New RADs

You guys are a bunch of enablers you know that?

Recovering from a severe bronchial infection, I've been mostly at home and unable to talk much aloud. Having gotten a decent shave with my G injector, I went wild on Ebay buying up a couple of mixed lots of SEs including more injectors, and a couple of GEMS, plus some vintage injector and DE blades.

I took a break from injector shaving and back to my Slim to set a new baseline for comparison. I'll be getting what looks like a very dirty Damaskene, a fat handled GEM junior, and a bullet tip soon. Which should I start with?

I tend to prefer mild to medium razors and have light growth but benefit from efficient razors that can smoothly handle the stubble around my jaw. I was thinking either the Junior or the bullet tip -- assuming these pieces can be made shave worthy. I also ordered a few Ted Pella PTFE blades to get started.

Sounds like fun. Good luck. Hope you're feeling better soon before you break the bank with this current RAD attack.

coase said:

You guys are a bunch of enablers you know that?

Recovering from a severe bronchial infection, I've been mostly at home and unable to talk much aloud. Having gotten a decent shave with my G injector, I went wild on Ebay buying up a couple of mixed lots of SEs including more injectors, and a couple of GEMS, plus some vintage injector and DE blades.

I took a break from injector shaving and back to my Slim to set a new baseline for comparison. I'll be getting what looks like a very dirty Damaskene, a fat handled GEM junior, and a bullet tip soon. Which should I start with?

I tend to prefer mild to medium razors and have light growth but benefit from efficient razors that can smoothly handle the stubble around my jaw. I was thinking either the Junior or the bullet tip -- assuming these pieces can be made shave worthy. I also ordered a few Ted Pella PTFE blades to get started.

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The bullet tip is pretty mild. Based on my limited knowledge of only 8 razors that I've actually shaved with so far, I would compare it to my LC NEW.

Whichever come in the mail first. Isn't that How it usually goes?

Is the Junior or the bullet tip usually considered more aggressive? I will start with the least aggressive one.

coase said:

Is the Junior or the bullet tip usually considered more aggressive? I will start with the least aggressive one.

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In my experience, the bullet tip is a bit milder than the Jr. (which is a basic 1912), which is in turn milder than the Damaskeene. However, none of these are really "mild" razors, in the Tech sense of the word. If you do a little research here, you'll find that there are at least a couple of variations of the Damaskeene (mostly based on whether it has a curved or flat top plate). No way to really know what you've got until you see it, but you should know you've started down the bunny path.

I think your plan is sound: start with the bullet tip, and go from there. If, as stated, you prefer medium to mild razors, I predict you'll like the bullet tip. I like it a lot, though I also like the Jr. very much. I go back and forth between the later, less aggressive Gems like the bullet tip and the G-Bar, and the more aggressive SEs like the Ever Ready 1914 or the ER 1924 (aka shovel head). All are great shavers, but I often find myself coming back to the mid-point, basic 1912 (which is what your Jr. is). There is a good reason that this basic design was in production for several decades.

So the decision seems to have been made for me. The Bullet tip arrived first in beautiful condition. Even without cleaning it looked better than any vintage DE I've ever found from the 1950s. Post wash, scrubbing and barbicide dip, it was gleaming like new. It also came with what looked like more recent packs of GEM stainless blades in the gray plastic holders. Presume these are safe to shave with unless they were stored in some horrendous conditions. Correct?

If the blades are stainless steel they should be fine to use. Many people (myself included) find the stainless blades to be slightly harsh the first couple of shaves. Couple this with the learning curve of a different type of razor, and the first shave or two may be less than stellar. Don't give up just yet.

Your Bullet tip may or may not have the "Guiding Eye," which is a little circle in the center of the cap. Gem recommends shaving with this flat against your face. All SE's require a really shallow angle - the 30 degree stuff is strictly for DE's.

Let us know how it goes.

--Bob

Debated putting off the shave today as I only had light growth. But since I'm normally an everyday shaver I decided to plunge ahead. I seated and reseated the blade to make sure it was correctly placed and then did an extensive prep as well as hot shower. Easy to find the right angle on the sides. But on the chin and lip, much harder. Head seems too big. I only did two passes WTG and XTG. I shaved very lightly and paid close attention to the angle. Yet it left rough patches on my chin and I got a nick and some burn. I like the weight of the bullet tip but my feeling is that this is the most ungainly of all the shavers I've tried. Probably best suited for men who need aggressive shavers (Bear in mind that I can't stand the idea of an R41 and don't think the NEW or Old Type are all that great.) The DE (especially the Slim) allows me more variety and fine tuning. The injector is more maneuverable and seems more precise, especially with lighter growth. The SE just seems caveman like compared to either of these razors. And the lack of blade choices is a big negative for me. So all in all, this razor doesn't seem suited for someone like me with lighter hair growth and a lot fewer broad, flat areas on the face than some men.

So I plan to come back to this in the future -- perhaps with two days growth -- to see if my attitude changes, but for now, this won't make it into my regular rotation except as a means of staving off boredom.

DaltonGang said:

Whichever come in the mail first. Isn't that How it usually goes?

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+1
Enjoy...sounds like you have a great selection coming.....bet your going to like that Fat handle Junior

Fat handled Junior is my favorite SE. The handle acts like a megaphone for me and really magnifies the "buttering toast" sound. I can barely keep a straight face for the first few strokes.