I recently purchased a lot of 10 GEM SE Blades that were advertised for shaving not utility. I have not been overly impressed with them in my vintage GEM razors. See pics above - possible these are not shaving blades? Love my vintage GEMs but at this point they do not compare to my vintage Gillette DEs in shave quality. Possible I got some bum blades?
Can't say I have a "bad" shave - just doesn't compare to my 48 Superspeed with an Astra or Fatboy with even a Derby blade. I think my technique is ok - just DFS with the GEM and near BBS with the DEs. Thanks though - glad to know I'm not shaving with utility knife blades... Lol
I get along much, much better with the carbon GEM Blue Star and Treet blades (which I believe are one and the same) than I do with the stainless ones. Once I use up the stainless blades I have I doubt I'll ever buy any more.
Not questioning your tech but have you been shaving long with them? I ask b/c I had the roughest time getting used to SEs once I'd gotten used to DE. SEs are a little tougher to learn only because they're somewhat less forgiving. But once I got it, they give me just as good a result as any DE. But even now I sometimes have to catch myself if I start using my G-Bar or ex-1914 like I'd use a Super Speed. So could it be an issue of needing more time to get used to?
Certainly possible and will keep working at it - I will however look into the blue carbon blades as I definitely see a difference in performance versus blade choice in my DEs
Define shave quality- closeness or comfort? That you indicate DFS vs BBS sounds like you aren't satisfied with the closeness. I can get an easy BBS with a 3-6 blade cheese grater but it isn't remotely comfortable. For comfort SEs (including injectors) far exceed anything else I've used. I attribute this to the smaller cutting angle but that cutting angle has a drawback in that you really have to know the contours of your face and stretch as necessary to get a BBS. In the beginning stages, especially with a mild razor I would often leave patches behind while shaving with an SE. In this way they have a slightly longer learning curve. With a DE that uses a scraping cutting motion i didn't have to think about really mapping my face. As always YMMV in blade choices. I don't like the Astras. Tug tug tug. If I were to use a DE the only sharp enough blade are the Personna Labs. Within the SE world HoosierTrooper loves the carbon steel blades and I hate them. Unfortunately we have some more limited blade choices with SEs. One more choice you might want to look into are the Feather SE blades with a GEM spine on them.
I also will add that I find that the SE blades shave better for me after the first use. You know, after the "grab" is worn away a bit.
Just like Tom, I prefer the carbon steel blades that I get at the local CVS pharmacy. The Stainless blades just don't work for me regardless of the razor I use. But using the carbon steel blades, I get really nice shaves out of the same razor. Guess it's a YMMV thing.
Elsewhere I posted that I just had my first shave with a Damaskeene. Though VERY comfortable, I found it mild and tough to get close in the trouble areas. Do you more experienced SE shavers think the carbon blades might make the difference? (I'm headed to CVS today, regardless.) Also... is putting the spine on a Feather SE a big deal or a little deal? Got a how-to link handy?
It gets easier once you get the hang of it. Don't use needle nose pliers it's harder to do. One of those square ones like in the video.
EXELLENT! Thanks. I've seen those pliers called front end cutters and end nippers - small and larger Looks pretty easy. Is it worth the fiddling?
So far in my short journet with SE razors and blades, I find the Gem Stainless PTFE coated blades to be better than the just plain stainless. I am still evaluating, but that looks the same as my stainless blades.
I find my Gillette DEs both closer ND more comfortable. Used my 61 Fatboy with Derby blade this AM set to 7 with great results. Will try a Feather next in both the Fatboy and SS. I agree that the SE Blades seem better after the first shave but have not yet achieved DE results. I love my GEM razors though and will keep trying!
I find that hand stropping the blade of the stainless steel blades makes them much better for me. There are YouTube videos that demonstrate how to do it.
I've gotten some great shaves with Gem Stainless Steel this week. I'm not sure why more people don't use SE.
I hand stropped and used my GEM MMOC this AM. dfs but not really comfortable - still doesn't compare to my DE razors. Will continue to work on technique but DE ruling right now...
I am currently shaving with my GEM MMBT c. 1947. The trick with these SE razors is that you use a very shallow angle. The head is touching or almost touching your face. I have been getting great shaves with it. They just take a different technique than DE razors.
Thanks for this thread and for all the replies. I got an SE this morning and had about 20 questions, all of which this thread answers.
