Week of 1912?

[Bushranger]

Good luck and remember I can not be held responsible for any damage caused by my advise

Haha. No worries

 

[chainfire]

Thanks for the info and advise. I think I may just try to trade the one 1912 away you had pm'd about and hang onto the others after all... why not? They are actually attractive razors and what can it hurt picking up some blades.

I'm assuming that the pic are the razors in question. You have, from left to right, a Featherweight, two pat. 1912 GEMs, and the open comb Micromatic. The 1912's would likely sell quick on the BST, the Featherweight and Micromatic might take a little longer. I'd say give each style of razor a chance, shave a week with them and see if you like it. SE razor styles are very limited compared to DE's so this is potentially an inexpensive AD to have, relatively speaking. Why pass on a razor that might be the best one for you?

 

[MrGuy]

Yeah, I just used the treet for the second time then. Not a patch on what it was the first time. There was no visible rust (I only wiped it down and dried it, I didn't use alcohol on it either though). But it shaved like a 3 shave old blade anyway.
I got a decent shave out of it, but it wasn't as sharp, it took a lot of effort to cut through my beard. But no weepers or cuts either this time.

It could have been it oxidised after storing it, or it could be that it loses it's edge during the first shave even.
I've got 9 more from the sample pack I bought, so I'll try to store them in a mason jar with alcohol next time

Hey Pablo,
I can't seem to remember, have you tried hand stropping the blade before and after your shave? By my limited metallurgy knowledge, a Treet blade would be more "receptive" to this procedure than a stainless blade. I've used the method Dave suggests in this video with some success on both the Treet blades and PAL blades. They do seem to give a few more shaves when hand stropped compared to just drying.

 

[MrGuy]

Thanks for the info and advise. I think I may just try to trade the one 1912 away you had pm'd about and hang onto the others after all... why not? They are actually attractive razors and what can it hurt picking up some blades.

YES! Give those SE's a chance! Don't forget to checkout this thread for a little advise. It should have enough info to get you started, and hopefully keep you out of the emergency room I wrote it up with the Micromatic in mind, but the same ideas apply to all the GEM razors.

 

[guru]

I wanted to work with you in your Week of 1912, but a new, shiny Fatboy interupted. I have, however, used my SE Gems quite a bit. I have a brass Micromatic Clog-Pruf, a nickel 1912 with the ornate handle, and a brass Junior. With a good blade these little str8's on a stick are fine shavers. My wife thinks they look like dangerous contraptions. She may be right, but with the right technique and a little concentration they are far from dangerous. And they deserve a little respect. Even if their blades are over 3 times what they are for my Personna red packs.

 

[MrGuy]

I wanted to work with you in your Week of 1912, but a new, shiny Fatboy interupted. I have, however, used my SE Gems quite a bit. I have a brass Micromatic Clog-Pruf, a nickel 1912 with the ornate handle, and a brass Junior. With a good blade these little str8's on a stick are fine shavers. My wife thinks they look like dangerous contraptions. She may be right, but with the right technique and a little concentration they are far from dangerous. And they deserve a little respect. Even if their blades are over 3 times what they are for my Personna red packs.

It's not too late to start your own week! Pick one GEM and stick to it for 7 shaves. As far as blade prices, I think I get a few more shaves from just about any SE blade compared to just about any DE blade so that helps a little. After all, I (apparently) didn't get into traditional wetshaving to save money

 

[pablo_h]

YES! Give those SE's a chance! Don't forget to checkout this thread for a little advise. It should have enough info to get you started, and hopefully keep you out of the emergency room I wrote it up with the Micromatic in mind, but the same ideas apply to all the GEM razors.

I have always loved that thread - A, 2, pi

 

[MrGuy]

I have always loved that thread - A, 2, pi

Thanks Pablo! I had fun writing it, it sure is nice to hear people had fun reading it.

 

[spinyeel]

That thread was great fun.Micromatics are a hall of fame shaver for sure.The sheer numbers sold were amazing,for good reason.I love the suckers.

 

[Bushranger]

then i hope to find one

 

[spinyeel]

P.M. me. You might be in luck.

 

[Bushranger]

so you're that voice on my left shoulder....

 

[Shaving Galoot]

I've had some new arrivals in the mailbox lately and decided to give my pushbutton Micromatic a try - well two tries so far. It can be seen here. I don't consider it to be especially pretty. In fact, I find the plastic to be pretty ugly. Razors should be 100% metal.

Back to the shave. I put a fresh, hand stropped Gem blade in it yesterday and it delivered an excellent shave. One of the closest I've had (except for a couple small patches on my neck that I must have missed when doing my touch-ups). Plus, it was very comfortable. I think I had a couple small weepers that cleared up with a cold water rinse. But no burn or irritation whatsoever.

This morning was day 2 on the same razor/blade. Again, a very nice shave. Focusing on blade angle and a light touch I only developed 1 weeper that quickly cleared up with the cold water rinse. I'm pretty sure that was due to carelessness. I think I was just enjoying the shave too much and not really paying attention.

Now I'm wondering if I'm getting better DE shaves because my technique is improving or because of the equipment change. My pushbutton has a safety bar and the others (1912 and 1924) are open comb. I'll finish out this blade and then try the others to see. That is, if I can resist the other new arrivals (that Schick Eversharp injector is pretty tempting).

SE shaving is worth the try. I find that it's not necessarily more aggressive than typical DE razors, because I find that they can be very comfortable. But SE razors seem to be more efficient in terms of beard reduction. Not only do I get very close shaves, but these SE razors seem to reduce the beard more each pass than my DE razors.

~Jeff
resurrecting the thread

 

[Bertilak]

SE shaving is worth the try. I find that it's not necessarily more aggressive than typical DE razors, because I find that they can be very comfortable. But SE razors seem to be more efficient in terms of beard reduction. Not only do I get very close shaves, but these SE razors seem to reduce the beard more each pass than my DE razors.

Makes one appreciate just how good Gillette's marketing arm was!

 

[Shaving Galoot]

Makes one appreciate just how good Gillette's marketing arm was!

...and still is.

~Jeff

 

[guru]

Like I said before, I have a few SE's, one a Micromatic, the others 1912's. I was rudely interupted last week in my "Week..." but got back on track. I put fresh precious Gems in each machine so at least I started from there. I've only 3 shaves on this round, but 3 or 4 just before I was interupted by a shiny thing in my mailbox. So in the last 10 days I've got a week in. I used the ornate handled 1912, with the MicroMatic in there once. What I'm struck with first is the archaic design. They are funtional, and the design follows. They are, as my wife said, dangerous looking contraptions. I followed the same routine each day, a shower and Tabers. I prefer to shave every other day, if I can, because the beard is better to shave and I feel like I get a closer shave. I love the sound, too. The last 3 days of 1912 were consecutive. I got great 3 pass shaves, a couple BBS, with no blood at all, and no irritation. I don't use the commonly referred to flat to the face technique I see talked about, but and angle, not unlike the angle of a str8. I find these easy shavers, taking into account my concentration at having basically a str8 on a stick. Not to say that they can't bite if treated poorly. But with the proper respect they are still good shavers and if you're curious, they are still cheap, if blades are not so much. This left out my military 1912 Junior with the black bakelite handle. I have it ready to go today. So maybe I'll continue this.

 

[D.Irving79]

who needs flat on the face?

 

[guru]

Finally. Instructions.

 

[D.Irving79]

also, i dont know if ive posted this in this thread already, but this was where it all began: the 1912 gem deluxe.

 

[MrGuy]

Great pics and info as always, Dave! It seems the idea that GEMs must be held flat on the face prevents a lot of guys from getting the best out of their razors.

Guru, it's nice that you're back on the SE track. Didn't Meatloaf sing 7 out of 10 ain't bad?

Jeff, hope the new "weapons" treat you well!