SharpSpine's OneBlade Journal (now w/ CORE)

If enough call for the GEM SS PTFE coated blades develops, I wonder if they'll make them for the OneBlade? Also wonder about any legal ramifications that might keep it from happening. Would licensing be required? OneBlade's got to sell a lot of razors to generate a large enough market, for sure.

January 8, 2016

Just a super shave to get ready for a second viewing of Star Wars VII The Force Awakens.

January 9, 2016 -- Super Seventh

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Seven shaves down & this blade still feels like new. While I got 8 shaves on my first Feather Hi-Stainless blade, the seventh was the last good one & it was showing signs of slowing down. This GEM blade still feels like the first shave; smooth, easy, & efficient.

OneBlade continues to impress me with how smooth it shaves me around the angles of my jaw and chin. ATG, on my lower neck has never been easier. I can only imagine that the precision of the razor head design along with the pivot are the difference makers here. While many people may be against a pivot simply because it reminds them of cartridge razors, allow me to say that this pivot is different, even backwards in comparison. But it works. It flat out works remarkably well especially on the sharp angles like the jaw and chin as well as the hollows of the lower neck.

The longer I continue to use the OneBlade, the harder it gets to use something else. This razor has reminded just how great the GEM SS PTFE coated blades are and now I have a razor that can use them which not only feels great in hand but also looks classy as well. A great way to bring the vintage shaving gentleman into the future.

How about a shave video with the OneBlade? You and I seem to have similar facial hair types and how it grows in different directions on the neck.

Maybe eventually Andrew.

January 11, 2016

[Image: gqQqr4d.jpg]Feather blade. Good, not great.

Day one on this blade was a challenge this morning. I wanted to see how a fresh Feather would handle my 2-day growth since a slightly used one failed miserably. Today's shave was decent, but not spectacular. I achieved a very smooth shave but not without a price. 4 weepers showed up, all around my lower neck, as well as some irritation.

In 7 shaves on a GEM blade I've yet to see any blood or get any irritation. All while getting smooth & close shaves in only 2 passes and minimal touch-ups. I'm a little torn. I absolutely love the Feather Artist Club blades, but never got along with the Feather DE blades. The DE blades always seemed to give me irritation even on an easy shave with out any troubles. These Hi-Stainless blades from Feather remind me more of their DE counterparts rather than the supreme Artist Club blades.

All in all, I am finding my preference to be for the GEM blade. The FHS blades aren't terrible, but I get better performance and longevity from the GEM SS PTFE blades.

January 12, 2016

Two shaves in a row now where I feel like this blade is irritating my skin, especially on my lower neck. When discussing the Feather Hi-Stainless blade with a fellow SE aficionado he described the blade in a way which I thought was both succinct and quite accurate. The way he put it, the FHS blade lacks robustness.

robust: (of an object) sturdy in construction.
"a robust metal cabinet"
synonyms: durable, resilient, tough, hardwearing, long-lasting, sturdy, strong
"these knives are robust"
antonyms: fragile

For me, "robust" is a great way to describe the GEM SS PTFE coated blades and this is everything I prefer about them over the FHS blades. Adding in that my skin is seemingly irritated by them & it looks like I'll be de-spining GEM blades until someone can build a razor around the spined blade.

Until my next OneBlade shave...

Great review !!

thank you very much for all this.

i had a question and a comment.

Could you please post a picture as to how to take out the spine of the GEM PTFE blades ??

also, i've found a link to a site where they sell "unbacked" single edge blades. http://www.razorbladeco.com/category/31-...lades.aspx do you think these are the same ?

Great review !!

thank you very much for all this.

i had a question and a comment.

Could you please post a picture as to how to take out the spine of the GEM PTFE blades ??

also, i've found a link to a site where they sell "unbacked" single edge blades. http://www.razorbladeco.com/category/31-...lades.aspx do you think these are the same ?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4exDJXACHg

Great review !!

thank you very much for all this.

i had a question and a comment.

Could you please post a picture as to how to take out the spine of the GEM PTFE blades ??

also, i've found a link to a site where they sell "unbacked" single edge blades. http://www.razorbladeco.com/category/31-...lades.aspx do you think these are the same ?

Andrew got you the video I always point people to for how to remove the spine. It is super easy. With how easy it is to do, and with the quantities you have to purchase from the link you listed I will happily de-spine my blades one at a time.

The blades at that site definitely look like the same blades, but out of the 3 options I didn't see one that had the Teflon (PTFE) coating. For me, the coating makes a difference.

And thank you for reading through my journal. Please let me know if you have any further questions.

January 13, 2016

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January 15, 2016

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Two more shaves in now on the de-spined GEM & it is still going well. Even on 2 days of growth this morning the blade still did not bite. No blood and no irritation, but not as completely smooth as I normally get. I was a bit rushed so my angle might have been off a touch.

It's very clear that my skin prefers the GEM blades over the Feathers. I guess only the Artist Club blades work for me. I expect my 200 GEM blades from Connaught will arrive sometime this coming week. Even with my wife sharing these blades with me, we should be set for at least a couple years.

Now that I feel dialed in with the OneBlade/GEM combo I will soon take a break to spend more time with my AlumiGoose. I'm going to see how the transition goes as I switch between these two remarkable razors.

Until my next OneBlade shave...

January 19, 2016

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Today was an enlightening shave. While I am confident that the GEM blades work better for me than the Feather Hi-Stainless blades, I am still curious to see if I can get more from the blade that OneBlade has put their complete faith in.

While contemplating the idea that the FHS blades lack robustness compared to the GEMs, I devised a plan to minimize the stress on the leading edge of the Feather blade; I would modify how I go about my passes. For the last year+ I have only done 2 passes with some minor touch ups. I skip the WTG pass and usually do XTG followed by ATG. The Feather hasn't done well ATG, especially on multiple days of growth. So today I performed a more traditional 3 pass shave; WTG, XTG, ATG.

The result was quite impressive. This was the first time in quite a few shaves with a FHS blade that was smooth without any irritation or blood. It seems to confirm that the leading edge of the FHS blades can be too fragile for more coarse stubble. A more conservative approach to beard reduction may be necessary to get a proper shave that is also comfortable.

I'm not sure if I will try to push this blade further and maintain the 3 pass technique or not. I think I'm getting to excited at the prospect of snow tonight that I can't think to clearly at the moment. 

Until my next OneBlade shave...