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What not to buy?

Now I find myself looking at SE razors. What are the worst ones not worth buying. What are the lemons of the SE world?
 

Toothpick

Needs milk and a bidet!
Staff member
Is there such a thing?

I don't know much, but maybe the Valet? I think Feather is the only one making new blades for them.
 
Probably better to look at what is best for you to buy starting out on your SE Journey....Some SEs take more skill to use than others and some of them are very aggressive.....For example, I had my first shave today with a Schick Type B 1 Repeater SE and its a very aggressive razor and not very intuitive to use.....:w00t:

If I had tried to shave with that razor only 6 months ago I would have written it off as a Melon because I wouldn't have been ready for it.....:001_cool:


Billy
 
I don't think you'll find many people who love the Contour or Contour II, the very last of the Gems. The models just before them, the Push-Button and Featherweight, are a little cheap in their construction/appearance, but in fact pretty decent shavers, IME. Their heads are essentially the same as that of the slightly earlier (and much heavier, and IMO much better looking) G-Bar...a razor I very much like. All are closed-comb razors, and all are milder than most of those that preceded them...the 1912s, '14s, '24s and two of the three Micromatics, the Open Comb and the Clog-Pruf. Only the Bullet-Tip, among the Micromatics, is in the same, milder vein as the later Gems...but whether it came last among the three Micromatics I don't know...but someone here will!

The Valets, on the other hand, have many, many enthusiasts, though of course blades are an issue. But for glorious looking hardware, they are tough to beat...steam-punk razors! Some, it is true, only take a special Feather blad, others can be used with a de-spined, modern SE...I believe there are YouTube videos showing it done.

And if you count Rolls as SEs, they too are somewhat controversial. Great looking...almost unique in concept (there is a thing called a Darwin with a similar idea, though I've never seen one live.) I have several, but to tell the truth, I have had a hard time getting them up to speed. They need to be honed out of case at least occasionally, and the internal to the case hone and strop are often in poor shape, and need extra care, too. Still, they can be had easily.

Have fun, I sure have been.

dave
 
There are exceptions to the rule but most SEs that were made after the turn of the 20th Century will take a Modern SE Blade with or without some modification.....:001_cool:


Billy
 
I like the Contour II - I don't see ANY difference between it, the Featherweight, the Heavy Flat Top/Natural Angle or the Micromatic Flying Wing. It's the self-same cap and the longer handle returns the shaving dynamic back to the Micromatic but with a lighter weight. I have four Contours, the Contour, a couple of IIs and a 1.5 which is a flip-top head on a metal backed handle.

I don't think they're duds at all.

I do think there is a whole class of SE which is an absolute dud, but I won't put a newcomer off since there are a good number of folks who seem to convince themselves that they can shave with them ... and a cursory search of my posts will reveal :D

There is an absolute abundance of single edge razors which use proprietary blades no longer available, but many will take a modified GEM or an injector blade.

For a newcomer, stick to GEM, Ever Ready & Star, Schick and VALET.

Once you get more adventurous, there is the Wilkinson Sword Pall Mall/Empire, the Rolls Razor and then a whole heap of lather catchers which take wedge blades and can accommodate modern GEM blades.

More adventurous, there are some lovely razors from Christy/Keen Kutter which take injector blades ... all manner beyond which will need some ingenuity to get shaving.

I've yet to buy one which will not take some sort of blade with a little ingenuity applied.
 
As the above link illustrates, many razors designed for wedge blades can be made to work with modern blades of one sort or another.

However, if you have some of these razors, sooner or later you will find yourself thinking, "I wonder what it would be like to shave with the original type blades as the razor's designer intended?"

Suddenly you are diving down a whole new rabbit hole of hones, bevels, strops, stones, lapping film and bunches of other new stuff.

Trust me on this one. :thumbup1:

--Bob
 
Stay away from Enders. Christy razors are cheap, and you can use standard injector blades in them, I have a few but haven't tried it yet.
"Valet" are fun to look at, kind of like a light version of the Wilkinsons, and you can use modern SE Feather blades in them. They are cheap too.
 
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Scott, I googled Bakers Razor and this is what came up:
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I don't think this is what you meant. If you get a chance I would love to see a photo
 
The Contour II is terribly balanced and is the only Gem I've gotten a crummy shave from. Rather harsh and draggy and certainly not the ultra close shave I've come to expect from SE razors.

I like the Contour it's basically just a Push-Button with a different style handle. Not as well balanced as a Push-Button but better than the Contour II not only in balance but shave quality as well.

Not a huge fan of Featherweights as they're poorly balanced also but at least they give a decent shave.


Valets are kinda cool but there is the lack of blades issue. The VB1 And VC1 can use a modified Gem but the 2, 3, and 4s are Feather only and even then there are some that won't take a Feather without mods. Feathers are not a great blade anyway, tuggy and rough and not nearly as many shaves as a Gem SS blade.


Personally the only real "lemon" I've encountered is the Contour II when it comes to shave quality. I get better shaves from DEs and disposables. Get one to round out your collection but there are a lot of better choices for a shave.
 
I have had almost every GEM and the only ones I use are the GEM Jr., The GEM Damaskeene, 1912 Parade (Bell Handle), 1912, Micromatic, The G bar and the Contour. This rest are gone they just didn't give me a good shave no matter what I did.

I have four Valets that I find them super cool but only enjoy the VC1 and VC2, the Feathers blades for the VC3 and VC4 provide a very poor shave IMO and I just don't have the time to spend on stropping and honing the vintage blades.

I have eight Schick injectors, they are all very good but I really only use the three Schlick ever sharp G type, they are my favorite and never fail to provide excellent shaves.

I have modified razor blades for my Enders Super Speed and for the Christy Razors, they actually shave very well but there is a lot more effort involved and again I just don't have the time to use them often.

I would have more but that is my personal SE razor limit. Right Now !
 
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