1912, 1914, 1924 this is getting complicated

To be honest I don't have a Scooby why everybody recommends the 1912 as a start point. Of all those GEM/EverReady razors the 1912 is the most uncomfortable shaver to use. It gives a close deep shave yes but it's the least comfortable.
They get smoother as they go through the time line, and beyond the 1924 they also get milder. The 1924 is the last of the
most aggressive ones.

I like the aggression of the earlier ones so my preference is the 1924, although I sold mine after finding the 1909. Aggressive as Stalin and smooth as Putin. My recommendation as a start point is the Clog Pruf. It's milder than the earlier jobs but smooth as silk, still efficient and built like a tank. They're mostly available in the States and can cost a bit more but so what. I'd hazard a guess most folks with a Clog Pruf will keep them whereas a hell of a lot of folks sell their 1912's when they discover something better. I know from reading these Forums a fair few folk have tried a 1912 and decided SE's aint for them. That's a shame.

TLDR...

Start with a Clog Pruf then a 1924.
 
Just to add my newbie 2p worth :) After listening to someone advising me to try the 1912 I bought one. For a newbie it looked quite scary but I am amazed at the shave it gives. It must without doubt be the best value for shave there is. As they are so cheap my advice buy one and try one.
 
Dave-the-rave said:
To be honest I don't have a Scooby why everybody recommends the 1912 as a start point. Of all those GEM/EverReady razors the 1912 is the most uncomfortable shaver to use. It gives a close deep shave yes but it's the least comfortable.
They get smoother as they go through the time line, and beyond the 1924 they also get milder. The 1924 is the last of the
most aggressive ones.

I like the aggression of the earlier ones so my preference is the 1924, although I sold mine after finding the 1909. Aggressive as Stalin and smooth as Putin. My recommendation as a start point is the Clog Pruf. It's milder than the earlier jobs but smooth as silk, still efficient and built like a tank. They're mostly available in the States and can cost a bit more but so what. I'd hazard a guess most folks with a Clog Pruf will keep them whereas a hell of a lot of folks sell their 1912's when they discover something better. I know from reading these Forums a fair few folk have tried a 1912 and decided SE's aint for them. That's a shame.

TLDR...

Start with a Clog Pruf then a 1924.
Click to expand...
I have to Agree with You there..The 1912 is neither here Nor there in the Grand Scheme of SE s..Its a Forum thing..Well some Forums..The later Gem SEs are far more Refined than a 1912..The Clog Pruf is a Great example of that..Of course most people on a British Forum wont know what you are Talking about because Few Go to the trouble of bringing one in from the USA..Unless you buy a Scrapper they Don't usually come Cheap + Postage Costs..o_O

In fact One has to look to the USA to get most of these more Refined SE s..Beside our Good Auld friend Paul & a few newcomers you very Rarely see an SE User Shaving with a 1912 on Shave of the Day Threads..The only True 1912 was the Damskeene anyway..The Rest are Mass Produced Clones which didn't see the Light of Day in Britain until after the Introduction of the OCMM in 1930..The 1924 & 1914 were around for far longer than that so I don't get this 1912s are the "de facto" SE which all other comparisons are made..:confused:

Moreover, the English Made 1912 is just about Aggressive as a 1924 & No where near as Smooth & it isn't anywhere near as Smooth as a 1914 neither so this Progression thing just doesn't Fit the Bill either..No Siree..:eek:

Billy
 
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I recommend starting with the 1912 because it's the best of the lot, the pinnacle of development from the lather catchers and not surpassed afterwards. It is the de facto. That's not my opinion, neither. That's fact. Irrefutable. Immutable. Incontrovertible, incontestable, without question ... you can take that to the bank and, well, bank it :D

Produced from 1912 through to 1930 in the US, continued at the GEM Junior and Star; the 1950s in the UK and presumably Aus, perhaps Canada ... it had a good, long run and only really changed once with the move from the curved cap to the straight cap.

What is often overlooked is the baseplate that the Micromatic finally decided upon with the Flying Wing. That self-same baseplate continued through all models thereafter, finishing with the Contour II which was certainly into the '70s, perhaps the '80s? That was a long run!

Vive le 1912! The one and only, the true path.

... and yes, the rest of the range also give great shaves. I really should have another run through the Micromatics.
 
I really just wish I had had a single edge razor, ANY single edge razor back in the early 1960s when a drop of blood on a collar or dried blood from a nick on your chin got you into bother on parade. For me, no DE comes near the smooth, close, comfortable shave I get with an SE . I'll let you purists debate which make/model comes closest to the ultimate.

JohnnyO. o/
 
Well for me, there are two SE razors that offer ridiculously smooth, comfortable and close results, the 1912 and Clog Pruf. These both leave me dolphin smooth for at least 24 hours. The latter is like holding a DE and I think it allows a certain aspect of straight razor shaving, in that it encourages a wave of skin in front of it. The 1912 is like a special occasion every time and I found it much more intuitive to use than any DE. If I ever need a dependable SE shave, I'll grab it before anything else.
I couldn't get on with the Featherweight at all, and I gave up way after I should have. I think it was just two light for me. I still love the 1914 and 1924 though, just not as much as the other two.
 
pjgh said:
I recommend starting with the 1912 because it's the best of the lot, the pinnacle of development from the lather catchers and not surpassed afterwards. It is the de facto. That's not my opinion, neither. That's fact. Irrefutable. Immutable. Incontrovertible, incontestable, without question ... you can take that to the bank and, well, bank it :D

Produced from 1912 through to 1930 in the US, continued at the GEM Junior and Star; the 1950s in the UK and presumably Aus, perhaps Canada ... it had a good, long run and only really changed once with the move from the curved cap to the straight cap.

What is often overlooked is the baseplate that the Micromatic finally decided upon with the Flying Wing. That self-same baseplate continued through all models thereafter, finishing with the Contour II which was certainly into the '70s, perhaps the '80s? That was a long run!

Vive le 1912! The one and only, the true path.

... and yes, the rest of the range also give great shaves. I really should have another run through the Micromatics.
Click to expand...
:p:D:p

Billy
 
So here is the plan
1. Get dirty and cheap 1912
2. Shave
3. Do the shimmy! Shave, shave, shave
Meh? Or I need an extra shelf in the bathroom cabinet for SE's? The suspense is killing me!
 
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