first GEM 1912 shave made me a believer

[drandall]

so, i've enjoyed a bunch of vintage gillettes and merks, but thanks to D.Irving, i decided to try a GEM. i found a decent 1912 on ebay for $5 and it arrived yesterday.

first of all, i couldn't believe how well it cleaned up. it looks phenomenal and took very little effort. for something this old. either i got very lucky or the plating on these things is incredibly thick and durable.

anyway, i lathered up with my floris JF cream and my B&B limited brush. adjusting to my best attempt at the proper angle, i began with light short downward strokes. the "blade cutting whiskers" sound was incredibly prominent followed by a metalic schwiiing sound like a knife being sharpened. the first WTG pass was effortless and when i rinsed off, i was completely presentable. i could have stopped and gone on to work right there.

another WTG pass and a half ATG pass under my chin and i had my first excellent GEM shave. no muss, no fuss, no drama. one little weeper on my chin where i was a bit clumsy, but that's all.

i see now why the GEM has such a passionate fanbase. they're different and a bit scary looking but they really are the sweetness.

i'm looking forward to tomorrow's shave when i have more time and can really see what this razor can do. big thumbs up on this model

a few pics for the interested.....

 

[napoleon]

What blade or what blade... that is the question?

 

[SaullyG]

Hi,
For $5.00 you got a nice specimen! What did you use to clean it up if I may ask?
I found the toughest part to clean is under the head ( as shown in the 1st pic ),
where all the nooks & crannies are.

Ok, being I have not experimented with my SE Gems as of yet, I think you just
motivated me to give it a whirl!

Saully G.

 

[jrouse]

2 weeks ago, I received a GEM 1912 Aristocrat from B&B member Darjeeling Express (who just threw it in with a BST order which was extremely nice) and I had no idea what it really was. When I found out it was a 1912 GEM I was shocked because it was in such wonderful shape, just as you found as well.

Congrats on a wonderful razor! I am sure you will enjoy it as much as I do!

 

[jawardi]

Hey, today was my first shave with a GEM 1912 too!

I found one in excellent condition yesterday at an antique shop; along with a nifty little metal case. Didn't even need cleaning; I just ran it through a Barbicide bath and it was ready to go.

I used one of the GEM stainless steel blades that I picked up at Walgreens for use with my other GEMs (a pushbutton and a G-bar). I've also got some Treet carbon steel blades that I'm going to try. So far, I've only tried the pushbutton w/ a Treet and then today's shave with the 1912 and the GEM blade. I really liked the shaves from both razors but the 1912 just seems like a cooler looking razor and seems to produce more sound when you're shaving.

 

[drandall]

What blade or what blade... that is the question?

i used the basic GEM stainless blades from walmart. i'm curious now to try the GEM blue star blades which i have read are even better...


for saully G, i just used some scrubbing bubbles and a toothbrush for the cleanup prior to soaking it in barbicide

 

[homh]

You did a nice job cleaning it up and making it look great. Those six-sided Gems can be works of beauty. It looks like it could last another hundred years and look just as good as it does now.

 

[Darjeeling Express]

2 weeks ago, I received a GEM 1912 Aristocrat from B&B member Darjeeling Express (who just threw it in with a BST order which was extremely nice) and I had no idea what it really was. When I found out it was a 1912 GEM I was shocked because it was in such wonderful shape, just as you found as well.

Congrats on a wonderful razor! I am sure you will enjoy it as much as I do!

Hey there. While the lovely Gem maybe aristocratic, alas, the title is reserved for a long and distinguished line of Gillettes.

Long Live the Gems (and Ever Readys)

 

[AsylumGuido]

As many of you may know I am a Gillette fan, but, I have to say the GEM family of 1912 models kick butt when it comes to a quick DFS, or better in a two pas run.

 

[ctakim]

I got one of these in a lot of razors, but it looks so imposing, I've been scared to clean it up and try it. I did pick up some GEM single edge blades at the local Walmart, though in anticipation of the day my courage returns!

 

[AsylumGuido]

I got one of these in a lot of razors, but it looks so imposing, I've been scared to clean it up and try it. I did pick up some GEM single edge blades at the local Walmart, though in anticipation of the day my courage returns!

Gather your manhood and give the tool a chance. They are as easy and smooth as can be.

 

[D.Irving79]

for those of you who havent yet, i highly recommend giving a shot. the results will suprise you.

 

[spinyeel]

+1

 

[Bird-Man]

I own a Gem Junior which looks exactly like the 1812 only in gold tone and a different six sided handle. Is this part of the 1812 family?

 

[napoleon]

1912

 

[napoleon]

This thread motivated me too. I had 1 shave 4 months ago and didn't like it and another 3 weeks ago. Probably bad blades.
But I'm going to try them again- good news is I already have a 1912 and a g-bar in the mail. I'll order most blade kinds from the guy who's name we don't mention

 

[OneRand]

Congrats

 

[tom myers]

I own a Gem Junior which looks exactly like the 1812 only in gold tone and a different six sided handle. Is this part of the 1812 family?

I believe you meant 1912, not 1812.

Actually, most of the earlier "Gem's" we are talking about are likely called Gem Juniors. The original razors with the "Gem" name were designed to be used with wedge blades. It would appear that originally, they used the "Gem Junior" name to distinguish the new razor models being introduced to use the new thin blade with the spine (similar to modern blades). In the later years, long after the wedge blade models were out of production, they seemed to drop the "Junior" and just called the newer models "Gem's".

Right next to where the handle screws into your razor, does it say "Pat'd. 1912"? (You may have to unscrew the handle to read it.) If so, it is the same razor design as everyone is discussing here. This design was manufactured for many years; into the late 1940's. They had several different handle designs and different finishes, but they were all the same head design and should shave the same, except for the possible influence of a different weight balance between razors with different handles.

I believe the reason these were on the market for so many years is that they were possibly the best performing razor available. Almost a hundred years after this design was patented, you still can't find a better shave in the opinion of many folks on this forum.

Regards,
Tom

 

[drandall]

update:

shave #2: phenomenal. the GEM stainless blade was a bit smoother this pass and my technique was definitely better. when looking on the bay, i found this ever ready instruction sheet i hadn't seen before that really brought it all home for me.

here's that sheet FYI

 

[Windwalker]

Thanks for posting that, DRandall. Looks like I have been keeping mine a little too flat to the face, and need to tip the handle toward my face ever so slightly. You mean it gets better..