First SE shave - I get it!

So, before lockdown my wife bought an Ever Ready razor with USA head for me, bakelite box and some ancient Sheffield made blades. I had a few SE razors before but moved them on before actually trying them, being obsessed with vintage Gillette DEs. Anyway, I got some GEM blades from Connaught and had a go this morning. Very enjoyable shave. Lots of audible feedback. Some problem areas for me (beneath chin and jawline) were handled with aplomb. I didn't have any trouble adjusting to the blade angle and I loved how rigidly the blade is held. With the grain under my nose was a bit tricky, but ATG in the same area tidied things up nicely. The alum block gave only a slight sting so I must have done OK. I think the first pass got more than I usually do with DE. Anyone who's on the fence about SE should just give it a try. Despite their slightly intimidating looks these are fine shavers (but then you guys knew that). (y)

Of course you have gone the right direction. I am just in the process of just going total SE bar a few DE's I just don't want to get rid of. A birth year Fatboy, a Hone and an Ikon B1.
Otherwise SE's are now my daily driver. I just love getting out of the bathroom in half the time plus a far better shave. Or so I think.

Love them
 
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Did Gillette make a DE that had a diamond style connection with a solid bar? I've been looking for a star like was mention that shaves like a SE but all I see are the cheap ones that are pitted and I think made of pot metal. I bought one and it just fell a part.
Thanks

Gillette did make a Tech with a diamond shaped base and the bar on the underside of the top cap ran the length of the cap. Yes. 1960s, I believe. The Tech is a great razor! It doesn't nip the blade up quite like these Star razors, though. Most certainly the definitive DE shave, but still has that little blade chatter and just a tad too much exposure for the blade to feel absolutely rigid.

There do seem to be a lot of Star razors in a very tatty state. Annoyingly, some of the better looking examples (certainly top caps) have aluminium base plates and handles. They're the later ones. I'm not sure what you mean by pot metal - are we looking at the same razor? Do you habe an example? The Star and Treet razors that I have, Personna and PAL too actually, feel to be of a similar build, weight and quality to Gillette of the same era.
 
I've got some PAL blue carbon SE blades on order and will jump back into my 1912s shortly ... fun though this brief flirtation with DEs from the ASR stable has been, I'm a single edge kinda fellow.

1950s (or late 1940s) British Ever Ready and the original GEM Damaskeene are my absolute favourites.

There's also a very rare "test pilot" which I particularly enjoy - I have a Star and a GEM model which appear to be pretty much a 1914 without the top cap.

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Notice Gem is in lower case 'em'?

I believe these were cheapo holders for the blades themselves, kinda like an advertiser - the Star Cru Steel, certainly, and the Gem Double Life of the same era (late '20s). There was an Ever Ready, too, actually called a 'Test Pilot' which was a regular 1912 with the short handle and squat cap.
 
Gillette did make a Tech with a diamond shaped base and the bar on the underside of the top cap ran the length of the cap. Yes. 1960s, I believe. The Tech is a great razor! It doesn't nip the blade up quite like these Star razors, though. Most certainly the definitive DE shave, but still has that little blade chatter and just a tad too much exposure for the blade to feel absolutely rigid.

There do seem to be a lot of Star razors in a very tatty state. Annoyingly, some of the better looking examples (certainly top caps) have aluminium base plates and handles. They're the later ones. I'm not sure what you mean by pot metal - are we looking at the same razor? Do you habe an example? The Star and Treet razors that I have, Personna and PAL too actually, feel to be of a similar build, weight and quality to Gillette of the same era.

It's a combination of cheap metals and aluminum or other metals. It could also be zinc aluminum.
It just crumbled away in my hand.
I don't have it as it was trash so I just through it away.
 
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