I recently purchased two GEM SE razors: a 1912 and G Bar. I have taken 3 shaves with the 1912 and one with the G Bar and thought I would share my impressions. View attachment 154706 I purchased some new GEM blades at Walgreens.
First, the G Bar. The razor looked nice but I had an inkling of trouble when I could not open the head very much to insert the blade. Plus, it was difficult to place the blade in place properly (behind the guides). I attempted to open the head by putting more pressure on the head and inserted the blade. The blade looked OK - but an awful lot of razor blade was exposed. In any event I went on to shave. The shave can be summed up by one word: HORRIBLE.
It has been a long time since I cut my self with a razor and I managed to cut myself in numerous places and had terrible skin irritation. I finished the shave with a Gillette slim. I tried again the next day and after a few strokes I gave up and again finished with the slim. My conclusion was that most likely the razor was defective.
Second, the 1912. The one I purchased was obviously well used with some brass showing through. I cleaned it up but it still shows its age. Once again I put a fresh blade in and started to shave. The sound from the SE is a lot different for me than a DE. However, the first pass with the 1912 sounded like it was tugging but it went fairly well. The first pass left more stubble than with my adjustables (FB, Slim, and Mergresses) but I had not cuts or irritation. The subsequent passes were all smooth and after four passes on my face, three on my neck with minor touch ups I got a BBS shave.
So far, I have gotten three shaves from the 1912 with the same blade and all were A+.
My summary: the G bar may be defective and although it looks nice will not be in my rotation. The 1912 is an A+ razor. I would rate it slightly ahead of the FB and Slim but slightly below the Mergresses. However, the 1912 is relatively inexpensive and is an excellent value. I liked it so much I won another "clean" one on eBay. The 1912 may be an excellent choice for individuals with sensitive skin. With the right blade angle this is one smooth razor.
First, the G Bar. The razor looked nice but I had an inkling of trouble when I could not open the head very much to insert the blade. Plus, it was difficult to place the blade in place properly (behind the guides). I attempted to open the head by putting more pressure on the head and inserted the blade. The blade looked OK - but an awful lot of razor blade was exposed. In any event I went on to shave. The shave can be summed up by one word: HORRIBLE.
It has been a long time since I cut my self with a razor and I managed to cut myself in numerous places and had terrible skin irritation. I finished the shave with a Gillette slim. I tried again the next day and after a few strokes I gave up and again finished with the slim. My conclusion was that most likely the razor was defective.Second, the 1912. The one I purchased was obviously well used with some brass showing through. I cleaned it up but it still shows its age. Once again I put a fresh blade in and started to shave. The sound from the SE is a lot different for me than a DE. However, the first pass with the 1912 sounded like it was tugging but it went fairly well. The first pass left more stubble than with my adjustables (FB, Slim, and Mergresses) but I had not cuts or irritation. The subsequent passes were all smooth and after four passes on my face, three on my neck with minor touch ups I got a BBS shave.
So far, I have gotten three shaves from the 1912 with the same blade and all were A+.
My summary: the G bar may be defective and although it looks nice will not be in my rotation. The 1912 is an A+ razor. I would rate it slightly ahead of the FB and Slim but slightly below the Mergresses. However, the 1912 is relatively inexpensive and is an excellent value. I liked it so much I won another "clean" one on eBay. The 1912 may be an excellent choice for individuals with sensitive skin. With the right blade angle this is one smooth razor.
