Hydro-Magic blade loading question

[David in Boston]

I've been very happy with my switch months ago from DE razors to my Schick I-1. Can't say enough about the ease of use, closeness of shave, and the life of the blade.

However my only negative I have with injectors is the price and availability of the blades. Presently I'm using Schick blades which I purchase locally for a 7/pack for around $8. I've also tried the ASR injector blades that come 20/pack in those flimsy plastic housings. As you can guess loading them is a major pain but you can't beat the price of $5 a pack from Connaught. With that in mind, I was thinking would a Schick Hydro-Magic be one solution to my blade loading problem. Correct me if I am wrong but I could load the blade by hand while positioning the cleaning lever down which opens the shaving head. Wouldn't this eliminate the loading problem some folks like myself have with those ASR blades?
BTW, the ASR blades are to me just as good as the Schick blades.

 

[ShavinBacon]

You cannot insert a blade by hand in a hydro magic. They have two pins that actually hold the blade in place when you open the cleaning lever. To load it, you have to close the cleaning lever and inject a fresh blade. The only injectors I can think of off the top of my head that you can load by hand are the early E's. Most people that have an issue like you have with the plastic injector just take the blades out and load a metal injector which they then use to inject the blades into the razor.

 

[mswofford]

David; If your Schick Hydro Magic does not have a blade in it, open the lever and put a blade slightly in the left side and close the lever. Now you can inject a blade from the right with no problems. Sacrifice a new blade if you have to for the left side, you need it to properly space the head for injecting. The only purpose for the lever is to allow a thorough flushing rinse, a feature I like.

 

[David in Boston]

Thanks for the help folks.