I have been searching for an affordable ER Streamline for a while now, and finally one showed up. It was relatively affordable because the Set was just the Streamline and blade boxes, and did not include stropper and all that other fancy stuff that no one uses.
When it finally arrived, I immediately compared the Streamline with it's two predesessors, the 1912 Dome Cap and the Damanskeene. When I took the pictures, I was surprised at how the three razors differed significantly from each other.
The 1912 Dome Cap (on the right in profile pic) had a lather catcher that was slanted back and was smaller, thus making the head almost flat. The Damaskeene (in the middle) had a larger lather catcher and was more upright. The entire head slanted down more and the top cap was the most domed of all three razors. The Streamline (on the left) got rid of the lather catcher entirely and ended up being more of a cross between a 1924 and a 1912. The angle of the head was closer to the Damaskeene, but the top cap was not as domed.
The construction of the Streamline was significantly different that the 1912 and Damaskeene. It appears that the base plate could either have been cast or stamped with a thicker sheet metal than the 1912 and Damaskeene. The spring assembly and the blade channel was more fortified and it weighed significantly more. The handle was heftier and it was like a tank compared to the other two. I can see where many consider this to be be the best of the vintage Gem blade razors.
Okay, so enough of the comparisons, how does it shave?
First pass was WTG. As with all my Gem blade razors, I start off with the angle that the top cap gives. In the case of the Streamline, it did require some attempts as the guard is more rounded and thicker than the others, and the top cap was relatively flat. One thing I noticed immediately was that there was significant blade feel. This surprised me as the 1912 and Damaskeene were relatively mild shavers. On a positive note, the razor was so heavy that it was easy to go with no pressure and let the razor do the work. At the end of the WTG pass, I finally dialed in the angle and the first pass was not the most comfortable or efficient.
Second pass was ATG. I learned a lot from the first pass, and the ATG pass was more comfortable, but I still had to be aware of the angles. Again, the ATG pass was very efficient, but definitely the shave would not get me confused with the 1912.
I just did a touch up after the ATG pass, as found out that the shave was very efficient. In the end I was rewarded with a BBS shave.
Overall, I must say that shaving with the Streamline was a complete surprise. The proper angle was not as intuitive to find as the other Gem blade razors and it was more aggressive than I expected. It did, however, give me a two pass BBS shave with minimal touch up. I know I definitely need to spend more time with the Streamline as it is not as simple or as easy as the other Gem blade razors.
When it finally arrived, I immediately compared the Streamline with it's two predesessors, the 1912 Dome Cap and the Damanskeene. When I took the pictures, I was surprised at how the three razors differed significantly from each other.
The 1912 Dome Cap (on the right in profile pic) had a lather catcher that was slanted back and was smaller, thus making the head almost flat. The Damaskeene (in the middle) had a larger lather catcher and was more upright. The entire head slanted down more and the top cap was the most domed of all three razors. The Streamline (on the left) got rid of the lather catcher entirely and ended up being more of a cross between a 1924 and a 1912. The angle of the head was closer to the Damaskeene, but the top cap was not as domed.
The construction of the Streamline was significantly different that the 1912 and Damaskeene. It appears that the base plate could either have been cast or stamped with a thicker sheet metal than the 1912 and Damaskeene. The spring assembly and the blade channel was more fortified and it weighed significantly more. The handle was heftier and it was like a tank compared to the other two. I can see where many consider this to be be the best of the vintage Gem blade razors.
Okay, so enough of the comparisons, how does it shave?
First pass was WTG. As with all my Gem blade razors, I start off with the angle that the top cap gives. In the case of the Streamline, it did require some attempts as the guard is more rounded and thicker than the others, and the top cap was relatively flat. One thing I noticed immediately was that there was significant blade feel. This surprised me as the 1912 and Damaskeene were relatively mild shavers. On a positive note, the razor was so heavy that it was easy to go with no pressure and let the razor do the work. At the end of the WTG pass, I finally dialed in the angle and the first pass was not the most comfortable or efficient.
Second pass was ATG. I learned a lot from the first pass, and the ATG pass was more comfortable, but I still had to be aware of the angles. Again, the ATG pass was very efficient, but definitely the shave would not get me confused with the 1912.
I just did a touch up after the ATG pass, as found out that the shave was very efficient. In the end I was rewarded with a BBS shave.
Overall, I must say that shaving with the Streamline was a complete surprise. The proper angle was not as intuitive to find as the other Gem blade razors and it was more aggressive than I expected. It did, however, give me a two pass BBS shave with minimal touch up. I know I definitely need to spend more time with the Streamline as it is not as simple or as easy as the other Gem blade razors.
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