I picked up this 1968 Gillette “Slim” in an auction with the 1975 Black Beauty I reviewed recently. Both are in such good condition, if they were used at all, they must have been very gently so. They both look and operate like they are brand new.
The Shave
One thing about vintage Gillette safety razors I’ve noted is the tendency for this rule to be true:
- The more recent the Gillette model, the milder the razor
While the 1968 Slim is adjustable, having dial positions from 1 to 9 (with 1 being the mildest and 9 being the most aggressive) I went into this still assuming that this razor would still likely be a bit too mild for my preferences, even adjusted to its maximum setting. The Black Beauty was a lot milder on 9 than I was expecting, so I figured the Slim would be simliar.
However, to get a baseline, I decided to start this shave out with the dial set to “5”.
- Passes: Three, WTG, XTG, ATG
- Razor: 1968 Gillette “Slim” Adjustable N1 (on setting 5)
- Blade: Personna Blue (1st shave)
- Brush: Edwin Jagger “Best” Badger
- Lather: Barrister and Mann Cheshire
- Post: Vintage Avon Spicy aftershave
The Slim handles a lot like the Black Beauty in terms of optimal shaving angles, but the shorter handle makes it far better for me by comparison. The handle length on the Black Beauty makes it seem imbalanced to me, and I was always having to compensate for it.
I’m sure with more use I could make it feel more natural, but not so with the ’68 Slim. This thing feels perfect in my hands and not awkward at all.
Aggressiveness Settings
As I mentioned above, I started out with the dial set to “5” so I could see what “middle of the road” was like with this adjustable.
The 5 setting was pretty nice… good blade feel, efficient cutting, very smooth action. I did the first half of my first pass on my face with it on 5 and it felt pretty good.
To see what it was like on a higher setting, I clicked it up to “7” and finished my first pass.
Wow! Going from 5 to 7 made it a lot more aggressive.
I did my 2nd and 3rd passes with the Slim on 7 and it was a bit much, even for me. I think with practice, the razor on 7 is probably going to be good for me, but as it was, with my still getting a feel for this rig, it was rough.
I dialed it back to 5 for my head shave and it was perfect for that, though to be fair, I don’t need things quite as aggressive for head shaving.
Results, and Conclusion
With this razor set on 7 for my XTG and ATG passes I got a little bit of razor burn on my cheeks, but not bad. My “newer = milder” assumptions with vintage Gillettes turned out to be wrong in this case, and that’s fine. I discovered that the 1968 Gillette “Slim” is surprisingly aggressive on higher dial settings, which I think I’m going to enjoy a lot. The next time I have 4-5 days of beard growth, I think this razor will perform really well on the 7 setting or even higher.
One of the reasons this caught me off guard was how the ’75 Black Beauty performed on its highest setting – it was aggressive, but not to my preference, and that one doesn’t adjust any higher than that.
In the end, slight razor burn aside (and it really was pretty minor) I got an excellent shave out of the Slim, discovered the nuances of its adjustability, and found that this razor is very enjoyable.
It mows down the piano wire on my face very effectively and comfortably, and it is a surprisingly good head shaver as well.
I said it about a different razor in a previous post recently, but they just don’t make them like they used to. The Gillette “Slim” Adjustable is a very user friendly, adaptable, well-designed piece of engineering, and I’m extremely glad I managed to find one not only in good working order, but in practically new condition. It’s now occupying a very beautiful slot in my vintage Gillette collection!
Brush and Blade 