The only GEM I have is my grandfather's push button.... but I really do enjoy shaving with it!
Gem Razor Models
- Thread starter Ron R
- Start date
- Thread starter
- #302
Ron R
I survived a lathey foreman
Gem is a surviver because their products are very good and have had to change hands a few times but they still make excellent razor blades and the old models are a test to quality that can still be bought for a very reasonable price at Antique stores or on line. Personna(remnants of ASR) still manufactures SE,DE, disposable razors and medical & industrial blades.
Some more History of GEM!
https://www.washingtonpost.com/arch...gs/22ab9fab-6766-481a-abba-72c1d3be980d/?utm_
American Safety Razor Cuts Corporate Strings
By Jerry S. Knight
October 23, 1977
"Big companies don't breed entrepreneurs." said John Baker, president of America Safety Razor. "They don't encourage you to take risks."
After nine years with Philip Morris, Inc., and more years than what with General Electric, Baker an eight co-workers are learning to be entreprenuers.
They've taken a $16 million risk by buying the company they work for, American Safety Razor, from Philip Morris which decided there was more money to be made in cigarettes and beer than in razor blades.
The apprentice entrepreneurs, all former corporate climbers, bought out their old bosses effective Oct. 1, using a package of low-cost government financing, high-interest bank loans, and $600,000 of their own money.
"None of us is rich; we've worked for salaries all our lives," said Richard Bonin, vice president, operations. For Bonin, raising his investment "meant selling stock, selling out my interest in a partnership, and taking out a $25,000 second mortgage on my house - and I've got three kids in schoolThat's typical of the way the members of the American Safety Razor management got their money, and American Safety Razor is typical of the trend toward employees buying their business, said John R. Davis, the San Francisco investment banker who put the deal together.
Davis is vice president of Bangert, Dawes. Reade, Davis and Thom. Inc. Since 1975 when they helped employees of South Bend Lathe Co. buy their firm from Amsted, Inc., the company has helped workers from half a dozen firms become their own bosses.
The companies, all of which were in danger of closing when the employees took over, have survived and prospered as employee-managed and crowd businesses, said Davis.
An employee takeover can work because the people who buy the company are the ones who run it, said Baker. "We've running for our selves," not for a big company that has a questionable commitment to the business, he explained.
Philip Morris once had hoped that its razor blade division could challenge Gillette and Shick for dominance in the $300-to $400-million-a-year shaving market with its Personna, Gem, Blue Star and the Flicker women's razor.
Investments in new machinery during the 1960s and early '70s enabled the plant in Verona, a suburb of Staunton, to turn out baldes as good as anybody's. American Safety Razor became the Number One supplier (annual sales were $10 million) of industrial cutting edges for clothing, carpet and other uses, the Number Two company ($1 million a year) in disposible surgical blades, and a major supplier of private-label razor blades.
But with an advertising budget one-tenth the size of Gillette's, the company never captured more than 12 or 14 per cent of the total market. Total sales last year hit $42 million and profits regularly ran in the range of $1 million to $1.5 million.
As Philip Morris grew, the razor blade business became less important, amounting to barely 1 per cent of corporate revenues. It was no secret the firm was looking for a buyer.
Last year a likely prospect came along. Bic, the French maker of cheap ballpoints and disposable lighters, wanted to market a throwaway razor in the United States.
"They came to us as a supplier of blades." recalled Bonin, head man at Staunton plant. "But we all suspected there was more to it than that." Baron Marcel Bich - whose hobbies included piloting the French America's Cup challenger - came to Staunton: Staunton staffers went to France and last December a marriage was proposed.
Philip Morris would sell for $16765 million and Bic would enter the American shaving market with its own plant a full product line and plenty of money."We finally had someone to compete with Gillette." said Bonin. Everyone was happy.
Everyone but the Federal Trade Commission As FIC lawyers saw it, the deal was not strengthening competition in the razor blade business, it was stifling it. The government contended the acquisition would reduce the number of blade makers from five - Gillette, Shick, Wilkinson Sword, American and Bic - to four.
Bic argued tht it couldn't be considered a part of the market because it had yet to sell its first razor in America and the acquisition would turn an alsoran in razor blades into the leading contender. Philip Morris lawyers said the company had been trying for years to unload the blades business; if Bic couldn't buy it, nobody else would either. If it couldn't be sold, the division sooner ot later would be liquidated, they warned.
The FTC was adament; the deal was off.
hat was in February, a bleak time in Staunton. The demoralized sales force - facing the likelihood of losing jobs if the company were sold to Bic and the certainty of losing them if it were liquidated - simply stopped selling.
Five consecutive years of profits melted into red ink. The layoffs were massive: Ninety-four salaried workers were permanently cut, 175 hourly workers were laid off indefintely, and the 100-man sales staff was slashed to 30.
Philip Morris made its threat to close the division an order, telling Baker to plan for an orderly run-through of inventories and termination of the business within three or four years unless another buyer could be found.
One competitor openly set up an interviewing office in a local motel; even Baker and Bonin were offered other jobs. "Knowing I was still marketable at 51 was about the only thing encouraging that happened," recalled Bonin.
Several potential purchasers said "no thanks," and efforts to find financing to allow the management to buy the company were fruitless until Baker got a phone call from Davis. The San Francisco investment banker had read about the company and thought it looked like a candidate for an employee buy-out.
When Philip Morris said it would sell, at the price offered by Bic, and gave the managers permission to pursue the deal on company time, a management team to buy and run the company was assembled.
Besides Baker and Bonin, the group includes J. Gray Ferguson, 39, vice president, manufacturing; Robert H. Ford, 48, vice president and field sales manager, Allan D. Goldenberg, 38, vice president and director of sales; Thomas W. Greene, 36, vice president and field sales manager, Paul H. Johnson, 49, vice president and director of field sales; Martin Lightsay, 34, vice president, engineering and Peter A. Milone, 56, vice president, marketing.
For Goldenberg, the opportunity meant becoming his own boss in the only job he'd ever had and a chance to own a piece of "the family firm."
"I'd worked here for 15 years. My father worked for the company for 42 years and my mother for 15 years. I only wish my father had lived long enough to see it," he said.
The nine men formed a company and called it CIB - the opposite of Bic - because at that time the name American Safety Razor belonged to Philip Morris. When the deal was signed on Oct. 1 and the name acquired, the lawyers began paperwork to change the name to American Safety Razor Co.
Davis arranged the financing on a contingency fee basis. He and his clients declined to discuss the amount.
In an interview last week when he was an in Staunton, Davis said his company usually is hired by firms that want to sell an underproductive operation or dispose of a line of business not closely related to other enterprises. This case was different because Philip Morris did not instigate the sale to the employees.
There are two ways to go with a company like American Safety Razor, he explained. A small management group can buy it, using some equity capital and a lot of loans, or the entire work force can acquire it through a trust and a federally guaranteed Employee Stock Ownership Plan.
In either case, relatively little "hard money" is required, Davis is said, though most deals do not match the 25-1 leverage of the American Safety Razor management buyers.
The nine men raised a total $600,000, and much of that had to be borrowed. Bonin declined to specify the size of the individual investments, but said no one owns more than 25 per cent of the company.
If the buyers' life savings were the conerstone of the deal, federal financing was the keystone - a $6 million loan through the Economic Development Authority, which finances business development in areas of high unemployment. The 450 layoffs at American Safety Razor and the threat of more lost jobs if the plant closed qualified the Staunton area for the money. The federal government granted funds to the state, which then made a 25'year loan at 3 per cent interest to the company. A similar program provided another loan of $250,000 at the same terms.
Private financing came dear - 3 3/4 per cent over prime for a 7 1/2 year loan of $3 million, plus a $6 million line of credit. Inventories were drawn down since the company was evaluated for the Bic sale, so little of the credit line has been needed, Baker said.
Because the interest charges are so high, Davis already is seeking new financing. "That's typical," he said. "You get the company going and showing some profits and then you look for a better deal."
Baker said the company is operating profitably. "We knew it would; we knew it had to or we would run through our money darn fast," he said.
Some more History of GEM!
https://www.washingtonpost.com/arch...gs/22ab9fab-6766-481a-abba-72c1d3be980d/?utm_
American Safety Razor Cuts Corporate Strings
By Jerry S. Knight
October 23, 1977
"Big companies don't breed entrepreneurs." said John Baker, president of America Safety Razor. "They don't encourage you to take risks."
After nine years with Philip Morris, Inc., and more years than what with General Electric, Baker an eight co-workers are learning to be entreprenuers.
They've taken a $16 million risk by buying the company they work for, American Safety Razor, from Philip Morris which decided there was more money to be made in cigarettes and beer than in razor blades.
The apprentice entrepreneurs, all former corporate climbers, bought out their old bosses effective Oct. 1, using a package of low-cost government financing, high-interest bank loans, and $600,000 of their own money.
"None of us is rich; we've worked for salaries all our lives," said Richard Bonin, vice president, operations. For Bonin, raising his investment "meant selling stock, selling out my interest in a partnership, and taking out a $25,000 second mortgage on my house - and I've got three kids in schoolThat's typical of the way the members of the American Safety Razor management got their money, and American Safety Razor is typical of the trend toward employees buying their business, said John R. Davis, the San Francisco investment banker who put the deal together.
Davis is vice president of Bangert, Dawes. Reade, Davis and Thom. Inc. Since 1975 when they helped employees of South Bend Lathe Co. buy their firm from Amsted, Inc., the company has helped workers from half a dozen firms become their own bosses.
The companies, all of which were in danger of closing when the employees took over, have survived and prospered as employee-managed and crowd businesses, said Davis.
An employee takeover can work because the people who buy the company are the ones who run it, said Baker. "We've running for our selves," not for a big company that has a questionable commitment to the business, he explained.
Philip Morris once had hoped that its razor blade division could challenge Gillette and Shick for dominance in the $300-to $400-million-a-year shaving market with its Personna, Gem, Blue Star and the Flicker women's razor.
Investments in new machinery during the 1960s and early '70s enabled the plant in Verona, a suburb of Staunton, to turn out baldes as good as anybody's. American Safety Razor became the Number One supplier (annual sales were $10 million) of industrial cutting edges for clothing, carpet and other uses, the Number Two company ($1 million a year) in disposible surgical blades, and a major supplier of private-label razor blades.
But with an advertising budget one-tenth the size of Gillette's, the company never captured more than 12 or 14 per cent of the total market. Total sales last year hit $42 million and profits regularly ran in the range of $1 million to $1.5 million.
As Philip Morris grew, the razor blade business became less important, amounting to barely 1 per cent of corporate revenues. It was no secret the firm was looking for a buyer.
Last year a likely prospect came along. Bic, the French maker of cheap ballpoints and disposable lighters, wanted to market a throwaway razor in the United States.
"They came to us as a supplier of blades." recalled Bonin, head man at Staunton plant. "But we all suspected there was more to it than that." Baron Marcel Bich - whose hobbies included piloting the French America's Cup challenger - came to Staunton: Staunton staffers went to France and last December a marriage was proposed.
Philip Morris would sell for $16765 million and Bic would enter the American shaving market with its own plant a full product line and plenty of money."We finally had someone to compete with Gillette." said Bonin. Everyone was happy.
Everyone but the Federal Trade Commission As FIC lawyers saw it, the deal was not strengthening competition in the razor blade business, it was stifling it. The government contended the acquisition would reduce the number of blade makers from five - Gillette, Shick, Wilkinson Sword, American and Bic - to four.
Bic argued tht it couldn't be considered a part of the market because it had yet to sell its first razor in America and the acquisition would turn an alsoran in razor blades into the leading contender. Philip Morris lawyers said the company had been trying for years to unload the blades business; if Bic couldn't buy it, nobody else would either. If it couldn't be sold, the division sooner ot later would be liquidated, they warned.
The FTC was adament; the deal was off.
hat was in February, a bleak time in Staunton. The demoralized sales force - facing the likelihood of losing jobs if the company were sold to Bic and the certainty of losing them if it were liquidated - simply stopped selling.
Five consecutive years of profits melted into red ink. The layoffs were massive: Ninety-four salaried workers were permanently cut, 175 hourly workers were laid off indefintely, and the 100-man sales staff was slashed to 30.
Philip Morris made its threat to close the division an order, telling Baker to plan for an orderly run-through of inventories and termination of the business within three or four years unless another buyer could be found.
One competitor openly set up an interviewing office in a local motel; even Baker and Bonin were offered other jobs. "Knowing I was still marketable at 51 was about the only thing encouraging that happened," recalled Bonin.
Several potential purchasers said "no thanks," and efforts to find financing to allow the management to buy the company were fruitless until Baker got a phone call from Davis. The San Francisco investment banker had read about the company and thought it looked like a candidate for an employee buy-out.
When Philip Morris said it would sell, at the price offered by Bic, and gave the managers permission to pursue the deal on company time, a management team to buy and run the company was assembled.
Besides Baker and Bonin, the group includes J. Gray Ferguson, 39, vice president, manufacturing; Robert H. Ford, 48, vice president and field sales manager, Allan D. Goldenberg, 38, vice president and director of sales; Thomas W. Greene, 36, vice president and field sales manager, Paul H. Johnson, 49, vice president and director of field sales; Martin Lightsay, 34, vice president, engineering and Peter A. Milone, 56, vice president, marketing.
For Goldenberg, the opportunity meant becoming his own boss in the only job he'd ever had and a chance to own a piece of "the family firm."
"I'd worked here for 15 years. My father worked for the company for 42 years and my mother for 15 years. I only wish my father had lived long enough to see it," he said.
The nine men formed a company and called it CIB - the opposite of Bic - because at that time the name American Safety Razor belonged to Philip Morris. When the deal was signed on Oct. 1 and the name acquired, the lawyers began paperwork to change the name to American Safety Razor Co.
Davis arranged the financing on a contingency fee basis. He and his clients declined to discuss the amount.
In an interview last week when he was an in Staunton, Davis said his company usually is hired by firms that want to sell an underproductive operation or dispose of a line of business not closely related to other enterprises. This case was different because Philip Morris did not instigate the sale to the employees.
There are two ways to go with a company like American Safety Razor, he explained. A small management group can buy it, using some equity capital and a lot of loans, or the entire work force can acquire it through a trust and a federally guaranteed Employee Stock Ownership Plan.
In either case, relatively little "hard money" is required, Davis is said, though most deals do not match the 25-1 leverage of the American Safety Razor management buyers.
The nine men raised a total $600,000, and much of that had to be borrowed. Bonin declined to specify the size of the individual investments, but said no one owns more than 25 per cent of the company.
If the buyers' life savings were the conerstone of the deal, federal financing was the keystone - a $6 million loan through the Economic Development Authority, which finances business development in areas of high unemployment. The 450 layoffs at American Safety Razor and the threat of more lost jobs if the plant closed qualified the Staunton area for the money. The federal government granted funds to the state, which then made a 25'year loan at 3 per cent interest to the company. A similar program provided another loan of $250,000 at the same terms.
Private financing came dear - 3 3/4 per cent over prime for a 7 1/2 year loan of $3 million, plus a $6 million line of credit. Inventories were drawn down since the company was evaluated for the Bic sale, so little of the credit line has been needed, Baker said.
Because the interest charges are so high, Davis already is seeking new financing. "That's typical," he said. "You get the company going and showing some profits and then you look for a better deal."
Baker said the company is operating profitably. "We knew it would; we knew it had to or we would run through our money darn fast," he said.
That's pretty cool that they could save the company in that way.
Interesting article. Thank you for sharing it!
- Thread starter
- #305
Ron R
I survived a lathey foreman
It's called Accutec now and is prospering with a expansion on their existing plant not that long ago and they have a huge line of products in the blade business for all aspects of cutting different materials(and of coarse shaving).
Blades maker to expand Augusta County plant Industries | Virginia Business
Good read. 
Lots of interesting things in that article. Makes it a lot clearer that Accutec is not at all in the business of distributing shaving products to consumers, just to the barber/beauty market, and they fulfill contract manufacturing orders from Edgewell for single edge blades that are sold through Edgewell retail channels. The single edge blades are probably in the same catalog as the Wilkinson Sword Classic and Personna red DE blades, and Schick injector blades along with the whole Schick line of cartridge and disposable razors.
I never noticed before yesterday, but when you buy a pack of Gem stainless blades in the 10-pack dispenser, the dispenser is stamped Accutec Blades.
How fortunate that the makers of the various medical and lab slicers and dicers designed their equipment to use the standard SE shaving blades of the day - those customers are what keep the production lines going so a few of us can use the blades "off-label" in Grandpa's razors.
Really good article. Thanks.
- Thread starter
- #310
Ron R
I survived a lathey foreman
GEM blades, you just bought a nice GEM single edge razor and looking for a blade. There is not a lot of selection for these blades and that can be a blessing or possibly a hindrance to some folks.
Basically you can go surgical stainless steel or carbon steel. Myself I like the Gem Personna SS PTFE blade but a lot of the old timers like carbon blade, their thinking they are smoother.
This is what the GEM blades are ground and stropped at to make this great blade work so well. The blades are approximately 3 times thicker than a DE blade so the edge has more steel backing the fine cutting area making it last longer IMO.
The Gem Personna SS PTFE blade made by ACCUTEC & is a great blade that will not rust and can be purchased at local drug stores and on line and has good blade life.
The Gem Blue star is a carbon blade MFG by ACCUTEC and is liked for smoothness and has limited blade life, dry after using to prevent rusting the edge.
Treet was once independent MFG and had a good carbon blade and is made by ACCUTEC now so it has good quality control but is scarcer to find.
Pal carbon steel blades are harder to find and were at one time a reasonable blade but the quality is in question by some users from my limited research when company was going through a tough spell and could be manufactured by a new company now.
So what blade do you use and were to get a reasonable price, you might want to buy start by buying a five or ten pack locally and try them out and then buy a larger quantity to keep costs in line with DE per shave. I started with the GEM SS PTFE blade and I think that is a excellent blade and living in Canada I'm forced to purchase on line so I use Connaught and their prices make it affordable for me to enjoy this great blade. In the USA you can still buy locally and it's getting harder to find them so folks can buy on line also.
The GEM SS PTFE is a very sharp blade and folks find them a little harsh at first (1st or 2nd shave)so what I have done is use a milder GEM razor for the first few shaves and then go to the more aggressive GEM Razors and that has worked well for myself but I have put brand new into the MMOC and had no issues when technique is dialed in. GEM mild razors will give any razor out there a run for quality shaves so don't get thinking they are not good razors- they will give a person with good technique CCS-BBs shaves consistently from my experiences and hardly any irritation unless you have the odd pimple you scalped.
So if you are looking for a good quality shave in SE you might want to go vintage or modern(ATT-G1 ,Blackland Sabre or PAA Starling)razors and knowing there are blades available for these razors at reasonable prices in bulk or small quantities.
DO NOT USE HARDWARE STORE BLADES, they are not refined for shaving!
Have some great shaves!
Basically you can go surgical stainless steel or carbon steel. Myself I like the Gem Personna SS PTFE blade but a lot of the old timers like carbon blade, their thinking they are smoother.
This is what the GEM blades are ground and stropped at to make this great blade work so well. The blades are approximately 3 times thicker than a DE blade so the edge has more steel backing the fine cutting area making it last longer IMO. The Gem Personna SS PTFE blade made by ACCUTEC & is a great blade that will not rust and can be purchased at local drug stores and on line and has good blade life. The Gem Blue star is a carbon blade MFG by ACCUTEC and is liked for smoothness and has limited blade life, dry after using to prevent rusting the edge. Treet was once independent MFG and had a good carbon blade and is made by ACCUTEC now so it has good quality control but is scarcer to find. Pal carbon steel blades are harder to find and were at one time a reasonable blade but the quality is in question by some users from my limited research when company was going through a tough spell and could be manufactured by a new company now.So what blade do you use and were to get a reasonable price, you might want to buy start by buying a five or ten pack locally and try them out and then buy a larger quantity to keep costs in line with DE per shave. I started with the GEM SS PTFE blade and I think that is a excellent blade and living in Canada I'm forced to purchase on line so I use Connaught and their prices make it affordable for me to enjoy this great blade. In the USA you can still buy locally and it's getting harder to find them so folks can buy on line also.
The GEM SS PTFE is a very sharp blade and folks find them a little harsh at first (1st or 2nd shave)so what I have done is use a milder GEM razor for the first few shaves and then go to the more aggressive GEM Razors and that has worked well for myself but I have put brand new into the MMOC and had no issues when technique is dialed in. GEM mild razors will give any razor out there a run for quality shaves so don't get thinking they are not good razors- they will give a person with good technique CCS-BBs shaves consistently from my experiences and hardly any irritation unless you have the odd pimple you scalped.
So if you are looking for a good quality shave in SE you might want to go vintage or modern(ATT-G1 ,Blackland Sabre or PAA Starling)razors and knowing there are blades available for these razors at reasonable prices in bulk or small quantities.
DO NOT USE HARDWARE STORE BLADES, they are not refined for shaving!
Have some great shaves!
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That’s a great write up. Thanks!
I definitely like the stainless steel blades versus the carbon blades. Sure, the carbon blades are smooth, but those stainless steel blades keep going. I’ve pushed a Gem Personna ss to 10 shaves and it still gave a decent shave.
Gems are fantastic razors in my view and I find them superior to DEs in many ways. Everyone should have at least one in the den.
- Thread starter
- #313
Ron R
I survived a lathey foreman
Well it seems mine is, I can receive a Bbs with a 3 pass + clean up with the G bar and receive a irritation free shave at the same time where as the other mild GEM models the same results are accomplished in 2 passes with a clean up.
It really boils down to were the blade keepers are placed on the base plate IMO, it is a beautiful looking razor and handles well also.
Have some great GEM shaves!
Accutec still makes the Pal blades, I just bought a 100 box for a low price. I suspect they're not going to be easy to find for a reasonable price in retail packs.
I intend to get a pack of the regular carbon steel blades to compare one of these days (I imagine the Gem Blue Star, CVS, and Treet blades are probably all the same blade now) but the one Pal blade I tried gave me the quality of shave I'd expect from an uncoated carbon steel blade. It was fine, though a Teflon-coated blade would obviously be smoother.
Pharmapacks sells the Treet branded packs on eBay for a very reasonable price right now, as long as you buy multiple packs at a time.
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I have to G bars and they did not shave the same initially. One was quite aggressive and the other was mild. There did not appear to be any damage to either of them to account for the difference. I tweaked the blade stops on the aggressive one and toned down the aggressiveness so both now shave equally nice.
- Thread starter
- #316
Ron R
I survived a lathey foreman
Good to hear the brand name is still alive, Accutec will make sure the quality standard stays high and carbon steel blades are well and alive in the Pal brand. Some times they might do a different grind on a blade and brand owners want that known.
OK, we are on the blades!
AMERICAN SAFETY RAZOR CO. label vs AccuTEC Blades, Inc.
All my blades came from BST. Got these two clear dispensers with my gold (brass) MMOC, the gray dispenser came along with my chrome MMOC:
The AccuTEC appears to be the product that is currently in stores. Is it too late to use the ASRs? Or should I try one from a clear pack next?
I’ve only used 1 blade out of the AccuTEC pack.
I also have a vintage Treet and a few boxed vintage Gems, but I’m not opening those.
AMERICAN SAFETY RAZOR CO. label vs AccuTEC Blades, Inc.
All my blades came from BST. Got these two clear dispensers with my gold (brass) MMOC, the gray dispenser came along with my chrome MMOC:
The AccuTEC appears to be the product that is currently in stores. Is it too late to use the ASRs? Or should I try one from a clear pack next?
I’ve only used 1 blade out of the AccuTEC pack.
I also have a vintage Treet and a few boxed vintage Gems, but I’m not opening those.
Certainly not, there's nothing to cause those blades to degrade if they're not stored underwater. Enjoy them.
- Thread starter
- #319
Ron R
I survived a lathey foreman
I think you will know once you start using them if they are worthy, the carbon blades will deteriorate regardless over time because of humidity in the air IMO(unless they have a special paper or wax coating for preserving). You can put a drop of gun oil on the edges to help prolong the edge. I just recently purchased some Schick blades and they had a fine oil on the blade I noticed and that is special surgical stainless just to keep them at their best. Keep them dry and that will prolong the life of any blade regardless. Water is the enemy of any blade regardless if it is stainless or carbon, some just work a little better in moisture while in use. It gets really scientific when you get into metallurgical metal properties and that is not really what a person really wants to know when shaving IMO.
I just got a GEM Junior with a fat Bakelite handle today in the mail. I've saved up some whiskers & will give it a spin tomorrow with a new GEM coated stainless blade. It's like the day before Christmas for me! Lol
