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Blades: GEM vs. Artist Club?

Is there an appreciable performance/efficiency difference in single edged GEM blades versus Artist Club?
Sharper?
Angle?
How do they compare?
The shave angle would depend on the razor and not the blade. The Gem blades are usually used in vintage Gem, Everyready razors and the companies recommended a flat to slightly elevated angle of shave.

Personna triple faceted ptfe blades are extremely sharp and most say that their first shave is rough on the face. I've always get 10 to 12 shaves from a Gem blade and at one time I got about 35 shaves from one with careful technique. Vintage razors are famous for that loud toast scraping sound when shaving !

There is only one stainless steel blade around, the personna Gem PTFE or the carbon steel blade. All others are paint scrapers. You'll have to be sure of what you're buying.

The artist blades are modern blades for the Feather artist club razors however many three piece razors by Razorock, ATT and others abound. My experience of using the Razorock Hawk and the ATT se1 had been good smooth shaves. Sharp blades however they dull faster. Kai and Feather come to mind for a variety of AC format blades made by them.

The third is the injector blade primarily used in Schick injectors and they are to be used flush on the face as per the design of vintage shick razors. Modern injectors like supply and Parker have somewhat neutral angles and give silent and great shaves.

Personally I am a Gem and Injector guy due to the razor length and the nature of shave from vintage razors. These blades are easily maneuvered on the face.
 
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To me they feel totally different on the face, blt both are sharp and smooth and last quite a few shaves.
IMO, both benefit from a brief palm stropping prior to the first use.

I like Schick Proline and Kai mild PINK blades best of the available AC blades. I have not been as impressed with any of the Feather offerings.

For GEM, the PTFE-coated stainless blades are the only game in town.
 
Never a better example of YMMV. I have not once had a pleasant experience with AC blades, try as I might. They irritate my skin for some reason.

Gem PTFE blades, on the other hand, are my go to. Gem, Eveready and Star antique razors are all in my rotation. Blackland Sabre in more modern times and still available.

DEs run a distant second for me. Enjoyable but not a fetish.

I’m yet to delve into injectors. I’m sure my RAD will extend to it eventually.

Have fun finding what’s best for you.
 
Is there an appreciable performance/efficiency difference in single edged GEM blades versus Artist Club?
Sharper?
Angle?
How do they compare?
I have compared them and choose AC as my retirement blade (I am preparing for my pension). I will be using a RR Hawk V3. In the Hawk Feather Pro works best for me. With either Feather or KAI I get a month of good, irritation free shaves. With GEM I get about 2 weeks. But I: I am not American. Finding GEM blades is hard. Feather and KAI are easily available, also in the country where I will retire. And cheap/economical as well. But you will have to find out what works best for you.
 
I got into the single edge last year and was disappointed going back to DE this week. Much prefer the thicker GEM blades. I find them very smooth. Efficiency has more to do with the razor choice.

I do like AC blades but don't consider them superior to GEM - however the extra length is annoying at times. The GEM width is a better size for my face.
 
I got into the single edge last year and was disappointed going back to DE this week. Much prefer the thicker GEM blades. I find them very smooth. Efficiency has more to do with the razor choice.

I do like AC blades but don't consider them superior to GEM - however the extra length is annoying at times. The GEM width is a better size for my face.
If you use the AC blades for a while you get used to the width. I use them exclusively in shavettes, and I moved into shavettes from full-length old-school straights, so to me they AC width actually seems modest by comparison.
 
I have compared them and choose AC as my retirement blade (I am preparing for my pension). I will be using a RR Hawk V3. In the Hawk Feather Pro works best for me. With either Feather or KAI I get a month of good, irritation free shaves. With GEM I get about 2 weeks. But I: I am not American. Finding GEM blades is hard. Feather and KAI are easily available, also in the country where I will retire. And cheap/economical as well. But you will have to find out what works best for you.
Connaught Shaving in the UK has great prices on GEM blades, that might be cheaper for you than trying to get them from the States.
 
Have you tried Schick Prolines and Kai Mild PINK?
I’ve tried every ac blade including pro shave s
Kai mild
Kai diamond
Kai captain
Schick pro line
Feather normal
Feather super
All the guard stuff
Etc.

I can get a good shave with my hawk or my att, but ac just aren’t my favorite. I end up with strange neck irritation later in the day. Same story with injectors.

The ptfe gem, otoh, rocks my socks off. I love my Sabre. Used it today actually.
 
I’ve tried every ac blade including pro shave s
Kai mild
Kai diamond
Kai captain
Schick pro line
Feather normal
Feather super
All the guard stuff
Etc.

I can get a good shave with my hawk or my att, but ac just aren’t my favorite. I end up with strange neck irritation later in the day. Same story with injectors.

The ptfe gem, otoh, rocks my socks off. I love my Sabre. Used it today actually.
Interesting.

I use the AC blades in shavettes, not in guarded razors, so maybe that makes a difference?
 

Old Hippie

Somewhere between 61 and dead
I primarily play in three formats: DE, AC and Gem. Of the three I am at present most engaged with DE because most slants are DE with a few notable exceptions like the ATT X1. I first tried AC blades in a somewhat aggressive razor and had more problems with the aggression than the blade per se. Later I discovered a couple of milder AC razors: the RazoRock Hawk V3SB and the ATT X1.

I tried what was the OC option for the Hawk, but I am not a fan of the "Jaws" design. RazoRock can make an OC I like, as witness the BBS-OC. Although neither razor sees a lot of use, when I do use them I like them and wish that a Hawk OC with a couple more teeth and an X2 would come out. I'd certainly try them.

Gem for me is a bit problematic. Like AC blades, Gem blades have to come from somewhere else (as, frankly, do the better DE blades). On the one hand, having basically one really good option (Personna Stainless PTFE Coated) makes side by side comparisons of one Gem-style razor to another dead easy. But I don't think I've ever really done a comparison.

The difference between Gem and AC for me is that Gem really has that old-school feel to it courtesy of all the vintage razors that take the format. Shaving my head with Gem means I will have one really sharp shave, one a little less sharp, a really smooth shave, one a little less smooth, one to remind me that the edge has had some punishment, and finally one (if I take it) that turns into an exercise in gritting my teeth and powering through it. That's six shaves, max, or about two weeks of use. As my skin -- and I, darnit -- age I am less and less inclined to want to eke out that 6th shave.

AC blades in the Hawk V3 tend to last me about nine shaves, so three weeks instead of two. I have to be creative to get that far, as my head is harder and has less padding than my face. That means if I'm just shaving along in a happy fog I will put all the wear on a little spot right in the centre of the edge. Once that spot's tuggy the blade goes to the bin. Shaving off one side or the other helps extend the life of the blade in my usage. That happens with any format, but in a DE blade it's less annoying because they're only 15 cents apiece. I tried Feather, Feather Pro, Proline and Kai Captain Titan Mild Pink. The Kai are my favourite.

I just sold off my Sabre. Although it's a lovely razor and a stellar example of the machinist's art I found that it just did not ultimately satisfy me. I still have a Gem Jr. Bar lather catcher, Ever Ready 1914 Little Lather Catcher, MMOC, ATT G1 and a PAA Starling. All of them give me good shaves, with the best ones from the ER and the ATT. I was on the list for a Wolfman WR3 head, but after considering the matter requested to be taken off the list. Gradually things are coming into focus.

O.H.
 

Ron R

I survived a lathey foreman
Gem Personna SS PTFE blade is one of the best SE blades to use and the longevity I found better than the AC blades like Feather, Kai and Schick pro line IMO. I have used all the blades mentioned and Gem Personna wins for the fellow who wants to SE shave and cost per/ shave is as cheap per shave as DE blades IMO($.02-.04 per shave with a Gem blade).
The AC blade Shavette or blade insert straight razor was designed for barber shops who have to use a new blade by law on customers in Europe and parts of Asia (Aids and transmissible viruses where reasons for the law). So longevity is not that important in that aspect for barber shops world wide. Mfg's of razors saw opportunity for making a whole new range of razors for these blades in the last 15 + yrs. The AC blade does have the guarded blades that are very good IMO and they don't allow the blade to dig into the skin as easily but still give a remarkable shave. Also the AC blades offer blades with different coatings.
To me who enjoys the SE razor shaving & both blade types offer great shaves but cost per shave if that is a important factor to some folks I would say Gem Personna wins hands down with the GEM SS PTFE blade IMO if buying 100pcs.
Gem Personna blades.jpg

Have some great shaves!
 
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Connaught Shaving in the UK has great prices on GEM blades, that might be cheaper for you than trying to get them from the States.
Yes it is, but still not as cheap as Feather Pro. From the UK GEM blades cost me 40 eurocents each. Feather Pro 43 cents. But The GEM lasts me 2 weeks, the Feather a month. The shave is comparable.
 
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