GEMini will soon be upon us !

[retturn2blades]

Guess that'll blow Tech Tuesday...for a few Tuesdays anyway.

[zirrow]

Guess that'll blow Tech Tuesday...for a few Tuesdays anyway.

What if we shave twice on Tuesdays - does that still count?

[echotron]

Let's see I've got probably 130 or so PTFE SE blades ... okay, I'm in for the year!

WHAT! Just a month ...

(Gee, only get to use my newly acquired Valet Autostrop 4 more times before the beginning ... oh well!)

[oc_in_fw]

For the period May 21st to June 21st it has been traditionally labeled GEMini (I think by Dunedinranger), whereas all of the members of the great Gemocracy (or the newly coined LOSERS) get to flaunt their stuff for the month of June and use only the vaunted Gems, Ever Ready's, Stars.... all those SE's we all love.

So..... get your choices ready (Pics are necessary !!!! ) and lets strut our stuff !!!

All those DE users will be jealous as we will probably only need 3-4 blades for the month.

This will be a piece of cake- the only thing I reach for anymore is my ER1912

[Haggises]

going to go spread the love to the DEs until the 21st.
Whether it be the Old, the New, the Slim, the SS, the Blue Tip or the Super Adjustable, I don't know, but they're already neglected.

[Mr. Flay]

I'm in. I'll set aside my VAS favorites for the month. I can make that sacrifice in the name of LOSER solidarity.

[Mr. Flay]

These will be my partners in the GEMini endeavor:




I may or may not use the cased beauty in the top right. It's absolutely mint and sitting atop the cardboard shipper. I'm torn.

[Haggises]

Starts today!

Decisions decisions decisions

[maxman]

I usually start these challenges then forget that I'm in them and blow it.
Last year I failed. I've also failed the Shave Sabbatical 2 years in a row.

But, I suppose If I can remember I can do it.
I'm going to shave today and i'll use a Clog Pruf to do it.

[Snargle]

Just by coincidence, my Ever-Ready Streamline is coming up in the rotation today. Although I may not go the entire month using nothing but Gems/ERs/Stars, I'm looking forward to significantly increasing the days I use these fine SE razors.

[Haggises]

Just remembered I haven't tried the 1912 Damaskeene...


Gosh, that WAS an easy decision :)

[Azarius]

Happy GEMini everyone!!!

I am giving my face a break with the morning shave, so I am using the Push Button loaded with a carbon blade

*Note: the lather was only quickly whipped for the picture, it looks much better before I apply it to my face

[rockviper]

SWMBO and I finished the move to our new house yesterday, so I went scrounging through the packed-up bathroom boxes and found the EverReady 1912 I had received (but had not yet used) from TheVez2 as part of the "Never-Ending PIF" thread. I must say that finding the right angle (just raised the head a little off of the skin) was very easy and natural and the shave was VERY nice, especially since it was my first SE shave.
I think I'm going to like this SE thing!

[Snargle]

Awesome shave this morning with an Ever-Ready Streamline, Gem SS blade, Benton Clay Vetiver Paradisi Soap, Reknotted aluminum-handle brush, Speick Aftershave splash, and a couple sprays of L'Occitane Vetyver cologne. Smooth, clean, and smelling heavenly!

[willyb]

I dont think I have any razors that arent a gem or ER. wait actually I do, just no idea where they might be. prob in the junk drawer.

[Old Prohaska]

I had so-so results with my first attempts at shaving with an SE, but I'm back on the horse for GEMini, this time armed with a MMOC. First shave this morning was very good indeed--I might just end up a LOSER in the Brotherhood of the Open Comb all at once!

Technique-wise, it seems to me that skin-stretching is much more important with an SE than a DE, do you LOSERS find that to be the case?

Old Prohaska

[MacDaddy]

Happy GEMini everyone!

I wanted to go back to the start of the era of the thin blade, so I kicked things off this morning with a pre-bar Gem Junior lather catcher -- just like the one on the left in the photos below from an old PIF -- and a GEM coated stainless blade. Went a bit old school on the software, too, with QCS's Wim's No. 3 cream and some Seaforth Spiced aftershave that I just found yesterday when I was out scrounging. I'm not entirely sure I'm on board with the Seaforth scent, but it's very nostalgic.

It was a decent shave, but I was reminded of why I really much prefer the Gem Junior Bar. Modern blades are so much thinner than the original blades that this razor was designed to be used with, and without the bar you get a lot of flex in the middle of the blade. You have to be very mindful to keep a supremely light touch and a very shallow blade angle or the blade will start to lift up on you and get bitey.

[Red-Leg]

<reminder to check the local pharmacies for blades so I can try that OCMM>

[Haggises]

GEMini started for me with a GEM 1912 Damaskeene. First time using this, used a GEM stainless steel blade. Went to work with a pretty good Razorock lather. Seemed to me to be a fair bit more aggressive than my ER 1912. Got to BBS in places, DFS in my problem areas, with a couple weepers in my problem areas....Will keep the same config for next couple days before moving on to the ER 1912. Then work my way through ER 1914, ER 1924, OCMM (and one other SE that is escaping me right now)

[DunEdinRanger]

This was today's shave:


I had forgotten the magnificence of Mitchell's Wool Fat (in the ceramic bowl - not TABAC), and oh what a shave. Even now, more than 12 hours later I am still BBS.