RAD ATTACK! FOUR the love of GEM !

[SixCats!]

Hi all,

Embracing my RAD, this morning (4/17/19) I ventured off in search of Razors
(because I don't have a life and I suffer from RAD). At any rate, at my first stop, I found one Razor (in near pristine conditon) so, of course I had to purchase :
GEM "Featherweight".
(borrowed photo) I say the one I found is about 90% of the one pictured (which to my Eyes looks Museum quality). Note, mine does not have the Gold bar and Gold base plate at the base of handle.

Next stop, I "Cherry picked" from about a dozen Razors and purchased the following three Razors. Next up : a very good condition GEM Micromatic BULLET TIP (borrowed photo) :

Third one is : a GEM Micromatic (Brass ?) This one needs a SUPER cleaning but, I think it will turn out nice. Otherwise condition is straight.

and last but not least : a BEAUTIFUL condition GEM G-BAR

(99% pristine condition/perhaps never used)

All in all, a good day! I also should soon be receiving my order of GEM Single Edge Blade, Thayers Witch Hazel and Clubman Lilac Vegetal.

SixCats!

 

[Twelvefret]

Nice.

 

[SixCats!]

@Twelvefret , thanks Twelve. I keep telling myself, I'm going to "sloooow down" on buying Razors.
However, I now have some "play money" for this new hobby. I WAS planing to purchase some beautiful
new HIGH END Audio gear (I collected mostly vintage Audio gear in my life). I had planned on stepping on into the (STEREO S.E.T. Tube) World of Audio gear and special (sensitive) loud Speakers (such as OMEGA Speakers). Then in the last few months, I developed Tinnitus! Ugggh. So, I'm just gonna keep the current gear I own and call it good.

Here is a pix of my rare (circa 1959) Charles Eames designed "Stephens Tru-Sonic" Mono Horn Speaker.
Me thinks I may have a rare Custom Tru-Sonic or perhaps a Prototype :

Presently, I'm using this Custom 2A3 Mono Tube Amp with the Tru-Sonic, it sounds FANTASTIC! The Amp produces about "three" 3 Watts.

SixCats!

 

[jmudrick]

@Twelvefret , thanks Twelve. I keep telling myself, I'm going to "sloooow down" on buying Razors.
However, I now have some "play money" for this new hobby. I WAS planing to purchase some beautiful
new HIGH END Audio gear (I collected mostly vintage Audio gear in my life). I had planned on stepping on into the (STEREO S.E.T. Tube) World of Audio gear and special (sensitive) loud Speakers (such as OMEGA Speakers). Then in the last few months, I developed Tinnitus! Ugggh. So, I'm just gonna keep the current gear I own and call it good.

Here is a pix of my rare (circa 1959) Charles Eames designed "Stephens Tru-Sonic" Mono Horn Speaker.
Me thinks I may have a rare Custom Tru-Sonic or perhaps a Prototype :

SixCats!

Ok now I'm impressed.

I had a a little 2.5 Watt SET while living in Asia and was amazed what that thing could do.

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[SixCats!]

Hi @jmudrick . SET rules! I'm glad to know you had and enjoyed a SET Amp. Man, it SUCKS that at age (almost) sixty four, I've developed Tinnitus as it makes listening to music a pretty lousy experience. I do have "some" fairly good days but, on the whole...it is pretty much just a constant frequency/pitch/ringing. Ugggh. I'm still waiting to see a "Specialist". ENT Doc. I'm not sure if this condition is Allergy/Sleep Apnea related or what. I may just have to live with this the rest of my life. So, I now "distract" myself by searching for Razors and I am truly having a good time doing so.

SixCats!

 

[jmudrick]

Hi @jmudrick . SET rules! I'm glad to know you had and enjoyed a SET Amp. Man, it SUCKS that at age (almost) sixty four, I've developed Tinnitus as it makes listening to music a pretty lousy experience. I do have "some" fairly good days but, on the whole...it is pretty much just a constant frequency/pitch/ringing. Ugggh. I'm still waiting to see a "Specialist". ENT Doc. I'm not sure if this condition is Allergy/Sleep Apnea related or what. I may just have to live with this the rest of my life. So, I now "distract" myself by searching for Razors and I am truly having a good time doing so.

SixCats!

Yeah i'm soon 63, hearing is about average for men my age which means the extreme top end is a distant memory but I'm not conscious of it. The Horns i had in Cambodia were too big for my present living arrangement so had to start over with a smaller scale system which is really quite fine given the cost.

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[santamariasteve]

Brother Cat,

The Gem Feather Weight (made 1953-1958) and the Gem Bullet Tip (made 1947-1948) are mild shavers, similar to a Gillette Tech. The real name of the Bullet Tip is "Flying Wing."

Your Gem Micromatic Open Comb (made 1930 through 1949) is fairly aggressive and is perfect for my tough "old man" whiskers. It's my favorite Micromatic. Looks to me like yours is missing one middle tooth. No big deal, shave wise. If you live long enough you'll be missing a tooth someday too.

And the Gem G-Bar (made 1949 through the 1950's) is medium aggression, and very stylish. The real name of the G-bar is "Heavy Flat Top."

Let us know how they shave for you.

 

[jmudrick]

Brother Cat,

The Gem Feather Weight (made 1953-1958) and the Gem Bullet Tip (made 1947-1948) are mild shavers, similar to a Gillette Tech. The real name of the Bullet Tip is "Flying Wing."

Your Gem Micromatic Open Comb (made 1930 through 1949) is fairly aggressive and is perfect for my tough "old man" whiskers. It's my favorite Micromatic. Looks to me like yours is missing one middle tooth. No big deal, shave wise. If you live long enough you'll be missing a tooth someday too.

And the Gem G-Bar (made 1949 through the 1950's) is medium aggression, and very stylish. The real name of the G-bar is "Heavy Flat Top."

Let us know how they shave for you.

Brother Steve please make note of correct dates for the razors you referenced. A lot of research has gone into correcting long standing errors in the data by researching original sources.

View attachment 972213

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[SixCats!]

@santamariasteve and @jmudrick ,

Hi guys, Jmud, that amp is a little cutie! Ya know J, the older I become, the LESS loud I need to listen.
My favorite music is Classic Jazz and these "smaller" Tube SET systems is all I need. Ooh, have you checked out OMEGA Speakers. I soooooo wanted to try them out. Not sure if I ever will now. We shall see.
Omega Speaker Systems


Steve, THANK YOU so very kindly for all that EXCELLENT information. Me being a "newbie", this information is of GREAT help! Oooh Steve, I should mention.....the photos shown are (borrowed) photos. The Razors I found today are as nice (or nicer condition) than the "borrowed" photographs. The old (Brass ?) Mircromatic I purchased today is completely straight (albeit in need of a serious cleaning/detail) but otherwise completely straight! Sorry for the confusion.

SixCats!

 

[ajkel64]

Congratulations on the razors.

 

[rodmonster]

@Twelvefret , thanks Twelve. I keep telling myself, I'm going to "sloooow down" on buying Razors.
However, I now have some "play money" for this new hobby. I WAS planing to purchase some beautiful
new HIGH END Audio gear (I collected mostly vintage Audio gear in my life). I had planned on stepping on into the (STEREO S.E.T. Tube) World of Audio gear and special (sensitive) loud Speakers (such as OMEGA Speakers). Then in the last few months, I developed Tinnitus! Ugggh. So, I'm just gonna keep the current gear I own and call it good.

Here is a pix of my rare (circa 1959) Charles Eames designed "Stephens Tru-Sonic" Mono Horn Speaker.
Me thinks I may have a rare Custom Tru-Sonic or perhaps a Prototype :

Presently, I'm using this Custom 2A3 Mono Tube Amp with the Tru-Sonic, it sounds FANTASTIC! The Amp produces about "three" 3 Watts.

SixCats!

You have me beat. I have 300B monoblocks but they are in PP configuration so I get a whopping 22 watts/channel, good enough to drive most reasonably efficient modern speakers. I have a fairly large collection of vintage vacuum tubes. What are your other tubes in the amp? If you enjoy tube rolling, I would be happy to pass along some unused tubes.

 

[kingfisher]

Hi @jmudrick . SET rules! I'm glad to know you had and enjoyed a SET Amp. Man, it SUCKS that at age (almost) sixty four, I've developed Tinnitus as it makes listening to music a pretty lousy experience. I do have "some" fairly good days but, on the whole...it is pretty much just a constant frequency/pitch/ringing. Ugggh. I'm still waiting to see a "Specialist". ENT Doc. I'm not sure if this condition is Allergy/Sleep Apnea related or what. I may just have to live with this the rest of my life. So, I now "distract" myself by searching for Razors and I am truly having a good time doing so.

SixCats!

I turned 60 in November of 2018, but I have had tinnitus pretty much as long as I can remember, at least 30 years, if not more. My ears are screaming at me full time, all the time. I ignore it.

I'm told the latest, greatest in terms of treatment is some expensive gadget that blasts the sound of your tinnitus even louder into your ears for hours at a time, which, I'm told, informs your brain to ignore that particular frequency, which then makes the tinnitus go away or at least lessen. I can't afford it.

There is an app that purports to do the same thing. It's a monthly subscription thing, and costs something like $8 a month or so. Finally, there is an over-the-counter supplement called lipoflavanoid that some people say works. It is not cheap.

For the past 30 years or more, I have just been ignoring it. I think I will continue to do so.

 

[Old Hippie]

I turned 60 in November of 2018, but I have had tinnitus pretty much as long as I can remember, at least 30 years, if not more.

Heh. Machine guns, artillery, rock'n'roll and Harley-Davidsons. I like my fun LOUD.

Always amazed that I can hear that lovely high "ping" of each whisker getting chopped off.

To the point: that's a good haul of razors!

O.H.

 

[Ron R]

Hi all,

Embracing my RAD, this morning (4/17/19) I ventured off in search of Razors
(because I don't have a life and I suffer from RAD). At any rate, at my first stop, I found one Razor (in near pristine conditon) so, of course I had to purchase :
GEM "Featherweight".
(borrowed photo) I say the one I found is about 90% of the one pictured (which to my Eyes looks Museum quality). Note, mine does not have the Gold bar and Gold base plate at the base of handle.

Next stop, I "Cherry picked" from about a dozen Razors and purchased the following three Razors. Next up : a very good condition GEM Micromatic BULLET TIP (borrowed photo) :

Third one is : a GEM Micromatic (Brass ?) This one needs a SUPER cleaning but, I think it will turn out nice. Otherwise condition is straight.

and last but not least : a BEAUTIFUL condition GEM G-BAR

(99% pristine condition/perhaps never used)

All in all, a good day! I also should soon be receiving my order of GEM Single Edge Blade, Thayers Witch Hazel and Clubman Lilac Vegetal.

SixCats!

Some nice gear you just acquired, I find it amazing how well some of the GEM razors survive so well over the decades. I thought of some of the reasons like gifted and the person was content with what he already had, sudden death, change of razor technology and want the next best toy attitude.
Gem razors are well built and so time seems to hardly effect their appearance because of the materials they used and previous owners stored and preserved them well. Enjoy them like I do!
Have some great shaves!

 

[Twelvefret]

Some nice gear you just acquired, I find it amazing how well some of the GEM razors survive so well over the decades. I thought of some of the reasons like gifted and the person was content with what he already had, sudden death, change of razor technology and want the next best toy attitude.
Gem razors are well built and so time seems to hardly effect their appearance because of the materials they used and previous owners stored and preserved them well. Enjoy them like I do!
Have some great shaves!

I've contemplated the same. The GEM design and a single edge probably was such a departure from the normal Gillette DE that not that many even considered.

The resurgence of interest and use we are experiencing on the forum is a testament that GEM got it right a long time ago.

 

[Ron R]

I've contemplated the same. The GEM design and a single edge probably was such a departure from the normal Gillette DE that not that many even considered.

The resurgence of interest and use we are experiencing on the forum is a testament that GEM got it right a long time ago.

Just used a my Star Lather catcher that is over 100 yrs old and was built in USA and Star was ahead of pack of Razor MFG's, they were building safety razors 25 yrs before Gillette even came out with their first razor and yet the razor is in excellent shape. Gillette had a good product but they were the masters at marketing a new idea and products and people like the new ideas and abandoned the Star brand who built the first safety razor that were mass produced in the USA.
I seem to get better shaves with a GEM single edge blade for my beard type and so I use razors that use the GEM blades, Before the single edge spine back blade was the Wedge blade and people abandoned that technology for spine back SE blades or the infancy of DE new technology.


Have some great shaves!

 

[Twelvefret]

Just used a my Star Lather catcher that is over 100 yrs old and was built in USA and Star was ahead of pack of Razor MFG's, they were building safety razors 25 yrs before Gillette even came out with their first razor and yet the razor is in excellent shape. Gillette had a good product but they were the masters at marketing a new idea and products and people like the new ideas and abandoned the Star brand who built the first safety razor that were mass produced in the USA.
I seem to get better shaves with a GEM single edge blade for my beard type and so I use razors that use the GEM blades, Before the single edge spine back blade was the Wedge blade and people abandoned that technology for spine back SE blades or the infancy of DE new technology.
View attachment 974008

Have some great shaves!

May I add that speed may have been important? The double edge may have been seen as faster?

 

[rudyt]

A lot of research has gone into correcting long standing errors in the data by researching original sources.

Do you have an online link to the actual spreadsheet? Otherwise I'll just OCR your pic.

BTW here's one not mentioned on your list

 

[Twelvefret]

Do you have an online link to the actual spreadsheet? Otherwise I'll just OCR your pic.

BTW here's one not mentioned on your list

 

[jmudrick]

Do you have an online link to the actual spreadsheet? Otherwise I'll just OCR your pic.

BTW here's one not mentioned on your list

@mata_66 is curator of the SS.

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