For the first time ever, today I got a BBS shave from the OCMM. Except for one tiny nick on the last pass (I survived three passes, can you believe it!) it was a non-bloody shave. Figured if others could learn to swear by them, so could I...I'd just never really tried to learn before. What made the difference: 1) Watching Mr. Guy's how-to on Youtube. I don't recall if I'd watched it before but today I followed his advice closely and it worked. I won't be doing the under-the-nose buffing any time soon but I no longer have an irrational fear of the OCMM. If you're still unsure of the Micromatic, WATCH his video and DO what he advises. 2) Using a brand new Gem teflon blade instead of one that had sat in the Damaskene or flip-top for even just a few shaves. I don't see why that should have made a difference but I could feel that it did. I'll experiment with carbons when my technique is better. 3) Using Mr. Guy's demonstrated head-pinch vs his usual pinky balance. This forced me to actually employ the necessary super-light touch I'd only imagined I was utilizing before. I thought I was handling this razor right, but wasn't...I was moving more slowly but in my mind I was always resorting to DE habit. That's what killed me. The most surprising thing of all: in a side-by-side comparison using the same blade, the OCMM darn well DID outperform the milder, safety barred flip-top. I was shocked, to say the least. And now, just for fun, I'm gonna go use it to mow off my goatee (it's was getting too hot, anyway). Anyway, all that to say that I hereby withdraw every negative comment I've made about the OCMM in the past, and Thank you, Mr. Guy!
First of all..who's Mr. Guy. Second..didn't know SE's and DE's needed any radically different techniques. Third glad it worked out well Gorgo...
He is a user just like many of us who has been on many of the forums in the past. Actually his video on how to use the OCMM was what showed me some refinements in SE technique. The DE and SE are definitely different in balance and that was where I was having an issue. He does show some handy things to know especially for newer SE users, but some experienced users can pick up things as well.
Well.. that helps clarify..thanks Gary. I would figure that potentially the balance on an SE would tend to favor the head and thereby requiring variations in the holding of the razor and the grip etc. I've briefly examined an auto-strop and a Rolls razor but didn't think at the time they would be that different from shaving with the DE. I stand corrected ..lol...
I haven't watched his video, but the OCMM should not be feared. I get great shaves from mine, but the first shave on a fresh blade is always a little rough for me. Just use a light touch and be mindful of what you are doing.
I had a month or two of DE shaving under my belt before I bought a lot of SE's from a seller on esty. I was told to be wary of SE's as a beginner, but found them easier to learn on the first shave with my Schick G1 than with DE's. I just kept little to negative pressure with my grip and touch and zipped away. I found all the GEMs, the OCCM included, equally easy. No nicks, unlike trying to learn DE's at first and a closer shave than most DE's. I'm finding the Tradere much harder to figure out.
Oooh..this guy Mr. guy is good..he can shave only with his little finger.. All kidding aside it looks, on the surface anyways, like a very similar gripping approach as a EE to me. Also no presure..etc. I think though I'd be in the not getting along with the thing category..it might make me cry.. lol...
I think his main focus is no pivoting the head like you can on a DE. Find the angle quickly and don't pivot.
Yep. Find the angle and lock it in all over your face. No angle variance allowed - not even the slight variances a DE will forgive. The OCMM won't, which is why I bled so much in the past...I was sloppy. Live and learn.
Glad you figured it out Gorgo. I sold my OCMM, not because I couldn't use it, I just didn't really enjoy the shaves. I made myself use if for a few weeks until I was getting comfy shaves, but I just didn't care for a lot of things with the OCMM. I guess my main complaint is that everything about it seems more rigid than with a DE? The blade, the splines on the handle, the angular adherence....other than it conflicting with my sensibilities, it isn't a bad razor at all. Again, I'm glad you like it and aren't donating blood as much, or experiencing the discomfort.
Thanks for posting this. I used mine for the first time this morning. I read what was written and watched the video last night. This morning I was rewarded with a very smooth and comfortable shave!
You're right, the whole approach to the thing is very rigid...which makes it all the more fascinating to watch Mr. Guy whip that thing around under his nose at warp speed. I can't say I "like" it because, I confess, I've never truly enjoyed any SE, injector or cart shave. Respect them, yes. Admire the results (if you do it right), absolutely I do. But I find I now really only enjoy DE shaves. I'll hang on to the OCMM and make myself use it on occasion because I've got 90 Ted Pella blades that will just sit if I don't...plus last night it did a great job mowing off 2 months worth of goatee, which I do from time to time.
Andy (MrGuy) & I have fairly similar hair characteristics & growth patterns. It wasn't until I saw him blade buffing ATG on his upper lip & tried it myself that I finally got BBS there without irritation. While many dislike the rigidity of these, it is this same rigidity that allows me to get the great shaves that I can't get from the flexible steel ribbons that DEs cut with. SEs & Des are so different from each other that it makes sense if you really enjoy one then you might not enjoy the other.
That is why I threw this particular video out because it has some good tips in it. This was the video that helped me correct the angle issue.
Pardon the bump. I've never been and never will be an expert on any razor-related topic, least of all SEs, and do not wish to be seen posing as one. I'd just like to share another recent experience for anyone who may be helped by it. For some years I was very fond of the Damaskene until I broke it. Then, recently, I thought I was fond of the Gem's late run fliptop I replaced it with. Then, just the other day, I came to good terms with the OCMM. Emboldened by that personal victory, today I picked up a G-Bar that's been sitting around one of my usual haunts. Using my newly improved SE technique (thanks again to Mr. Guy) I found the G-Bar naturally milder than the OCMM but also surprisingly very smooth but just right on aggressiveness. Not as harsh as the Damaskene tended to be...not as tricky as the OCMM can be...more efficient than the late model flip-top. Side-by-side using the same blade today, it lost out to the G-Bar. It works but it's just too mild. I read a comment elsewhere that late run Gem is the SE equivalent of a Tech. I'd compare it more to a Blue Tip: it'll shave you but it'll take longer. Mine is now mothballed. The G-Bar is going into primary rotation; the OCMM, occasional. Point of this bump: if you're new to SEs, you could jump right in with both feet as most of us did, with varying degrees of regret and painful lessons learned. My advice, though, would be to start out as mild as possible - start out with the late model flip-top to nail down the learning curve. They're cheap and readily available. From there you almost certainly will want to trade up...how far up the aggressiveness scale you go will be up to you.
From all that I've read, the mildest Gems are either the Flying Wing micromatic or the Push Button. I haven't used either of these, so take that with a grain of salt.
Take even more salt with what I said, too. The ones I metioned are only the ones I've used...I don't recall ever using the '50s pushbuttons and am not sure what the Flying Wing one was. The late run Gem's a pussycat though.
The Flying Wing is the Micromatic cousin to the OCMM and Clog Pruf. Most people mistakenly call it a Bullet Tip. I don't know why, it doesn't look anything like a bullet to me.
