I treasure the 1914 as one of the best to get. A bit fiddly to load yes- but the shaves are absolutely admirable. The 1914 is fairly aggressive- which I like A LOT. How is compared to the 1924 (which I don´t have)..? Pros and cons- all welcome. Thanks.
A Quick Question- MOST aggressive. The 1914s compared to the 1924s.
- Thread starter Henrik
- Start date
The Ever-Ready 1914 is an all around good shaver it's a bit more aggressive then a 1912 but it's still not too aggressive. The Gem 1924 shaves very close. IMO the 1924 feels like a mild razor but it's more aggressive then the 1914. You have to get your angle spot on or it can bite you. It's a razor that doesn't give a good indication of what the blade is doing (contact).
The 1924's head design is a bit bulky and it tends to hold water. I use stainless steel blades on the 1924 and try not to install a carbon blade. The 1924 isn't easy to load a blade (like the 1914) since it wasn't designed to use blades with notches on the side or thin spines. I personally like both razors but in the end I prefer the 1914 due to the shortcomings of the 1924 that I have mentioned.
I usually have a more pleasant experience with the 1914.
About loading the blade, it's easy to load the blade into the 1914. Once you have installed the blade into the razor (before closing the top plate) tilt the razor so that the safety bar is pointing towards the ground. You can then close the top plate without the blade moving around causing it to load improperly. Maybe there is a better way then this but it works very well for me.
The 1924's head design is a bit bulky and it tends to hold water. I use stainless steel blades on the 1924 and try not to install a carbon blade. The 1924 isn't easy to load a blade (like the 1914) since it wasn't designed to use blades with notches on the side or thin spines. I personally like both razors but in the end I prefer the 1914 due to the shortcomings of the 1924 that I have mentioned.
I usually have a more pleasant experience with the 1914.
About loading the blade, it's easy to load the blade into the 1914. Once you have installed the blade into the razor (before closing the top plate) tilt the razor so that the safety bar is pointing towards the ground. You can then close the top plate without the blade moving around causing it to load improperly. Maybe there is a better way then this but it works very well for me.
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I LOVE both the 1914 and the 1924 SE razors
I see no real difference in the performance of the two. It comes down to looks and feel, and everyone's MMV.
But I do have a slight perference for the 1924. It is easier to clean the back of the head and I like its "modern" apperarance.
I see no real difference in the performance of the two. It comes down to looks and feel, and everyone's MMV.
But I do have a slight perference for the 1924. It is easier to clean the back of the head and I like its "modern" apperarance.
Conversely, I have more love for the 1914...for some reason I just cannot get as good of a shave with the 1924, bit I will continue to try and find the sweet spot of the 1924.
I share your opinion about 1914. Together with the Gem Jr lather catcher, those are my favorite razors. I actually hoarded a few 1914s and will probably get one replated.
About the 1924, it is very finicky about the angle, and the aggressiveness varies accordingly. I got a good shave with it the few times I used it. I think the design, compared to the above mentioned razors or the 1912 is mediocre and I don't see myself wasting a perfectly good shaving opportunity on it. Loading a blade is a little cumbersome but if you can put a car in first gear, it should not be a problem.
I got mine in a lot with another 1924 and a 1912. Not the prettiest looking lot but they cleaned up nicely. One 1924 had a broken blade stop which is common with this model. That lot was $6 and it's as high as I'd pay for a 1924.
YMMV, some folks like it.
Without having any prior knowledge of the 1914 or the 1924, I ran across an Ever Ready 1924 today in an antique store. It was very clean with only minor scratches on the head, and a silver finish. I liked the looks of it and so I got it for $12. I brought it home today, cleaned it up, loaded a GEM Stainless PTFE coated blade into it and began shaving. The very first thing I noticed was the finicky angle. It seems to take a very flat angle (blade more parallel to the skin surface). I ended up with a very close shave after my usual three passes, but had a few nicks here and there. No a bad experience, but not stellar. I've used an Ever Ready 1912 for a couple dozen shaves in the past and enjoy using it every so often..... but I'm more of a DE razor guy and when it comes to SE's, I'm more likely to reach for my Schick Injectors.
I guess I can't compare the 1924 to a 1914 since I've never used a 1914, but I'd have to say that I agree with at least one of the shortcomings mentioned above regarding the 1924..... namely the finicky angle and the fitting of the blade in the head.
Ben
I guess I can't compare the 1924 to a 1914 since I've never used a 1914, but I'd have to say that I agree with at least one of the shortcomings mentioned above regarding the 1924..... namely the finicky angle and the fitting of the blade in the head.
Ben
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