1901 Crowned GEM Safety Razor..... Another Shot.... And Another.... And Finally..... The GEM "1901 Crown Safety Razor Set" was a Buy it Now job for £80.00, but there was Low starting Bid of only £35.00.....I stuck on a Bid for a maximum of £40.00 to stop anybody buying it and walked away and never looked back until the bidding was closed.....It must have had my name written all over it......There were no other Bidders.....Good Karma..... These are somewhat rare and to find a complete set like this in this condition is even rarer......It was a British Seller that I got it from for £35.00 and £3.00 postage...This razor has to be the most elegant looking safety razor ever made......Wow! ...... A Piece of Functional Industrial Art of the highest level.....Both the GEM & Zinn Razor companies were associated with the American Safety Razor Company just after the turn of the 20th century ... The GEM ZINN Lather Catcher was released on 1889 and this is the later 1901 "Crown" Model.....The 1901 Crown Model retained the Letter " Z " on the front of the retaining clasp......Out of all the razors that I have the "1901 Crown Safety Razor Set" has got to be the "CROWN JEWEL" OF MY COLLECTION..... I have never seen one of these before ....I haven't came across another one like it.....There doesn't appear to be anyone that has one over on the B & B Forum either.....That speaks for itself.....This is "Truly a rare find amongst rare finds".......This razor is in pristine condition ....I cannot believe the Nick" of this 114 yr old razor.....Its remarkable......It takes a modern Gem blade with a full spine as a shimming method the same as the earlier Kampfe...... There is the NEW GEM Version of the razor and the same "Bar Design" that Paul just acquired recently and these are rare also....The NEW GEM has hinges and opens for cleaning like the earlier Kampfe Lather Catchers.....As you can see mine is one solid construction and does not open for cleaning......Its a real heavy weighted head with a thick steel construction.....The head is a good bit heavier built and about twice the Height of the Star/Kampfe Lather Catcher ..... The GEM 1901 Crown Towers over any other Lather Catcher that I own...There is a wee bit of a mystery to which one came first in the timeline.....We will get to the bottom of it at some point, but I suspect that the 1901 Crown Safety Razor Set" was the earlier one..... Four Pass Shaving Routine.... Water prep & massage with Coconut Oil GEM "1901 Crown" Lather Catcher GEN Stainless Steel Blade (New) Semogue Classic 208 Boar Brush Alphy & Becs Natural Shaving Soap - With Jojoba Oil - Vitamin E LOGONA Man Natural Aftershave Lotion (Made in Germany) I have just sat down after my Maiden Shave with the GEM "1901 Crown" Lather Catcher.....I stuck on an early Ever Ready 1914 Cast Iron Handle and it feels really weighty and balanced in the hand....The GEM "1901 Crown" Lather Catcher is a Real Heavy Weight as far as Lather Catchers go....I would reckon the GEM "1901 Crown" is somewhere between an Ever Ready Lather Catcher and a Star/Kampfe Lather Catcher in terms of Aggressiveness....This is not a Mild Razor by any Standards.....Boy....Is this Razor Smooth.....Its as Smooth as Silk....The GEM "1901 Crown" feels as Smooth as my much Milder GEM G Bar Junior... I have nick named the GEM "1901 Crown" ...."The Fair Ladies Hand" as this razor feels as if it is Tenderly Caressing the Face....On my first pass the GEM "1901 Crown" felt like a feather lightly stroking my skin....After my second ATG pass I could have got an acceptable shave with a couple of touch ups.....I have got to say and I understand that these things are all Very Individualistic, but there is Nothing that Shaves quite like a Lather Catcher..... Even with a Brand New GEM Blade the GEM "1901 Crown" is as Sharp as a Samurai and as Smooth as Icing on a Cake.... The GEM "1901 Crown" is an Open Comb Design and the shaving angle is almost flat against the face.....I have got to say that I found the GEM "1901 Crown" to be aptly named as it is indeed the King of the Shavers.....I need to get my finger out and get myself sorted out with Wedge Blades and use this razor the way that it was intended....My Gut Instinct tells me that I will never look back ..... The GEM "1901 Crown" offered me what I can only describe as near as Dammit a Close All Over BBS Perfect Shave if there is such a thing.....I have heard it said that that a Schick Injector can make one feel as if they have been Cheated Out of a Shave.....Well, the Schick has just been Out Schicked by the GEM "1901 Crown" Lather Catcher as I feel as if the wind has blown my Whiskers all the way to Kingdom Come with No Effort whatsoever ..... I think that's its easy to forget that Arthur Simon Zinn that designed the GEM "1901 Crown" and men like the Kampfe Brothers dedicated their lives toward creating these wonderful pieces of Industrial Art to offer the consumer the perfect shaving instrument..... These men were men amongst men whom were indeed True Manufacturing Masters of their Art.... The "CROWN JEWEL" of my collection...... Billy
So..it looks great and shaves great... I'd say that makes it worthy of "Crown Jewel" Great review. Now go find me one.
Its a pity I cant get my phone to transfer photos onto my lap top as the sellers photos here don't do it any justice.... If I come across one, you will be the first to know..... Billy
If you can email from your phone you could always try emailing yourself and send the photos as attachments from your phone
That's kind of you to offer, but I cant work my phone to use email or to transfer stuff to my lap top & that's my problem.....My computer/phone skills are rubbish....I will ask my daughter to work my phone Email for me when I see her and PM you the details ......
Here is some home pics I took.. Two Three Four Five My Daughter gave me idiots guide on how to get these to my laptop .....Pity she never gave me an idiots guide on photography ....The flash has left a Gold Reflection on a couple of these photos and may look like brassing.....There is no brassing.....Its just the flash....I would have taken them outside but it was wet and windy as usual in the West Coast of Scotland......I took a photo of the GEM 1901 Crowned Lather Catcher next to my Kampfe just to give you an Idea of the size of it.....As you can see it does dwarf the Kampfe somewhat .... I think these photos show the heavy weight construction of this razor... Billy.
I have a similar razor and really dig it. I think it's the smoothest GEM I own. Definitely the oldest. Since it's July, I think I'll use that next after this Feather I'm breaking in.
Aye, I have just realized that this is the smoothest GEM that I have as well....It was an enjoyable surprize..... Billy
