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Gem 1912! First Shave!

A VERY generous member here on B&B went out of his way and PIF’d me a Gem 1912. My sincere and heartfelt thanks to Charles (Komboloi)! A true gentleman. I salute you, sir!

I received the razor yesterday, and was absolutely, and happily, stunned when I removed it from the box.

The Gem 1912 Razor

This razor is gorgeous! We should all age so well!!

The handle has a beautiful and ornate, almost kaleidoscopic, pattern engraved along its flat sides. It recalls a refinement and politeness of a bygone era. If you were to describe this razor handle using only two words, those words would be “elegant” and “elaborate.”

Not only is the pattern that adorns the handle magnificently stylish, it’s also very pragmatic. It’s an artistic knurling that gives you a very firm grip even when using the most slickest of shaving creams.

The razor head, which can be unscrewed off the handle (making this, quite possibly, one of the earliest travel razors, I would think), is robust and has an amazing machined precision. Many 21st century high-tech manufacturers would marvel at the exactness and quality of this razor head. The fact that this razor has lasted for generations speaks to its craftsmanship, quality, and exactness.

The Shave

For this first run, as I did with the other Gem razors’ first shaves, I stayed with Proraso Green shaving soap and the Vikings Blade White Knight synthetic brush. I wanted to be as consistent as possible when comparing the 1912 to these other Gem razors. For a few Gem Micromatic shaves, I may have used a Semogue 1800 boar brush, but that’s a minor point. Making sure the lather was the same each time was more important, in my humble opinion.

After doing a face lather, I dropped a brand new Ted Pella blade into the razor head. I was impressed at blade alignment. The blade seated precisely and evenly. The razor’s capping head snapped down securely.

I was ready to go.

I didn't know what to expect. Aggressive? Mild? Rough? Smooth? Efficient? Inadequate?

The first shaving stroke was long, smooth and close. Like most Gem razors, I was able to start at about mid ear level and, with a light touch, let the razor fall downward along the face passing over my jaw line and finishing at the bottom of my neck. When shaving, I do vary the stroke from long to short. But with a Gem, those long strokes just naturally happen. I had no problem finding the proper shaving angle. The audio feedback was oh so characteristic of a Gem safety razor. I could hear the blade cutting whiskers at the skin's dermal level. This audio feedback allowed me to dial in the correct shaving angle throughout the shave.

The Gem 1912 offered a first pass WTG shave unrivaled by any other safety razor I’ve used up to this date. I realize that with traditional wet shaving, it takes multiple passes to knock down the beard. Usually, it’s expected that the first pass will leave some stray whiskers. The second XTG pass really gets things clean and smooth. The third ATG pass rewards you with a BBS shave. However, the 1912 gave me a much closer first pass shave than other razors. So much so that the SECOND pass resulted in a shave bordering on BBS. And the unique takeaway is, the razor exhibited no aggressiveness at all. It was pure efficiency and smoothness. What manner of sorcery is this?

As mentioned earlier, the razor head and how it screws onto the handle gives it a rather unique look. The razor head, when viewed from the side has a shape akin to the letter “C.” The handle screws into the bottom of this “C.” The top part of the “C” is where one finds the actual razor head. While this design certainly harkens back to the era and year (1912) when the razor was first introduced, it lacks some streamlining for shaving in tight areas. However, for most wet shavers, the only tight area is under the nose. Getting those little bits of hair below the nostrils only becomes a concern when doing a WTG NTS pass with the 1912. The razor head’s overall height blocks the proper angle when trying to shave under the nose. But this is true for most Gem razors. Gem recognized this slight shortcoming. In their brochures and product information leaflets that I’ve seen online, they instructed wet shavers to simply shave XTG when maneuvering under the nose. This is not uncommon. Even with today’s razors, like the Merkur Futur, the solution is the same. Do a XTG shave under the nose near the nostril area. However, to be fair, most DE shaving videos instruct the shaver to move the nose out of the way. Simply grab or push the bulb of the nose to the side and out of the way, thus allowing the razor head to comfortably reach underneath. So, if you're one to move the nose with one hand and shave with the other, then the point is moot and the 1912 has no shortcomings. Nonetheless, it still needs to be mentioned.

However, I discovered that when maneuvering to get those nostril hairs, it was more efficient to do an ATG pass and a bit of blade buffing on the upper lip. Most razors (with the exception of very few) do not give me a smooth ATG shave on the upper lip. The result is more often a weeper or two and even a nick. So, with other razors, I avoided doing an ATG pass on the upper lip and near the nostril. I opted for the XTG pass. The Gem 1912 just changed all that! (It'll be interesting to try an ATG pass on the upper lip with the other Gem razors in my arsenal. I didn’t need to do this kind of pass as those razor heads are a bit more streamlined).

Given its efficiency and unrivaled close shave which negates all irritation, the Gem 1912 could quickly become my go-to razor. Certainly, this razor can be used in the morning for a day at the office and again in the evening for a night on the town without any fear of developing redness or irritation from overuse. The 1912 is simply that good!

I now understand why so many B&B members love this razor. To be succinct, you don’t use the Gem 1912, you embrace it.

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Great review Mark, I love it when a shaver discover the beauties of a SE razor. You my friend have definitely done so in fine fashion.

Has the Gem 1912 took the Futur spot on your stand?

Smooth shaves
 
Great review Mark, I love it when a shaver discover the beauties of a SE razor. You my friend have definitely done so in fine fashion.

Has the Gem 1912 took the Futur spot on your stand?

Smooth shaves

Thank you, Derrick.:)

Futur? What's a Futur?:):)

Seriously, I still have the Futur and pulled it out once in the last couple of weeks. I was going out for the evening and wanted to do a very mild cleanup. So, I set it to the lowest setting of 1. Had I had the 1912 at that time, I doubt I would've used the Futur.:)
 
Great review. I can't wait to take my 1912 on it's maiden voyage. BTW how does it compare to the MMOC? I'm guessing milder but very efficient.
 
Okay, just as an update, I used the MMCP twice yesterday. Morning and evening shaves. I worked out and had to shower off a bit, so I decided to do a cleanup shave. This is rather unusual because normally, the MMCP shave lasts until it's time for me to turn in.:) I had a Ted Pella blade loaded. By the second shave, I had some tugging and pulling. I suspect that the Ted Pella blades may not be that consistent. Or perhaps I just got a bum blade?

This morning I grabbed my Gem 1912 and popped in a GEM Personna Stainless Steel blade. A much better result! Wow! Nice! However, I did have a small bit of irritation on my neck. I chalk this up to the previous evening's shave with the Ted Pella blade. Applying some Neutrogena Men's Razor Defense Post Shave Lotion (which they no longer make) really calmed things down. So, nothing major.

Or it could just be that previously using the Micromatic Bullet Tip (a MUCH milder razor) caused me to press a little more with the MMCP. I need to remember to use a light touch!

The 1912 is very forgiving.:) A good selection this AM!:) Love the 1912!:):)
 
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Okay, just as an update, I used the MMCP twice yesterday. Morning and evening shaves. I worked out and had to shower off a bit, so I decided to do a cleanup shave. This is rather unusual because normally, the MMCP shave lasts until it's time for me to turn in.:) I had a Ted Pella blade loaded. By the second shave, I had some tugging and pulling. I suspect that the Ted Pella blades may not be that consistent. Or perhaps I just got a bum blade?

This morning I grabbed my Gem 1912 and popped in a GEM Personna Stainless Steel blade. A much better result! Wow! Nice! However, I did have a small bit of irritation on my neck. I chalk this up to the previous evening's shave with the Ted Pella blade. Applying some Neutrogena Men's Razor Defense Post Shave Lotion (which they no longer make) really calmed things down. So, nothing major.

Or it could just be that previously using the Micromatic Bullet Tip (a MUCH milder razor) caused me to press a little more with the MMCP. I need to remember to use a light touch!

The 1912 is very forgiving.:) A good selection this AM!:) Love the 1912!:):)

Probably a bum blade. Ted Pella is just a reseller to the medical community, the blades come off the same production lines as the other GEM/Personna/PAL SE blades.
 
Could also be that your face adapts to a particular razor and when you change to another that is considerably different it takes some time to re-adjust. I don't use the MMOC that often but when I do, I've noticed it takes several shaves to get a normal comfortable shave with it, after not using it for a while. Some of that might be an adjustment of technique, prep, and I almost always put in a fresh blade when changing to a different razor. As many have pointed out the first shave on a new blade is not always the best.
 
Or it could just be that previously using the Micromatic Bullet Tip (a MUCH milder razor) caused me to press a little more with the MMCP. I need to remember to use a light touch!

I use every GEM razor with the same light touch, I don't compensate for mildness, if I want more efficient, I pick up the more efficient GEM razors!
 
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