The Single Edge Gang

Thanks.

Mickey, you said in a post that you always come back to certain products, one of them being Aqua Velva. Which one do you get? It looks like they no long sell the original, unless I'm missing something.

Well it is time for me to jump in with both feet in here. I let this thread roll too long without being a part of it.

After having multiple DEs, and seeing so many SEs in my travels, I realized I was missing out on something cool. Truth be told, most of the traditional wetshaving crowd thumbs their nose at these lowly SEs leaving a huge market available for low cost enjoyment. Also full disclosure, I only buy and use vintage SEs so all these fancy new production razors are out of my league. This choice is price driven.

As I stated on another thread I once  had a MMOC and that beast is my most disliked SE. Sold it after the second shave confirming how much I disliked it on the first shave. I salute those studs who use them on a regular and actually enjoy them.

I havent purchased any PTFE coated blades and know I am missing out and good shaves there. As another poster mentioned, those blue star pharmacy SE blades are surely carbon. I can only do one shave with one before they are coated with rust by the time I wake up the next morning. But I do love the music it makes when loaded in my 1912. I had a Demaskeene, and it shaved exactly like my 1912. The Demaskeene lost out to a downsize.

Injectors, I love them. Another full disclosure, I have only used the Personna blades in mine. Mostly because I could buy them at the BX for about 3 clams for 10 blades. After gently hoarding about a dozen pkgs for the last couple of yrs I no longer see them in any of the AFEES stores so I think that ride is over. When I exhaust my stash I will be forced to jump on the Chick wagon. The non-Hydromagic heads are hard to clean. Its unfortunate, but a fact of life that must be accepted. Anything short of a nightly trip to an autoclave, it will get a little hazy with soap residue. To add to the good info DonnerJack provided, I only use a baking soda/dish soap paste and a toothbrush to scrub my razors. Anything more is probly overkill.

I think Wolverine bought the Adj Injector from Andrew when I commented on his BST thread. That is the make/model that I own. I find it ironic whether we are talking DE or SE we buy them for their adjust-ability, but when we find the sweet spot, we just leave them there. Mine is set on 3 and stays there. I always always always have it cued up and resting in the cabinet for quicky shaves or dud blades (read-Rockwell). Sometimes it gets used more because of the failures of others and its always performs. I use Original P74 blades in it. Those blades are hard to find but they have more than paid for themselves. Due to its infrequent use and longevity I only change the blade about every 6 months, if that.

I use my I1every other day when I shave my head for my third and final pass. (first 2 passes are with a DE) My cheapo Personna blades last about 3 weeks before I have to change it out. My other injector is my prized E type in its Popularity Kit case. A wonderfully efficient razor but any more pressure than gravity and it will nip you. Still, it is a joy to use as it is almost as audible as my 1912.

I do have a question to SharpSpine though. After watching that video on the Personna/Gem blades, I scrolled down to the bottom and there was a chronology video about ASR and Personna. At the very end they show a new blade that was released in 2013. It looks like a despined Gem blade with a notch at the top instead of the middle. Have you or anybody else used or found this particular blade, and how was it. I know it seems counter intuitive, but we should be able to use a despined gem style blade in the regular shovelhead type razors like the 1912 as the razor clamps near the blade edge only. the spine might slightly affect the blade angle in the head. But this can be overcome by the angle that the razor is held against the face. Meaning without a spine, the angle should be negligible.  

Finally I wanted to post a picture of my P74 blades. Not many have seen the plastic carrier version. In the Personna video they mention the vaulted P74 injector blades but show the P74 DE blades instead.

Well it is time for me to jump in with both feet in here. I let this thread roll too long without being a part of it.

After having multiple DEs, and seeing so many SEs in my travels, I realized I was missing out on something cool. Truth be told, most of the traditional wetshaving crowd thumbs their nose at these lowly SEs leaving a huge market available for low cost enjoyment. Also full disclosure, I only buy and use vintage SEs so all these fancy new production razors are out of my league. This choice is price driven.

As I stated on another thread I once  had a MMOC and that beast is my most disliked SE. Sold it after the second shave confirming how much I disliked it on the first shave. I salute those studs who use them on a regular and actually enjoy them.

I havent purchased any PTFE coated blades and know I am missing out and good shaves there. As another poster mentioned, those blue star pharmacy SE blades are surely carbon. I can only do one shave with one before they are coated with rust by the time I wake up the next morning. But I do love the music it makes when loaded in my 1912. I had a Demaskeene, and it shaved exactly like my 1912. The Demaskeene lost out to a downsize.

Injectors, I love them. Another full disclosure, I have only used the Personna blades in mine. Mostly because I could buy them at the BX for about 3 clams for 10 blades. After gently hoarding about a dozen pkgs for the last couple of yrs I no longer see them in any of the AFEES stores so I think that ride is over. When I exhaust my stash I will be forced to jump on the Chick wagon. The non-Hydromagic heads are hard to clean. Its unfortunate, but a fact of life that must be accepted. Anything short of a nightly trip to an autoclave, it will get a little hazy with soap residue. To add to the good info DonnerJack provided, I only use a baking soda/dish soap paste and a toothbrush to scrub my razors. Anything more is probly overkill.

I think Wolverine bought the Adj Injector from Andrew when I commented on his BST thread. That is the make/model that I own. I find it ironic whether we are talking DE or SE we buy them for their adjust-ability, but when we find the sweet spot, we just leave them there. Mine is set on 3 and stays there. I always always always have it cued up and resting in the cabinet for quicky shaves or dud blades (read-Rockwell). Sometimes it gets used more because of the failures of others and its always performs. I use Original P74 blades in it. Those blades are hard to find but they have more than paid for themselves. Due to its infrequent use and longevity I only change the blade about every 6 months, if that.

I use my I1every other day when I shave my head for my third and final pass. (first 2 passes are with a DE) My cheapo Personna blades last about 3 weeks before I have to change it out. My other injector is my prized E type in its Popularity Kit case. A wonderfully efficient razor but any more pressure than gravity and it will nip you. Still, it is a joy to use as it is almost as audible as my 1912.

I do have a question to SharpSpine though. After watching that video on the Personna/Gem blades, I scrolled down to the bottom and there was a chronology video about ASR and Personna. At the very end they show a new blade that was released in 2013. It looks like a despined Gem blade with a notch at the top instead of the middle. Have you or anybody else used or found this particular blade, and how was it. I know it seems counter intuitive, but we should be able to use a despined gem style blade in the regular shovelhead type razors like the 1912 as the razor clamps near the blade edge only. the spine might slightly affect the blade angle in the head. But this can be overcome by the angle that the razor is held against the face. Meaning without a spine, the angle should be negligible.  

Finally I wanted to post a picture of my P74 blades. Not many have seen the plastic carrier version. In the Personna video they mention the vaulted P74 injector blades but show the P74 DE blades instead.

Great to have you here. What a thorough summary of your SE experience. Just FYI, the personna injector blades can be purchased, but rebranded by a company called Ted Pella. I'm not a fan of them but they are cheaper than the chicks. PM me your address and I'll ship you the last pack i have of them.

Thanks DonnerJack for the reminder on the plastic handle. I just poked a hole small hole in the safety seal so after I run the razor head under hot water I shake it off and then just squeeze that micro stream of alcohol along the exposed blade shake and let it dry. Don't know if it really does anything. I usually dump my DE blades after 3 uses and I very rarely switched razors until I use a blade up so I never really concerned myself with blade edge deterioration until now.

oldschoolsteel, sorry, I'm not Sharpspine, but maybe I'll do. there is a razor affectionately known as a shovelhead, aka the EverReady '24. The 1912s are not like the Shovelhead as they are both based on different patents. But they do use the same blade. To equate the word shovelhead and 1912 is just confusing and might have people think that a 1912 is a Shovelhead, which it isn't. Yeah, I know it can be confusing, but it's just naming conventions. Then there is the ER '14 "little Lather Catcher". Why is it anymore or less a little lather catcher than any other razor of that general shape? Again, it's just naming.

I've never tried to use a despined blade in a GEM 1912, ER' '24 or '14 or any other razor that is made for a spined blade because the spine is part of the equation that makes the razor work. Not only is the blade held from the sides, top, and front, but from the rear as well. As the top closes on every SE razor I've ever encountered that uses a spine backed blade there is a spring or the cap itself that pushes the blade forward and locks it into place. Removing the spine might work, but the blade wouldn't be positioned correctly since it would affect the fore and aft dimension. It might also prematurely wear out the mechanism since the spine is aluminum today and quite soft. The blade is steel and many of the old parts it rubs against at the rear is soft, so the blade wouldn't be damaged. But the part in the head that pushes the blade forward rubs against it and would sustain any damage. The spine is there for a reason if the razor is designed for a spine. I have a dim memory of someone using a despined blade in razors not designed for them and it worked, but it has never struck me as being a good idea.

Some razors work fine w/o a spine in place. Off the top of my head the Valet VC-1 is one such razor.

Think I'll mention my favorite single edge razor (and possibly my overall favorite razor) in my collection, the Weck Surgical Prep Single Edge Razor:



I searched for a LONG time to get my grubby little fingers on it and it was well worth the search.  It's a ridiculously simple function-over-form design (take heed razor designers who want to create a modern GEM razor), with no moving parts and one piece construction.  The razor is all stainless steel too for autoclave purposes.  I've used the Personna Hair Shaper blades with this thing and the shaves are amazing.  Incredibly smooth and very efficient.  My only two "complaints" (and they are very minor) are that you cannot change the handle on this razor (although to me it's well balanced as is) and the head width is considerable, making for some strategic angling in certain areas like the jaw line.

Well worth a spin if you can find one.

Very cool merelymoe. Would you mind sharing more pictures of it, especially showing the head open to see how the blade is loaded. Do you think it could hold a GEM blade, with or even without the spine?

Thanks for sharing!

Would you mind sharing more pictures of it, especially showing the head open to see how the blade is loaded. Do you think it could hold a GEM blade, with or even without the spine?

The blade is loaded by sliding the blade in.  No moving parts at all.  With nothing really locking the blade in place other than the "flap", my initial concern was blade movement during shaving, but it's never been an issue for me.  The hair shaper blades are similar to the Feather Artist Club blades in dimension but with a spine, so the GEM blade wouldn't work because they would stick out considerably over the razor's comb.  I like aggressive razors and all, but not sure I'd be up to trying a GEM blade in my Weck.  

oldschoolsteel, sorry, I'm not Sharpspine, but maybe I'll do. there is a razor affectionately known as a shovelhead, aka the EverReady '24. The 1912s are not like the Shovelhead as they are both based on different patents. But they do use the same blade. To equate the word shovelhead and 1912 is just confusing and might have people think that a 1912 is a Shovelhead, which it isn't. Yeah, I know it can be confusing, but it's just naming conventions. Then there is the ER '14 "little Lather Catcher". Why is it anymore or less a little lather catcher than any other razor of that general shape? Again, it's just naming.

I've never tried to use a despined blade in a GEM 1912, ER' '24 or '14 or any other razor that is made for a spined blade because the spine is part of the equation that makes the razor work. Not only is the blade held from the sides, top, and front, but from the rear as well. As the top closes on every SE razor I've ever encountered that uses a spine backed blade there is a spring or the cap itself that pushes the blade forward and locks it into place. Removing the spine might work, but the blade wouldn't be positioned correctly since it would affect the fore and aft dimension. It might also prematurely wear out the mechanism since the spine is aluminum today and quite soft. The blade is steel and many of the old parts it rubs against at the rear is soft, so the blade wouldn't be damaged. But the part in the head that pushes the blade forward rubs against it and would sustain any damage. The spine is there for a reason if the razor is designed for a spine. I have a dim memory of someone using a despined blade in razors not designed for them and it worked, but it has never struck me as being a good idea.

Some razors work fine w/o a spine in place. Off the top of my head the Valet VC-1 is one such razor.

Well the Valets require you to remove the spine. The option of using it with a spine is not there. I think I agree about the spined blade in a razor designed for it. But I think spines back then were thicker (I could be wrong), so I don't know if any rubbing or damage would occur

Think I'll mention my favorite single edge razor (and possibly my overall favorite razor) in my collection, the Weck Surgical Prep Single Edge Razor:



I searched for a LONG time to get my grubby little fingers on it and it was well worth the search.  It's a ridiculously simple function-over-form design (take heed razor designers who want to create a modern GEM razor), with no moving parts and one piece construction.  The razor is all stainless steel too for autoclave purposes.  I've used the Personna Hair Shaper blades with this thing and the shaves are amazing.  Incredibly smooth and very efficient.  My only two "complaints" (and they are very minor) are that you cannot change the handle on this razor (although to me it's well balanced as is) and the head width is considerable, making for some strategic angling in certain areas like the jaw line.

Well worth a spin if you can find one.

Very cool razor!