Some have the Gillette Toggle or Bottom Dial as their holy grail of safety razors. I love my Gillette Adjustables, but my first true crush on a razor was the French’s Gibbs line of adjustable razors. Their simplicity and originality exudes mid-century modernity, of the utilitarian European kind. However, with their proprietary blades, I was always hesitant to purchase, only to have to either go through the task of snipping/punching my blades or, worse, permanently modifying the razor to allow universality…

Enter the Personna Micrometric. I came across this elusive razor when first discovering the Gibbs and was instantly gobsmacked. It was a Gibbs but wasn’t a Gibbs all at the same time: it was gold where the Gibbs was chrome, it was white where the Gibbs was black, and, conveniently, it took all blades when the Gibbs took only one!

I began down the rabbit hole only to find very little on this thing, regarding its history or, much less, any for sale. It really is remarkable how little was documented over its inception in the early 50s. And from what I’ve gathered, not many were made…

I’ve always been one not to get carried away on shaving purchases, but the opportunity, and a beautifully complete one at that, presented itself, and I sat on my hands long enough before knowing I’d regret not pulling the trigger. Let’s just say, I’ve received my birthday, Father’s Day, and Christmas gifts this year. The collection is complete.

Sharing my shave for today. So far I’ve had 7 shaves with this setup. Still improving my technique, I need to invest in an alum block for the occasional bites, but patience and practice makes perfect.

Razor: Gillette Slim 1964 Blade: Astra SP Green Cream: Proraso Green Brush: Proraso Boar (Omega) After: Proraso Green Vessel: Porcelain Catch-All (would not recommend) Soundtrack: Ellington Indigos by Duke Ellington

Merkur Futur on 2 with a Gillette Platinum and the mildly-scented, creamy lather of Haslinger Schafmilch made for an efficient yet comfortable shave.

The Simpson Trafalgar T1 is the perfect size for loading from the small Haslinger tin, but it’s definitely not the best for face lathering. It’s more of a paintbrush than anything.

Razor: Merkur Futur Blade: Gillette Platinum Brush: Simpson Trafalgar T1 Soap: Haslinger Schafmilch

Pre: Shower, Proraso pre-shave
Razor: Gillette Tech (ENG)
Blade: Bic Chrome
Brush: Omega Proraso
Soap: Palmolive green
Splash: Old Spice

I used to get terrible razor burn and ingrown hairs from cartridge razors. No matter how careful I was or how much I spent on the “fancy” multi-blade stuff, my skin would be on fire afterward and I’d end up with tons of ingrown hairs.

Then I found this sub.

All the discussion, advice, and shared experiences here really made the decision to switch easier. It confirmed what I’d already started to suspect, cartridge razors weren’t doing me any favors. So I made the switch to a safety razor, and honestly, I haven’t looked back since.

My shaves are smoother, my skin is happier, and best of all, I actually enjoy the process now. It’s kind of therapeutic.

So huge thanks to everyone here for sharing your tips, routines, and gear recommendations. Your collective knowledge seriously made a difference for me. Thanks!!!!

Razor: Vintage Gillette Tech.

Blade: Feather.

Brush: Simpson's Chubby 2 Platinum Synthetic.

Soap: Natural Ireland.

Aftershave: Pinaud Lilac Vegetal.

Balm: Proraso.

Many thanks to u/gerry7070 for sending me the Natural Ireland Soap! Lovely stuff; easy to load, creamy lather, and a nice, delicate, fresh scent.

Razor: Henson Aluminum + Blade: Personna Platinum Brush: "Fievel" Chisel And Hound boar 26mm Soap: Stirling Coniferous Pre: Hot shower Post: Brut splash, Nivea post shave balm

Fievel's adventures begin! I lathered up the brush with some Stirling Coniferous and left it overnight to hopefully soften the bristles a bit. It worked! I overloaded like a mofo to be sure that the brush wouldn't eat the soap between passes and that also worked! Lots of stuff working and it makes me randy, baby! Yeah!

Grooming Dept./ Aion Skincare Grooming Dept. TENEBRES (Maxima) Grooming Dept. FLEUR D'IRIS(Optimus) Look forward to using em soon… Cheers guys…Have a great day ahead…! 💐🥂

One pass, very comfortable and efficient. Now the shave den will be out of bounds to me for a few days while we have house guests; the shave den is also the guest bathroom 😢 But let’s face it, that a privileged problem to have so it’s a case of ‘suck it up cupcake.’

SOTD: 09/04/2025

Razor: Alpha Shaving Works Outlaw Evolution Titanium Blade: My-Blades Platinum, 2nd use Brush: The Razor Company Cherry Royale Preshave: Stirling Soap Company Ozark Mountain Oil Soap: Stirling Soap Company Ozark Mountain Croap Balm: Stirling Soap Company Ozark Mountain Lotion Fragrance: Stirling Soap Company Ozark Mountain EdC

• Shared from My Shave Den for iOS

Had to go pick it up this morning because I missed the mail man Monday, but I am excited for my next shave.

After much thought I finally decided to pickup a Monster Slant which I will use next. With it I had to pick up Phoenix Lights, which immediately took my number 14 spot for my favorite by PAA such a fantastic scent, the citrus and grapefruit works well with the slight oakmoss and tobacco scent I pickup from the smell, with a great woody note that aids the musk scent making a fantastic aroma. Finally as I have been using my IceTube I finally picked up a Cube as well something that will become a staple for a pre-shave much like my IceTube, of course it is mentholated.

Up until today, I've only tried Proraso green and red creams, but my order of MacDuff soap samples arrived today. I ordered Alberta Boys, Market Days, Canadian Tuxedo, Wild Rose Country, and Worst Cabin Ever. A quick sniff test made me immediately gravitate towards Alberta Boys. The product description on their website is as follows:

Notes: Black Cherry, Limoncello, Bitter Almond Liqueur, Plum, Turkish Rose, Jasmine Sambac, Tonka Bean, Vanilla, Sandalwood, Cedar Blend, Vetiver, Patchouli, Oud, Tobacco Leaf, Cardamom, Rosewood.

Now I am no scent expert and am not qualified to go into detail on everything I could smell, but I can say it is such a pleasant scent, rich and complex, and makes you want to open the container for one last sniff. However, what was even better than the scent was the lather! A tiny fingernail's worth of soap spread out on the bottom of my shave mug easily made enough smooth and silky lather for my usual 2-pass shave, and even more besides. I could also definitely feel the easier razor glide over my skin. I look forward to trying out the other samples, and choosing my favorites for full-size containers.

I made the mistake of trying other brands. I seem to have my best shaves with Gillette Nacet blades and I’ve been using them for a couple years now. I bought these two packs to try something new. My face doesn’t seem to agree with these blades. There’s about 85 blades left in the shark pack, and about 70 blades left in the astra. Let me know! I’ll ship them to you cheap.

First ever vintage razor shave and first ever safety razor shave in general! I really liked it. Nice and quick for a weekday shave then back to my straight for the weekend. I’m only 15 minutes post- but my face feels pretty comfortable overall.

Razor Emporium preshave bar

Gem Micromatic 1912 + Gem blade

Martin De Candre original

Simpson Chubby 2 Platinum Synthetic brush

Razor Emporium 1977 aftershave balm

*Design94, Aviation 94 SpaCe & a Tabac shave stick these are the two firsts.

*BIC blade (2) and my own brush .

*Figaro gold /tobacco ASL.

After looking at buying this razor for a long time it was great to actually get it in my hands and shave with it , within a couple of strokes I had a feel for it and as the shave went on I felt completely at ease with the razor . You can feel the blade alright but nothing uncomfortable indeed the whole shave was very easy and comfortable. I also feel the razor to be quite accurate if that makes sense . It was also very good ATG on my neck so for a first shave I must say I'm very pleased with the razor . I face lathered with the Tabac stick and wow this is a super soap it's up there with Arko for sure imo . My old friend Figaro gold topped off a lovely shave very nicely .

These are all keepers. I have another box of non-favs and surplus. I’d enjoy glimpsing others’ dens.

The vintage Gillette did not disappoint .I was surprised at how close it was with just one pass and no nics.First time using Stirlings Coniferous and it had me in the trees.Pine ,cedar and a touch of that fall woods smell wafted around my bathroom while i was lathering .This was a great shave.

Recently got a hold of leaf thorn single edge razor, and with perma-sharp stainless, combined with the noble otter orbit, it achieved a smooth and cool finish

• Razor: German Gillette Parat
• Blade: Bic Chrome Platinum (2 of 6 Total Passes/3 Total Shaves) (WTG/WTG)
• Brush: Omega Pro 49 Boar
• Lather: ARKO
• Aftershave: Fine American Blend

So what do you think, who is more handsome…Mr. Fine or Mr. ARKO?😁 They are both strapping lads!

It really doesn’t require much ARKO to be scraped off into the bowl for a ton of lovely lather to explode into being. Maybe half as much or less compared to the amount required for an artisan soap. I still end up with more lather than I need.

With this being my easy day of two WTG passes, the third use of the Bic blade continued to impress. I’m learning to be more accepting of the results of only going WTG, though in no way comparative with an ATG pass.

I’ve all but decided to finish April with this two day cycle (WTG/ATG, WTG/WTG), but in May I will upgrade to an XTG(face)-ATG(neck) pass on the second day to improve results while still giving my face an easier day to recover (WTG/ATG, WTG/XTG-ATG). Believe it or not my neck seems to be able to better handle the ATG pass as long as I go gently, plus I’ve never felt comfortable going XTG on my neck.

Gentlemen, I think there’s no other razor that can compete with the smoothness and efficiency for me and my skin. This SS is definitely my desert island razor. The Kai only helped with the efficiency of the shave and plowed through 2 days of growth with ease. After a long 12 hour shift at work I would like to just relax and not worry about cutting up my face when I shave. This razor definitely allows me to relax a little bit but still deliver amazing results. I originally bought this razor to commemorate my parents’ birth year and something to continue to remember them by when they are long gone. I never thought it would be my favorite to own out of the bunch as well.

NO rawr is the bees knees. Smells like fresh cut grass but with a hint of floral scent as well. Very subtle. I like the art of NO and it lathers to a whip cream consistency with very little work.

• Gillette Super Speed X2
• Kai
• Rubberset 400 with Timberwolf knot
• Noble Otter Rawr
• Alum block/Thayers toner
• CeraVe facial moisturizer/Nivea aftershave balm

I've been thinking about tinkering with fragrances for some time, and what better way to test them than with a shaving soap?! 🧪

So, I finally bit the bullet and tried making some. Besides a rookie mistake with additives that made my base smell a little funny, I'm really pleased with how it turned out for a first attempt. 😊

The soap was easy to load on my RazoRock and Mühle synthetic brushes, and just a tiny amount was enough to produce copious, thick lather.

The pictures my wife took while I was lathering were already at the second pass. The others I took after finishing my shave. 🪒

The next steps are trying to make some more and seeing if I can make this unscented base smell better. Then I’ll add the fragrances I’ve been making.

👃 Fragrances

The fragrances I’m really excited to try in the soap are:

• Lavender 🪻, Rose 🌹, Leather notes 👞 (inspired by London, UK 🇬🇧)
• Sakura 🌸, Green Tea 🍵, Incense 🪔 (inspired by Kyoto, Japan 🇯🇵)
• An original take on the Bay Rum: Babà au Rum => Sweet Rum 🥃, Coffee ☕, Sea notes 🌊 (inspired by Naples, Italy 🇮🇹)

🧼 Soap Ingredients

• Stearic Acid
• Tallow
• Shea Butter
• Kokum Butter
• Castor Oil
• Jojoba Oil
• Glycerin
• Goats Milk
• Marshmallow Root Extract

Thank you to the folks on this group that gave me recommendations on cleaning up this vintage Gillette .Thought i would post before and after.Later comes the real test.

Love me some Barrister and Mann!

Just got this razor blade sampler in the mail. I’ve tried the Derby and both Astras that come in this sampler. Astras work alright, but not perfect.

Help me understand what aggressiveness of a blade means? Preferably with a clear definition. I am completely new to DE shaving, and as I see it, the sharper blade the better to avoid pulling and tearing. For example the Feather blade should be the most aggressive blade because of its sharpness according to my research.

Thank you!