Injector & SE Party !!!

PM me your address and I will send you some Treet carbon steel blades. I don't like them...

 

I don't think I've seen samplers for sale for SE blades, I just bought low quantities of Gem SS & Pal Carbon to try out.

 

I'm back to the party. July is my Cheap Soap Month, and I will be using all my cheap soaps throughout the month.I have about 12. Today, I used the Col. Conk Lime. Also, I decided to break out my Schick M Adjustable. I really love that razor.

 

I have a Schick E that I put a file handle on for a time.


Later, I made a handle from a piece of wood scrap. Eventually, I shortened the handle to the normal length.

 

Yep. The 009 RD is the thickness, .009, and RD is for Regular Duty. ASR makes several variations of the SE blade, the ones for shaving are definitely sharper and are sold under the recognizable brand names of PAL, Treet and GEM Blue Star. The ones made for private labels such as CVS should make it clear on the packaging that they are designed for shaving.

 

I also was reading and discovered my 1912 is actually a Damaskeene, happy bonus for me IMO! Does mean I should try to find a 1912 because I can though...

 

WoooHooo! The Damaskeene is my number one favoritest razor in the world, I love when someone finds one.

 

I think it's 50% art, 50% shaving perfection. I have 2 more SE's en route but here's my current lineup that successfully ruined DEs for me lol

 

"The Best Safety"

 

How to make parents proud:

 

Got the G-bar in, Ted Pella I had from TSD shop, and all I can say is wow.... Really enjoy this razor. Been missing out on this thing.

 

Bullet tips rock!

My first GEM Bullet Tip was defective. The blade retention "bumps" on the corners were deceptively worn. I didn't realize when I tightened the blade into place that it slipped above the blade holders just slightly. Though my initial shave was very smooth, the blade corners made railroad track scratches all over. I looked like I had been picking blackberries with my face!

I received my second Bullet Tip this weekend. Two great shaves! I am hard pressed, but I think the GEM Bullet Tip and Ever Ready Lather Catcher shave better than my 1912 and 1914.
NOTE: I do not yet own a Damaskeene... Darn you, Tom, and your beguiling recommendations! My feeble will power is no match for your advocacy and ole-timey ads! ...

Also... I had my fourth shave on a Personna Injector blade. Though I note some loss of sharpness, it was still a very comfortable shave. I don't know if a fifth shave will be pushing it one shave too far, though.

The GEM SEs feel like driving a 70s land yacht. ( Does anyone remember the Olds Delta 88?) The Injector feels like driving a Porshe. Other than both being SEs, I don't think it possible to compare them — they are just too different.!

Maybe this is why Jay Leno has so many cars!...

 

I traded a Fatip for a G-bar. I can't wait to get it and try it out.

 

I traded a ball end tech for mine. Can't wait to try some more blades, need to find a good one and stockpile some

 

I'm in the same boat as you. I'm stuck in No Buy July and only have one Gem Stainless blade left.

 

My Treet blades say 009 RD too. Does this mean they are not suitable for shaving? It would explain how rough they seem to me... Though the cardboard packaging says they are for shaving. I know there are some other Treet blades that come in a plastic dispenser as opposed to the simple 5-pack cardboard box I wonder if these are different.

@maltedmilk a 5th use would not be pushing it too far... I get 14 shaves out of a Personna injector blade and only about 8 out of a GEM blade. Some people have reported that their blades' life was extended by gaining more experience and thus improving their technique. I thought initially I could only get 7 shaves out of an injector blade but nope, now I get 14 solid shaves out of one. That could be the case for you.

 

Yep! I'm sure I have a lot of room for improvement. I am still rotating my SEs in with my DEs, so probably have only 20-30 shaves spread across 5 SE razors — one of which is the injector, so should be in its own category! The learning curve hardly translates across the categories.

I noticed that I was riding that "skin wave" we discussed earlier, applying more pressure at the heel and less at the cutting edge. I do this on all SEs but the effect is more pronounced on the injector. I have not mastered this to the point of muscle memory. That's part of how I know my technique ain't there yet!

 

I have been using my Schick M adjustable so far in July. I am enjoying the clean, close shaves. BTW, I have a bullet tip that tops my SE favorites list.

 

My concern with the Treets in the 5-pack cardboard box, and I have a pretty large stash of them, is how they were stored prior to sale. If they set for months, or even years, in a hot, humid warehouse my guess is the edge could be affected since the cardboard packaging wouldn't provide as much protection against moisture as the plastic dispenser that is sealed in the blister pack. So far, all of them I've used have been great.

Even in a humid bathroom it seems moisture could be absorbed through the cardboard and make contact with the blades, don't you think?

The earlier versions of both the Treet and Blue Star blades actually had their respective brand names stamped on the spine, the later versions of both just have 009 RD on them.

 

Tryablade now offers SE blade samplers: http://www.tryablade.com/singleedge - and more blades may be added in the future.