I'd been speaking to B&B member Deelyte (Derrick) and he encouraged me to give an SE razor a try.
This past Saturday I was out for a drive and decided to take in a few antique shops. In a consignment/second hand store, I found a very nice Gem Micromatic Clog Pruf razor that cleaned up quite nicely.
As you can see from the photo, I stopped in at a local CVS and picked up a package of their SE blades.
The razor was cleaned and sanitized, I had the blades. All systems were go for an A.M. SE shave!
(So, this morning was THE morning).
Wow! Just, Wow! What a remarkably close and comfortable shave! I'm stunned! As I sit here and type this, I pass my hand across my face and cannot believe how smooth it is! Let me break it down.
The first pass had me searching for the proper angle. There was plenty of audio feedback to let me know when I was on the dime. Once I hit the mark, the shave was VERY close! The razor and blade looked formidable. I mean, there was so much blade exposure visible, it looked downright scary. A youtube video I viewed last night remarked that the Gem Micromatic razor is the closest thing to a straight razor shave without having to use an actual straight razor. Well, that comment had me concerned just a bit. Yet, the shave was smooth. It yielded no cuts, nicks, or irritation of any kind! Safe! Close! Comfortable! Downright remarkable!
I used Proraso Green and a Semogue Boar Brush. I had a good lather to work with. I did three passes. WTG, XTG, ATG. The first pass, again, had me adjusting the angle. By the time I hit the second pass, I was getting the hang of it. The third pass really paid off!
During clean up, I opened the razor and took out the blade and saw this:
I’m wondering how long before it starts to rust? It appears I need to tend to them a bit more than a regular coated DE blade. Perhaps simply drying will do the trick? Too bad more variations of SE blades aren’t offered. However, I did just read that Treet offers Carbon Steel With A PTFE. (Note: I did order from Amazon Gem Stainless Steel blades by Personna. I'm thinking the Stainless steel will eliminate this issue).
All I can say is, thank you so much to Derrick for all the information! It inspired me to keep an open mind and a lookout for a Gem razor. So very glad I listened to all his information and advice! And very fortuitous that I stumbled on this Gem Micromatic. (With original case and blade holder, only 12 dollars!)
A really, really nice shave! I’m just hoping the blade will last four to five shaves without starting to rust.
Bottom line, I'll start looking for another Gem razor!
This past Saturday I was out for a drive and decided to take in a few antique shops. In a consignment/second hand store, I found a very nice Gem Micromatic Clog Pruf razor that cleaned up quite nicely.
As you can see from the photo, I stopped in at a local CVS and picked up a package of their SE blades.
The razor was cleaned and sanitized, I had the blades. All systems were go for an A.M. SE shave!
(So, this morning was THE morning).
Wow! Just, Wow! What a remarkably close and comfortable shave! I'm stunned! As I sit here and type this, I pass my hand across my face and cannot believe how smooth it is! Let me break it down.
The first pass had me searching for the proper angle. There was plenty of audio feedback to let me know when I was on the dime. Once I hit the mark, the shave was VERY close! The razor and blade looked formidable. I mean, there was so much blade exposure visible, it looked downright scary. A youtube video I viewed last night remarked that the Gem Micromatic razor is the closest thing to a straight razor shave without having to use an actual straight razor. Well, that comment had me concerned just a bit. Yet, the shave was smooth. It yielded no cuts, nicks, or irritation of any kind! Safe! Close! Comfortable! Downright remarkable!
I used Proraso Green and a Semogue Boar Brush. I had a good lather to work with. I did three passes. WTG, XTG, ATG. The first pass, again, had me adjusting the angle. By the time I hit the second pass, I was getting the hang of it. The third pass really paid off!
During clean up, I opened the razor and took out the blade and saw this:
I’m wondering how long before it starts to rust? It appears I need to tend to them a bit more than a regular coated DE blade. Perhaps simply drying will do the trick? Too bad more variations of SE blades aren’t offered. However, I did just read that Treet offers Carbon Steel With A PTFE. (Note: I did order from Amazon Gem Stainless Steel blades by Personna. I'm thinking the Stainless steel will eliminate this issue).
All I can say is, thank you so much to Derrick for all the information! It inspired me to keep an open mind and a lookout for a Gem razor. So very glad I listened to all his information and advice! And very fortuitous that I stumbled on this Gem Micromatic. (With original case and blade holder, only 12 dollars!)
A really, really nice shave! I’m just hoping the blade will last four to five shaves without starting to rust.
Bottom line, I'll start looking for another Gem razor!
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