First Gem Contour II Shave and Some Questions

[Uncle Boss]

I have been wet shaving using DE and SE razors for almost a year now. I've gone from a Weishi to a Parker 99R to a Gillette Slim Adjustable (if I need a bbs, this is my go to razor). I find that my favorite razors tend to be SE. I love my Schick G and Hydro and hell, even gotten the hang of the Pal Adjustable Injector. This morning I had my first shave with a NOS Contour II w/ss blades. I must say I am very impressed. I have heard horror stories of cuts and irritations (mostly from using scraper blades). Finding the correct angle was simple. I did a three pass shave on a three day beard with C.O. Bigelow and got a DFS. I admit I didn't go for a BBS because I still remember the first time I tried the Pal Adjustable (there was blood).
My questions are these:
1) Should I always take out my blade and dry it off after each use. (A dumb question I know, but I don't with my injectors and rarely do with my DE's.)
2) This question is tricky because I know it depends on various factors, but how many shaves can I expect to get out of a blade? (I know "ymmv" but what is your average? My beard isn't light or heavy, but average.)
3) Now that my RAD has flared up again, what SE should I get next?

 

[Luc]

1) It depends if you have a stainless steel blade (doesn't rust) or not. DE, SE or straight, I always clean and dry the blade (carefully) when I'm done. It's an habit I guess.

2) Well, I do around 10 shaves but some say 5, others, 20...

3) The Contour is great and the Feather blades fit in there (spineless). They are very smooth in the Contour (or pushbutton) where I find that Feather is rough in a DE... or in the Valet (same Feather blade that was in the Valet to the Contour...) The Featherweight is light and good. A 1912 is standard in the SE world. The G-Bar is pretty good (similar to the Featherweight but heavier).

 

[santamariasteve]

For your next SE razor, I recommend a Gem Micromatic, preferably the Clog-Pruf model. It is middle-of-the-road in aggression, and it was made in 1941-1949.

 

[Uncle Boss]

Thanks for the info. It looks like I'll add the 1912 and Micromatic to my want list! I did a second shave with the Contour II today. Close but no irritation. I think I'm going to like this razor