SE - Gem

[Rylos]

Please post here the experiences that you have had with Gem SE razors. I'm sure I won't list all of the different Gems that have been made so please help fill in any gaps.

Gem Zinn
Gem "Lather Catchers"
Gem 1912
Gem Junior Bar
Gem Micromatic Open Comb
Gem Micromatic Clog Pruf
Gem Micromatic Bullet Tip
Gem G-Bar
Gem Featherweight
Gem Push Button

That's all I can think of at the moment. I look forward to hearing your experiences with these wonderful razors.

[smalltank]

My wife loves my original SE Gem (fancy handle) razor..stainless blades work best for her

[dadvest]

Now I have seen several blades for there out there, Stainless and carbon seem to be the lot. I understand that the carbon blades need to be dried and put away in a dry place between shaves or they rust. Anyone have that too? I'm looking at a Gem G-Bar perhaps. Is there anything special I should look for before I purchase it?

[Rylos]

Now I have seen several blades for there out there, Stainless and carbon seem to be the lot. I understand that the carbon blades need to be dried and put away in a dry place between shaves or they rust. Anyone have that too? I'm looking at a Gem G-Bar perhaps. Is there anything special I should look for before I purchase it?

I really like the look of the G-Bars but don't know anything about them. My Gem collection consists of a 1912 Junior and a Micromatic Clog Pruf.

I got my first set of blades from Walgreen's and they are apparently Gem blades. They shave good and they are stainless. My next blade purchase will be either from Ted Pella or emsdiasum (EMS). I'm definitely more interested right now in the stainless and PTFE coated than the carbon. I don't want to worry about rust until I'm a bit more comfortable with me SE shaves.

[notsonewb]

Now I have seen several blades for there out there, Stainless and carbon seem to be the lot. I understand that the carbon blades need to be dried and put away in a dry place between shaves or they rust. Anyone have that too? I'm looking at a Gem G-Bar perhaps. Is there anything special I should look for before I purchase it?

The G-bars are solid well made bullet proof s/e. Easy to clean up. All you need to do is find one at a fair price and snag it.

[Rylos]

Here are my Gems:

[notsonewb]

The clog-pruf is one of Gem's best kept secrets.

[dalecooper51]

I really like the look of the G-Bars but don't know anything about them. My Gem collection consists of a 1912 Junior and a Micromatic Clog Pruf.

I got my first set of blades from Walgreen's and they are apparently Gem blades. They shave good and they are stainless. My next blade purchase will be either from Ted Pella or emsdiasum (EMS). I'm definitely more interested right now in the stainless and PTFE coated than the carbon. I don't want to worry about rust until I'm a bit more comfortable with me SE shaves.

You need an Open Comb MicroMatic. Everything else pales in comparison.

[Rylos]

You need an Open Comb MicroMatic. Everything else pales in comparison.

The OCMM is definitely on my hunting radar!

[true01]

As I stated in another one of you threads the OCMM is next to my str8's my favorite razor

[Rylos]

After shaving today with the Junior on almost 2 days growth I think I'm actually preferring the Clog Pruf. With that being said the OCMM is steadily climbing my must have priority list. The junior is a great shaver, but something about the more aggressiveness works better with my beard. I'm still going to finish my week long trial with the junior but I'm fairly confident that the Clog Pruf will get used come Monday.

[bassmanlarry]

My shaving cycle usually begins with a fresh blade in either my 1912 or my Bullet Tip, as they give me the mildest shave. Usually on the second or third shave the blade is moved to my 1914 or Clog Pruf. Finally shaves 4-6 are rounded out by my OCMM, though the Clog Pruf does sometimes get some extra love. After the 6th shave, the cycle begins again. Currently I'm on the hunt for a G-Bar. I thought I was done with razor hunting for a while, but the AD seems to be coming back strong.

[dilly-b]

I think it's kind of weird that GEM went from the OCMM, widely considered the benchmark of aggressivity, to the Clog-Pruf which is as mild as a Super Speed, and could almost be called "Idiot-Pruf" because it is so forgiving. I won't get into the later ones, because they are trash LOL. I got a FW in a lot of razors which included 2 minty Slims, and I obviously don't speak for everyone, but I do prefer more 'bite' in a razor. The FW is great if you want a simple, quick, 2 pass SAS in COMPLETE safety, but I know there is no way I will ever get a faceturbation quality shave from one of those.

The thing that I find most amazing, commendable, and noteworthy about the 1912s is that they are to my face a near-perfect compromise between aggression and safety. The guard of the 1912 is nothing short of briiliant. Add to that the elegant simplicity of loading and unloading, the fact that you can use ALL blades in them, modern SE, vintage SE (unpunched/un-notched) and even - G-d forbid - half DE blades (with a pretty simple mod - works GREAT btw), the undeniable build quality, blah blah. Oh - almost forgot, you can find them all the time for $5 or so on Ebay. The unplated brass version is pretty unique and quite a looker.

[Rylos]

My shaving cycle usually begins with a fresh blade in either my 1912 or my Bullet Tip, as they give me the mildest shave. Usually on the second or third shave the blade is moved to my 1914 or Clog Pruf. Finally shaves 4-6 are rounded out by my OCMM, though the Clog Pruf does sometimes get some extra love. After the 6th shave, the cycle begins again. Currently I'm on the hunt for a G-Bar. I thought I was done with razor hunting for a while, but the AD seems to be coming back strong.

Pretty nice cycle there Larry! I've heard the FlyingWing MicroMatic and the G-Bar give similar shaves. I recently had my first shaves with a Featherweight (which shares the same head with the G-Bar) and I really liked it. It was definitely milder than I normally like, but under the circumstances it performed splendidly. I'm making my way through all of my different SEs now. I'm acquiring them faster than I can shave with them since I like to spend a week with each new razor to really see how it performs. The G-Bar is on my Wish List even if it doesn't shave great for me because I think it's an awesome looking razor!

I think it's kind of weird that GEM went from the OCMM, widely considered the benchmark of aggressivity, to the Clog-Pruf which is as mild as a Super Speed, and could almost be called "Idiot-Pruf" because it is so forgiving. I won't get into the later ones, because they are trash LOL. I got a FW in a lot of razors which included 2 minty Slims, and I obviously don't speak for everyone, but I do prefer more 'bite' in a razor. The FW is great if you want a simple, quick, 2 pass SAS in COMPLETE safety, but I know there is no way I will ever get a faceturbation quality shave from one of those.

The thing that I find most amazing, commendable, and noteworthy about the 1912s is that they are to my face a near-perfect compromise between aggression and safety. The guard of the 1912 is nothing short of briiliant. Add to that the elegant simplicity of loading and unloading, the fact that you can use ALL blades in them, modern SE, vintage SE (unpunched/un-notched) and even - G-d forbid - half DE blades (with a pretty simple mod - works GREAT btw), the undeniable build quality, blah blah. Oh - almost forgot, you can find them all the time for $5 or so on Ebay. The unplated brass version is pretty unique and quite a looker.

Hi dilly-b, I'm with you for the most part here as I too prefer a more efficient razor. I really do like the OCMM but when I disrespected her she burned me bad. I used the featherweight while my face healed up and it worked excellent. So there are times when the milder razors can come in handy. For me, my Clog Pruf was quite a bit more aggressive than my 1912 Gem Junior. I've got a few more 1912 models that I've yet to shave with so I'm looking forward to seeing if it was just some lack of SE experience on my part, or if the 1912s just aren't the razor for me like they are for so many others. I actually got a better shave with the Featherweight than I did with the Junior. I would love to find an unplated brass 1912. My Clog Pruf and one of my OCMM are just brass and they look great after some tender loving care! Out of the 1912 models that I'm most interested in trying is the Open Comb Damaskeene.

[RocketMan]