Injector & SE Party !!!

Good morning! Here's my first-shave report with my Gem "1912": Ow! Ow! Ow! If I didn't know better, I'd swear some of the promises of an almost romantic encounter with this razor (Bird Lives said it would "steal my heart as well as my whiskers") were your way of hazing the new guy. I did get a fairly close shave; however, like many of the American victories in the Revolutionary War, I don't know if the win was worth the casualties.

Joking aside: Since this was my first shave with this razor, I still have to go through the "learning curve." The head is entirely different from the Merkur DE I've been using, and the handle is shorter, so I figure I'll need to experiment to get the angle down.

On the positive side: I won an e-bay bid yesterday on a birth-year (1966) Gillette Tech Travel Razor.

Have a blessed day, friends!

 

Could be technique.
Could be the blade.

2 cents.

 

The angle should be pretty easy. Just hold the head flat against your face. If you drop the handle and bring the flat part of the head away from your face, that razor will feel aggressive and at the same time it won't cut whiskers nearly as well. I have to admit I didn't like any of the available SE blades. Even the GEM coated stainless blades which seemed the sharpest of any I tried still didn't seem sharp enough for me to use comfortably. Lots of guys do like SEs though.

 

With the 1912, you have to put the head almost flat on your face. In fact, start there... If you try to shave like with a DE you will get "Ow! Ow! Ow!" Between 0 degrees and 10 degrees I think you will find your sweet spot.

 

Follow the Sound, Luke".....lol
Sorry to hear the maiden voyage wasn't so smooth....follow the above advice...put the head flat against you cheek, use no pressure...as you allow the razor to start the stroke, lower the end of the handle a little....as you lower the end of the handle you will hear the sound of it cutting whiskers....and you won't have to listen for it either, these guys are way loud...It will sound like buttering tost...When you hear that sound the shaving angle is correct....

Wishing you much better luck on your next shave....I believe the learning curve with Gem 1912's is way shorter than with DE's...although YMMV is always a factor...

Let us know, how your next shave goes....Ohhh yeah....congratulations on the birthyear razor...I see your still a kid...do they card you when you buy blades..... Come on...just kiddin'...8D

 

Day 2: Ow! Ow! Not as bad as yesterday, but still very uncomfortable. I live to shave another day.

 

Don't give up....If its not fun, just pack it away and come back to it later....You'd be surprised how your opinion changes over 'kit' as your chops develop...But even if it turns out 1912's aren't your thing, don't feel bad....My Pop was a serious shaver...I mean back before cats took their morning shaving ritual serious, my Pop treasured that time and always pampered himself with the best soaps and always used a brush. He was like that back in the 40's. Before his kids made the scene he got an Italian Barber shave and facial everyday...dig?

So even with all his shave savvy, he never really 'got' the 1912's....thats probably why I never tried one til this year...But as I said the YMMV factor is always a BIG factor with razors and blades and I personally absolutely fell in love with the 1912 experience....

But then Dad got over DE's too when he went in the Navy during WWII. He was issued a Schick Injector E type, and seldom strayed from Schick Injectors for the next 60 years... He would have loved this Party site...He was very out spoken on the virtues of Injectors....When he took me to see Goldfinger, it was that films opening night in '64, and I was 13 and so into it...James Bond uses a Gillette Slim in that film and I was giving Dad a hard time on the way home and said, "So even 007 uses a Gillette" and Pop said, "Thats only a movie, in real life James Bond is a modern man and into technology...he would only settle on a Schick"......He had a point...

 

I usually shave before bed but I just couldn't wait to try my new / old Gem Micromatic. (I mentioned on another thread that I got a Gillette super speed and the Gem for $7.00 at a flea market) .
Now I have been using DE's and ocasionally a straight for 15 years but have never even seen a single edge razor in real life until I found the Gem.
Anyway, the first shave was actually very comfortable , finding the sweet spot was acomplished in the beginning of the first pass and was more of a testimate to the EXTREMELY loud sound of the whiskers being mowed than my skill , as I said, this was my first single edge razor.
They say the Gem is an aggressive shaver but to be honest, after my first shave I was truly impressed. I found the Gem to be neat, comfortable and a pleasure to use. I did not however find it any more aggressive than my DE's.
I was still left with the 2 quarter sized spots in the hollow of my neck that are simply impossible to get BBS even after 4 passes. As a side note, I had high expectations from the Gem , being told it was extremely aggressive and expected the 2 spots to FINALLY vanish, oh well.
In any event, I absolutely love the Gem and will use it exclusively until I use up the 10 pak of CVS blades. After that I will definately put it into rotation.
I will say however, the Gem cleaned up sweet and looks like brand new, much better shape than the Gillette.
I had no nicks, weepers or any irritation what so ever, really a nice shave.

 

Here is my new baby.

 

NICE!! The OCMM is a fantastic razor! Use it well and don't fear it!

 

Last night was also my first Gem shave but asnI said, my experience was totally different. Could you be putting too much pressure on your Gem?
For me the shave was actually no different in feel than say my EJ with the main diff being the loud cutting report and the way it glided so smoothly.
Dont give up friend, maybe lighten your touch a bit. Is your Gem a micromatic like mine?
If it just dissagrees with you let me know and maybe we can work out a trade, I have a 50 somthing Gillette I dont care for. Not by anymeans trying to talk you out of your razor but if you just dont care for it perhaps we can help each other out.
Give it an honest go though, I love mine.

 

My Gem is a 1912. I actually had to take today off after two shaves with it.

I appreciate the offer of a trade, but if I decide to not include it in my rotation, I'll still hold onto it as a display piece. Thanks though. Maybe we can work something out in the future. I just started perusing antique stores about a month ago. I posted a few pictures of some of my recent purchases in The Haul. You might want to take a look.

 

Yea, I saw your pics, very nice.
The flea markets are an awesome place to look.

 

I am actually one of the few who find the MicroMatic Open Comb to give a smoother shave than the 1912.
As has been said, maybe hold off for a while until you get your technique down.

 

I know what you mean...when I first got mine I thought the OCMM gave a smoother, easier shave than the 1912....But now after having time to learn the 1912, thats become my Desert Island piece...But I still love both, and I never felt like I needed to learn the Micromatic, it was love at first stroke... It gave a great 1st shave and nothing has changed since....but the 1912 just seems to get better with each shave...I think those two make a strong argument for the integrity and designing skills at Gem....not to mention the Junior Bar LC, and the Damaskeenes...

 

I'll have to agree with you there. I had a 1912 a few years ago and didn't like it at all. It was like shaving with a Gillette Blue Tip; meaning it kind of cut, but didn't ever really offer a smooth shave.

The OCMM is like using my Gillette 77. It gets nice and close with no effort.

 

I just recieved a package from Arizona the night before Thangsgiving....This is from 'alan'.....check it out!! He was thinning out his herd and wanted to pif me these...

Top Row: Gem 1912, Star 1912, Clog Pruf MM
Bottom Row:Case for ER 1924 Travel, ER 1924 with travel and full length handle, ER 1914, Damaskeene.

Man, its like SE paradise in my Shave-Cave....A Big Thanks to 'alan' and Bravo....
I will be picking favorites and continuing these and some others on their way to good loving homes...

Tell you one thing...I've shaved with the ER 1924 several times since it arrived and that one is going no-place!! First shave with that one was one of my Shave-Life defining moments...The, dare I say it, beloved "Shovelhead" rocked my shave cave and single-handedly raised the bar on all fronts....

 

VERY nice!

 

Alan is the man!