I've spent the last week using a Schick injector. I've never used one before. I got decent shaves, but not great shaves. Any tips or suggestions on how to improve this? St. Croix
Unfortunately, I think this is par for the course when it comes to using injectors, at least in my experience. I found that you can almost always get a decent, passable shave with an injector (and quick/mindless too). The problem is that its difficult to get a really close shave with one, and I suspect that an adjustable injector might be the solution........but I never had enough fun with a fixed-injector to experiment any further than the one I own (2006 NWC late-model Schick Remake) Aside from playing with adjustables, there is of course the option of cutting down a Feather AC-straight blade and using that instead of your run-of-the-mill injector blades.
If you really want a good shave with an injector I would suggest that you look out for one of the stainless steel PAL adjustable models they are the best shaving injectors available IMO. However, if you are determined to stick with the injector you have I can offer the following suggestions: 1. To get the angle right, keep the head of the injector flat against your face. This may seem like blindingly obvious advice, but to begin with I always used a much steeper angle and was rewarded with subpar shaves. 2. You don't say what kind of blades you are using. The two best options are blades from Tedpella (colourfully referred to as the Dog's Bollocks blade on SMF) or a clipped down Feather Super Pro (the so called Featherjector.) The Featherjector setup seems to work best with the 1940's Bakelite Schicks, but I have used them with success in other models. The most readily available Injector blades are the Personna, if you are using these they may be the cause of your problems as I found them to be an inferior product. I only used them a couple of times but that was enough to convince me they were not going to work. I am not sure if Schick blades are still being made, all of the packs I got were pre 2000. Whilst Schick blades were very good, if you are using these they may be causing problems due to age related deterioration. 3. Check the head of your razor carefully for signs of damage or warping. As much as I like Schicks, they certainly were not made to last and many of the earlier examples are poor shavers due to problems like uneven exposure caused by improper maintenance. Finally, don't give up. Whilst Injectors certainly aren't for eveyone, if you can get past the problems they are capable of giving consistently good shaves. I have always struggled with ATG passes, but a Featherjector goes against the grain with incredible ease resulting in totally BBS shaves with no irritation. Regards, Alex
Once you get the technique down get a PAL Injecto Matic, a Schick type H, or a Schick C3 repeater and load it with a Schick blade (available on Amazon in the yellow packages.) On second thought, the Personna blades are probably a better choice for the Schick type H. They will be the closest shaves you will get. They will rival any other razor IMHO. Or, sign up for the Bunny Pass around (see link below in my signature block.
