- Joined
- Tuesday March 5, 2013
- Location
- San Antonio, Texas
Single Edge razors, or SE razors, are one of the many oddities of traditional wet shaving. They are a group of razors that linger in relative obscurity, even within the traditional wet shaving community. SE razors first popped up in the 1890s and were widely produced until their decline in the 70s. Poor marketing, less variety, and Gillette cornering the safety razor market via returning WWI and WWII veterans (who were given the Gillette Old Type as a part of their standard issue field gear) are all listed as reasons for the decline and eventual demise of the SE razor. Whatever the reasons, time has marched on and away from the poor single edge safety razor. In spite of this SE razors are still regarded as excellent shaving tools. SE razors can be purchased for relatively little money and while there are relatively few options the blades are still available in most on-line shaving stores and can even be found in many drug stores such as CVS, Walgreen's Pharmacy, and Rite Aid. For someone interested in trying something a little different, the SE is an excellent choice.
Generally speaking, there are two different types of SE razors, the Gem type (which encompasses a number of different razors made mostly by Star, Gem, and Ever-Ready) and the Injector type (which is more or less entirely represented by the various Schick injector razors). These two razor types are very different and use completely different designs, blades, and mechanics and are only lumped together because they both happen to be outdated razor designs which use a ridgid single edged blade. The Cobra razor is another, currently produced SE razor that does not quite fit into either category (it is closest to an injector), but is usually kept in its own special category in spite of the fact that it too is a single edge safety razor. For my purposes when I am referring to SE razors I am talking about the Gem and injector style razors, but excluding the Cobra.
Recently I have become interested in SE razors. It has come about partly from a desire to try something different and partly because I have been seeing an increase in the number of folks posting SOTDs featuring SE razors. Thanks to an event called The Nation Wide Box Tour (hosted by the fine folks over at The Shave Den) I have managed to pick up a few Gem SE razors, a Schick Injector and several blades for both razor types. Over the next couple of weeks I will dedicate my time to learning about the history, proper techniques, and peculiarities of each of these odd razors. I hope to come out with a better understanding of SE razors and traditional wet shaving in general.
16 AUG 2013
For my first go with a single edge razor I decided to use my largest and most intimidating SE razor. Last night, after picking out some SE razors, I boiled some water and sterilized the razors that I snagged from The Nation Wide Box Tour. This morning while looking over my freshly cleaned razors I debated heavily with myself about which razor to try first. The large headed Gem 1912 won out, so I loaded a stainless steel Gem blade (making sure to slide the blade into, rather than over, the two prongs that stabilize the blade), grabbed some Musgo Real Lime Basil shave cream and my Vulfix 376S Super Badger brush and set up for my shave.
Following my usual preparation I did a three pass with the grain/against the grain/across the grain shave and finished up with a cold water rinse and some T.N. Dickinson Witch Hazel.
The first thing I noticed about using a Gem type SE razor was that the large head and rigid straight blade make this razor a lot like a disposable blade Rolls Razor. Unfortunately I had a hard time figuring out how to position the thing so as to get the proper angle and found myself constantly changing my angle with out realizing it…which resulted in an overly aggressive shave. Luckily for me the 1912 is fairly forgiving and the Musgo Real shave cream is ultra slick. I managed a damn fine shave with a couple of tiny nicks (which required no styptic) and mild irritation. I'll have to work on my technique with this giant headed razor, but I see lots of potential.
On a positive note, the Musgo Real Lime Basil is awesome! It's an amazing lime scent with spicy, woody notes and none of the sweetness that usually accompanies a lime scent. It lathered easily and provided an extremely slick surface.
Overall I would say that this was a good first attempt at SE shaving and with some technique improvement I predict that I will be getting some great shaves from my newly acquired SE razors.
Pre: Hot shower and warm water splash
Razor: Gem 1912
Blade: Gem Stainless Steel
Brush: Vulfix 376S Super Badger
Soap: Musgo Real Lime Basil
Post: Cold water rinse and T.N. Dickinson Witch Hazel
17 AUG 2013
This is day two of the great single edge safety razor experiment. I have discovered a few tid-bits and tips in regards to properly using SE razors which should make for a better experience. I'm also moving on to the next SE razor in my arsenal, the Gem Micromatic Clog Pruf with the same Gem stainless steel blade that I used yesterday. I'll also be trying out the TSD Lemons and Figs lanolin soap with my EMJ synthetic brush. I'm a little hesitant about this soap because the few TSD soaps that I have used in the past have not worked well for me, but none of them have been of the lanolin variety. The Lemons and Figs feels completely different from the the other TSD soaps I have tried and it smells great, so I have high hopes.
For this shave, because my skin is still a little tender from yesterday I only did a two pass with the grain/against the grain shave followed by a cold water rinse and some SAL Alum.
This shave was an improvement over yesterday, but it was still not quite where I need it to be quality wise.As my technique improves I hope to be able to pull of shaves with SE razors as effortlessly as I do with DE razors. As of right now using an SE takes me almost as long as using a disposable blade straight razor and results in irritation and some slight frustration.
Even after loading my brush up fairly heavily, the TSD Lemons and Figs soap lathered up a bit thin, but it did the job and smelled nice through out the shave. I will experiment with it and see if I can't get it to come out properly in the future.
I made sure to keep the Clog Pruf's head flat against my skin, rather than using the guard as a land mark, and kept a closer eye on my angle, but I still got some moderate irritation and a small nick. My technique with SE razors still needs work, but I'm improving and I look forward to mastering these beasts. I would not quite call this a damn fine shave, but it's close.
Pre: Hot shower and warm water splash
Razor: Gem Micromatic Clog Pruf
Blade: Gem stainless steel
Brush: Every Man Jack synthetic
Soap: The Shave Den Lemons and Figs lanolin
Post: Cold water rinse and SAL Alum
More to come...
Generally speaking, there are two different types of SE razors, the Gem type (which encompasses a number of different razors made mostly by Star, Gem, and Ever-Ready) and the Injector type (which is more or less entirely represented by the various Schick injector razors). These two razor types are very different and use completely different designs, blades, and mechanics and are only lumped together because they both happen to be outdated razor designs which use a ridgid single edged blade. The Cobra razor is another, currently produced SE razor that does not quite fit into either category (it is closest to an injector), but is usually kept in its own special category in spite of the fact that it too is a single edge safety razor. For my purposes when I am referring to SE razors I am talking about the Gem and injector style razors, but excluding the Cobra.
Recently I have become interested in SE razors. It has come about partly from a desire to try something different and partly because I have been seeing an increase in the number of folks posting SOTDs featuring SE razors. Thanks to an event called The Nation Wide Box Tour (hosted by the fine folks over at The Shave Den) I have managed to pick up a few Gem SE razors, a Schick Injector and several blades for both razor types. Over the next couple of weeks I will dedicate my time to learning about the history, proper techniques, and peculiarities of each of these odd razors. I hope to come out with a better understanding of SE razors and traditional wet shaving in general.
16 AUG 2013
For my first go with a single edge razor I decided to use my largest and most intimidating SE razor. Last night, after picking out some SE razors, I boiled some water and sterilized the razors that I snagged from The Nation Wide Box Tour. This morning while looking over my freshly cleaned razors I debated heavily with myself about which razor to try first. The large headed Gem 1912 won out, so I loaded a stainless steel Gem blade (making sure to slide the blade into, rather than over, the two prongs that stabilize the blade), grabbed some Musgo Real Lime Basil shave cream and my Vulfix 376S Super Badger brush and set up for my shave.
Following my usual preparation I did a three pass with the grain/against the grain/across the grain shave and finished up with a cold water rinse and some T.N. Dickinson Witch Hazel.
The first thing I noticed about using a Gem type SE razor was that the large head and rigid straight blade make this razor a lot like a disposable blade Rolls Razor. Unfortunately I had a hard time figuring out how to position the thing so as to get the proper angle and found myself constantly changing my angle with out realizing it…which resulted in an overly aggressive shave. Luckily for me the 1912 is fairly forgiving and the Musgo Real shave cream is ultra slick. I managed a damn fine shave with a couple of tiny nicks (which required no styptic) and mild irritation. I'll have to work on my technique with this giant headed razor, but I see lots of potential.
On a positive note, the Musgo Real Lime Basil is awesome! It's an amazing lime scent with spicy, woody notes and none of the sweetness that usually accompanies a lime scent. It lathered easily and provided an extremely slick surface.
Overall I would say that this was a good first attempt at SE shaving and with some technique improvement I predict that I will be getting some great shaves from my newly acquired SE razors.
Pre: Hot shower and warm water splash
Razor: Gem 1912
Blade: Gem Stainless Steel
Brush: Vulfix 376S Super Badger
Soap: Musgo Real Lime Basil
Post: Cold water rinse and T.N. Dickinson Witch Hazel
17 AUG 2013
This is day two of the great single edge safety razor experiment. I have discovered a few tid-bits and tips in regards to properly using SE razors which should make for a better experience. I'm also moving on to the next SE razor in my arsenal, the Gem Micromatic Clog Pruf with the same Gem stainless steel blade that I used yesterday. I'll also be trying out the TSD Lemons and Figs lanolin soap with my EMJ synthetic brush. I'm a little hesitant about this soap because the few TSD soaps that I have used in the past have not worked well for me, but none of them have been of the lanolin variety. The Lemons and Figs feels completely different from the the other TSD soaps I have tried and it smells great, so I have high hopes.
For this shave, because my skin is still a little tender from yesterday I only did a two pass with the grain/against the grain shave followed by a cold water rinse and some SAL Alum.
This shave was an improvement over yesterday, but it was still not quite where I need it to be quality wise.As my technique improves I hope to be able to pull of shaves with SE razors as effortlessly as I do with DE razors. As of right now using an SE takes me almost as long as using a disposable blade straight razor and results in irritation and some slight frustration.
Even after loading my brush up fairly heavily, the TSD Lemons and Figs soap lathered up a bit thin, but it did the job and smelled nice through out the shave. I will experiment with it and see if I can't get it to come out properly in the future.
I made sure to keep the Clog Pruf's head flat against my skin, rather than using the guard as a land mark, and kept a closer eye on my angle, but I still got some moderate irritation and a small nick. My technique with SE razors still needs work, but I'm improving and I look forward to mastering these beasts. I would not quite call this a damn fine shave, but it's close.
Pre: Hot shower and warm water splash
Razor: Gem Micromatic Clog Pruf
Blade: Gem stainless steel
Brush: Every Man Jack synthetic
Soap: The Shave Den Lemons and Figs lanolin
Post: Cold water rinse and SAL Alum
More to come...