So I've had this single edge Gem for awhile but I've been a little skittish about using it. I guess I wanted to get better with wet shaving in general before I dove into the deep end of the pool!
But all-in-all, it gave a really good shave. The Gem blade is very sharp and you get a lot of blade feel and the angle is very different too. It's also louder than my DE razors when cutting whiskers down. But once I figured it out, I got a really nice shave with it! The only real drawback is getting under the nose due to the blade angle. You have to go east to west, but it's definitely not a deal breaker.
The razor is a garden variety Gem 1912 and she is a beauty. It must have been replated at sometime in its life because she's very shiny and flawless. $21, not bad!
The rest of my routine was pretty much the same
Hot shower
Pre shave soap Razor Emporium
Preraso shave soap
Fendrihan boar brush
Alum block
I had just a little bit of neck irritation, and some sting from the alum block, so I used some L'Occitane after shave cream today. It's a very silky, light cream and heals things up quickly. A little Lustray went on later, which I just received. Pretty nice fragrance!
I'd give this shave a 3.5 out of 5
I know it will get better with a little practice though. For some reason, I feel like an all-pro wet shaver now!

(I better not get to cocky!)

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