SE blades for a Gem

[Sodapop]

What are the recommended SE blades for a Gem?

There's not too many reviews or recommendations going around in the forum, and I am about to order from the shop in UK we cannot name or link to.

The selection they have:

GEM Stainless Coated
GEM Blue Star (carbon)
Treet (carbon)
PAL Super (carbon)
GEM Super Stainless
Looks (carbon)

Does any of these stand out, or should I go for a sample pack?

[D.Irving79]

What are the recommended SE blades for a Gem?

There's not too many reviews or recommendations going around in the forum, and I am about to order from the shop in UK we cannot name or link to.

The selection they have:

GEM Stainless Coated
GEM Blue Star (carbon)
Treet (carbon)
PAL Super (carbon)
GEM Super Stainless
Looks (carbon)

Does any of these stand out, or should I go for a sample pack?

a sample pack is a good idea.

[Haiku]

I would agree that a sample pack is probably a very good idea. The one thing that I suggest you watch out for is that the carbon steel blades will rust if allowed to rem wet. A good trick is to tip dip the razor, with the blade in it, into some alcohol after shaving.

[guru]

Who does a sample pack for SE's? Only seen them for DE's. Let me know, I want one.

[Nancy Boy]

Carbon will give you a better shave as the blade is thicker than stainless. downside is that they rust easily and like Ontario said, you need alcohol (85-90% strength) to rinse your blade after the shave.

[Shaving Galoot]

Carbon will give you a better shave as the blade is thicker than stainless. downside is that they rust easily and like Ontario said, you need alcohol (85-90% strength) to rinse your blade after the shave.

That's interesting. I've never heard that the carbon steel SE blades are thicker. The Ted Pella's (Gem) (http://www.tedpella.com/dissect_html/dissect.htm#anchor1623602) all seem to be the same thickness. Are the Treet's or others a different thickness?

~Jeff

[studman46]

Do they carry SE blades for the GEM at local stores? I've never found any at Walmart, etc.

[Shaving Galoot]

Do they carry SE blades for the GEM at local stores? I've never found any at Walmart, etc.

All of the Walgreen's stores in my area sell Gem SE blades.

~Jeff

[Sodapop]

Who does a sample pack for SE's? Only seen them for DE's. Let me know, I want one.

The only shop I could find is the one we can't name in UK.



Originally Posted by Nancy Boy
Carbon will give you a better shave as the blade is thicker than stainless. downside is that they rust easily and like Ontario said, you need alcohol (85-90% strength) to rinse your blade after the shave.

Where can you get 85-90% alcohol? Would it be medical alcohol?


How many shaves can you expect from a SE blade as opposed to DE?

[Bertilak]

Where can you get 85-90% alcohol? Would it be medical alcohol?


The biggest chain of grocery stores in my area (HEB in Central Texas) sells a house brand of 91% alcohol.

What I can't find is anything stronger. I believe I used to have a bottle of 99% but have not been able to find a replacement.

[Haiku]

The only shop I could find is the one we can't name in UK.




Where can you get 85-90% alcohol? Would it be medical alcohol?


How many shaves can you expect from a SE blade as opposed to DE?


I can get 70% or 99% alcohol in any drugstore. One liter for $3.50 is typical. I find that the 70% works fine to swish a razor in. I filled a small wide mouth jar with it and swish the razor before and after shaving.

I get something like 10 excellent to very good shaves from a GEM stainless coated blade. I can go higher but the last few shaves won't be BBS. I don't get more than 5 shaves from a typical DE blade perhaps 7.

[1OldGI]

Do they carry SE blades for the GEM at local stores? I've never found any at Walmart, etc.

I've had pretty good luck scoring Persona SE blades at Walgreens. The CVS brand SE blades are a bit cheaper but they really are pretty marginal quality wise. No complaints from the Walgreens Personas though.

[spinyeel]

Anyone tried the Look's brand s/e blades?

[Rolls-Royce]

The only shop I could find is the one we can't name in UK.




Where can you get 85-90% alcohol? Would it be medical alcohol?


How many shaves can you expect from a SE blade as opposed to DE?

If you have an electronics supply store close by, they probably have 90+% isopropyl alcohol by the liter or gallon. It's used for cleaning connections, removing soldering flux, etc.

[Bushranger]

how about metho? (methylated spirits)

[spinyeel]

how about metho? (methylated spirits)I might just try that.:smile:I've run out of orange juice.:wink:

[GreatDane]

Methanol should work fine too. Yellow bottle HEET (Wal-Mart automotive section) is 99% methanol. Also works good in alcohol stoves. :biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:

[Sodapop]

If you have an electronics supply store close by, they probably have 90+% isopropyl alcohol by the liter or gallon. It's used for cleaning connections, removing soldering flux, etc.

Thanks for the tip, isopropyl alcohol should be easy to find here :biggrin:

[pablo_h]

The only shop I could find is the one we can't name in UK.

How many shaves can you expect from a SE blade as opposed to DE?
That's where I got my SE sample pack from.
I've got 3-4 shaves out of an SE blade, the same as I get from a DE.