1st shave Gem Micromatic open comb.The only thing getting carved today is the turkey!

[brucea]

Decided after watching multiple videos and reading many threads on the Gem it was time to give it a try. The set up was.
Treet carbon steel blade
Cella red tub
My favorite Ever-Ready resto with a TGN Silvertip knot
AOS pre shave oil
Blade tucked in behind the front clips for correct angle
After hearing how aggressive these razors are my first pass WTG was done with very little pressure and I did use the suggested angle and I did hear the right sounds . The result was disappointing considering all the hype this razor gets.
Pass two I went with the grain again added more pressure the results again not so good. Pass three and four were ATG with similar results.
So my question is what could be the problem? I am sure I had the right shave angle and the blade was in the correct place with regard to the clips.Was it the Treet blade? The razor opens and closes easily so I am assuming there is no damage that would put it in misalignment. Any ideas? And Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!!

 

[HoosierTrooper]

I got nothing other than maybe tinker around with the angle a little, or maybe you have a dud blade. That same combo works wonderfully for me.

 

[Mick]

Are you using short rapid stokes? Your motions should rapidly "cut" your beard not slowly mow it down. You should not move your wrist as this will change the angle of the razor. Move your entire arm from the shoulder. The more your arm is locked together the less variation in angle you will get on your face.

Do you stretch your skin when shaving? You should keep your skin taught (not tight like a drum head) so that the razor does not roll up your skin in front of it.

Try your next shave with more rapid short strokes and a little skin stretching and see if you get the same results or a great shave.

 

[brucea]

@ HoosierTrooper.Out of all the people on this site I was hoping to hear from you on this one. You are the expert. I will dump the blade and try a new one I also bought GEM carbon steel so maybe one of those next time. Thank you. Have a good Thanksgiving!

 

[brucea]

@ Turtle . Thank you. I might be using strokes that are a bit long but not too long to cause a problem. Skin is stretched I did try varying the angle . I will try more. Not giving up yet!! Happy Thanksgiving!!!

 

[Mick]

The angle should be very shallow with a SE. Around 5° instead of 25-30° for a DE razor.

If you are doing everything "right" then try another blade as recommended.

I find the MMOC to be the least liked of my SE razors. I prefer the bullet knob Micromatic (flying wing) to all others I own as it seems to be a bit more comfortable to shave with (smoother). BUT... I've never had a bad shave with my MMOC, just a little "rougher" than the safety bar SE razors is all

 

[jmsodpc]

my open comb has displaced my clog pruf...i think i might actualy sell my like-new clog pruf shortly since it sees no shave-time anymore.

i use Gem blades from CVS

 

[HoosierTrooper]

@ HoosierTrooper.Out of all the people on this site I was hoping to hear from you on this one. You are the expert. I will dump the blade and try a new one I also bought GEM carbon steel so maybe one of those next time. Thank you. Have a good Thanksgiving!

Not really, there are plenty of guys here that have forgot more about these things than I'll ever forget! And thanks, hope you had a good Thanksgiving!

 

[brucea]

Thanks guys been traveling so was not able to respond again sooner.I am at about that 5 degree angle and the blade is making sounds like it is cutting. The closest sound wise I have to compare it to is the sound I get from my Merkur Vision. As I said I am not giving up. Tomorrow I will give the GEM blades a try and see what happens.

 

[retturn2blades]

I'm not a big fan of Treet blades. I'd try another blade, like the CVS brand or the SS variety.

 

[brucea]

Well I finally had a chance after a long day at the vet with a sick pet to try again with the Gem. I did everything the same,same exact setup, but I switched out the Treet for a GEM Bluestar.The shave was great. Two pass WTG and ATG. The results were a very nice close shave. The only complaint is a little irritation on the neck area.I think I can get that to go away as I get more experience with the Gem Micromatic.After reading the reviews here and elsewhere I am surprised that many people put the Treet blade before the Gem blade. Either I bad a really bad Treet blade or they just don't work for me? Thanks for the advice gentlemen. I see a SE collection in my future

 

[HoosierTrooper]

Good to hear it went better this time. I've used a bunch of Treet, Blue Star and CVS brand blades and have come to the conclusion that they're all the same blade, but wouldn't be surprised that some lots may come out better than others as machines wear etc.

 

[brucea]

Thank you! Well I have four more Treets to try. Hopefully it was a fluke.maybe the QC at Treet is not as good as the others? If not I stick with Gem and try some of the other brands like CVS and Pella.

 

[HoosierTrooper]

Thank you! Well I have four more Treets to try. Hopefully it was a fluke.maybe the QC at Treet is not as good as the others? If not I stick with Gem and try some of the other brands like CVS and Pella.

They all come from the same ASR plant. that's why I think they're the same blade, just put in different packages.

 

[brucea]

So much for variety! I guess I will just go with the best deal then.

 

[HoosierTrooper]

I can find all three locally priced within a few pennies of each other, always under $4 for a 10 blade vault. CVS does run a buy one get one half off sale on theirs occasionally.

 

[brucea]

I went the Ebay route this time. Next time I will check CVS etc