Hi, Anyone have any experience using single edge safety razors and blades? I'm especially interested in trying the Schick Injector and GEM razors for the first time, but was wondering what the pro's and con's are to each system before I bought one. Thank you
Fact is, you only shave with one edge at a time, regardless of what you use. The Gem MMOC razors are a great choice and can be had for little $$. I am unaware of any pros or cons. It's really a matter of what you like to use.
Most SE razors have limited blade options, which can be good or bad. I never could get use to the FHS-10 for the OneBlade. From my limited experience with GEMs there are only a couple of manufacturers and for injectors I think it's less. Not sure if the Supply injector blades are a different OEM or just the yellow schicks. I love my Schick Eversharp E3 injector and am pretty much a SE guy only. There are SE razors which take half a DE, the Leaf, Twig, and my favorite the Proof Whiskey razor. Hope this helps. Sent from my Pixel 4a using Tapatalk
Schick Injectors are the easiest to start out with. They are the most cart like and no need to find the correct shave angle just put the razor head to the face and shave. You have a couple of blade options but the 2 prevalent ones are Personna blades and the Chinese Schick blades in the yellow blister packs. Personna blades tends to be less sharp than the Chinese Schicks. Some razors work better with one or the other depending how aggressive they are. Only way to determine that for yourself is to get a pack of both and try them in your razor to see what works best. There are also Japanese Schick blades but they are extremely expensive and not a good blade from a cost standpoint to use as a daily shaving blade. In the main as they go up in the alphabet they get milder. A good starter razor is any Type G that isn't a sought after collectable. They are middle of the road and if too mild go the a Type E and to aggressive work your way upwards. The Type M adjustables are also a good starting point but will cost more.
You know, I have just started shaving with the single edge razors, and I am really enjoying it so far. I am using razors that utilize the "artists club" type of blade, and it's an eye opening experience. The shave is distinctly different from that of the double edge razor. These can yield a very close shave. My Asylum Rx, v2 razor can mow down many days growth with ease, and give me a bbs shave very efficiently. As for pros and cons, those are mostly up to one's own personal taste. The blades are slightly more expensive, but being much thicker than de blades, they can last much longer. There is not as much variety of blade to chose from, but I think that anyone can find a blade among what's offered to suit them. I love the maneuverability of the small head. And the shave can't be beat. I'd say give it a try!
So with GEM you have to have the razor at a certain angle for it to shave whereas the Schick Injector you don't, is this correct?
Not really. With either, you lay the razor flat against your skin and as you pull the razor along, it tips it up just enough to give you a nice shallow-angle shave. Easy-peasy. Schicks are dirt cheap, Gems a little more expensive but still pretty cheap. The Schicks' smaller head is a little more maneuverable. Things to keep in mind: 1. SCRAPER BLADES ARE NOT SHARP ENOUGH FOR SHAVING!!! Stick to the PTFE coated Personnas. 2. I don't see injector blades in pharmacies and grocery stores. Gem style blades do show up there, just not in every store. I've found them in CVS, Rite-aid and Wegman's, so at he very least, they're in those chains' ordering system.
For the most part. Schick style injectors are like carts in that you put the cart flat to the face same as the razor head. Some injectors have play in that you can angle them but they work well without any shave angle tinkering. GEM blade razors you start flat and slowly adjust the angle until it cuts, that angle will be very shallow. If a particular GEM bladed razor will shave steep, don't do it unless you want some serious razor burn.
I really like GEM style razors. I prefer the stiffer blades over DE blades. If you shop around, you can find them for $10-$15 each (depending on condition and model). You can find them on BST forums on sites like this, Etsy and eBay. For GEM style razors, I would start with the GEM G-bar/Heavy Flat Top razor as it is built like a tank, is on the milder end of the spectrum as GEM razors go and easy to find. There are many different models by GEM, EverReady and others, so if that one does not suit you, you still have more choices. The MMOC is on the aggressive end of the spectrum for GEM razors and is an OC razor. In general, GEM razors use a steep shaving angle, but there are exceptions (like the EverReady 1924/shovel head which uses more of a DE shaving angle). When I started with GEM razors, I thought it would be difficult to find the right angle to shave, but that was not the case. The metal razors were built to last. The beauty of the GEM style razors and injector razors is that it does not cost much to try them out. Blades for both GEM style and injector razors are limited compared to DE blades, but there is at least one good blade option for each. GEM and injector razors shave differently but both can give you excellent shaves. I use both in my rotation.
