DE shaver looking into SEs

[RyanR]

I have been DE shaving for the last 7 months. I love it, but SEs have peaked my interest. I just don't know where to start. What razors and razor blades do you recomend? Where do you get your blades from? Do you shave any differently then you do with a DE?

Thanks,

Ryan

 

[kg4ghn]

I would suggest finding a 1912 to start with. As for blades, I get mine from CVS.

 

[OV1kenobi]

I would suggest finding a 1912 to start with. As for blades, I get mine from CVS.

Particularly the GEM 1912 Damaskeene - the face of the head is rounder instead of flat. You have to be careful, though. It might just start another addiction (SE RAD). Eventually, you might even start looking at Schick injectors!

 

[krup327]

+1 on the 1912. I enjoy mine very much. They are cheap too (<$10 US on eBay).

I use GEM blades from Walgreens.

Use no pressure and keep the head just slightly steeper than flat on your face. I feel that SE blade angle is much easier to learn than DE.

Enjoy.

 

[Pjotr]

Having just used a Featherweight I'd recommmend that over the 1912. It's a really mild, more forgiving shaver in my opinion. So too apparently is the G-bar. But you can't go wrong with the GEM/Ever Ready 1912 either. Stay clear of the Ever Ready 1924 and the Open Comb Micromatic and I'm not even going to mention the Jewel or Streamline. Get some GEM Stainless steel blades. Keep the head close to your skin and go slow. Wear noise cancelling headphones. They're bloody noisey! Have fun.

 

[namonarpos]

Having just used a Featherweight I'd recommmend that over the 1912. It's a really mild, more forgiving shaver in my opinion. So too apparently is the G-bar. But you can't go wrong with the GEM/Ever Ready 1912 either. Stay clear of the Ever Ready 1924 and the Open Comb Micromatic and I'm not even going to mention the Jewel or Streamline. Get some GEM Stainless steel blades. Keep the head close to your skin and go slow. Wear noise cancelling headphones. They're bloody noisey! Have fun.

See, I actually prefer the Ever Ready 1924 to the GEM 1912. But YMMV and all that.

 

[Pjotr]

See, I actually prefer the Ever Ready 1924 to the GEM 1912. But YMMV and all that.

People do. Nothing against the 1924. Got one myself. It's just that I think it's a pretty aggressive razor and not one that I would recommend to a new SE shaver. Even now I use it at the end of the line (i.e. when the blade is 5 or 6 shaves old).

 

[ShaveMark]

If I've said it once I've said it a thousand times "The Gem 1912 is the greatest shaving razor ever, bar none"!!!!!

 

[BrianK]

Again, clearly, YMMV!

All of my razors chose me, I didn't chose them. I have a Valet circa 190x something or other near as I can figure, and a GEM LIghtweight. Both give fantastic shaves with minimal user input.

For the Valet (not the AutoStrop model BTW) I use Feather blades, the only game in town for that razor. For the GEM I prefer Treets from Rite Aid but I haven't put a lot of time into blade testing in the GEM so far. I did have some older blades (were they PALs ?), the Treets are better than what I had anyway. I know I really like the Treets; 3 shaves over a 2 week period to test the rusting- not an issue for me using my water- did the 3rd shave this morning- BBS quality and still no issues with the blade.

Yup, slightly different angle, noisy (it's neat actually!), a different shaving experience, and a great shave. You might actually prefer it, lots of folks do over DE.

 

[PhatMan]

RyanR,

+1 on the GEM/Ever-Ready 1912s.

Not only are they superb shavers (for me), but they look so good as well

I use the GEM PTFE Coated Stainless blades with complete satisfaction in all my GEM & Ever-Ready SEs !

Have fun !

Best regards

Russ

 

[Optionyout]

Depends on your hair type. I have thick, coarse, curly hair and the micromatics work much better for me. The Damaskeene is the least aggressive of the bunch with I believe the shortest handle and takes me many passes. The featherweight does nothing for me. The 1912 is good but it's no micromatic but once again a softer hair type may have very different experiences.

 

[RyanR]

Depends on your hair type. I have thick, coarse, curly hair and the micromatics work much better for me. The Damaskeene is the least aggressive of the bunch with I believe the shortest handle and takes me many passes. The featherweight does nothing for me. The 1912 is good but it's no micromatic but once again a softer hair type may have very different experiences.

I actually have the same type of beard that you have. That's the main reason I started DE shaving.

I bought a 1912 Ever-Ready off ebay last night. Can't wait to use it. Very excited. I will also have to try a micromatic.

Thanks everyone for the advice.

Ryan