Injector Questions and Obsevations

[Geeno]

Greetings all,

I own 2 injectors - the N1, and an older I1 (I think. It's a light tan/yellow handle with gold head). At one time in the past I also owned a G4/Shick 66 (navy handle, silver head, beautiful and I wish I still had it) one of the super elusive type O's (when I got back into wet shaving you could order them online for about $5.00).

The other day, on a lark, I loaded new blades in the N1 and I1. To my surprise the I1 blew away the N1. Even now, with maybe 10 shaves on the I1 it feels better, is smoother, and shaves better than the N1 with a fresh blade. The blades are Ted Pella blades (white plastic dispenser). I seem to recall the ad claiming they were "cryo-something" treated for better performance/life.

My only real issue is the handle on that I1. It is loose. Not a lot, but for sure some wiggle. Is there a way to tighten the handle back up? I can see this thing becoming my daily driver - I enjoyed it that much -- even better than my current daily driver - a General SE in black aluminum (but - you can't get these any more and I am becoming increasingly concerned that it might fall and break).

As for blades - here is what I think current status is:

Ted Pella has them, no special descriptions, 20-pack decently priced. Are they as good as what I have?
Chinese blades - same looks and packaging as they were before the Chinese got them - but has the performance stayed the same?
Schick Platinum - Found on EBay - but not sure I really trust that source any more.
Others?

Also - on the off chance - anyone have one of those Schick 66 razors they are considering selling?

Many thanks!

 

[Whiterook]

The Schick blades made in China (Chicks) are the most favored of the available blades. There is also the Proline B-20s, which don't not come with an injector key. Also the Supply Black Label and while the blades should work fine in non-Hydro-Magic razors key won't fit the Schick razors. The Ted Pella blades are Personna/Aucutek and are made here in the US.

 

[Ted A]

My I came with a damaged handle that wobbled at the rivets. Superglue did the trick for me

 

[Quaznoid]

I second the Superglue recommendation. As for blades, use Chinese Schicks only, “Chicks”, in the yellow package. Way better than Ted Pella.

 

[Geeno]

Thanks for the replies. I bought some of the Chinese blades - they are good but in a classic YMMV I don't think they are better than the Ted Pella. At least in the older razor. I will try the superglue thing soon.

On another note - has anyone had success with the Supply injector blades in a Schick razor? I guess the key is plastic? Makes it difficult to get into the razor? I read that the blades are from Japan - and there is a more aggressive version that might be interesting in my N1 (which is pretty mild).

 

[HoosierTrooper]

Thanks for the replies. I bought some of the Chinese blades - they are good but in a classic YMMV I don't think they are better than the Ted Pella. At least in the older razor. I will try the superglue thing soon.

On another note - has anyone had success with the Supply injector blades in a Schick razor? I guess the key is plastic? Makes it difficult to get into the razor? I read that the blades are from Japan - and there is a more aggressive version that might be interesting in my N1 (which is pretty mild).

Actually, there are no such thing as “Ted Pella” blades, they’re Personna blades sold by Ted Pella. It’s like calling Schick blades purchased from Amazon “Amazon” blades, and I agree with you, I actually prefer Personna injector blades over the Schick blades.

 

[Ted A]

Supply black blades work well in a Schick. You would need to eject the blade from the plastic cartridge. If you could get the plastic key to insert into the Schick that would probably mean the Schick is sprung and wouldn’t hold the blade tightly.

You either insert the blade into the razor manually or you put it into a metal injector cartridge and inject it into the razor as you would the blades that came with the cartridge.

In either case be careful not to rub the blade edge against anything and dull it.

On a related note. The Supply black blades won’t fit in the Asylum injector razor. There are two slots on the Schick and Supply blades. There are pegs on the Asylum head that are to hold the blade steady. The slots on the Supply blades are a little narrower than those on Schick blades and the Asylum blades. You can’t snug down the Asylum head.

 

[garyg]

I find that the vintage Schick "Plus Platinum" blades are best. As sharp as anything out there, they last far longer for me than Chicks or Personnas' The latter share an unfortunate characteristic with the Supply Blacks, that is the troublesome plastic injector case. I tried out the Supply when they were introduced some while ago, was less than impressed with their performance (aside from the non-performance of the case) and they are more expensive than the others as I recall.

 

[profusion]

I've had good luck with the Chinese Schicks; they're a decent blade. I slightly prefer the vintage Plus Platinums, as they're smoother (just like the Plus Platinum DE blades). As long as you get an unopened box of blades, you should be okay with NOS purchases on eBay.

I've got a couple packages of vintage Personna injector blades waiting to be tried. I only use my Schick razors a couple times a week, and the blade life is so long that I don't change out blades that often.

 

[Phil Harmonica]

I second the Superglue recommendation. As for blades, use Chinese Schicks only, “Chicks”, in the yellow package. Way better than Ted Pella.

+1

 

[garyg]

Just received an email from Supply - what I hadn't previously noted was a second tier of injector blades - this one features "Titanium Coating for a sharper cutting angle". Aside from wondering how a coating affected the cutting angle I note it has the same lame injector case as their black labelled, but for than you pay a 50% premium per blade. I probably won't bite again ..

 

[AshleyC]

You can get a serviceable shave from the Ted Pella injectors, I found. But once you try a Chinese blade the Ted Pellas will accumulate dust. In my opinion the Chinese injector blades aren't just good blades, they're among the best blades I've ever tried in wet shaving. Undoubtedly a combination of sharpness, blade rigidity, and the excellence of the Injector format razors in general. Even the Injectors from the 1930s I've tried feel like a modern razor in use, but without the shortcomings of modern multi-blade systems.