Purchased a Gem Micromatic and a Gem flip top and shaved with them.

I got these on a hunt in the wild today that covered over 100 miles and about twenty stops along the way. I netted six razors total and spent $18 for the lot. Counting gas and lunch it wasn't the cheapest razors but it was fun.
anyway after cleaning and inspecting the SE razors I decided to use them to shave tonight. I had some Office Depot blades that are stamped Made in USA and assumed they would be Ok For shaving. BAD assumption on my part I think.

the Flip Top or Push Button one wasn't bad, it was fairly smooth and did reduce the breard without too much pulling. The Gem Micromatic was terrible. Felt like shaving with a pocket knife. Swapped back to the Push Button and did two passes. I then resorted to a black handle Super Speed to do a third pass or full face touchup.

i got no nicks or weepers, but there was significant burn in the after shave splash. I think I need better blades if I am going to use these ever again. Here are some pics;
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The Gems are in with the other finds from today.

any suggestions on good sharp shaving SE blades?

The Push Button is one of the mildest GEM shavers......The Open Comb Micromatic (OCMM) takes a wee bit of getting used to as its more on the aggressive side of the spectrum......Most people will not get an irritation free shave with their first outing with this razor.....The OCMM as per GEM instructions is literally almost flat against the face and a very "Light Touch" is the order of the day.....The OCMM has a reputation as being a bit of a monster, but with the correct shaving angle and technique this is actually a well behaved razor.....I had to regrow a new face after my first few outings with it until I discovered the GEM Instructions......Anything outside of almost Flat Against the Face and a very light touch and you will end up with quite severe razor burn and irritation.....

A lot of people give up with this razor.......Its worth bearing in mind that when GEM brought out the OCMM on 1929/1930 they were marketing it towards the more experienced Straight/Single Edge Razor user......If you are used to shaving with DEs it will take more than a moment to get used to SEs as the shaving angle demands a new learning curve......I live in the UK and we are limited to GEM Stainless Blades....I personally find these to be a excellent blades......In the States you have more of a choice with Carbon Blades as another option.....I cant comment on these..... After some Patience, Practice and perseverance it will all come together......

Enjoy ....

As above use the Push-button first and then the Open Comb.
Also don't use box cutter blades

Office Depot? Sounds like you were trying to shave with box cutter blades.

One quirk with single edge is that there are shaving quality blades and also blades of a lesser quality that are for use in box cutters and paint scrapers. These blades look identical to the shaving blades and will fit in a single edge razor just fine, but they do not have a shaving quality edge.

The good news is that you can pick up some shaving quality blades at your local CVS drugs in the shaving section. These are carbon steel blades and must be removed from the razor and dried after each shave. Gem stainless steel blades can be ordered online from a number of sources.

Once you have some decent blades, read Scooby's post a few times. Single edge razors are indeed quite different from DE's and there is a learning curve. It often takes a few shaves to get the hang of it. The proper angle is much more shallow than with DE razors.

It would probably be easier to master the Pushbutton before moving on to the Micromatic.

With a little effort, SE's can give a close comfortable shave that is (IMHO) superior to DE's.

I tried my first single edge about a year ago. Now I have a bunch of them and cannot remember when I last shaved with anything else.

---Bob

You shaved with box cutter blades from Office Depot in a Micromatic?

You're a better man than I am, Gunga Din.

Nice haul. Looks like a productive day to me. Get your SE blades at a drug store. Glad you survived the Office Depot blades!

Gem made nice razors, I have a couple and even though they don't get much love anymore since going to STR8's I love the shave I got from all the ones I have

BSAGuy said:

Nice haul. Looks like a productive day to me. Get your SE blades at a drug store. Glad you survived the Office Depot blades!

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Well at least I know that in a pinch I could shave with box cutter blades! Although it would have to be a pretty bad situation for a repeat performance!

BTW it was similar to a bad disposable razor from my past. It was in essence a DFS, but I made it a BBS by one pass with a Super Speed.

Got some CVS blades today so I'll be trying again tonight. These are noticeably sharper than what I used last night so the shave should be much better.

Alright I shaved tonight with the CVS blades in the Push Button razor and It was incredibly easy and simple two pass BBS shave. I had no issue whatsoever with the razor or the shave. I found the angle is very similar to what I do with DE razors, very shallow. The only area where I had to learn was how to get the chin to neck transition right. It takes a stroke or two to get the hang of it with the Gem. I likely used a bit too much pressure though since the aftershave splash was a bit hot. But not nicks or weepers, I did have a bit of an ouch feeling on the upper lip which I thought might bleed but it didn't.

The razor is a bit slower than a DE, meaning I am not fully familiar with it and thus I don't shave quickly with it. The kind of hook at the end of the handle on this razor is very handy when shaving ATG. It makes me think that there was some good engineering that went into the design of the razor. Overall I will say this razor impresses me as being a mild yet efficient razor maybe the Tech of the SE world.

One thing that I noticed when cleaning the razor after the shave is that the bottom of the blade was discolored from just one shave. So I know the blades are carbon steel. The on face feel of these CVS blades are good. It slices the whisker in a way that is satisfying. The blade is very comfortable, like a middle of the road DE blade in sharpness and high on smoothness.

i am going to use this razor a few more times to learn a bit more and experience it over the course of several shaves. A nice razor so far, not yet a replacement for DE razors, and likely never will be, but a cool razor to use periodically. I enjoy the variableness of DE razor and blade combinations. That kind of thing can't be done with these razors due to the lack of blade choice.

A fun and easy razor to pickr than up the technique for, not as hard to learn ( at least for me), it really "talks" when shaving and is louder than any DE I have used. Three hours after the shave and my face feels great. And is still BBS smooth in all directions with no hint of irritation. As I said I am impressed with this razor!

From my experience shaves 2 thru 6 with a SE blade are the blade's sweet spot. Even with a quality SE blade the first shave is sometimes a little harsh. So your next shave with the blade should be even better. Good luck on your SE shaving, keep your eye out for a "1912" (Gem, Ever-Ready, Star...) they are great shavers.

dionesius3 said:

The only area where I had to learn was how to get the chin to neck transition right. It takes a stroke or two to get the hang of it with the Gem.
........
One thing that I noticed when cleaning the razor after the shave is that the bottom of the blade was discolored from just one shave. So I know the blades are carbon steel. The on face feel of these CVS blades are good. It slices the whisker in a way that is satisfying. The blade is very comfortable, like a middle of the road DE blade in sharpness and high on smoothness.
..........
A fun and easy razor to pickr than up the technique for, not as hard to learn ( at least for me), it really "talks" when shaving and is louder than any DE I have used. Three hours after the shave and my face feels great. And is still BBS smooth in all directions with no hint of irritation. As I said I am impressed with this razor!

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This has been my experience exactly in my rather limited six week love affair with SE's. My chin, while never a problem with DE's (my Techs are great there), hasn't been great with my GEM Jr. So I used my Featherweight just in that area. Goofy, and possibly really "anal", but it works.
I found the underside of my stainless steel blades had the same build-up of crud at first. I've had to improve my face lathering technique, which isn't a bad thing!
I had what I thought at first was a disappointing first shave with a recently acquired Ever-Ready shovelhead yesterday, but like you, hours later my face still felt great with no irritation. How many times has that happened after a first use of a razor? Not too darn many times in my experience!

Get some good Gem stainless steel blades for your best shave.

As mentioned they do require a break-in before they're at their best, oh but once you get them primed......best shave ever.


The Push-Button is one of my favorites, smooth and mild but gives a nice close, long-lasting shave. Just a pleasure to shave with and admire the results from.

The MMOC is a beast!

Oh sure if you "by the book" them and press it to your face it gives a decent shave, but not any better or closer than the PB and not as smooth.

To get that wickedly close take half your face off last a couple days shave the Open-Comb is infamous for, you gotta pull it back and increase your angle. Too much and you'll shred your face but if you don't mind a bit of irritation and some burn and maybe a little blood, it's capable of delivering one the absolute closest shaves you'll ever get. But it does come with a price.

Play it safe and keep it shallow and mild or you will feel the pain from cutting those whiskers down deep and close.


No other SE I've shaved with has the potential for going down deep and close like the MMOC or for slicing your face raw.