Gem Featherweight

When I first got this razor, I said to myself it looked like a toy with its "plastic-like" handle. However, looks can be deceiving so I tried the razor with a Walgreen's GEM blade in it and was blown away. A very close, smooth shave. In fact, this is one of the few razors that gave me a BBS shave in three passes instead of my usual four. I was very impressed.

A reasonably priced razor that equals some of the pricier one.

If you would like to try SE (or just like milder razors) this could be a good start. Easy to use, cheap, and effective.

zzscilly,

The Ted Pella part number is :

121-3

http://www.tedpella.com/dissect_html/dissect.htm#anchor1623602

Have fun !

Best regards

Russ

Price: Got this on Ebay for under $7. Brand new! A steal...
Quality: Handle is light, but decent quality. Head is stamped metal held together with rivets. Looks a little cheap...but it works just fine.
User Friendly: Easy to load. Much easier for me to use than a DE. The angled head helps me get a feel for the angle the blade is making with my face. Easy to open, load and close. Simple and easy to use.
Grip: I like it. A bit light, but the razor handles well, doesn't slip.
Blade Replacement: Couldn't be simpler.
Aggressiveness: Hard for me to judge. First shaves did give me irritation, but I've backed down on pressure and voila. Can't believe how clean it gets my chin!
Balance: Light and very maneuverable. Head has just a little heft to it.

Bottom Line: This razor has made me a convert to the SE concept. The razor is easy to guide. The razor looks business-like with its sloping head, which gives lots of sensory feedback. Not a single weeper after a week. It is very easy to learn and gives me a DFS with minimum effort; BBS with some time and cleanup.

GEM---aptly named!

My very first SE. Ah the memories.

Price: brianw PIF'd it to me. Can't beat free!
Quality: Not the best. Lot's of plating loss and the handle is cheap plastic, but the razor still functions great.
User Friendly: Much, much easier to use than a DE razor! The flat head makes keeping a correct angle really easy, allowing you to get great shaves.
Grip: Pretty good considering the handle is plastic!
Ease of blade replacement: flip the top open, place blade, close top. Easier than a 3 piece razor, not quite as easy as a TTO Gillette.
Aggressiveness: Because of how easy it is to keep the razor on the correct angle, it always gives me a nice close shave without being irritating. FWIW, I've always preferred mild DE's like Techs and Superspeeds and SE razors in general don't give me problems.
Adjustability: Doesn't adjust at all!
Balace: Really great balance! I tended to hold it in my thumb and middle fingers, with my pointer finger behind the head. Great way to hold it.

All in all, I like the 1912 style more, but glad that I learned what I was doing on a Featherweight. I can't recommend this razor enough for someone who wants try them.

WOW BBS the first time out with no weepers. Aside from the semential value it is a keeper.

I received one of these in a Christmas PIF. I was very hesitant to try it because of the type of blades it uses, and though that I would kill myself using it. I have only used it twice, but the shave I got with it this morning was unbelievable! The razor shaves very well and the only difficult part for me is getting used to gripping it different than my DEs. THe best attribute this razor has is its ability to give an irritation-free shave. I have very sensitive skin and this razor is a beauty! It have very easily and I don't need to worry about cutting myself. I find that I can apply a bit of pressure when shaving and there is no irritation, unlike most of my DE's where if I apply a bit of pressure, I am bleeding.

This is a great razor and has made me keep my eye out for an older model, preferably an open comb!

Great razor! Great shave!

I don't need to say anything other than this razor ROCKS!!!!

All I can say is wow.

This razor really blew me away. I didn't expect it to shave as well as my G-Bar, but I realized after the first shave that it was actually easier to use. It seems just slightly less aggressive than the G-Bar, making it a breeze to shave with. Even when you pull the head up off your face, you do not have to worry about a serious cut. As much as I love the G-Bar, I do have to be very cautious when shaving. It needs to be respected, or it will take your face with it. The Featherweight does not have this same concern.

The build of this razor looks poor, but if you look closely they didn't skimp where it matters, the head. Built almost as well as the G-Bar, but with a slightly more mild blade position. The handle is a tasteful "faux ivory" type off white, with a good texture for grip. It even has a little "G" similar to the G-Bar.

Excellent razor. Definitely should be the first razor to try if doing the SE route. Very user friendly.

I agree that Single Edge safety razors get overlooked in our community. As a result, I almost passed up the GEM Featherweight and the Ever-ready at my local antique store for $15 each. But the fact that they looked spotless, and came with the original boxes drew me in. I picked up some cheap blades at my local Walgreen's (Personna, but it is actually the original company that made GEMs).

The first shave was a little rough, I tried to use it like my DEs. After some practice, though, and following the instructions for blade angle, I have been getting some really good shaves with both - even with just drugstore blades. I am in on a group buy for some Ted Pella blades, which I can't wait to try.

These do give great shaves. Overall, the learning curve was much shorter than when I started using a DE. And for the prices that these razors sell for, you would be doing yourself a disservice to not try one out!

Gems are sadly overlooked by most people. I got one that was mixed in with a Gillette lot from the 'bay. A little scary to use a blade that looks like it belongs in a box cutter rather than on your face!

I have a course beard and this in one of the only razors that will give me a nice clean shave without lots clean up or extra passes. It is indeed easy to find the proper shave angle since the head is a large flat area. It can be a little difficult to work around curves and small areas, but a little practice will solve that problem.

Overall a great shaver that everyone should at least give a try!

Areler67;265386 said:

Bought that razor on Ebay France. It was never used before and in perfect condition (really as new) Box and instructions are also in perfect condition.
First, It's a bit surprising : quite different from a DE. Blade is thicker. I use a Ted Pella blade and those blades are really sharp! You get use to it quite fast. This morning it was my third shave with the Featherweight and it's like It was my only razor for a long time.
A really good and original razor. If you want to try something else, go for the featherweight GEM!

Click to expand...

Hello Areler67 !
I've just bought a Micromatic Gem Razor on eBay France. You said in your post that you got Ted Pella blades for your Gem. What kind of blade did you order precisely (they have a lot of references on their website) ?
Seems it's quite difficult to get single-edge blades here in France. Any trick or help is welcomed.
Thanks in advance.

Bought that razor on Ebay France. It was never used before and in perfect condition (really as new) Box and instructions are also in perfect condition.
First, It's a bit surprising : quite different from a DE. Blade is thicker. I use a Ted Pella blade and those blades are really sharp! You get use to it quite fast. This morning it was my third shave with the Featherweight and it's like It was my only razor for a long time.
A really good and original razor. If you want to try something else, go for the featherweight GEM!

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.