Found thease beauties today $7.00 for both. Gem micromatic and what I believe is a Gillette slim twin. If I am wrong, PLEASE tell me. Both function incredibly smoothly and are crazy funky. What do I do? How do I de-funk them well enough to use? Any info on them?(dates,makes etc.) would be greatly appreciated. Also I realy want to know how to clean them. Thanks in advance.
The one on the left looks like a 40's Style Super Speed. To clean them, just spray on some scrubbing bubbles and use an old toothbrush to get the gunk off.
Thanks Better view The one on the right is a Gem micromatic, any body know the years on thease? I believe the other is a Gillette slim twin or super speed[ ATTACH=full]44030[/ATTACH]
Your razors are a 40's Superspeed and an Open Comb MicroMatic SE(OCMM)...A good soaking and then gentle scrubbing with Dawn Dish soap and an old soft toothbrush, followed by a spraying with ScrubbingBubbles, then if needed a little lubrication(mineral oil or something similar)...Great score..
It's a Super Speed for sure. Those didn't usually have a date code on them, but were said to have been made from 1947 to the first quarter of 1950. 1950 is when they started putting date codes on them if I remember correctly.
The application for the Micromatic patent was filed in 1929 and they hit the showroom floors around 1930, beating Gillette by about 4 years with the turn to open design. They where produced until at least 1940 when the Clog-pruf came out.
Wow, you guys realy knoow your stuff. thanks Here they are all scrubbed up, and you guys were right. The scrubbing bubbles was the poo! The Gem looks like it just came home from the store, no signs of wear or use at all. The Gillette, not as good. It has a few dark spots on the handle and has a bit of a yellow, tarnished look over all when laid next to the shiny chrome Gem. Both however are squeaky clean and ready for use. Now, where to find some single edge blades.
Gem blades are the ones I use and I.M.O. are the better blades....The other blades you usually find in stores are Dorco's if it say "made in Korea" on the packaging..I found these to be rougher and did not shave either as close or smooth as the Gems...Be warned the OCMM are considered to be on the aggressive side so go gentle at first...
Theres a great video on youtube by a guy named: mr guy......Its all about pointers on using the OCMM I loved mine from shave #1....lay the head flat on your cheek, and lower the handle a hair as you start that first stroke...the sound will tell you when the angle is right, but the head will stay pretty close to your face, meaning the angle is much shallower than a DE razor....Personally I thought the OCMM was a very intuitive razor that pretty much shows exactly how she likes to be driven....just hang loose, no pressure and listen to her.... Let us know how the maiden voyage goes, and bring her by the SE and Injector Party and show her around...right here:http://theshaveden.com/forums/threads/injector-se-party.23113/page-81#post-618942
Absolutely, I found a pack of CVS single blades this morning. Tonight will be the first run of my new/old Gem Micromatic, I couldn't wait on an internet order so I'm pleased as punch I found them locally ( 4 dollars and change for 10) I just hope it's as aggressive as I've heard.
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.
Glad to hear you two are bonding....I bet as you get used to her and cop some Micromatic moves, those 2 spots you have a hard time getting BBS might get at least a little closer to that goal... Is that a baby crying I hear? Isn't that TTO mechanism on the OCMM incredible? The way the head robotically slide forward to move the blade tight up under the blade stops, when you tighten her down....And to think she predated any Gillette TTO by 4 years...Those folks at GEM sure had their act together... Congrats, looks like you finding those razors was a little bit of destiny...Enjoy every minute...
Yea, I agree, I was amazed when I picked it up at the flea market and gave it a twist. Solid, smooth and even. I think thats why I like it so much, to be so old it still functions flawlessly. 1 squirt of scrubbing bubbles and 2 q -tips later, she looks brand new. Still impressed with it.
It reminds me of one of those futuristic antenna'ed gadgets from the Jetsons....Maybe the razor Buck Rodgers would love...Made a believer out of me....not to dog Gillette, but I think Gem had the better mouse-trap... I'm also a big fan of the 1912's...I mean a Damaskeene 1912 is a hundred years old and shaves as close and smooth or better than anything man has come up with since....(YMMV of course)
The ONLY thing I would change (if I could) is the extremely short handle. As it is I have extremely large bannanna hands and I'm having a bit of a hard time not dropping it. When it comes to my throat I cant see the razor through my mitt so I wind up turning sideways. The razor seems to find its own angle fairly easily and glides like snot on glass but like I said my big mitt blocks my view. Also, I wonder if the drugstore blades (as good as the shave is) are the bottom of the barrel as far as single edge blades go. I know better blades make a world of difference in my DE's. When I get low enough on shave products I'll add some single edge blades to the list and put in an order. Maybe better blades would finally rid me of the two spots on my neck.
