lucky enough to have both Pre and Post war techs in a Fat Handles. The only difference being is that one was gold plated and the other is nickel. While this will be just my opinion, I am going to try keep it as scientific as possible. While I know the factors wont be exactly the same, and things like my prep and lather will be a little off from one day to the next, I am going to do my best to keep them the exact same.

First off the razors by the numbers

Fat Handle Gold Tech Pre date code so manufactured between 1946 and 1950

DSC02275.jpg


  • Handle Weight: 23.0g
  • Top Cap: 14.4g
  • Blade Holder: 10.5g
  • Complete Head: 25g
  • Complete Razor: 48.1g
Observations:
The Gold handled Tech has lost all of its plating, but there are no visible signs of damage to it. The handle is a split between copper and brass, and the head has a brass base plate and a copper top cap​

Fat Handle Nickle Tech Pre war Model with Triangular holes. Manufactured between 1938 and 1941

DSC01870.jpg


  • Handle Weight: 23.1g
  • Top Cap: 14.9g
  • Blade Holder: 10.5g
  • Complete Head: 25.3g
  • Complete Razor: 48.5g

Observations:
The Early Tech still has most of its plating, and no visible damage other than a small ding on the bottom of the handle. the only plating loss is on the edges of the top cap and a couple of flakes on the handle. You can see that these parts are copper and we can assume that the construction is the same on both razors.​

Now for the fun part shaving. I will be using Proraso cream, my Fendrihan brush and a new Dorco ST-301 blade I will do the same 5 passes for both days whether they are needed or not and follow the same pattern for each pass.
  1. right cheek
  2. left cheek
  3. right jaw
  4. right neck
  5. left jaw
  6. left neck
  7. chin
  8. upper lip

Passes
  1. straight down
  2. inside of face to outside on a downward angle
  3. outside of face to inside of face on a downward angle
  4. across face right to left
  5. straight up

The last two passes I don't do my upper lip because I normally have that in the 3 passes and the hair growth is all in one direction. the rest of my face the hair grows in every direction so it needs the little extra to get it smooth:o

My trouble spots are a strip under the right side of my chin along the Adams apple and under the left corner of my jaw. I will touch those areas up so that the razors have an even playing field, but the touch ups wont be counted in this little test, just how well the initial passes shaved them.

So I am off to shave with the post war Tech and will report back on it in a bit.
 
Well I have to say the the post war Fat Handle Tech is not for me. It shaved and gave a decent result, but it just wasn't the satisfying shave that I am use to. My tough spots were bigger and it took a few touch ups using both buffing and J-hooks to get it to a point that I would be happy.

With each pass I was wondering if it was even cutting, but rinsing the the razor I could see hair in the lather. It makes a lot of noise while shaving. I found myself wanting to bare down just to get a close shave, and I think I may have in a couple of places:o

The end result was a socially acceptable shave with a bit of irritation and a couple of weepers because of the extra effort to get a close shave. Funny thing is that I have a 50s Ball Handle Tech that I enjoy very much and plan on making my travel razor

Tomorrow the Pre WWII Tech.
 
The Pre WWII Fat Handle Tech is a much better shaver for my face. I could definitely feel the difference between the two razors. Because the Older Tech cuts more aggressively I felt no need to add pressure, just drag it along your face and let it do its thing. It is still a mild razor in comparison to some of the others I own, but it works for me and has earned its spot on the shelf. My problem spots were much smaller with the Pre war Tech, but I did have a little trouble finding the angle to get them smooth.

The end result is a DFS, no irritation, no weepers or nicks.

My Conclusions:

While both razors on the surface look the same there is a bit of magic in the older razor that isn't there in the newer one. I am not sure what it is, could be the little bit of extra weight, an very small gap or exposure difference that I don't have the tools to measure, or it could just be that the blade I used yesterday was a dud and the one today was a gem. Based on the two shaves I would put the pre war Tech the equivalent of 1-2 notches, on a Gillette Slim, more aggressive than the post war Tech. Not that much but you can feel the difference while shaving and in the end results.
 
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