Hi gents, there's not a lot of information around in the differences between these two razors, if any. Both 1912 design, both curved caps, both open combs. How are they distinct?
Gem De Luxe vs open comb Damaskeene 1912
- Thread starter alexanderoverseas
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I have an example of each - the De Luxe has a longer handle, which is hollow and open on the end to accept a stropper attachment. The "regular" 1912 OC Damaskeene has a shorter, solid handle. I havent' weighed them, but the De Luxe seems lighter and, to me, is a tad less efficient than the heavier 1912 OC.
Regardless of which one you have, they perform better with the modern Gem blade shimmed. I use two stacked (and dulled) injector blades as shims for my SE razors that take Gem blades.
Regardless of which one you have, they perform better with the modern Gem blade shimmed. I use two stacked (and dulled) injector blades as shims for my SE razors that take Gem blades.
You can also use a spine off a used blade, most the time i only use a half spine
Salty, could you perhaps show us a pic or two of how you do this type of shimming? I don't understand what you are doing and I'm curious.
I'll try and put up a pic or two later today.
If you've ever seen an original GEM blade, the first thing that jumps out at you is how much thicker the spine is on the old ones. Even ones from the late 1950s have thicker spines than the modern blade. This means that the blade angle is affected slightly by the lack of the thicker spine. The shim is used to replace the lost thickness. I stack two injector blades together and place them at the back of the blade bed where the Gem's spine will rest, then install the blade. You can also use a half-spine from a de-spined modern blade. I use the injector blades because I tend to mangle the half-spine as I break it free from the other half.
If you've ever seen an original GEM blade, the first thing that jumps out at you is how much thicker the spine is on the old ones. Even ones from the late 1950s have thicker spines than the modern blade. This means that the blade angle is affected slightly by the lack of the thicker spine. The shim is used to replace the lost thickness. I stack two injector blades together and place them at the back of the blade bed where the Gem's spine will rest, then install the blade. You can also use a half-spine from a de-spined modern blade. I use the injector blades because I tend to mangle the half-spine as I break it free from the other half.
Ok, here are a few pics re shimming.
First, four GEM-style blades - a GEM Damaskeene, Ever Ready from a cased 1914, a GEM Micromatic from a cased Featherweight circa 1950s, and a modern Gem PTFE blade:
Here are the blades in the same order from the side - note the differences in thickness:
Here is a shim made from two Schick injector blades glued together:
Shim loaded in blade bed:
Unshimmed GEM PTFE blade:
Original Damaskeene blade:
Shimmed GEM PTFE blade:
The difference is slight, but noticeable in the shave. Consider that these side views must be taken with the cap open and therefore no downward pressure is being applied. I didn't take the time to fix the razor in the same position for each pic, so bear that in mind as well. You can get a great shave with an unshimmed blade, but razors designed for the older blades really shine with a shimmed blade. Same for the Micromatics, especially the early MMOC without the bumps.
First, four GEM-style blades - a GEM Damaskeene, Ever Ready from a cased 1914, a GEM Micromatic from a cased Featherweight circa 1950s, and a modern Gem PTFE blade:
Here are the blades in the same order from the side - note the differences in thickness:
Here is a shim made from two Schick injector blades glued together:
Shim loaded in blade bed:
Unshimmed GEM PTFE blade:
Original Damaskeene blade:
Shimmed GEM PTFE blade:
The difference is slight, but noticeable in the shave. Consider that these side views must be taken with the cap open and therefore no downward pressure is being applied. I didn't take the time to fix the razor in the same position for each pic, so bear that in mind as well. You can get a great shave with an unshimmed blade, but razors designed for the older blades really shine with a shimmed blade. Same for the Micromatics, especially the early MMOC without the bumps.
Nice.
Thanks for taking the time to do that.
Thanks for taking the time to do that.
Great information !
Not sure I'll actually do it but it's nice to see what you are talking about.
Brother Salty,
I don't necessarily disagree with your thoughts on shimming an older SE razor, but may I play the Devil's advocate for a moment?
Wouldn't slightly raising the handle of an un-shimmed but loaded SE razor, equate to a shimmed razor, as far as the angle of the cutting edge of the blade on the face is concerned?
I don't necessarily disagree with your thoughts on shimming an older SE razor, but may I play the Devil's advocate for a moment?
Wouldn't slightly raising the handle of an un-shimmed but loaded SE razor, equate to a shimmed razor, as far as the angle of the cutting edge of the blade on the face is concerned?
I suppose it could, but shimming seems easier than trying to compensate manually by adjusting the shave angle. One less thing to think about.
- Thread starter
- #13
My OC Damaskeene has the longer, hollow handle too. Other than the handle, any difference with the shave?
I find the heavier version with the short, solid handle to be better at getting my trouble spots. I have to work a bit harder with the De Luxe to get a BBS shave.
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