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Uncommon SE shaving evaluation.

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dangerousrazor

Inspired by @never-stop-learning ' s thread and @BBS-1 's at other shaving forum, I try to share my shaving experience with some uncommon vintage SE razors. Some of them are easily obtainable yet not used very widely. And some of them are not available readily.

I will not include Gem razors and Schick injectors in this evaluation. I have a couple of uncommon Schick and Gem razors but you can find their review very easily on the net.
 
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dangerousrazor

1. 1910's Star Cru Steel

Blade : Gem PTFE

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Star Cru Steel uses current Gem blade without modification. The blade sits very tightly on the head as it should be.

It is one of the most aggressive razors I've ever used. Shaving with this razor feels very similar to shaving with Star HR-14 model, though a bit less harsh. It gave me huge amount of blade feel.

I am not a big fan of aggressive razors and it gave me some razor burn whenever I use it. (my skin is very sensitive.)

It is very efficient. Maybe someone who prefers aggressive, efficent razors with a lot of blade feel will love the razor, but not for me.

Evaluation : not very enjoyable for me.
 
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dangerousrazor

2. 1900's Burham(patented 1909)

Blade : Gem de-spined

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Burham is one of the tiniest razors I have. The original blade Burham uses is a little shorter than Gem blade so you have to de-spine the blade. The clip head gives enough friction force to the blade. so there's no problem while shaving.

Its tilted clip head guides you to the optimum angle naturally so you just need to ride the cap. Shaving with this razor is very easy and feels smooth. Mid or mid mild range in terms of aggressiveness. I wanted it to be a bit more efficient because there was more stubble left than usual. So I set the blade a bit more forward. then it lost its smoothness and felt rough suddenly.

I guess moving the blade forward caused more chattering as you can see that the clip holds the rear side of the blade. It is too dependent on the rigidity of Gem blade itself, which is even less rigid than the original blade due to its less thickness.

Evaluation : Worth a try for mild razor lovers.
 
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dangerousrazor

3. 1900's Adelene(patented 1909)

blade : Gem de-spined

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Adelene uses the same prorietary blade as Burham so you have to de-spine Gem blade. The detachable cap gives enough friction force to the blade.

Adelene is in the mid range in terms of aggressivenes. It is a weird razor for me. It doesnt feel as smooth as oridinary Gem razors and doesnt glide effortlessly. But the result is very good. I can shave with the razor without much care and get no weeper or razor burn.

Not very enjoyable during the shaving, it doesnt make my regular rotation. but I use the razor occasionally for the different shaving feeling and good result.

Evaluation : A decent razor that you should give it a try.
 
Evaluation : Worth a try for mild razor lovers.
Evaluation : A decent razor that you should give it a try.

Are these razors out there in the wilds? Or are we all coming over to your place for a shave fest? :biggrin1:

My wackiest SE is a Christy, also from Fremont, Ohio. It came in a lot. I see plenty of them on the bay. It looks way to sketchy to tempt me to modify a blade for it.
 
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dangerousrazor

Are these razors out there in the wilds? Or are we all coming over to your place for a shave fest? :biggrin1:

My wackiest SE is a Christy, also from Fremont, Ohio. It came in a lot. I see plenty of them on the bay. It looks way to sketchy to tempt me to modify a blade for it.

They are not rare and listed on the ebay occasionally . I looked up to the ebay and found 6 Burham and 1 Adelene listed at the moment. :)

Christy razor is a decent razor, too. You dont need to modify a blade. Injector blade fits the razor well.
 
Christy razor is a decent razor, too. You dont need to modify a blade. Injector blade fits the razor well.

I am pretty sure I took an oath to avoid this sort of work. Until today my blade tweaking experience has been limited to despining a Gem to load my AutoStrop VB1. I can’t solely blame @pelicanachic. @GAW9576, @Ron R, and @Flintstone65 have plenty to answer for, as well.

Without pictures, it didn’t happen...
AC56FC0A-111C-4E79-9902-F92A5446DACF.jpeg


I now have a shim made from a Christy blade with the bevel ground away. I glassed an old injector blade for load process investigation. I still have unsliced fingertips.

The punched locating tabs on the ‘PATENT APPLIED FOR’ blade tray/OC unit interfere with getting the injector blade properly positioned without the shim. The injector edge positions itself directly over the comb teeth, well forward of the edge position of a Christy blade. I’m not going to alter the BT/OC unit and modify or eliminate the tabs. That would void the warranty. And probably violate the patent on the MinGoose.

With the shim, blade clamping pressure is keeping me from properly positioning the injector blade. I’m taking a break!

Then I can decide whether to alter the injector blade or invent a loading key to allow injector blade loading/positioning with the shim pre-loaded. A custom ground blade positioning bar might help as well. These dental tools are just too fat!

Next question (if I get that far), should I use the ‘PAT No 1502615’ detachable safety bar? Should I take the time to do some patent research? Should I read up on the history of cutlery manufacture in Fremont, Ohio?

Further exciting research areas of endeavor: could I load a Christy blade on my AutoStrop and strop it? Would I, or a test subject, signatory to a well-drafted liability release, survive a shave with an AutoStropped Christy blade? I suppose, if it will load in the AutoStrop VB1, I could test the Christy blade in either razor. Shaving the cat would be illegal and unethical, but humans are fair game.

What are the exact terms of my various insurance coverages? This is looking like a mechanical, legal, financial, and ethical quagmire. I should probably start a new thread and solicit some advice. Or I could just down tools and go back to armchair shaving with this thread.
 
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dangerousrazor

I am pretty sure I took an oath to avoid this sort of work. Until today my blade tweaking experience has been limited to despining a Gem to load my AutoStrop VB1. I can’t solely blame @pelicanachic. @GAW9576, @Ron R, and @Flintstone65 have plenty to answer for, as well.

Without pictures, it didn’t happen...
View attachment 1113086

I now have a shim made from a Christy blade with the bevel ground away. I glassed an old injector blade for load process investigation. I still have unsliced fingertips.

The punched locating tabs on the ‘PATENT APPLIED FOR’ blade tray/OC unit interfere with getting the injector blade properly positioned without the shim. The injector edge positions itself directly over the comb teeth, well forward of the edge position of a Christy blade. I’m not going to alter the BT/OC unit and modify or eliminate the tabs. That would void the warranty. And probably violate the patent on the MinGoose.

With the shim, blade clamping pressure is keeping me from properly positioning the injector blade. I’m taking a break!

Then I can decide whether to alter the injector blade or invent a loading key to allow injector blade loading/positioning with the shim pre-loaded. A custom ground blade positioning bar might help as well. These dental tools are just too fat!

Next question (if I get that far), should I use the ‘PAT No 1502615’ detachable safety bar? Should I take the time to do some patent research? Should I read up on the history of cutlery manufacture in Fremont, Ohio?

Further exciting research areas of endeavor: could I load a Christy blade on my AutoStrop and strop it? Would I, or a test subject, signatory to a well-drafted liability release, survive a shave with an AutoStropped Christy blade? I suppose, if it will load in the AutoStrop VB1, I could test the Christy blade in either razor. Shaving the cat would be illegal and unethical, but humans are fair game.

What are the exact terms of my various insurance coverages? This is looking like a mechanical, legal, financial, and ethical quagmire. I should probably start a new thread and solicit some advice. Or I could just down tools and go back to armchair shaving with this thread.


I never thought it would be this hard to use Christy razor with injector blade.

Here's mine.

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Injector blade on the base plate. I think the locating tab is what differentiate Christy from other similar razors like Enders, Keen Kutter. And it also enables us to use the the razor without much hassle

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Injector blade fully seated and ready to use.I dont have an original Christy blade so I am not sure whether the blade is positioned more foawardly. but it gets the job done very well. It is not aggressive at all. A smooth and efficient razor.

408px-Vintage_Newspaper_Advertising_For_The_Christy_Safety_Razor,_The_Indianapolis_Indiana_New...jpg


The ad above shows how you shave with Christy razor. The massage bar touches skin first and then the blade follows. so As long as the blade doesnt protrude well over the massage bar, I recommend you to shave with it first. It may not be as aggressive as it seems to be.
 
Well, it is SE Sunday. I’m going to practice with the dull blade. If that looks reasonably safe, I’ll step up to a sharp blade. Once that succeeds, I will give it a shave with the massage bar in place.

Done!
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I used a couple tiny alnico magnets to hold the blade in place during tray insertion. It worked so well, I’m going to start the shave with them in place.

I tried to take comparison pictures with the Christy blade loaded vs the injector. The photo angle is critical to showing the difference, but I don’t have a convenient wat to control it with any precision. My estimate is that the injector blade is advanced by approximately the thickness of the comb teeth. The injector blades are not visually well aligned with the comb teeth and massage bar, but that true of the Christy blade as well.
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Here goes! ☣
 
Survived? I thrived! The full write up will go in the Daily Double thread. A Schick 66 made a cameo appearance at the end of the shave. It was staged and held ready for a dramatic shave rescue, but the Christy put in a vintage professional performance. No emergency services required.
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The blade (and magnets) are still in place. I will be using this combo in my rotation at least until the blade dulls. It is well ahead of my recently acquired Schick M2 adjustable in my esteem.

I don’t know if I will experiment with my Christy shim or with using a Christy blade.

So thanks, @pelicanachic ! I have a total of four Christy blades. If you would like me to mail you one, PM me. I’m looking forward to your remaining reviews.
 
1. 1910's Star Cru Steel

Blade : Gem PTFE

View attachment 1112486View attachment 1112487View attachment 1112488

Star Cru Steel uses current Gem blade without modification. The blade sits very tightly on the head as it should be.

It is one of the most aggressive razors I've ever used. Shaving with this razor feels very similar to shaving with Star HR-14 model, though a bit less harsh. It gave me huge amount of blade feel.

I am not a big fan of aggressive razors and it gave me some razor burn whenever I use it. (my skin is very sensitive.)

It is very efficient. Maybe someone who prefers aggressive, efficent razors with a lot of blade feel will love the razor, but not for me.

Evaluation : not very enjoyable for me.

Sounds like I need to keep an eye out for one of these.
Very cool reviews I look forward to reading more.
 
D

dangerousrazor

Survived? I thrived! The full write up will go in the Daily Double thread. A Schick 66 made a cameo appearance at the end of the shave. It was staged and held ready for a dramatic shave rescue, but the Christy put in a vintage professional performance. No emergency services required.
View attachment 1113194
The blade (and magnets) are still in place. I will be using this combo in my rotation at least until the blade dulls. It is well ahead of my recently acquired Schick M2 adjustable in my esteem.

I don’t know if I will experiment with my Christy shim or with using a Christy blade.

So thanks, @pelicanachic ! I have a total of four Christy blades. If you would like me to mail you one, PM me. I’m looking forward to your remaining reviews.

Good to hear that you give it a try. :) Your Christy looks really good. I wish mine had a long handle like yours.(Mine is shorter handled one.)

I really appreciate your generosity. but I dont think I need original blade. :) I dont live in US so the shipping cost alone will be pricier than 1 or 2 christy razors.
 
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