Item Description
Much of the commentary regarding Gem razors is along the lines of “it tore my face up” or “those things scare me”. Most of these statements seem to be directed at the Micromatic, and maybe with good reason. I tried the Micromatic once, albeit early during my wetshaving learning curve, and it kind of scared me too. I was so spooked I finished the shave with a SuperSpeed. So I will grant that some Gems may be troublesome. But I have experienced some of the best shaves of my six-month wetshaving career with the Gem Featherweight. Using a Treet blade, I enjoyed six comfortable shaves ranging from a 1-pass quick-shave to a 3-pass and touch-up, BBS, no irritation, perfect shave. All through the week of Featherweight shaves I experienced zero irritation and only a few tiny weepers.
I had no trouble finding the correct angle. After laying the flat part of the razor head against my skin, I raised it just slightly and glided it across my cheek in medium strokes. The feel of the single edge blade, which is considerably thicker and stiffer than a DE, is a bit strange at first, but soon becomes quite agreeable. The blade cut through even the most difficult areas of my face with ease and plenty of sensory feedback. The sound and the feel of the Featherweight doing its work is very satisfying. The trickiest part was getting the whiskers just under the nose, the head of this razor being geometrically very different than DEs. But with a little practice it was no problem to cleanly hew the whiskers in that area. As the name suggests, this razor is not heavy. The balance, however, is good and it’s easy to maintain a good grip on the ivory colored plastic handle. The razor head is a spring-loaded flip-top design which is quite easy to open and close with the thumb. Loading the blade is a cinch; it lays into place with no dangerous tinkering required.
All in all, If you’ve wanted to try a Gem but have misgivings, this is one razor that should not be overlooked.
I had no trouble finding the correct angle. After laying the flat part of the razor head against my skin, I raised it just slightly and glided it across my cheek in medium strokes. The feel of the single edge blade, which is considerably thicker and stiffer than a DE, is a bit strange at first, but soon becomes quite agreeable. The blade cut through even the most difficult areas of my face with ease and plenty of sensory feedback. The sound and the feel of the Featherweight doing its work is very satisfying. The trickiest part was getting the whiskers just under the nose, the head of this razor being geometrically very different than DEs. But with a little practice it was no problem to cleanly hew the whiskers in that area. As the name suggests, this razor is not heavy. The balance, however, is good and it’s easy to maintain a good grip on the ivory colored plastic handle. The razor head is a spring-loaded flip-top design which is quite easy to open and close with the thumb. Loading the blade is a cinch; it lays into place with no dangerous tinkering required.
All in all, If you’ve wanted to try a Gem but have misgivings, this is one razor that should not be overlooked.
