Short SE summary?

grarea

grarea

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604
Can I please just someone to clarify a few things?

It seems a lot of people like their SEs, so it feels like I am missing out.
I have been doing a little bit of reading.
Please can you correct me if I am wrong.

There appear, to the untrained eye, to be a number of cheap SEs on ebay on a regular basis.
From what I understand, there are 1912s 1914s and 1924s
(Obviously there are other models but these seem to keep coming up)
So, there are Ever ready and Gem, right? Two separate companies? (It is just I saw an Ever Ready Gem)
The two cpmpanies made the same razors. Is that right? Or have I got that wrong?
If so, is one company considered better?

So, as I understand it, the 1914 is 'better' but more expensive.
1924s a bit lightweight.

So, 1912s.
They are more common?
Hence they will come up more often on ebay and hence be cheaper?

The UK version is considered to be harsher than the USA version?
Well, with the first use of the blade.

Now, when it is 'harsher' (not positive that is the right word) does it give a better shave
but is worse on the skin?

I suspect that it is way more complicated than this. But this would help.
Thanks.
 
They were the same company after the turn of the last Century....You have summed everything else up well...Personally I would skip the 1912s as they are nothing but Auld Spanners in my books...The 1924 & 1914 are far better shavers...The 1924 is more forgiving than the 1914 which can offer a nasty cut when learning.... o_O

Billy
 
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grarea said:
OK, thanks Billy.
Click to expand...
You will pay more for an Ever Ready 1914, but they one of the greatest SE shavers Sir....The 1924 is a nice shaver and you will get those cheaper ....You wont regret a 1914 ....1912s are as cheap as chips and that's why folks buy them and as far as I am concerned they are very square shavers and certainly not the smoothest and or the most forgiving....The end result is great, but the journey is not as nice as the 1924 or the 1914....:rolleyes:

The GEM Micromatics are a nice option as well....To cut the chase though the Gem Clog Pruf is the best of the 3 of them in my view....The Clog Pruf is essentially the same razor as an OCMM with a Guard Bar and its a superior shaver as its more easy to use than the much Hyped OCMM....The Open Comb Micromatic gets its awesome reputation as being a really aggressive razor because it takes a lot of skill to use it....The Clog Pruf is equally as aggressive, but seriously user friendly Sir....:p

One of the best Gem SEs ever made in my books..o_O

Billy.
 
Excellent. Thanks for this.
I am happy to learn how to use a razor to achieve a better shave.
Once mastered, which, would you say, gives the closest shave?
I assume that is a YMMV though?
I seem to prefer a more 'aggressive' razor in de, I don't know if the same applies to SE.

Really, I just need one of each don't I?
Right, need to work out what they all look like and get set for ebay.
 
Puh! Skip the 1912, indeed Billy ...

The 1912 is THE de facto single edge shave. All comparisons are made around the 1912. True the 1914 and the 1924 give classier shaves, but the 1912 is the place to start.

When selecting your first SE razor, look at the blade retaining lugs either side of the comb and ensure they are both there. Rust is rarely an issue, but do check over. An Ever Ready from the mid-30s with the chain link handle is a damn good one to start with ...
 
Indeed. Please don't disregard the 1912 - I find it to be a wonderful razor. Certainly a great place to start for very little money.

Billy also likes the Pal Injecto-matic. I'm thinking of relegating mine to potato peeling duties ;-)

pjgh said:
Puh! Skip the 1912, indeed Billy ...

The 1912 is THE de facto single edge shave. All comparisons are made around the 1912. True the 1914 and the 1924 give classier shaves, but the 1912 is the place to start.

When selecting your first SE razor, look at the blade retaining lugs either side of the comb and ensure they are both there. Rust is rarely an issue, but do check over. An Ever Ready from the mid-30s with the chain link handle is a damn good one to start with ...
Click to expand...
 
:)
Thanks for both sides of the coin gents.
I shall look to get a 1912 UK & USA
1914
1924
Then also the Micromatics sound interesting as well.
Only one way to find out isn't there?
Try the lot. Hopefully pick up some cheap ones to try out.

They all do take the same blades don't they?
Can I be lazy as well?
Can I just check if there is considered the sharpest blades?
Is it Personna Gem (That hasn't confused me at all.....calling a blade Gem)
I'd like to try the sharpest and perhaps work back from that.
 
If you want your tatties actually peeled, I'd stick to a potato peeler and give the PAL to a small child as a safe toy to pretend shave with :D

I should fess up. As it happens, I found that PAL to be one that I immediately clicked with. I've seen a few nice boxed sets since ditching my injectors and thought hard about getting another PAL in ... but the Gillette Injector I kept hold of does the job just perfect for those occasions when I want that missing link between a safety razor and a cartridge.

While we're on injectors, grarea, have a search for Christy and Keen Kutter - by happy coincidence, they can be made to work with injector blades and have no problems with going slack or blunting the blade when injecting. Fun! You get miles more fun in Single Edge World.
 
grarea said:
They all do take the same blades don't they?
Can I be lazy as well?
Can I just check if there is considered the sharpest blades?
Is it Personna Gem (That hasn't confused me at all.....calling a blade Gem)
I'd like to try the sharpest and perhaps work back from that.
Click to expand...

Yes, anything from the Ever Ready, Gem* & Star camp as single edge razors will take the same format blade. The 'Gem by Personna' blades, as available from Connaughts, are very sound. There are carbon steel blades, too, which you'll have to procure from a friend in the US - some folks swear by 'em, some don't. Personally, I find the Personna Gems to be just right.

Personna scooped up ASR (the 1919 amalgam of Ever Ready and Gem) in the early '60s.

Sharpness? Some folks think the FEATHER Hi-Stainless is a seriously sharp blade, which you can spine up with a spine off a GEM blade and use in the same way. Personally, I find the GEM blade to be seriously sharp and one which keeps that initial sharpness for a good while.

* One exception: the circa 1899/1900 Zinn Gem, which took a short blade much akin to the modern injector blade. It was a one-off from the Gem camp. They moved off "wedges" and only the slim format spined blade we know today as the "Gem blade".
 
Yes they all take the same blade. I use the blades Connaught sell. You can use a Feather FHS-5 but you need to faff around a little by removing a spline from a Gem blade and installing it on the Feather. After all that I found the FHS-5 blades useless. It made my Pal feel like my R41 in comparison ;-)

grarea said:
:)
Thanks for both sides of the coin gents.
I shall look to get a 1912 UK & USA
1914
1924
Then also the Micromatics sound interesting as well.
Only one way to find out isn't there?
Try the lot. Hopefully pick up some cheap ones to try out.

They all do take the same blades don't they?
Can I be lazy as well?
Can I just check if there is considered the sharpest blades?
Is it Personna Gem (That hasn't confused me at all.....calling a blade Gem)
I'd like to try the sharpest and perhaps work back from that.
Click to expand...
 
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