First Impressions: Open Comb Micromatic with South Korea Made SE Blades

[cpacamper]

This morning, I tried my newly acquired OCMM with the locally sourced blades from Navarro Pharmacy via South Korea, referenced here: http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/348515-Strange-Locally-Sourced-SE-Blades-ID-Help. It's an experience I'll never forget. First off, the razor is heavy and for me it was very easy to find a good grip. I used 0 pressure except for the weight of the razor. Using the flat head as a guide, I found it easy to keep good blade angle, especially on a troublesome neck area. I also noticed the slightly different sound made when the blade actually hacks whiskers,

~BUT~

I agree with the majority: the blades SUCK. I felt so much pulling and tugging WTG, and halfway through XTG, that I had to give it up and reached for my 40s SS to finish. To say the least, this was among my most uncomfortable non-cart shaves to date, at least the first part of the shave. I'm half tempted to store the OCMM for posterity, but not before I give it another whirl with better blades. Are the CVS or Walgreens store brand blades really any better?

 

[Wingnut]

Yeah, there ought to be a law against selling those Dorco blades in the shaving section--they're good for peeling paint and stickers off of a window, but that's about it!

Get yourself some Gem blades at CVS or Walgreens, and you will be AMAZED at the difference!

 

[cpacamper]

Yeah, there ought to be a law against selling those Dorco blades in the shaving section--they're good for peeling paint and stickers off of a window, but that's about it!

Get yourself some Gem blades at CVS or Walgreens, and you will be AMAZED at the difference!

John, I'm thinking with a nice hot shower, Kyle's prep, good preshave oil, some MDC $50 a puck soap lather applied with a silver tip badger brush, and a very light tough, these blades *might* be able to make a clean cut through packing tape.

 

[Mick]

They might take a shave or two to "mellow out" Really not worth the time/effort though.

CVS, Walgreens, Rite-Aid all have TREET and/or GEM (ASR) blades in either carbon or stainless.

The SE blades I enjoy the most are the PTFE coated GEM (ASR / Personna) blades

If you think you will be getting into SE razors it would be worth picking up a carton of 100 coated stainless blades. You may never use a DE razor again if you do

 

[cpacamper]

UPDATE:

So I got my hands on some PTFE coated Gem blades and took the Micromatic OC for another spin this morning. These blades seem much smoother than the Dorcos. The shave was very successful, no weepers or nicks, and with three passes I'm BBS in my usual easy spots and close enough everywhere else. I'm not sure if this was the most comfortable shave I've ever had, but I chalk that fact up to this being my first proper shave with the beast. While these Gem blades are exponentially better than the Dorco's, they don't seem to be as smooth as DE Feathers to me, but again this is a first time use and time will tell.

I'm encouraged enough to shave with this razor again tomorrow, although the Superspeed with a prime Feather is tempting me....

 

[Mick]

Give the MM safety bar a go. It is a much milder shaving SE. Grab either a flying wing or clog pruf as both will be as mild as a kitten's tongue on your skin

The MMOC has always been a little to barky for my taste. I use and enjoy the one I have but less frequently than I do the safety bar micromatic razors

 

[jeffriley]

I have an OCMM as well and really like it. It works well with the CVS blades, but it seems that a sharper blade would really make it sing. I prefer my Auto-Strop, and I think one of the biggest reasons I do so is because of the Feather blades the Auto-Strop requires. Otherwise, I believe they would have very similar shaves.

 

[cpacamper]

I have an OCMM as well and really like it. It works well with the CVS blades, but it seems that a sharper blade would really make it sing. I prefer my Auto-Strop, and I think one of the biggest reasons I do so is because of the Feather blades the Auto-Strop requires. Otherwise, I believe they would have very similar shaves.

That's what I'm thinking.

I'm to the point in DE shaving where I can tell almost right away if a blade works for me or not, and while I have many blades yet to explore, Feathers are so far my favorite. I also use a Schick Type G injector with Chicks and I found those blades very smooth and comfortable from the get go.

So, it might not be a case where the razor is not for me, it might be the blades. We shall see.

Might have to find me an autostrop

 

[jeffriley]

That's what I'm thinking.

I'm to the point in DE shaving where I can tell almost right away if a blade works for me or not, and while I have many blades yet to explore, Feathers are so far my favorite. I also use a Schick Type G injector with Chicks and I found those blades very smooth and comfortable from the get go.

So, it might not be a case where the razor is not for me, it might be the blades. We shall see.

Might have to find me an autostrop

Auto-strops are pretty easy and fairly cheap to get ahold of, especially if you don't worry about the strop. Modern blades are coated and don't benefit from stropping. I bought mine from eBay in excellent condition with a good strop and decent case for about $35 shipped. Here are some places to buy the blades.

http://www.connaughtshaving.com/fhs5.html

http://www.razorbladesandmore.com/content/feather-single-edge-blades-40pcs

 

[cpacamper]

Auto-strops are pretty easy and fairly cheap to get ahold of, especially if you don't worry about the strop. Modern blades are coated and don't benefit from stropping. I bought mine from eBay in excellent condition with a good strop and decent case for about $35 shipped. Here are some places to buy the blades.

http://www.connaughtshaving.com/fhs5.html

http://www.razorbladesandmore.com/content/feather-single-edge-blades-40pcs

Thanks! Do you find those blades last longer than their DE blades (I get up to 5 good shaves from the DE's)?

 

[jeffriley]

Thanks! Do you find those blades last longer than their DE blades (I get up to 5 good shaves from the DE's)?

They seem to last a little longer, but not dramatically so. I use mine about twice a week and dry the blade between. I will use it more regularly when I'm ready to order enough stuff from Connaught Shaving to get free shipping to the US.

 

[kcb5150]

Get some carbon steel blades. A fresh carbon is sharp as hell and smooth. I've been using pellas, but if cost were no object I'd be using blue stars all the way. I really think the gem BS are some of the most underrated blades in general.

 

[cpacamper]

Wow. Fourth shave, this time with a CVS carbon steel blade. It's been 11 hours since I shaved and just now my face has gone from BBS to what I would consider a dfs normally. I'm torn....this razor is providing progressively closer shaves each day but dang is it harsh. I will continue for a few more days; I'm determined to master this tool, but I don't care to bang my head against the wall if I ultimately can't tame the beast. I do think the carbon steel blades are a bit better for me than the stainless steel ones. The local CVS has plenty, despite the fact I was told otherwise by a store manager.

Gonna go rewatch a MRGUY vid.

 

[kcb5150]

I'm guessing your angle is slightly off. I actually think the OCMM is fairly tame provided it is one with the two bumps in the blade tray that alter the blade's angle a bit. The older ones without those humps are harsher.

 

[cpacamper]

I'm guessing your angle is slightly off. I actually think the OCMM is fairly tame provided it is one with the two bumps in the blade tray that alter the blade's angle a bit. The older ones without those humps are harsher.

My OCMM does have the tabs, so it's the milder version

Shave five was about reevaluating technique. I discovered I need to have the razor head lightly touching and flat against my face at all times, my neck especially. A comfortable BBS resulted. Will BBS last 11 hours? Probably not, but I'm comfortable and won't be thinking about an irritated face all day.

Now, I'm confident I'll be able to use the OCMM and get consistent results. Thanks to everyone for the feedback and advice.

 

[Disburden]

May take several montha of practice to get the burn down and angle right. Its a challenging razor.