Best Trac II blades in production

Let's talk about single and double edged razors and the blades that they use.
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diggity
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Best Trac II blades in production

Post by diggity »

So it looks like Wilkinson discontinued the Super II blades they were selling at Wal Mart, so here I am again, trying to find a replacement. So I am wondering which Trac II blades are the best in production (and post-production). I am looking at the following:

- Wilkinson System II (also known as WII?) Vintage
- Wilkinson Vintage Twin Blade II
- Gillette Trac Plus (current)
- Personna Trac (current)

They do not sell the Dorco at the Dollar Tree around me, so that is not an option.

Thanks guys!
Nathan
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Craig_From_Cincy
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Re: Best Trac II blades in production

Post by Craig_From_Cincy »

Do I recall reading that Merkur produces T2 style blades?
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Squire
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Re: Best Trac II blades in production

Post by Squire »

Dollartree sells blades?
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rsp1202
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Re: Best Trac II blades in production

Post by rsp1202 »

Nathan, the Personnas I've been using in the TII and Atra are particularly (and surprisingly) sharp and smooth, much better cutters than the Wilks. The Trac-only carts are the same.
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diggity
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Re: Best Trac II blades in production

Post by diggity »

Ron, good to hear from you! Thanks for the heads up. I will try these!
Nathan
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Re: Best Trac II blades in production

Post by BullGoose »

Hmmmm...my suggestion is to return to your double edge razors. :D
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diggity
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Re: Best Trac II blades in production

Post by diggity »

Yeah Phil, I wish I could. But you know, the DE blades just tear my neck up and I always get weepers. The Trac II really work well for me :)
Nathan
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Re: Best Trac II blades in production

Post by nelson »

Craig_From_Cincy wrote:Do I recall reading that Merkur produces T2 style blades?
Yes, Merkur does produce T2 style cartridges.
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Glasstream15
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Re: Best Trac II blades in production

Post by Glasstream15 »

I use Publix Super Market brand TRAC II blades. $3.50 for 10. I don't know who makes them, but I think they are probably Personna. Seem to be good to me at least.
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kingfisher
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Re: Best Trac II blades in production

Post by kingfisher »

the only current production Trac II style blades I really liked were the Wilkinson Sword ones available at WalMart.

If you want to move up to an Atra style instead, there are options. The ones that are made for the Vector system (I think) that have the green lube strips are really smooth; much better than the Gillette carts.

Have you tried Gillette Guard? It's only one blade but it pivots and it has a large comb-like face that set the angle just right; you might find no irritation on the neck and a smooth shave. The carts are 50 cents each at West Coast Shaving and the razor is a buck or so.
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Re: Best Trac II blades in production

Post by divotmax »

Talking about the Trac II made me dig through some of my shaving stuff that hasn't seen the light of day for quite some time. I found a "bumpfighter" handle and some Trac II cartridges from Gillette and some unknown maker. I never did like the Sensor or any pivoting cartridges after that. Someone pointed out that they automatically pivot to the most aggressive blade angle and are primarily for those shavers who want the closest shave with one pass; I think that is true. At least with the Trac II you can control the blade angle to some degree, plus I always liked that the width of the cartridge was just a little smaller than a normal DE blade and was easier to get to some trouble places. I'm not sure I ever believed that stuff about more blades cutting closer, and kind of think that was mostly marketing. Might work if you were making a really fast pass, kind of like they do on television when there is no blade in the razor. I tried the Sensor and Mach III, but after three days my face had world-class razor burn. Anyway, I have been using the Trac II and whatever these cartridges are that don't have a goo-strip on them and have gotten really nice shaves for a full week with one cartridge. I normally use one pass with grain, one across and then a touch up, and my face is in good shape. I won't toss the DE, but the Trac II will certainly get more use.
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Re: Best Trac II blades in production

Post by bernards66 »

Interesting. Just another example of how our individual experiances differ. As most of you know, I really can't use ANY multi-bladed razor on an ongoing basis. They all wind up giving me razor bumps and other skin problems. In addition, very few of them even gave me a shave as good as what I routinely get with either a DE or a Schick Injector. Granted, I have a lot of experiance with those and also I do three passes. But I found that if I wanted the best results I had to do multiple passes with the cartridges as well. A couple of the cartridges that DID give me a really good shave were the original Gillette Sensor and one of the Schicks, I think it was called the Flex or something like that. The Trac II I never got at all. I tried one several years after they first came out and I remember thinking, "jeez!...this thing doesn't shave worth a damn!" I just could not get a really close shave with the thing whereas I had never had the slightest problem with the Schick Injector or even a Bic disposible. I tried them again after these forums started up and got the same dismal result. I really don't know why, but that has been my experiance. The purpose of the pivoting head models is, they say, to keep the blades at what they deem to be the proper angle no matter what the shaver does. But their "perfect angle" isn't necessarily that for all shavers and the shaver has no choice in the matter. From my point of view, one of the advantages of a DE is that the shaver gets to adjust the angle as needed. Of course, this does presuppose a certain level of skill in the use of the razor, which is not required when using a pivoting head model.
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Re: Best Trac II blades in production

Post by brothers »

This seems to bring out a sad fact. Some guys say they dislike the drudgery of having to shave, and they just keep on using whatever cartridge everybody else is using and never knowing why they don't enjoy it. The lucky ones are those who come to realize they can change their shaving from a chore to an opportunity for a bit of self-fulfillment and enjoyment every day, simply by getting the right equipment and products for their own preferences. Sadly, some just never make that breakthrough.
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Re: Best Trac II blades in production

Post by Squire »

I'll do my part to keep the Lighthouse lit.
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Re: Best Trac II blades in production

Post by brothers »

Yes, that's our mission! Changing lives for the better, one shave at a time (and posting about it)!
Gary

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Re: Best Trac II blades in production

Post by Squire »

Oh I just want them to support my hobby by buying shaving products.
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river1
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Re: Best Trac II blades in production

Post by river1 »

Personna Trac II is the one that Walmart used to stock and I purchased quite a few of them but have used most of them now. Guess that a search for someplace else to buy them around here is needed. It is a great razor to travel with when you do not want to worry about airport security or TSA agents with sticky fingers. My Atra and Trac II razors are the older ones with a lot of heft and one is the International Silver that I bought several of in 1980.
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kingfisher
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Re: Best Trac II blades in production

Post by kingfisher »

river1 wrote:Personna Trac II is the one that Walmart used to stock and I purchased quite a few of them but have used most of them now. Guess that a search for someplace else to buy them around here is needed. It is a great razor to travel with when you do not want to worry about airport security or TSA agents with sticky fingers. My Atra and Trac II razors are the older ones with a lot of heft and one is the International Silver that I bought several of in 1980.
The Personna Trac II blades that WalMart used to stock were serviceable, but the Wilkinson version that supplanted them was far superior.

One day I got this feeling that I should go to WalMart and buy a few more packs of them, but I shrugged it off. About a week later when I went to WalMart, they had pulled them permanently.
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Re: Best Trac II blades in production

Post by Pauldog »

Glasstream15 wrote:Publix Super Market brand TRAC II blades
If there's no "Made in Korea" notation (meaning Dorco), I think it has to be Personna, which is American Safety Razor, now owned by Energizer, which also owns Schick and Wilkinson.
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diggity
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Re: Best Trac II blades in production

Post by diggity »

The Personna (Energizer, Wilkinson, Dorco, ASR, GILLETTE)....just kidding of course. But yes, the Personnas that Ron mentioned are quite nice. Sharp, smooth, and better than the Walmart Wilkes. Its sad that it has come to this, but YMMV and all that good stuff.
Nathan
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