So I have mentioned in a couple different posts that I have been on a serious single edge bender. I have been heavily into all things Gem, Ever Ready, Star and Treet. Getting every model led to going after minor razor variations, which led to chasing down box variations... Maybe I have finally gone too far? I present to you my newest acquisition- a wholesale bill for Damaskeen razors, blades and a display case. So awesome. Not only is the idea of a display case stocked with two dozen case fresh Damaskeen sets almost impossibly mouth watering... this thing just turned 100 years old a couple months ago! Add to that the cool little illustration of Shaving Dad and Angry Baby and this old bill rockets to the top of my favorite things pile. So I will answer my own rhetorical question... no, I have not gone too far. I will proudly buy any office miscellany that comes my way.
Try the adjustable version of this razor with a Chinese Schick blade (Chick) dialled up to 5 or 6 - aggressive to say the least. This razor is best used at a lower angle than a Schick injector. The angle of the handle is closer to the face. I read that Gary (GDCarrington) does not like the PAL adjustable because it is unnecessarily complicated - each to their own.
I have another weird one- a vintage copper printing block of a Gem Micromatic. Pretty cool in my opinion. Probably from a newspaper advertisement.
I am on to my 22nd day of shaving with the GEM stainless PTFE single edge blade, in my mmcp. My question is, how many more shaves should I get. I know it seems dumb, but is it the same as a cart shave....once it starts pulling, it is time to change. I also noticed that the shave today was not quite as close as yesterday....but that could just be not being quite as aggressive, in terms of touch ups.....just three passes with no touch up.
These guys don't tug, pull, and tear your face up when they get dull, like DE's do...Instead, they just start not shaving as closely...a little bit at a time...Very user friendly....
I just had my first SE shave yesterday (Schick Injector G-Type) which gave me a very nice shave (DFS). I also don't know what to expect regarding blade life. Since these injectors are quite a bit more expensive than DE blades (which I change every week) I'll probably use one until shave quality starts to deteriorate.
For the past week I have been using my Schick L. This is the model I started shaving with back in the 60s. It was a great week. Tomorrow I will be finishing off the month with my Schick I.
A much underapreciated classic....This L type was the standart for many shavers for a few years...I know I used more than one L for many years...I was touring with bands and would lose them...Or leave one behind and just cop another....Life was easier then...}8^))
I am finishing off January with my Schick I-1. It is like a little sports car after using the long handled L-1.
This is the pristine 1914 that I picked up towards the end of December, but could not use as I was doing the 30 day focus / challenge. The bay seller said that the razor may not have been used, and I must say that it was totally clean except for one blemish.... possibly just age? For the two days between the January challenge, and the February Focus, I will use this razor, with a PAL blue carbon blade. Today, the shave was BBS, with me maybe being a little too aggressive, so there was minor irritation. The challenge was solved with some Nivea A/S balm with one drop of TSD mbomb. I must say that I really do like the auditory feedback that the GEM and EverReady razors give! Bird Lives, you are right. An amazing razor!
I wouldn't pull your leg on something this important...Ha,ha....This one is unique...so much feedback in every way. Loud, and handle Vibrates with each whisker cut...This is a wild one! As Razorx called it, "A real Blast from the Past". First time I used it, it was so loud and lively it scared me, lol. Now I wouldn't ever want to be without it..The spund it makes reminds me of the sound effects when Curly of the "Three Stooges" would shave with a Str8 ...;^)) We need to think of some kind of special 101st birthday celebration for this lovely razor....The birth-day is March 24th but I hardly think one day does it justice...
