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Just acquired another vintage razor
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Author:  Stathol [ Thu Jun 28, 2012 11:00 pm ]
Post subject:  Just acquired another vintage razor
I just picked up this beauty from a local antique mall:

(Click for album)
Image Image Image

It's a GEM Micromatic "Clog Pruf". There's no way to precisely date it, but certainly not older than 1934, and probably not later than 1938. The "open comb" Micromatic preceded it in 1929, and it was followed by an updated closed comb/safety bar design in 1938. The Clog Pruf has a closed comb (safety bar), but the comb is more pronounced than what you typically see in later safety razors. It came in two ever-so-slightly different chrome versions and a brass version. This one is chrome, although the incandescent lighting makes that a little hard to tell.

This is the first single-edged (SE) razor I've purchased. I'll be interested in giving it a try tomorrow. FWIW, a lot of people seem to like this razor for a daily shaver. Others swear by the open comb micromatics, but they tend to be love-it-or-hate-it. Personally, I'm a little wary of open combs and slant bars. I think I'd sooner trust myself with a straight razor.
Author:  LadyKate [ Sat Jun 30, 2012 4:39 pm ]
Post subject: 
It's past tomorrow...I assume you tried it...do you still have a face?
Author:  Shelgeyr [ Sat Jun 30, 2012 5:45 pm ]
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Yes, inquiring minds want to know.
Author:  Midgen [ Sat Jun 30, 2012 10:21 pm ]
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I love my Merkur double edge, but that thing looks scary..

Hows it shave?
Author:  Stathol [ Sun Jul 01, 2012 3:38 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Just acquired another vintage razor
I'm a little hesitant to say anything at this point because I haven't been able to give it a fair test. Take this with a massive grain of salt (read on and you'll see why):

The only SE blades I could immediately lay hands on are "industrial" blades. SE razors use the exact same blade format you'd use in scrapers, etc. in case you were wondering. I really don't think these blades are manufactured with face-scraping in mind, but I gave it a whirl just for shits. Nothing bad happened, but it wasn't a great shave in terms of either comfort or closeness. Of course, this is at least in part because I was being extra conservative with it since I don't trust the suitability of the blade.

But the bigger issue is I just don't think these blades are nearly thin or sharp enough for shaving purposes. They feel dull, which is almost never the razor's fault. I'm going to try some other stores around here (maybe this evening) and see if I can find some actual "this is for your face" SE razors. I'm withholding judgement until I can get some acceptable blades.
Author:  LadyKate [ Sun Jul 01, 2012 4:28 pm ]
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So in other words, you basically just shaved your face with a box cutter.
Hardcore, man, hardcore.
Author:  Midgen [ Sun Jul 01, 2012 4:28 pm ]
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Yes, hardware store blades are not suitable for shaving. The metal is inferior, and they are not nearly sharpe enough for that purpose....

Let us know how it goes once you score the proper blades.
Author:  Stathol [ Sun Jul 01, 2012 4:50 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Just acquired another vintage razor
It turns out that Walgreens carries GEM/Personna SE blades. I use the word "carries" liberally. I managed to secure the one and only package of 10 that was in stock. These are made by the American Safety Razor Co., which was bought out of bankruptcy by Energizer a couple years ago (2009?). Energizer also owns the Sword/Wilkinson brand. Ironically, it was Sword/Wilkinson securing the Walmart house brand contract that was cited as the final nail in the coffin for ASR Co.

So it looks like I'll actually wind up using 2012 GEM razor blades in a 1930s GEM razor. Small world.

I didn't shave this morning so I've got decent stubble going on. Perhaps I'll be weird and shave at night for an earlier trip report. Goodness knows I won't have time to shave during my shower between my fitness class (over at 9:30) and my 9:40 government class.
Author:  Shelgeyr [ Sun Jul 01, 2012 8:10 pm ]
Post subject: 
Out of curiosity - how similar are the blades you need for this razor to the ones used in the Schick Injector?

Omg, I miss my Injector. It's what I bought when I was 17, in Basic Training, and was told by a drill sergeant that I *would* be shaving daily regardless of whether or not I thought I needed it. I went into the PX and grabbed the first razor I saw - liked it well enough but eventually ditched it in favor of an electric, and recent research has led me to believe I should have hung onto it.
Author:  Stathol [ Sun Jul 01, 2012 10:15 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Just acquired another vintage razor
I'm not familiar with those, but from the pictures I'm seeing online it doesn't look to be similar at all.

The micromatic uses a standard SE blade. Looks just like this:
Image

The Shick Injector appears to use some kind of proprietary blade system. It's hard to tell exactly what it is because there don't seem to be any photographs of a bare blade -- just the entire blade dispenser system.
Author:  Elmarnieh [ Sun Jul 01, 2012 11:53 pm ]
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My friend who runs a shaving forum prefers SE, I can ask him where he procures his blades.
Author:  Midgen [ Mon Jul 02, 2012 12:02 pm ]
Post subject: 
Something *like* this
http://www.amazon.com/Gem-Personnal-Sta ... zor+blades

I have no idea if these are any good.. just showing them as an example.

One overlooked aspect of razor quality, is how securely the blade is mounted. Any movement or flex in the blade is usually detrimental to good shave quality and comfort.

One advantage of single edge (over double edge) is the rigid spine.

The thing that worries me about the single edge razor and blade setup (in the OP) is the corners of the blade a very pronounced. It seems like great caution is needed to prevent the edge of that blade from gouging when pressure is applied.

One of the things I look for in the double edge blades I use is for the corner edge of the blade to be slightly rounded over. Like so (this is a bit exaggerated) ...

Image


All of the single edge blades I've seen (not that many really) have very sharp corners...

Image

I would surely wound myself gravely trying to shave with such a thing. :D
Author:  Kirra [ Mon Jul 02, 2012 12:26 pm ]
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These razors shave better than disposible?
Author:  Midgen [ Mon Jul 02, 2012 12:38 pm ]
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If by 'disposable' you mean the junk you pay a fortune for at the grocery store, absolutely.

But don't misunderstand. These razors use disposable blades... so you are getting a fresh blade whenever you want, the same as the the grocery store garbage. You are just getting a *much* better blade to start with, at a *much* lower price, and using it in a far superior handle.


I use a Merkur like this
http://www.amazon.com/Merkur-Futur-Doub ... pg__header


Image

I'm still experimenting with different blades, and don't have a 'favorite'... so far all of the blades i've tried have been pretty good , but I'm leaning towards the "Feather" blades...
Author:  Stathol [ Mon Jul 02, 2012 1:16 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Just acquired another vintage razor
Those GEM/Personna blades are precisely the ones I got Walgreens. There are lots of places I can get all kinds of brands of SE razor blades online; the problem is finding them at brick-at-mortar places when you need blades on short notice. Also, amusingly, that PAL blade is identical to the blade that was in the razor at the store. I opted not to use that one on account of not knowing where it's been D:

I shaved with it last night and, as I expected, it's a dramatically different experience with a decent blade. How does it stack up to my other razors? It's hard to say with just one shave, in the shower, with nothing but water. That's the most apples-to-apples way for me to compare since that's unfortunately how I usually wind up shaving most days. I'd say the overall experience was pretty similar to my '55 superspeed -- maybe a little closer. I thought I might wind up with some razor burn on my lip, but it was fine this morning.

I'm not used to the size and angle of the head. It's not as ginormous as my Futur, but having a flat plane rather than a rounded crest makes it a little different to shave with, especially right under the nose. Not necessarily worse, mind you, just...different. I'm going to keep using it for awhile including some actual wet shaves before I can formulate a firm opinion. Every razor has its quirks. I liked it, but it will remain to be seen whether I like it more than my other two.

Midgen wrote:
The thing that worries me about the single edge razor and blade setup (in the OP) is the corners of the blade a very pronounced. It seems like great caution is needed to prevent the edge of that blade from gouging when pressure is applied

Ah. That actually isn't an issue with this razor.

Spoiler:
Image


If you look closely, the corners of the blade actually fit down into those two little rounded guard tabs. I didn't even notice they were there until you mentioned this, so you can't feel them. I actually get more corner exposure on my SuperSpeed and Futur. In fact, with the SuperSpeed's better maneuverability, I sometimes use the corners deliberately in some hard-to-reach areas near my nose.
Author:  Midgen [ Mon Jul 02, 2012 1:23 pm ]
Post subject: 
Yea, that is one of the issues I have with the Merkur I have... accessibility isn't great...
Author:  Kirra [ Mon Jul 02, 2012 1:53 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Just acquired another vintage razor
I do use the ones from the grocery store, Midgen :p

So, you get a considerably closer shave with these? to make getting one worth it?
Author:  Stathol [ Mon Jul 02, 2012 2:30 pm ]
Post subject:  Re:
Kirra wrote:
These razors shave better than disposible?

At least from my perspective, there's no contest -- especially if we're comparing to multi-blade razors.

If you want to give a try, any of the old Gillette adjustable razors would be a good recommendation. With a little luck and/or patience, you can snipe a Gillette Fatboy or Slim on eBay for <$20. Being adjustable, there really isn't any difference between men's and women's razors.

For fixed (non-adjustable) safety razors, it is a general rule of thumb that women, having somewhat finer and softer hair, tend to prefer less aggressive razors. Mainly this means that the gap between the blade and the safety bar is narrower. Because of that, some stock recommendations for women are the Gillette Super Speed Blue Tip and the Lady Gillette. These are non-adjustable safety razors (the gap between the safety bar and the blade is fixed). The Blue Tip version of the Super Speed was the least aggressive of the series. The flare tip (unpainted) was medium and the red tip (which is my current daily shaver) was the most aggressive (widest angle). The Lady Gillette is more or less just a Blue Tip Super Speed with a longer handle.

There are also modern adjustables like the Merkur Futur which apparently Midgen, Shelgeyr, and I all own (mine is chrome, though). In the vast majority of cases, vintage adjustables are considerably cheaper to obtain than moderns. The Futur in particular is about $80. I personally bought mine as much for the aesthetics as anything. I don't regret that choice, but in terms of shaving quality, there's not really all that much variation from one closed comb, non-slanted adjustable razor to another. Practically speaking, it doesn't make much sense to spend more than $20-30 to get started.

The Futur is also an "outlier" among safety razors. It is extraordinarily large and heavy. In my head, I call mine Mjolnir. This is either loved or hated. If it is your first safety razor, you may develop a very skewed perspective on what safety razor shaving is like (especially if you hate it).

That being said, I would speculate that the Futur would be really good for shaving legs -- probably better for that than shaving faces. When you're shaving open planes, maneuverability matters less. It's size and heft would be more clearly an asset (let the weight of the razor do the work). OTOH, the other notorious point of the Futur is the lack of any knurling on the handle. I haven't had any issues with this, but some people have a lot of slippery-when-wet problems with their Futur.
Author:  Lenas [ Mon Jul 02, 2012 3:37 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Just acquired another vintage razor
I own this one. Use these blades. Put this stuff on my face. Shave gud.

Spoiler:
Image
Author:  Stathol [ Mon Jul 02, 2012 4:02 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Just acquired another vintage razor
I've never tried a slant. What do you make of it? (And have you used a non-slant for comparison?)
Author:  Lenas [ Mon Jul 02, 2012 4:14 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Just acquired another vintage razor
I bought it when we had our first big shaving discussion on an earlier iteration of TGR. I have yet to try another style as I haven't really felt the need. I imagine that the slant bar makes my life a bit easier, because I don't really need to worry about the angle I'm using. This one had a learning curve, like don't go North->South under the jawline, but once you figure out your hair angles it's easy street.

That beard lube that I linked is the ****, though. It's clear so you can see your face, it doesn't rinse completely off without rubbing (so it's perfect for showers) and it smells great. It's described as a pre-shave oil, but screw that, I just use it.
Author:  Kaffis Mark V [ Mon Jul 02, 2012 4:30 pm ]
Post subject: 
I get so lost in these shaving discussions.
Author:  Stathol [ Mon Jul 02, 2012 5:59 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Just acquired another vintage razor
Lenas wrote:
This one had a learning curve, like don't go North->South under the jawline, but once you figure out your hair angles it's easy street.

Cool. I was beginning to think I was the only person on earth whose neckbeard grows up instead of down. I'm feeling really tempted to try one of these, but I've probably made enough impulse buys for the next several months :/

Kaffis Mark V wrote:
I get so lost in these shaving discussions.

Aw, come on. We haven't even talked about blade buffing, J-hooking, or the Gillette slide yet!
Author:  Lenas [ Mon Jul 02, 2012 6:05 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Just acquired another vintage razor
Yeah. For my neck I generally go bottom up as it's a lot more in-line with the hair growth. About an inch down from my right jaw ... corner?... I need to shave at a specific diagonal or I'll cut myself every single time. Left side shaves fine no matter the direction, though.
Author:  Stathol [ Mon Jul 02, 2012 8:43 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Just acquired another vintage razor
Freaky. I have a similar issue. The right side of my neck is totally cool with razors. The left side of my neck hates every razor created by man. It does okay as long as I stick to just with-the-grain, but it gets irritated and ingrown if I so much as think about doing across-the-grain or against-the-grain passes. Oddly enough, the one thing that it seems to sometimes tolerate is J-hooking. Go figure.
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