Schick Injector Adjustable with Ted Pella Blades ? (somwhat disappointed)

[q345]

I've bought a pack of Ted Pella PTFE coated injector blades and today I tried it with my Injector Adjustable M1 (I used regular Schick Blades with it and wasn't impressed).

Loading went with no problem at all ( I read threads where people complained they need to put Ted Pella blades int Injector box in order to lad it, but it looks like it was with older Injector models). In my case it was as smooth as original Schick Cartridge and I made sure that blade didn't touch blade stops when loading (it was noted that Ted Pella blade "sits" forward and might be dulled because it rub to blade stops , but I checked it with magnifying glass and it was a big gap between blade and blade stops when key was in).

I was somewhat disappointed with the shave : - I shaved after shower, used AOS preshave oil and good shaving cream , but I felt certain drug/resistance when shaving. No nicks/irritation but shave was so-so (might be even worse then original Schick blades).

People praised Ted Pella/Injector combo, so I was wondering what was wrong ?
Bad batch of blades, my technique, lathering ?

Anybody else have experience with Schick Adjustable/Ted Pellas ( I used settings 4). My other razor blade is Futur/Feather on settings 3 and it glides very smoothly (while sometimies I got nicks).

Is Ted Pella significantly duller then Feather DE ?

Anybody else has similar experience with Ted Pellas/Schick Adjustable ?

[soapbox]

I have had a similar experience with Ted Pellas and an injector. I've only got one injector (a butterscotch handled Schick), and have never used other blades than the Ted Pellas, but I've given it a couple of tries and been disappointed every time.

If other folks have different experiences, I'd love to hear them -- those Ted Pellas are up for a PIF otherwise...

[q345]

I forgot to add that my beard is not particularly coarse/thick, I would tell it's average. Futur/Feather glides thru with no effort ( I also tried Futur with Merkur Blades it was OK nothing special). I thought Injector on high setting with Ted Pellas would be somewhat similar to Cobra Classic (anybody can compare those two ?)

[rsp1202]

For some guys, injectors are just not the ticket. That's just the way these things roll. But I would almost guarantee you both would feel differently using the NOS Schick Plus Platinum or Personna 74 blades. Totally different experience; totally different price range, too. Give the Chinese Schicks a try next time.

Ron

[cvixx]

I was the one who posted about the blade dragging against the stops and you are right, it was on an older, short handled model. With the later models, I get great shaves, again watching how the blade enters the razor. Guess YMMV, but I get closer and better shaves with one of these than with my DEs.:blushing:

[q345]

I am going to try Injector Platinum Plus. Since each person hair is different (and it's not only coarseness, but some other parameters) and each blade is honed differently (add to this skin characteristics like smoothness/oileness etc,razor and cream quality) it's a unique combination of many variables. I am interested if there are any PhD/papers on it (would be made nice exercise in dermatology/mechanic/statistic ) to try to establish correlations between quality of shave and those parameters. Shaving business run huge amount of money, so most likely Gilette might have some research which they possibly prefer to keep unpublished since they might claim for instance that for certain skin/beard types those 5 blade space-ages cartridges would not work

[BroJohn]

...you both would feel differently using the NOS Schick Plus Platinum or Personna 74 blades.

Personna74's are exceptional and the 74 injector blades are top shelf. I think that they're probably the best blades ever made.

-- John Gehman

[soapbox]

Personna74's are exceptional and the 74 injector blades are top shelf. I think that they're probably the best blades ever made.

-- John Gehman

Nice to hear, Ron (and John). I get such good shaves with DE blades and razors that I felt a bit perplexed about my crappy shaves with the injector.

[q345]

I've just googled it, but couldn't find any source. How the package look like ?
I saw Personna Injector packs, but without "74". I guess those are different.
Does the package have numbers 74 on it ?

[soapbox]

I've just googled it, but couldn't find any source. How the package look like ?
I saw Personna Injector packs, but without "74". I guess those are different.
Does the package have numbers 74 on it ?

Some info here (http://www.personna.com/personna/blades/corporate/history/P10/).

[q345]

Soapbox , thanks for the link ? I found it earlier but it didn't answer my question : is there any difference between Personna Injector (which are available on the web) and Personna Injector 74 (if such a beast exist at all) ?
May be 74 is related only to DE and not to Injectors ? Any history experts there ?

[rsp1202]

The Personnas come in a red package. "Personna" runs diagonally from top to bottom; the "74" is in silver lettering. It will also say "tungsten steel."

Ron

[MrGuy]

My first shave or two with a new Pella blade are usually pretty lousy. They really hit their peak at the 3rd-7th shave range. I also suggest doing a "palm strop" before the first use, and after each shave, by pushing the head of the razor (with the blade still loaded) against the palm of your hand several times. I won't guarantee that it will give you better shaves, but it makes me feel better when I do it.:wink:

[FLTiger]

I've read elsewhere that the first shave with a Pella/EMS Injector blade can be a little rough, but then it settles down and is good for many more shaves. I've had no trouble with my limited experience with them, and have managed as many as 14 shaves out of one (two passes w/touch up and I wear a goatee and mustache, so blades last longer for me than most). The Chinese-made Schick-branded blades work fine for me, though they don't last as long.

The Injectors I use are type I1, I2 (first Hydro Magic), and a Schick 500. Perhaps if I were using an adjustable, or a more aggressive Injector, I might feel differently.

[rsp1202]

Early injectors like those before the J-type can be aggressive. L's, M's (the adjustables) and N's are milder. The Plus Platinums and Personna 74s are a good matchup with the later models. The Chick* (Chinese Schick) blades are a good compromise, but nowhere near as smooth as the PPs and P74s. My best shaves come with an N-type and Plus Platinum; the 74s last longer.

Ron

*I came up with the name "Chick" one evening while musing over injector blades. I was having dinner at the local KFC at the time. I suppose there's a connection to be made.

[q345]

Thanks for the info regarding Ted Pella first shave. I am going to try them in the next few days and see if they got "re-educated" and behave better.
As to Personna 74 Injector I did found couple of pictures of these cartridges (together with razor itself in a blister pack on e-bay). It does have numbers "74" on the cartridge. Didn't see any of those sold separately. It seems they are very rare and most likely quite expensive.

[q345]

Hi !

Regarding hand stropping of TP and having best shave out of them on 3-7 times: any idea why does it happen ? is they just became duller or may be that PTFE coating got partially removed during shaving and/or hand stropping and this helps ? Have you tried corking ?

[rsp1202]

. . . As to Personna 74 Injector I did found couple of pictures of these cartridges (together with razor itself in a blister pack on e-bay). It does have numbers "74" on the cartridge. Didn't see any of those sold separately. It seems they are very rare and most likely quite expensive.

That same seller has posted sales of 74s alone before. He's currently selling them grouped in with other blades. Alone, they will not be as expensive as the Plus Platinums. Be patient and keep your eyes peeled. Best of luck.

Ron

[MrGuy]

Hi !

Regarding hand stropping of TP and having best shave out of them on 3-7 times: any idea why does it happen ? is they just became duller or may be that PTFE coating got partially removed during shaving and/or hand stropping and this helps ? Have you tried corking ?

It very well could have something to do with the coating. I have wondered if the coating "dulls" the very edge of the blade and the first shave removes it. Maybe the PTFE gets built up a little too much? As for the hand stropping, I think it's along the the same lines as stropping a straight razor, aligning the tiny nicks in the metal that shaving produces.
I have not tried corking BTW.

[q345]

That same seller has posted sales of 74s alone before. He's currently selling them grouped in with other blades. Alone, they will not be as expensive as the Plus Platinums. Be patient and keep your eyes peeled. Best of luck.

Ron

Thanks I saw it on e-bay (civicguy20). 2 packs of injectors 74 (28 blades total) for 29.99 + I guess ~5$ shipping. About 1.03$ per blade

[q345]

For a quick reply. I'll post results in the next dew days regarding 3-7 shaves with TP. Other thing I want to try independently is just take a pencil with eraser and make a couple of passes with eraser on the blade and see if it changes something. May be they overdid it with PFTE in some batches.

[MrGuy]

For a quick reply. I'll post results in the next dew days regarding 3-7 shaves with TP. Other thing I want to try independently is just take a pencil with eraser and make a couple of passes with eraser on the blade and see if it changes something. May be they overdid it with PFTE in some batches.

Let us know how the eraser test turns out, sounds interesting!

[rainman]

Sometimes its the razor, not the blades.

[q345]

Thanks to the number of people on this thread which pointed out that TP "settles" after first couple of shaves I decided to give it a try. As I wrote, the first shave yesterday was crappy in quality but irritation-free so today I went for a second one. Per MrGuy's advice I did palm stropping and also took a napkin, folded and wiped along the exposed part of blade few times.

In short, second shave was MUCH better. I used same prep, same settings of dial (4), but what I discovered that Injector/Ted Pella is substantially more forgiving then Futur/Feather. I did WTG, XTG and ATG with touchups and found out that I do need to apply some pressure.

The good news is that I could apply pressure even on the neck, even while ATG and I didn't get any nicks, even better, the shave was completely irritation free. No redness at all, very little stinging when putting aftershave balm. I can describe the shave as DFS. Merkur/Feather produces a little bit more smoother shave, but I also get some redness/small nicks even with no pressure. May be it's because of my technique is not perfect, or it's just too sharp. Anyway I am very happy with results and looking forward to 3rd shave tomorrow As to feeling, it's still doesn't glide perfectly smooth, but it doesn't pull and as I wrote it's completely irritation free, even with the pressure.

[MrGuy]

Alright! Glad to hear things got better for you.:thumbup1: