First shave with a Gem Micromatic

I'm glad to hear your first shave was better than my first few shaves with the MMOC. But improved technique has now gotten me to BBS shaves with it, though I don't use it often enough. As far as blades, the CVS ones are carbon steel. I used those initially and my face didn't like them one bit. I had to order the Gem SS ones from Walgreens (shipped to store) and my face has fared much better with the stainless steel blades.

Enjoy your shaves with your MMOC, it certainly is a unique razor.

There is no mention on the packages as to whether the blades from CVS or American Safety Razor are carbon steel or stainless. It would be reasonable to assume they are carbon steel. I dry my blades after every shave, so don't see any rust, even with the carbon steel.

The guy at the local shave shop, advised that with single edge blades, I should strop the blade several times across the meaty portion of the palm of my hand after each use. He said it removes some of the microscopic particles of hair and skin debris that cause the blade to dull. I have a small hand held 30X microscope and examined the blade after shaving, I then palm stropped it several times and then examined it again under the microscope. The blade was visibly cleaner after the palm stropping. I don't know if it was any sharper, however definitely cleaner.
After the forth use of the blade, I believe it is the last use. I could feel the resistance in cutting the whiskers, and required quite a bit of touch up. Still got a clean smooth shave, however had to make numerous small passes and lost count.

Now I am really confused. Just Googled Single Edge Blades. The Gem Blue Star, and Gem Personna SE blades come in the same black box as the CVS and American Safety Razor blades, and they are advertised as stainless.

They are all made by American Safety Razor, so it is not surprising that they use the same package.

In the picture below, the blade box on the left contains CVS carbon steel blades, and the box on the right contains Gem stainless blades.



Below are the blades from the package, front and back, with the CVS carbon steel again on the left and the Gem stainless on the right. The blades are all the same silver color, it is just the lighting that makes the stainless blades appear somewhat blue.



The carbon steel blades with the "009 RD" marking are sold under an variety of names.

I have never seen any stainless blades that were not marked "stainless" (which is not to say that none exist).

Hope this clears things up.

--Bob

Thank you, I appreciate the time it took you to explain and upload the photos. Maybe this will help some of the other confused SE blade hunters.

I got some CVS blades yesterday, cleaned up my GEM and loaded a new blade in anticipation for today's shave. The results were not what I was hoping for.

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/425332-First-SE-shaving-attepmt

I have determined that I am worthless in an evaluator of SE blades. Just for fun I took a new wrapped SE blade that came in a pack of 100 that I purchased a Lowes years ago and put it into my Gem Micromatic for a shave. I've lost the top of the box with the labeling, but the blades just say Made in USA. In any case, I received a DFS shave from blades that were probably designed for box cutters.

I think the issue is that I no longer have a heavy beard, and over the years my whiskers have become softer. I now have what I would consider a medium beard. The other thing is, I don't usually shave in counted single one stroke passes as I see so many shavers do. I only do that if I am evaluating a particular razor blade. I usually shave in short multiple strokes until I can tell the blade has cut the whiskers in that particular area and is no longer cutting anything, so I am probably doing the equivalent of four or five passes in many areas, just in very short strokes.

The upside is that it seems I can get a DFS shave with just about any SE blade, which is unusual because with my DE blades, I definitely have distinct preferences, and some blades simply don't work well for me.

YMMV is true for all of us when it comes to shaving.

Gotta agree gentlemen. I used my Gem Micromatic tonight for the third time and had one of the best shaves of my life. I have learned to let the razor do the work. A delicate touch is required. I typically use a DE razor, but with some Mike's Barber Shop Scent and a PAL blade, the experience was exquisite.

This is very interesting. Amazon has this to say in their description for these blades (66-0089): "High-grade long lasting high carbon steel edge". The feedback is mix with a few declaring this blade fit for shaving but many discouraging such use. So much YMMV!

slr31 said:

This is very interesting. Amazon has this to say in their description for these blades (66-0089): "High-grade long lasting high carbon steel edge". The feedback is mix with a few declaring this blade fit for shaving but many discouraging such use. So much YMMV!

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American Safety Razor is the manufacturer of Gem, Pal and Treet blades, along with most of the house brand blades sold in drug stores. They make two grades of carbon steel blades. The difference is in the way the blade is ground. Blades with a 2 facet edge are more durable and suitable for use in box cutters, paint scrapers, etc. These are what is sold at Home Depot, etc., as well as the Amazon blades referenced above. 2 facet blades are apparently less expensive to manufacture as they are usually priced really cheap.

Blades with a 3 facet edge are sharper and best for shaving, although the edge tends to be more fragile. AFAIK all ASR stainless blades are ground to a 3 facet edge.

Some brave souls have experimented with shaving with the 2 facet blades, with mixed (mostly bad) results. I value my face more than that.

Hope this clears things up.

--Bob

I still use the inexpensive SE blades from the 100 pack occasionally, and although they are certainly not as smooth as the stainless ones with the three facet edges, I actually get decent shaves. I would imagine someone with tougher whiskers or prone to irritation or razor burn might not find them that good for close shaves.

spidey9 said:

American Safety Razor is the manufacturer of Gem, Pal and Treet blades, along with most of the house brand blades sold in drug stores. They make two grades of carbon steel blades. The difference is in the way the blade is ground. Blades with a 2 facet edge are more durable and suitable for use in box cutters, paint scrapers, etc. These are what is sold at Home Depot, etc., as well as the Amazon blades referenced above. 2 facet blades are apparently less expensive to manufacture as they are usually priced really cheap.

Blades with a 3 facet edge are sharper and best for shaving, although the edge tends to be more fragile. AFAIK all ASR stainless blades are ground to a 3 facet edge.

Some brave souls have experimented with shaving with the 2 facet blades, with mixed (mostly bad) results. I value my face more than that.

Hope this clears things up.

--Bob

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Thanks Bob. That clears my confusion.

GEM Razors are great shavers !

Nobody's mentioned the Gem PTFE (teflon) coated. They're a bit pricier but imho well worth the money. Also, as a source for 100 plus blade buys, hit Ted Pella.com. Look under dissection blades. The CS 3-facet blades are less than $20 for 200.

I keep going back and forth with these. I have gotten great shaves before, but the other day my face looked like a crime scene. All of the shaves were with blades from the same package, so maybe I was just sloppy.

spidey9 said:

American Safety Razor They make two grades of carbon steel blades.
AFAIK all ASR stainless blades are ground to a 3 facet edge.
--Bob

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simple test put a magnet, stainless steel is non-ferrous. thanks, douglas

douglas rome said:

simple test put a magnet, stainless steel is non-ferrous. thanks, douglas

Click to expand...

You don't even need a magnet, as the stainless ones have "STAINLESS" stamped right on the spine, and all the carbon steel ones I have seen have "009 RD" stamped on the spine.

--Bob