Ever ready curious

Scorpio93

Scorpio93

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1,394
Location
Corby
Hey!
So the newbie box gave me a flavour of how much of an amazing shaver those old gems of a razor are. (Also the newbie box literally gave me a small shopping list due to interesting things it has).
I’m in market to get one for myself. Now comes the question - seen quite a few different variations kicking around , and was just wondering - is there any that seem to be more interesting / better shavers in people’s opinion ? (Obviously YMMV as usual) .

Quite interested in hearing your opinion and potentially helping me decide on which one to get (so far was leisurely looking out for what’s available on fleabay , gumtree etc etc) they seem to be quite cheap and cheerful razors from what I’ve seen so far
 
1940s British.

When looking (say, on eBay) if it says "Made in England" on the back and "Ever Ready British Made" on the inside of the baseplate then chances are it'll be the right one. While there are some pre-WW2 examples, British production was mostly post-WW2. Production did continue into the 1950s, but again ... most was 1940s.

That's the one ...

Why? The plating is really good and you're likely to pick up one (any one) which will clean up near perfectly and be a great example for you. Clean up? Yeah, toothbrush and liquid soap. That's it! I've cleaned up scores this way. Only on occasion I've had to bust out the Peek polish; same drill, toothbrush, scrub, then liquid soap onto the mess, scrub and hot water. Gleaming!

If you really get into these, yeah, the Streamline is reputed to be the most desirable but if you google "Sun Ray 1912" you'll see a real beauty! The Streamline is the Rolls Royce, but the Sun Ray is the E Type.

Alternatively, look for a gold tone American. Chances are the gold tone will have washed off already and little more than a good scrub with a toothbrush and Brasso will bring up an all brass example just lovely.

Happy hunting!
 
Thanks guys, it’s most useful! Will keep my eye out for the Sunray too - maybe I’ll get lucky haha

as for the blades for those - I’m assuming persona gem blades are easily accessible ( Connaught shaving on uk side), but are there any others worth looking out for ? (That is if there are any other ones produced )
 
When I first got into single edge and started collecting 1912s, I saw a Sun Ray and fell in love. It went for only a little more than I was paying for other 1912s at the time and I thought, "oh well, there'll be another ..." ... and almost two and a half years later, I finally saw another! I grabbed it with both hands!

There's one Star 1912 with a very specific stamping that I've only ever seen one of ... and keep hoping I'll see another and see it into my collection.
 
Scorpio93 said:
Thanks guys, it’s most useful! Will keep my eye out for the Sunray too - maybe I’ll get lucky haha

as for the blades for those - I’m assuming persona gem blades are easily accessible ( Connaught shaving on uk side), but are there any others worth looking out for ? (That is if there are any other ones produced )
Click to expand...
The thing with the sun-rays is... they look gorgeous, but they don't shave any better. I still love mine.
Blades:
GEM stainless from Connaught are the blades of choice.
There are some carbon steel blades available in the US (Treet, PAL etc), but they are very expensive, once they have arrived at your doorstep.
Some say they are better and smoother, I have tried them and they are no better than the GEMs from Connaught, but they rust easily.
Not worth the extra money.
 
Scorpio93 said:
Thanks guys, it’s most useful! Will keep my eye out for the Sunray too - maybe I’ll get lucky haha

as for the blades for those - I’m assuming persona gem blades are easily accessible ( Connaught shaving on uk side), but are there any others worth looking out for ? (That is if there are any other ones produced )
Click to expand...
Buy from Connaught.

On occasion you'll see PAL blues (carbon) for sale, but make sure they're definitely "triple faceted". There's probably still some selling on eBay at the moment, but they're not for shaving. I say that, but i can. I wouldn't recommend it. Some of our American pals can get hold of PAL and Treet brand that are the proper item.

Having literally one choice allows you to focus of technique while enjoying changing soaps around. No extra elements to muddle you up.

You can drop the Feather FHS single edge blades into a 1912. Make sure it's got FHS as the code, not FAS ... right @riverrun :D
 
culcreuch said:
I will just mention one thing. The early 1912s were designed for a blade which is no longer available so the older versions will be a little more agressive/efficient than it was designed for. A Bathroom set....circa 1950 and everything else following were designed for the current blades which are readily available
Click to expand...
This is a very good point!

While searching, you might see some examples with round handles rather than the usual hex shape. These are the 'Bathroom Set' or 'Peerless' models from the 1950s. Often, they'll be in plastic cases - coloured base, clear lid.

You can do the 'FergieBilly shim' though: https://www.theshavingroom.co.uk/community/threads/the-fergiebilly-shim.32513/ ... or the @riverrun rubber band: https://razors.click/Shimming/
 
pjgh said:
This is a very good point!

While searching, you might see some examples with round handles rather than the usual hex shape. These are the 'Bathroom Set' or 'Peerless' models from the 1950s. Often, they'll be in plastic cases - coloured base, clear lid.

You can do the 'FergieBilly shim' though: https://www.theshavingroom.co.uk/community/threads/the-fergiebilly-shim.32513/
Click to expand...
There are many ways to shim a blade for earlier models.
My absolute favourite is using a slice of bicycle inner tube:

razors.page - SE blade shimming

razors.click razors.click
 
Scorpio93 said:
Hey!
So the newbie box gave me a flavour of how much of an amazing shaver those old gems of a razor are. (Also the newbie box literally gave me a small shopping list due to interesting things it has).
I’m in market to get one for myself. Now comes the question - seen quite a few different variations kicking around , and was just wondering - is there any that seem to be more interesting / better shavers in people’s opinion ? (Obviously YMMV as usual) .

Quite interested in hearing your opinion and potentially helping me decide on which one to get (so far was leisurely looking out for what’s available on fleabay , gumtree etc etc) they seem to be quite cheap and cheerful razors from what I’ve seen so far
Click to expand...
GEM, Ever~Ready, Star, Treet, and Radio, 1912,... any will do. (the baseplate looks different on the treet but the shave is the same) You can buy 10 or twenty 1912's and no two will look the same, they were made for many years, in different factories, and in different countries, but all shave very nicely. As cheap as they are you should get several, some have aluminum handles, some are plastic, a few are some sort of alloy with a dark coating, but most are brass. And no one has mentioned the late GEM junior, it's also a 1912 and they are frequently in very nice condition and inexpensive. Plenty to choose from, great razors, and they won't break the bank. (y)
 
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