Why am I leery about trying this?

Some months ago, my boss gave me his grandfather's razor which looks to be an Ever-Ready 1912. I'm a long time DE shaver. I started shaving with Gillette DEs in the mid 1960's, switched to carts and then about 6 years ago picked up a EJ DE87 razor and have been trad wet shaving since. Granted, I have more soaps, creams, couple different razors and brushes than I really need but I blame all that on this site.

Anyway, I keep reading about the joys of SE shaving and would like to give it a go. Picked up some blades at CVS. Plastic box says "American Safety Razor Company". I just can't get my head around the fact that the blade is straight as opposed to the curve induced by a DE razor. I keep thinking that the first time this little guy touches my face I'll be cutting more than stubble.

My main razor now is a Fatip Grande open comb. Usually use Astra SP or Personna red blades and get great shaves daily.

I suspect there is a learning curve regarding correct angle while using an SE but my main concern is the blade quality. My fear is that if these CVS blades are kind of "middle of the road" sharpness & smoothness rated, that I'll be disappointed and never touch this razor again.

So, talk me into giving it a shot and let me know what you folks use for blades. Also, throw up the caution sign if I should wait and get better blades before I try it.

Thanks!

Can't speak to those blades but fear not. Your 1912 is middle of the road in aggressiveness. A light touch and shallow angle is all she requires.

There are basically three types of single edge blades--the paint scrapers which you will want to avoid, the carbon steel blades which must be thoroughly dried between shaves to avoid them rusting, and the stainless steel blades which are excellent and require no maintenance. The dispenser looks to be the type that the stainless blades come in. You might want to dry the blades between shaves until you can determine whether they are stainless or not.

Nice razor ...

Unfortunately, the paint scrapers come in the same dispenser as the stainless so its hard to tell the difference.

I use Gem "Blue Star" blades which are the carbon blades. They are good blades and can be found in many drugstores.
I would try these first before anything so you can tell the difference. If you got your blades in CVS chances are they are the good stainless shaving blades but you never know.

Your "1912" is actually an Ever-Ready 1924, sometimes called a "Shovelhead." It is generally considered to be on the aggressive side, but if you usually use a Fatip you shouldn't have problems.

The CVS blades are plenty sharp (I use them when I travel), but they are carbon steel, which means that they MUST be removed from the razor and dried immediately after shaving. Otherwise, you will not believe how fast they will rust.

Stainless steel blades can be found at some Walgreen's stores or at walgreens.com, as well as other places.

Just do a good prep and use a very light touch and a shallow angle until you get a feel for it.

A word of warning: I tried a single edge a couple of years ago. Now I have over a hundred SE's and use them exclusively.

--Bob

The learning curve for a SE is less that a DE. Pick up some Blue Star Blades and give it a go. You will probably surprise yourself. Just remember that Blue Star blades are carbon steel and will rust overnight if they are not wiped off and dried after each use. I give mine a quick dip in rubbing alcohol.

Thanks folks! I do think the blades are carbon steel. When I first got the razor, I was going to shave with it right away but chickened out. I had gone as far as putting a blade in and running water over the razor. I just shook it a few times and put it in the medicine cabinet. A day or so later while getting some toothpaste, I saw that the blade had completely rusted. There's a Walgreens close by so I'll try to get the stainless ones.

those blades should be fine, they just take more maintenance between uses. don't worry about the blade being straight, the cutting edge on the DE's are too when you are shaving. you will just start at a more shallow angle with this razor. it is not scary at all once you get started. be forewarned... like has been stated earlier, you may find them multiplying in you medicine cabinet, they can often be purchased pretty cheep.

I've had the same razor as you for about 3 months or so. It took me a few shaves to get the hang of it but as of right now I'm getting the best shaves of my life. I can honestly say that my razor was not for sale yesterday. It's not for sale today. And won't be for sale tomorrow. Hands down the best razor I've ever had. I get my blades from cvs and they work fine for me. May be able to get a better deal on blades on the net but I dont know where myself. Maybe someone can recommend a vender. Wes

Give it a shot. You might like it.

Like many others have said give your 1924 a try. Heck I just might pull mine out for the heck of it! Have fun with your new razor!

I would give that razor a try.

The SE razor which I used only a little bit was really light. Your razor is heavier.

A heavier razor seems more desirable than the light weight razor which I had.

The Shovelhead is a wonderful razor. It's a bit on the aggressive side, but you should have no problems with it. It's one of the louder razors I own.

There are two things to be aware of: (1) be careful of is when you flip open the head, if you're too enthusiastic the blade might pop out unexpectedly; and (2) after you try it you are likely to become addicted to the wonders of SE razors. Regrettably, there is no cure for SE RAD known to science.

Oh great! Just what I need.....another addiction. So, say I shave with this on Sunday, fall in love with it's performance and come to the realization that SE is for me, forever. What to do with my stash (around 400+) of DE blades. Maybe I'll just use it on weekends as a treat to myself. OK, sometimes maybe a Wednesday.

Heading to the usual shaving product suppliers to check on SE blades now. I hope you're all happy about this!

I haven't used any of my DE razors in about 3 months or so. I still have around 1 hundred blades left that I will use someday....................wes

RoFoBlade said:

Oh great! Just what I need.....another addiction. So, say I shave with this on Sunday, fall in love with it's performance and come to the realization that SE is for me, forever. What to do with my stash (around 400+) of DE blades. Maybe I'll just use it on weekends as a treat to myself. OK, sometimes maybe a Wednesday.

Heading to the usual shaving product suppliers to check on SE blades now. I hope you're all happy about this!

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No problem at all !

Just get some shavettes to use up those blades.

RoFoBlade said:

Oh great! Just what I need.....another addiction. So, say I shave with this on Sunday, fall in love with it's performance and come to the realization that SE is for me, forever. What to do with my stash (around 400+) of DE blades. Maybe I'll just use it on weekends as a treat to myself. OK, sometimes maybe a Wednesday.

Heading to the usual shaving product suppliers to check on SE blades now. I hope you're all happy about this!

Click to expand...

I still have around 200 DE blades, and I no longer own any DE razors.

No worries. I use them in my Shake Sharp, my Golf 71, and the Rocnel I will soon be receiving. These are all single edge razors that use DE blades - one edge at a time, or in the case of the Rocnel, half a DE blade.

--Bob

RoFoBlade said:

Oh great! Just what I need.....another addiction. So, say I shave with this on Sunday, fall in love with it's performance and come to the realization that SE is for me, forever. What to do with my stash (around 400+) of DE blades. Maybe I'll just use it on weekends as a treat to myself. OK, sometimes maybe a Wednesday.

Heading to the usual shaving product suppliers to check on SE blades now. I hope you're all happy about this!

Click to expand...

Don't worry, when I picked up my first SE I didn't touch my DE's again for 3 years