Gem 1912

[veteran]

While accompanying SWMBO the other weekend I fell upon a 1912 in reasonable nick and picked it up for $3. The razor unfortunately turned out to be a non starter due to a broken blade retainer (rear tab). I was lucky enough to swap it for this peachy example with a mate for the price of my non starter and a stick of Arko. My busted razor is in his shop display case.
First SE shave ever (if you discount injectors) tonight, Proraso/Palmolive/Glycerine super lather with stainless Gem (thanks Pjotr). I had intended only doing my cheeks but was so impressed at how intuitive finding the "angle" was I ended up completing the shave, even the tricky top lip passes. Outstanding beard reduction and I was surprised how little touching up was left after 2 WTG passes. Managed to give myself 2 tiny weepers at the corners of the mouth but nothing a little better technique wont cure. A very close and comfortable shave, not a hint of irritation/burn even though it was a closer shave than I usually try for due to chronic neck ingrowns if I shave too close. I think every experienced wet shaver owes it to themselves to give a real SE a go once. It will be an interesting week ahead for me as I explore the 1912 and hone my technique. More and more guys appear to be switching or at least adding an SE to their rotations, I can see why. I`ll add to this thread if I have further thoughts on the razor and/or SE technique.

 

[Pjotr]

Hello veteran. Glad the SE is working out. I find that with the first and second shave with an SE blade I have to be really careful. They are insanely sharp and I tend to use it with the Feather Weight, a very light, mild razor. Sort of the equivalent of a Gillette Tech. After that I use the blade with various other SEs. Let me know if you need any more blades. I shave every other day and even my modest stash will last me something like three years.

 

[pablo_h]

GEMs do shave me closer than any other razor. They are a lot easier to use than DE as well if you have no experience with any old fashioned razor.
Pity the blades are more expensive and don't last as long. That and the stash of DE razors and blades I already have is what is stopping me using SE only.
If you think the 1912 is good, I think of the 1912 as the GEM 'Tech'.
The Micromatic clog pruf is like the gillette NEW Improved (ie better if you want more aggressive razors. The MM open comb is too ridiculous, like an OLD which is not designed for modern blades), the pre 1912 versions (lather catchers) are even easier to use than the 1912 with closer shaving.

It's a personal thing though of course, I've got a HD rocket I hate, I couldn't even get a decent shave with a feather blade in it. Got a couple of bleeders, but still not shaven. Chucked the blade into a tech and bang, there's a shave and no cuts.
So every razor is different, and every shaver shaves differently. Point is, SE is easier than DE though.
edit; Every shaver is different too! I get a 'three day growth' after one day, and the thick coarse stubble on my chin blunts blades very very quick!

 

[Pjotr]

........Pity the blades are more expensive and don't last as long.........

That's the first time I've ever heard that from anybody! I get 7 shaves out of an SE blade and could probably get 1 or 2 more. And that's probably the average most would get. Never got more than 3 (at most) shaves out of any DE I tried. On this basis SE blades cost me 3-4 cents a shave. There must be something very strange about your beard that blunts an SE quicker than a DE blade. In fact it just doesn't seem possible. DE blades in my experience just don't compare. I'm assuming you are using stainless steel blades ?

 

[pablo_h]

Yeah, like I said, I've got some blade killing stubble to deal with.
On the other hand, many DE blades out there last me 5 shaves. But I'm adamant, that no SE blade has ever lasted more than three good shaves, with 3-4 passes, and the fourth shave is terrible. I've tried and tried again, but I'm not taking any more punishment on that front. An SE blade is useless to my face after 3 shaves and I stand by that claim, while there is DE blades out there I can get 5 shaves from.

edit: In fact, the bulk pack GEM stainless blades we buy aren't that good. They aren't made for shaving as you probably know. I had a few carbon steel blades that shaved heaps better for the first 2 shaves, but of course due to rust were useless after 2 shaves. I only switched to the GEM stainless to get an extra shave or two out of the blade. But when both new, the GEM stainless (as in bulk pack not in the 5 or 10 blade pack by personna) is not really a good blade in comparison to me, it's not really made for shaving, much rougher to start out with, not cutting as well. The GEM by personna some people think are the same, but they seems slightly better, ( on B&B you'll read some people mention GEM blades at walgreens, they come in a cartridge - supposed to be the same as the bulk pack "for industrial use only', but I don't think so. I did get 4 or more shaves out of them when connaught sold those packs.) and the carbon steel SE blade was better, just useless after 2 shaves.


edit: I do get my best shaves from an SE, but only 3 shaves of 3-4 passes + touch ups per blade.
The thickness of a blade doesn't make it more durable, an edge is an edge, quality matters more than the thickness of the body. Have you tried a GBE DE blade? I got 6 shaves out of one of them, a record!
RM has heaps so he might send you some

late edit: But the 3 shaves I get out of the bulk GEM SE blades are better than the quality of most DE shaves. I also take them along to work and I'm slicing up insulation and stuff with my blunt blades, they are still sharp, just not sharp enough for my stubble.

 

[veteran]

As always interesting the way YMMV rears its head in shaving discussion, I cant wait to see if the SE 2nd shave being better than the first happens for me. I also have whisker that turns Feather DE`s blunt after 3 shaves, I`ll see how many I get from these Gems.

 

[Pjotr]

Yeah, like I said, I've got some blade killing stubble to deal with.
On the other hand, many DE blades out there last me 5 shaves. But I'm adamant, that no SE blade has ever lasted more than three good shaves, with 3-4 passes, and the fourth shave is terrible. I've tried and tried again, but I'm not taking any more punishment on that front. An SE blade is useless to my face after 3 shaves and I stand by that claim, while there is DE blades out there I can get 5 shaves from.

edit: In fact, the bulk pack GEM stainless blades we buy aren't that good. They aren't made for shaving as you probably know. I had a few carbon steel blades that shaved heaps better for the first 2 shaves, but of course due to rust were useless after 2 shaves. I only switched to the GEM stainless to get an extra shave or two out of the blade. But when both new, the GEM stainless (as in bulk pack not in the 5 or 10 blade pack by personna) is not really a good blade in comparison to me, it's not really made for shaving, much rougher to start out with, not cutting as well. The GEM by personna some people think are the same, but they seems slightly better, ( on B&B you'll read some people mention GEM blades at walgreens, they come in a cartridge - supposed to be the same as the bulk pack "for industrial use only', but I don't think so. I did get 4 or more shaves out of them when connaught sold those packs.) and the carbon steel SE blade was better, just useless after 2 shaves.


edit: I do get my best shaves from an SE, but only 3 shaves of 3-4 passes + touch ups per blade.
The thickness of a blade doesn't make it more durable, an edge is an edge, quality matters more than the thickness of the body. Have you tried a GBE DE blade? I got 6 shaves out of one of them, a record!
RM has heaps so he might send you some

late edit: But the 3 shaves I get out of the bulk GEM SE blades are better than the quality of most DE shaves. I also take them along to work and I'm slicing up insulation and stuff with my blunt blades, they are still sharp, just not sharp enough for my stubble.

I believe you pablo. It just doesn't make sense. There are obviously just some very different stubble characteristics out there! I couldn't discern any difference between the Walgreens or the Ted Pella SS blades myself. Haven't tried the carbon blades. And even at two shaves/blade I'd prefer SE over DE shaving. Twelve cents/shave is still pretty affordable in my book.

 

[veteran]

Sweet second shave with the 1912, no weepers and less touch up. I`m still paying this a lot of respect but am very impressed with the ease of shaving. Now lets see how many shaves of this quality we get before my wire whiskers assert themselves on the edge.

 

[veteran]

Shave 3: Great result (hope it is not too close) but found the shave somewhat dissapointing. 1st pass a little "tuggy", thinking maybe I was a little cocky and pushed the angle a little too far, dunno, just seemed a little like hard work?? 2nd pass WTG, felt great but found I needed a proper 3rd pass rather than just touch ups tonight. Same prep, brush, cream and temp, if I did not know better I would suspect a blunt blade but the result and aftermath are great up till now, see what tomorrow brings by way of ingrowns they usually rear their heads if I push a blunt blade too far.

 

[pablo_h]

Looking forward to what you find tomorrow as your results mirror mine, ie shave quality of the blade goes downhill on the 3rd shave.

 

[Pjotr]

So am I. I prefer them when they're three shaves old. For me for the first two they're like DE Feathers on steroids. I can't do more than two WTG/XTG passes (of course I do and sometimes end up regretting it) for the first couple and after that I'm off to the races. After six it gets a bit too much work but if pushed I could probably do eight. I also go from mild to more aggressive razor to compensate.

 

[veteran]

Sorry guys but I might have skewed my 1912 experiment. I was at the Farmers Markets this morning and was given a sample of soap that I used tonight while attempting shave 4 with the 1912. Long story short, I tried a couple of passes out on the cheeks WTG but had to abandon due to tugging. Luckily I had the Lord loaded with a Feather and finished the shave. I caught it early and got a DFS with a very different soap, I will do a quick review elsewhere. The Lord/Feather combo gave a DFS easily but even very early after the shave it is very apparent that this is not the same quality shave as the Gem. I am still intrigued by the whole SE thing and the way it shaves me so close without irritation and so far with very few ingrowns, this after last nights shave that I was sure would end in a few bumps on the neck today. Tommorrow I will start again and hope that with improved technique and familiarity the 1912 might hopefully be able to stretch for a few more great shaves.

 

[pablo_h]

So am I. I prefer them when they're three shaves old. For me for the first two they're like DE Feathers on steroids. I can't do more than two WTG/XTG passes (of course I do and sometimes end up regretting it) for the first couple and after that I'm off to the races. After six it gets a bit too much work but if pushed I could probably do eight. I also go from mild to more aggressive razor to compensate.

I can shave or cut anything with a 3 shave old SE blade, except my beard. Seems like your beard is just like regular head hair or body hair. My facial hair is made of wire.
My other half use to complain of beard rash off me even though I had just shaved with electric or disposable, that's one of the main reasons why I got into aggressive DEs and then SE. But 3 shave old GEM SE blades are still useful for anything except my face.

 

[veteran]

Ok I am back on track with the 1912. Brand new Gem PTFE SS, a couple of cursory palm strops (can`t hurt) and Proraso straight up. What a peach of a shave, a smooth and sharp 1st pass that took most of my 24hr growth. Rest of the shave goes without a hitch, razor burn or irritation. I am getting very confident with this razor and despite it bulk I am finding easy enough to drive around the tight spots. Very noticeable today was the feel of my stubble regrowth, it was noticeably softer to the touch today after the DE shave last night than it has been following the SE shaves of the last week. I have read straight razor posts were they mention blunter, darker regrowth due to cleaner whisker slicing/cutting as opposed to stripping and splitting associated with DE`s but in particular carts. Any knowledge or opinions?

 

[Pjotr]

So, how many shaves did you get out of the last one? The different blades resulting in different stubble is not something that I particularly noticed.

 

[veteran]

Ditched the original blade after 3.2 shaves and had to finish up with a DE but I also changed my soap for that shave so I can`t say definitively.........the 3rd shave did feel as thought the blade was struggling though. Tonight was a great shave and I think my technique is now reasonable so I`ll see how many shaves I get out this blade without changing anything.

 

[pablo_h]

Ok I am back on track with the 1912. Brand new Gem PTFE SS, a couple of cursory palm strops (can`t hurt)

If you're anything like me, stropping just makes it worse. Some people feel a GEM SE too sharp initially, stropping does no harm for them, and they can get 7 shaves out of a blade. So if they blunt a blade a bit by stropping, they wouldn't notice.
If I try hand stropping, it just makes the blade worse.
I only use vintage razors because I blunt a cartidge after 3-4 shaves, and they cost so much more to replace, also I blunt electric razor blades after a year and get tugging from them and never get a close shave.

 

[veteran]

As I said a little palm stropping can`t hurt, I do it with DE as well, my old barber swears it smooths out brand new blades and takes the "residue" off old blades. Takes 20seconds and can`t hurt. I have read that part of the problems with carts in particular is the cut edge that they leave behind due to stretching and their blade angle. They leave a shallow angled "split end" that is more prone to growing in than a cleaner more perpendicular cut from a straight. I am sure that my stubble after shaving with the Gem grows back slower due to the closeness but also feels somehow coarser or blunter and I put that down to the quality of the cut. Either way I find that I have no new ingrowns since shaving with the Gem whereas I do get the odd ingrown from a DE if I push a blade too far or shave too close.

 

[veteran]

2nd shave, 2nd blade, what can I say? As good as it gets for me, easy DFS, no irritation, smooth as silk and again leaves me to wonder if I`ve gone a little too close?
3rd shave tonight and again ( just like last blade) I felt as if I was using a blade that was past its prime, same great result but the reduction pass felt just that bit "tuggy" and I needed a fair bit more by way of touch up. I think I`ll say more about the blade itself (Gem SS with PTFE) in the blade section. As far as the razor itself goes...... I am so impressed and find myself joining the "where the hell have these been?" chorus. This Gem is easy and instinctive to use, looks a little unwieldy but is well balanced, has a non slip grip and gives great shaves. I would think that any noob with beard prep, lather and his pressure under control could use one of these and get great results from shave 1. I`ve got a Gem Jr on the way and think I`ll track down a nice Featherweight to try.

 

[pablo_h]

I still say you should track down a micromatic clog pruf first.

And if you like stropping, get one of those ever ready 'streamline' razor and strop sets
I don't have one of them, it's a different razor to the 1912 as well, 1930s I think?
The only set I have with stropper is a british made GEM 1912 model razor and strop set with ornate handles, that it's been dated from the 1950s. They made the '1912' model for decades! Maybe because the micromatic didn't gain many fans when it was released in the 1930s.

British made GEMs are pretty rare, most i have from england are ever readys except 2 of them.