Great info Tom. Thanks!
Single edge blade guide
- Thread starter HoosierTrooper
- Start date
Tom and TheBigL:
THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!
I got a real nice MMOC in with a few others "by mistake" (on my part) on an ebay sale of Gillettes.
It intriqued me, and I've been thinking about an SE for a while now, so been reading in here.
I never would have guessed until reading in here that the hardware store blades were actually a different breed than the razor/shaving blades.
SO...thanks for the advice.
I did go into town this afternoon after my post hunting some of your recommendations here, Tom.
I bought the only 2 packs of ARC Made in USA blades in this whole silly little rural town out of 3 drugstores. A pack of Treets, and a pack of Gem/Personnas.
I'm going to try the MMOC tonight...at least now I know I've got the right blades...I ALMOST tried the hardware store blades this afternoon...glad I didn't.
Also, after I got home with the new blades, I did try to load the MMOC with the right blades, which loaded fine, and the hardware store blades from Ace Hardware.
The hardware store blades' spine piece is a few thousandths too long to fit into the bed on the razor, and it will bind and won't shut or even lay down on the bed....
So maybe the differntiation is made on purpose by manufacturers for "our" interests for "our own protection"....???
Anyway, thanks for all the info....been drinking it up.
Merry Christmas,
Chris
THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!
I got a real nice MMOC in with a few others "by mistake" (on my part) on an ebay sale of Gillettes.
It intriqued me, and I've been thinking about an SE for a while now, so been reading in here.
I never would have guessed until reading in here that the hardware store blades were actually a different breed than the razor/shaving blades.
SO...thanks for the advice.
I did go into town this afternoon after my post hunting some of your recommendations here, Tom.
I bought the only 2 packs of ARC Made in USA blades in this whole silly little rural town out of 3 drugstores. A pack of Treets, and a pack of Gem/Personnas.
I'm going to try the MMOC tonight...at least now I know I've got the right blades...I ALMOST tried the hardware store blades this afternoon...glad I didn't.
Also, after I got home with the new blades, I did try to load the MMOC with the right blades, which loaded fine, and the hardware store blades from Ace Hardware.
The hardware store blades' spine piece is a few thousandths too long to fit into the bed on the razor, and it will bind and won't shut or even lay down on the bed....
So maybe the differntiation is made on purpose by manufacturers for "our" interests for "our own protection"....???
Anyway, thanks for all the info....been drinking it up.
Merry Christmas,
Chris
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Maybe your hardware blades are the "heavy duty" SE blade version, which I know are a little thicker, but I'm not sure about the length.
- Thread starter
- #84
I'm very glad that this has helped a few guys find the right blades and maybe saved a few layers of face skin!
Big L-I have the 0.012" and 0.009" thicknesses here in my shop...I think I only tried the thin one...
Yes, thanks, Tom.
My personal report of my first MMOC shave last night is overwhelmingly positive...
I chose an ARC Treet blade for the maiden voyage.....
All I can say, given what I used to think when I saw and dismissed these razors in antique shops and fleas, etc...(which was something along the lines of..... "geez, what the heck kind of masochist used THAT?!"), is that....
....WOW...what a great shaver!.
The audible feedback I have been reading about is really something...and the angular feed and feel/angle of attack is no big deal, and I dont' have an evenly grained/directioned beard, so I would call my face, with somewhat sensitive skin, a challenge for this razor on it's first try.
But it was really FUN and a great shave.
I actually did some "dry" (meaning didn't re-soap, but still damp) buffing/polishing with it, but when I felt I was pushing my luck, I finished that activity up with my trusty Gillette Old Style.
There really wasn't that much to buff out either.
This MMOC, as well as I assume a whole lot of other SE's, must be the most underrated razors going out there.
So...not sure I'm going to be a monogomous convert, but the MMOC is defintely staying here with and will be used much more than occaissionally.
Thanks for all the help and input, I really appreciate it.
I'll prolly be bugging you guys again as I continue on my new SE journey and fascination....
This is fun!
Merry Christmas,
Chris
Yes, thanks, Tom.
My personal report of my first MMOC shave last night is overwhelmingly positive...
I chose an ARC Treet blade for the maiden voyage.....
All I can say, given what I used to think when I saw and dismissed these razors in antique shops and fleas, etc...(which was something along the lines of..... "geez, what the heck kind of masochist used THAT?!"), is that....
....WOW...what a great shaver!.
The audible feedback I have been reading about is really something...and the angular feed and feel/angle of attack is no big deal, and I dont' have an evenly grained/directioned beard, so I would call my face, with somewhat sensitive skin, a challenge for this razor on it's first try.
But it was really FUN and a great shave.
I actually did some "dry" (meaning didn't re-soap, but still damp) buffing/polishing with it, but when I felt I was pushing my luck, I finished that activity up with my trusty Gillette Old Style.
There really wasn't that much to buff out either.
This MMOC, as well as I assume a whole lot of other SE's, must be the most underrated razors going out there.
So...not sure I'm going to be a monogomous convert, but the MMOC is defintely staying here with and will be used much more than occaissionally.
Thanks for all the help and input, I really appreciate it.
I'll prolly be bugging you guys again as I continue on my new SE journey and fascination....
This is fun!
Merry Christmas,
Chris
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If I recall, the Treets are carbon and will rust pretty quickly.
Big L-
Interesting as I just looked at the Treet pack, and no mention of either carbon or stainless or a coating or anything about composition....
The plastic blade dispenser box in the Treet and Personna/Gem hang packages/bubble package are both IDENTICAL..only the cardboard and plastic label/blister packs are different, and no dilineation of any composition stuff... both packs as I say, and I think dispensers say made in USA and ARC...I bet they are the same thing off the same assembly line.
I suppose at some point I'll have to jump to one of the other threads I found on google with all you guys on it.....
Because I wanted to get into finding out more about the Gem razors, models, history, dates, etc....and I guess that's inappropriate for discussion in this blade thread.
I have not been able to find out anything on the internet about anything Gem related.....other than a few threads on the shaving forums.
I figured there'd be something similar to achim's Gillette site about Gems SOMEWHERE, but apparently not....or at least, not YET.
This really kind of amazes me, as well as seeing so many people having trouble with the MMOC....I can't understand that...follow the directions, along with MrGuy's excllent video, and how could you possibly get mauled by this razor and not have a great shave? My first one was so smooth and close and non-irriatating with no blood anywhere but in my circulatory system where it belongs.....I just have become so interested in these Gems now after this.
By far, the best historical info I've found so far on these razors has come from Tom's various posts (and a few others from some of you here)...and I'd sure like to find out more about the Gems.
Tom...I used to have friends in Jeffersonville a few years ago...I'm like you but on the South end... a stones throw from the KY line......
Chris
Interesting as I just looked at the Treet pack, and no mention of either carbon or stainless or a coating or anything about composition....
The plastic blade dispenser box in the Treet and Personna/Gem hang packages/bubble package are both IDENTICAL..only the cardboard and plastic label/blister packs are different, and no dilineation of any composition stuff... both packs as I say, and I think dispensers say made in USA and ARC...I bet they are the same thing off the same assembly line.
I suppose at some point I'll have to jump to one of the other threads I found on google with all you guys on it.....
Because I wanted to get into finding out more about the Gem razors, models, history, dates, etc....and I guess that's inappropriate for discussion in this blade thread.
I have not been able to find out anything on the internet about anything Gem related.....other than a few threads on the shaving forums.
I figured there'd be something similar to achim's Gillette site about Gems SOMEWHERE, but apparently not....or at least, not YET.
This really kind of amazes me, as well as seeing so many people having trouble with the MMOC....I can't understand that...follow the directions, along with MrGuy's excllent video, and how could you possibly get mauled by this razor and not have a great shave? My first one was so smooth and close and non-irriatating with no blood anywhere but in my circulatory system where it belongs.....I just have become so interested in these Gems now after this.
By far, the best historical info I've found so far on these razors has come from Tom's various posts (and a few others from some of you here)...and I'd sure like to find out more about the Gems.
Tom...I used to have friends in Jeffersonville a few years ago...I'm like you but on the South end... a stones throw from the KY line......
Chris
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- Thread starter
- #88
Hey, that's cool. So, are you in Louisville or Tennessee? The Treet blades are definitely carbon steel and need to be dried after each use or they'll rust. The stainless blades made by ASR will have STAINLESS stamped on the spine, the carbon blades have 009RD on them.
Hey Tom!
Serendipitous that you ask...I JUST now after my post realized my moniker isn't updated yet with my location or anything, so I just added it and it shows up now....
I'm in Springfield, TN, small drive from Bowling Green on the TN side....had/have lots of aquaintances in Louisville, though, too.....
I did rinse the Treet in ALC and pat it down first after the shave and have it sitting dried on a piece of clean TP waiting for next time....no rust yet...I just had the suspicion that you mention, so glad I "headed it off at the pass"....
When I get into the Personna/Gems, I'll see if they say "Stainless" on them as you say.....
If you get a chance, direct me to any Gem history, threads, etc.....
I think my "collecting" or "amassing" interests have must moved a bit from the dark Gillette side to the Gem side .......
New motivation to drive endlessly to every antique/flea reseller I can now.......
Chris
Serendipitous that you ask...I JUST now after my post realized my moniker isn't updated yet with my location or anything, so I just added it and it shows up now....
I'm in Springfield, TN, small drive from Bowling Green on the TN side....had/have lots of aquaintances in Louisville, though, too.....
I did rinse the Treet in ALC and pat it down first after the shave and have it sitting dried on a piece of clean TP waiting for next time....no rust yet...I just had the suspicion that you mention, so glad I "headed it off at the pass"....
When I get into the Personna/Gems, I'll see if they say "Stainless" on them as you say.....
If you get a chance, direct me to any Gem history, threads, etc.....
I think my "collecting" or "amassing" interests have must moved a bit from the dark Gillette side to the Gem side .......
New motivation to drive endlessly to every antique/flea reseller I can now.......
Chris
- Thread starter
- #90
What I've done over the last few years is search for everything I could find about the 1912, Micromatic, 1914, Ever-Ready, Star, Damaskeene etc and have spent hours and hours reading every old discussion I could find. Not just here but at other sites as well. Waits Compendium has some pretty good stuff, and I've looked up every old advertisement I could find as well.
The Personna website also has a section explaining the history of the American Safety Razor Corporation. Even with all of the history that's available there's still a lot of stuff we'll never know just because the records aren't available.
The Personna website also has a section explaining the history of the American Safety Razor Corporation. Even with all of the history that's available there's still a lot of stuff we'll never know just because the records aren't available.
Thanks for the great reply and banter leading up to it, Tom.
Well....you sure have a passion for ARC stuff.....I'm happy that possibly I can call on you sometime about these things.
Not sure how it happened, but I'm just interested in them now.....the great shaves were definitely part of it....
Thanks again, and I'll be around.....
Chris
Well....you sure have a passion for ARC stuff.....I'm happy that possibly I can call on you sometime about these things.
Not sure how it happened, but I'm just interested in them now.....the great shaves were definitely part of it....
Thanks again, and I'll be around.....
Chris
I used a TREET carbon steel blade for the first time today and it was performed effortlessly, no tugging was noticed. Don't be scared to give these a shot!
I've been using the Treet carbon blades in my G-Bar and while I've been getting fantastically close shaves with them, I have also been noticing that my face looks a little blotchy when I'm done, even if I limit myself to just two passes. I've never had this problem with a stainless SE blade and I'm pretty sure my razor technique is solid. I also limited myself to using Palmolive soap because that gives me the most protective lather I can build. Is there something about the carbon blades that would irritate my face more than a stainless blade?
Many thanks to all who have contributed. As an extreme newbie to SE, information like this in so valuable, (as witnessed in my asking if scraper blades are ok for shaving in another thread.)
Thank you so much!
Merry Christmas all!
(Is there a blade that is considered akin to the Gillette 7 O'Clock blacks? I love those in my DE razors.)
Thank you so much!
Merry Christmas all!
(Is there a blade that is considered akin to the Gillette 7 O'Clock blacks? I love those in my DE razors.)
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Doug-This is interesting, becuase in my comparisons, I've noticed the opposite with me.
I've had great luck so far with the Treet Carbons in the MMOC, Feather Weight, and Damaskeene, and I tried a Gem/Personna Stainless the other day.
I found that the shave was not close, rough and pulling, and I ended up having irritation on that side of my face afterwards...I could tell it was happening during the shave in the razor feedback sound and the feel.
I switched back to a Treet to finish the shave, and that side of my face was fine as per normal afterwards.
It could be that I got a bad blade, as that does happen from time to time, and I had noticed that before with the Personna DE's I had been using quite a lot of for the last few years.
Some seemed better out of the box than others...individual blade wise, and sometimes from the same dispenser package.
I have been wondering about the SS and PTFE coated blades from Pella.
I'll have to finish this dispenser of SS Gem Personnas first to see if my experience was a bad blade.
I read a thread in BST the other day about a fellow selling his stock of Ted Pella SS blades...he said they were horrible...for him.
Others report great results.
I'm wondering if the coating has affects on some people's skin.
In my work, I use lots of edge tools....knives, chisels, planes, etc....
One concept in modern knife making, and from companines that have over 100 years of excellent reputations, is that carbon steel generally will yield a sharper edge and be easier to sharpen/hone/strop to that level.
The newer high end stainless's like Sandvick, etc...formulated specifically for knife/edge making are now much better than decades before in stainless knives.
Apparently, my understanding is that the SS will hold it's edge longer, but is more time consuming to get the edge sharp, and it won't get AS sharp as the carbon steels.
I'm wondering if this is a concept that carries over to the razor blades, and I see no reason why it would be any different.
The facial irritation thing is a whole other issue, and I'm still wondering about that.
I don't want to buy any cartons of PTFE coateds just to try if they don't suit me...I'd like to find a 5 or 10 pack somewhere for me to just try and see.
Course, I want to finish the Stainless Persona's first to give that pack a fair evaluation.
But, so far, the Treet Carbons have been wonderful for me.
I think I'm averaging 3-4 shave a blade with them so far....maybe I'm picky, though...I used to toss the Personna DE's after each shave....I guess becuase they were cheap and I like a great edge.
I also wonder if my technique would make blades last longer, too.....
Either way, I find this ss/carbon differing facial irritation results for differnent people intriguing.
I'd also like to hear some input on carbon/ss edge sharpness and edge retention from anyone.
So far, it seems individual specific on what I've read around here regarding carbon/ss sharpness and irritation.
Chris
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I just ordered a box of 50 SS coated GEM blades from Razor Blades and More, (I always get great service from them. Thank you for the link letting me know they have them.). Used the discount code "shave" and it worked for me. Many thanks for the information! I am brand new to SE shaving and it helped me decide. This site never fails to impress and help me.
Thanks, Chris, it has me stumped too. It seems more like my face is reacting to some coating on the metal rather than being irritated by the process of shaving. Peculiar, to be sure. It's also hard to tell because I have a tendency towards dry facial skin in the winter anyway.
Hi there,
does anyone knows where to get this Treet SE blades in Europe or any american vendor with fair shipping costs to Germany?
Regards,
Alexander
does anyone knows where to get this Treet SE blades in Europe or any american vendor with fair shipping costs to Germany?
Regards,
Alexander
Yes, Doug...that is exactly what I'm wondering, but about the SS PTFE coated blades.....
I'm just wondering if the PTFE would affect my skin before I belly up and buy some....or more than a 10 pack or similar if one exists with those blades.
My skin is kind of senstive to chemicals and stuff, and that's why I wondered about that for me.
On the Carbons, not sure what kind of coating would be on them that might have affected you, unless....
...they put a light coating of oil on them to keep them from rusting in the package?????
That might be something to look into....???
Chris
I didn't think about oil or something like that. Next time I'll try wiping the blades down before I put them in the razor. It could also be that I was just having an off day for some other reason. I'll keep at it and see what happens.
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