Gibbs vs Heritage Gibbs

Fifth shave - Heritage Gibbs adjustment nut set at 4 1/2.

This one was total surprise. The razor was actually milder than at the lower settings I've used. I want to say the blade was bad but I did get a full BBS finish on the face except for under the chin which was subpar at best. I checked the adjustment and it was working correctly so the question becomes is it a cap orientation problem or some thing else if this is not performing as intended. With that said I plan to pivot over the OG Gibbs for the next 2 shaves to test it at this setting and switching out the springs then I'll do the final shaves on the Heritage with a new blade.

Sixth shave - Left, Heritage Gibbs adjustment nut set at 4 1/2. Right OG Gibbs adjustment nut set at 4 1/2.

Decided to do a side by side shave. First I checked the Heritage to see if the cap was the issue. There was some slop but it shouldn't have been enough to cause that much of a drop in performance going to a higher adjustment. So for this shave I swapped out the blade with a fresh one and made sure the gaps were exact on the Heritage. They both felt the same with one exception the OG Gibbs was somewhat tuggy under the chin on XTG and ATG passes. That also showed in that I need to stypic pencil for the right side on the neck but not the left. End result the OG Gibbs was the better BBS finish. Both were smooth WTG but ATG only the OG Gibbs side (right) was smooth, the other side was still rough feeling.

Short story long the Heritage is that mild regardless of the efficiency that anything but a super sharp blade will degrade the performance. Last shave I will open up the Heritage to at least 6 if not overclocking it more to see if I can at least match the OG Gibbs shave on 4 1/2 in a last side by side. Conclusions to follow that shave.

Seventh shave - Left, Heritage Gibbs adjustment nut set at 6. Right OG Gibbs adjustment nut set at 5 1/2.

I originally planned to do the OG Gibbs at 4 1/2 but inadvertently moved the adjustment knob so 5 1/2 it is. As expected the difference between the 2 shaves was much less as they both are set more aggressively. Gibbs has more blade feel but same level of mildness as the Heritage at this setting. End result the OG Gibbs was a perfect BBS no stubble feel rubbing the hand in any direction on the face, Heritage BBS but very minimal stubble feel rubbing the hand ATG. In most cases the Heritage would be more than good enough for most people but the point of this was how high and how close to an OG Gibbs can in perform if one wanted. If I overclock the Heritage to the equivalent of a 7 or 8 on the dial as long as the blade is still tight with no chatter it should reach perfect BBS performer. I may still try that but the last shave for this comparison will be with the springs switched out to see how much they cause each to differ from each other at the same setting.

With that said they are pretty close in feel, not 100% the same but at least 90% or better. If you were looking for the OG Gibbs shave experience these razors are noted for this the Heritage will definitely give a good approximation of it.

If I overclock the Heritage to the equivalent of a 7 or 8 on the dial as long as the blade is still tight with no chatter it should reach perfect BBS performer. I may still try that but the last shave for this comparison will be with the springs switched out to see how much they cause each to differ from each other at the same setting.

The "Gibbs" design is such that the clamping is done between the middle plate and the top cap, so any change in gap will have no effect on blade chatter. The clamping force remains the same regardless of the gap.

I also doubt that swopping the springs around is going to affect the shave quality. All the spring does is push the bottom plate down aganist the adjuster dial to adjust the gap. The only thing that may happen is that a weaker spring may allow the bottom plate to "tilt" for want of a better word.

Eighth shave - Left, Heritage Gibbs adjustment nut set at 5 1/2. Right OG Gibbs adjustment nut set at 5 1/2, adjust springs swapped.

First off swapping the springs didn't affect how each shaved but it made a major difference it how it shaved at these settings for each. Both sides were the best yet and for a perfect BBS finish the Gibbs nailed it and them some at this setting even better than the prior shave with the original spring set at 5 1/2. The Heritage was right there too but just a touch short of equaling the Gibbs with just a tiny amount of stubble feel on the ATG hand rub but overall much better than the prior shave set at 6 with the original spring.

Final thoughts.

The Heritage is a great razor for the price and worthy contender to go against one of the greats it is patterned after, the OG Gibbs adjustable. The Heritage for a milder razor is super efficient and can go toe to toe with much higher heavyweight offerings' like the Rex Ambassador with the difference being the shave experience. With that said the OG Gibbs still takes the crown because of the less blade feel and tug for the same mildness producing a closer shave. The Heritage though is a worthy 2nd option if modifying blades, vintage razors or the current price tag on a Gibbs is not your thing. If you have or plan to get a Heritage changing out the spring for a less stiff spring will improve the closeness of the shave at the lower dial settings without impacting performance otherwise.

To expand slightly on the methodology and reasoning behind it. I do up to 5 pass shaves and the bar is what I call a perfect BBS which is no stubble feel running the hand in any direction on the face. Nothing but smooth. If the razor can get to that finish in 5 passes it reasons anything lower than that bar can be had. Whether that can be done in 1 or 3 passes for example is not the point. That is for you the user to determine but at the same time know if you want better it can also get you there.

Interesting thoughts about the comparison of those two razors. 
  I'm just curious about how long of your five pass shaved takes. With all the touch ups sometimes I feel like I'm approaching that point even if it was a 2 pass shave, razor  dependant, go figure.

Interesting thoughts about the comparison of those two razors. 
  I'm just curious about how long of your five pass shaved takes. With all the touch ups sometimes I feel like I'm approaching that point even if it was a 2 pass shave, razor  dependant, go figure.

It depends how careful I need to be with the razor. Some razors I can whip around the face without a care others I need to concentrate closely to not takes hunks of flesh off the face. These razors are almost shave without a care for me so I am going to say about 10 minutes to fully shave not including cleaning up and aftershave routine of witch hazel then aloe vera gel as a balm.

Yes it certainly is dependent, how coarse your hair is and other factors play into it. I found years ago trying to buff out spots takes longer than just covering the whole face in 5 passes which guarantees I don't miss any spots. If you aren't chasing the baby then this is overkill but like I said my criteria is needs to be able to get there if you want it to.

Bonus shave - Gibbs click pen adjustable aka OG Gibbs the second generation set at 5 1/2.




Since I recently acquired the much rarier Gibbs ref No5 one piece adjustable that doesn't take modified blades figured I might as well add a comparison. So is it just an updated version of the older Gibbs adjustable. The short answer is no. It has more blade feel like the Heritage but sings when cutting unlike the other 2. The Heritage and OG Gibbs are milder with better efficiency. OG Gibbs the second generation is still towards the mild side but is more aggressive and less efficient. End result it is an almost perfect BBS shave, no hair feel on the hand across the face  except ATG under the jawline. Shave is in the same ball park as the Heritage but the Heritage is still less stubbly. End result if I had to choose, the Heritage gets the nod over the Gibbs click pen adjustable. Though a Gibbs it is not the Gibbs shave experience that is so well regarded. With that said if one comes up for sale and you collect, buy it if the price reasonable since they are a unicorn razor like the Personna Micrometric and you may not see one for sale again for a long time.