SOTD: First Time SE

[LeeBot]

I recently picked up a 1912 on Ebay for the mighty sum of £2, hinge in great condition and barely any brassing. It's been disinfected and cleaned over the weekend and this morning some GEM blades dropped through the letterbox (Big thanks to Celar36 for the trade) so today was my first go with a Single Edge.

Gave my whiskers a good scrubbing with Pear's Soap and plopped a healthy dollop of Palmolive Cream into my bowl. A good whirl round with the trusty old Grosvenor and I was ready to shave with a razor who's first owner may well have been a dab hand at the Charleston.

First impression - noisy! Good noisy! It really lets you know it's mowing down the hairs. Second impression was just how close that first WTG pass is - I could get a very acceptable one pass shave with this thing. I didn't settle for that though and threw in a XTG and a few touch ups around the neck and under the nose. Managed a small nick under the nostril but it healed up within seconds as it was such a fine cut.

I got a little more feedback than usual with the Alum but that's no doubt down to me not quite getting the angle right in parts but that aside no visible irritation.

Absolutely delighted with it overall and it's going into regular rotation with my EJ89 and Merkur23c.

 

[pjgh]

Yes, yes, yes ... and yes. I agree.

Noise, efficiency, pleasure of use ... and yes, it is highly likely that the alum wash gave you that sort of feedback since it's your first go with a more rigid blade than you're used to and perhaps pressed just a little too hard, too, for the blade.

Your next shave will be lovely.

I tend to find one WTG and one ATG pass is a better routine for single edge shaving. That's what I've found. If you don't usually go ATG, don't push it, ease in. If you do, one scrape down, one gentler scrape up should do you proud.

I'm beaming ... the 1912 is a shave I long for. Whatever else I shave with, my perfect, signature shave would be around a 1912. Yes, more so than the Streamline. I'd rather rip around the streets in a MK2 Escort than a Roller ... but a Roller is nice to own

Do follow on with your next 1912 shave ... I want to know how much improved the second shave is.

 

[LeeBot]

Had my second go with it yesterday and I'd say there was some improvement (no nicks!) but I still got plenty of feedback from the alum. As you said pjgh it's probably a case of my skin adapting - the first couple of times I DE shaved the alum stung like hell and my skin felt incredibly tight, this is nothing like as severe as that.

On the cheeks and chin I had WTG, XTG and ATG where touch ups were required - there wasn't much to be honest - and I was left with very smooth chops.

I did try a gentle ATG pass on the neck but quickly abandoned it. My lower neck just doesn't seem to like it regardless of razor, blade, soap or prep. My Adam's apple is OK with it but anywhere else on the lower neck where the grain switches direction it's downright unpleasant. No qualms with 2 or 3 WTG passes so I get my shave that way.

 

[pjgh]

You're getting a sense of the blade ...

A few shaves and you'll be happy with it. You're using the GEMs from Connaught, right? Or something else?

I have hair going in all sorts of directions. I've learned to go that way on that patch with a general direction otherwise and pull a Gillette slide on a couple of areas. It get better. It might help to go middle out, then top down.