I have been interested in SE razors ever since I first read about them, but this seemed like a whole new game and a little overwhelming given how I only started wet shaving this year.
Then, one of the members here posted a few of his razors for sale (thank you cpool222), and I figured what the heck, at the very worst, I end up with a vintage display piece. Per my research, these particular razors were manufactured between 1930 and 1933.
Razor came on Friday, and I found some store branded SE blades at my local Rite Aid yesterday.
So, today was the day.
I just couldn't get out of my mind a mental image of rubbing my face with a rusty cooktop scraper... and many reviewers were complaining about certain SE blades being more irritable than others, so for the first try I decided to only do one single WTG pass and give up the moment it gets uncomfortable. Trying to keep the angle as shallow as possible, per original manufacturer's instructions that I read online, and avoiding my problem area around Adam's apple where I always get irritation when trying new blades or razors.
I ended up doing four passes - WTG, XTG, and two ATG passes just to get it right. It was that good.
I would not call the sensation of using this beast "mild. It made a loud scraping noise as if I was rubbing it on sandpaper, and it almost made me feel like I was not cutting any hair. However, there was zero irritation. Zero. The first time around I was able to shave my problem area better than I get with most other razors, and with no irritation, even a mild one - like I haven't even touched it. Amazing. This has got to be the mildest yet still efficient razor I've used to date - at least with that one brand new blade. I did not get a perfect BBS, there are some spots I should have cleaned up better, but it's certainly great for a first use - better than what I got out of my Razorock German 37 slant the first time around.
Now, about the blades... I need to find a good source of great blades. The ones I got from Rite Aid and seem to be carbon - after the very first shave, there are discoloration points all over surface that appear like it's starting to rust. For now, I put the blade in a container of rubbing alcohol until the next use.
I read people saying that with many SE blades, the first shave is heaven and the second one is total crap. At 50 cents per blade, that's a tad expensive. I do have an order of GEM SS blades coming, but they are not coated so there's a possibility they will be uncomfortable to use. So, I am open to advises !
Then, one of the members here posted a few of his razors for sale (thank you cpool222), and I figured what the heck, at the very worst, I end up with a vintage display piece. Per my research, these particular razors were manufactured between 1930 and 1933.
Razor came on Friday, and I found some store branded SE blades at my local Rite Aid yesterday.
So, today was the day.
I just couldn't get out of my mind a mental image of rubbing my face with a rusty cooktop scraper... and many reviewers were complaining about certain SE blades being more irritable than others, so for the first try I decided to only do one single WTG pass and give up the moment it gets uncomfortable. Trying to keep the angle as shallow as possible, per original manufacturer's instructions that I read online, and avoiding my problem area around Adam's apple where I always get irritation when trying new blades or razors.
I ended up doing four passes - WTG, XTG, and two ATG passes just to get it right. It was that good.
I would not call the sensation of using this beast "mild. It made a loud scraping noise as if I was rubbing it on sandpaper, and it almost made me feel like I was not cutting any hair. However, there was zero irritation. Zero. The first time around I was able to shave my problem area better than I get with most other razors, and with no irritation, even a mild one - like I haven't even touched it. Amazing. This has got to be the mildest yet still efficient razor I've used to date - at least with that one brand new blade. I did not get a perfect BBS, there are some spots I should have cleaned up better, but it's certainly great for a first use - better than what I got out of my Razorock German 37 slant the first time around.
Now, about the blades... I need to find a good source of great blades. The ones I got from Rite Aid and seem to be carbon - after the very first shave, there are discoloration points all over surface that appear like it's starting to rust. For now, I put the blade in a container of rubbing alcohol until the next use.
I read people saying that with many SE blades, the first shave is heaven and the second one is total crap. At 50 cents per blade, that's a tad expensive. I do have an order of GEM SS blades coming, but they are not coated so there's a possibility they will be uncomfortable to use. So, I am open to advises !