Gem Razor Models

[Ron R]

First shave with the G-bar and it was OK with the Personna PTFE(teflon coated). I had to adjust slightly to modify my technique because I have been using DE for a while. The Personna PTFE blades are sharp and smooth enough for the shave and I will be using the different models for a while. I recieved a DFS>bbs just like my other shaving systems(2 tiny weepers), it is a neat way to shave to change things up if you like that.

 

[Ron R]

For the folks who have never used a Gem Micromatic or did not see a Operating phamplet with your Gem razor.
There are lots of You tube videos and forums that have nice photos or visual instructions, here is a photo of one if your curious.

 

[Ron R]

For the folks who have never used a Gem Micromatic or did not see a Operating phamplet with your Gem razor.
There are lots of You tube videos and forums that have nice photos or visual instructions, here is a photo of one if your curious.
View attachment 932846

 

[Ron R]

Tallships said: ↑
As the 1912 is only a gap of 58mm what makes it more aggressive than a Lightweight or Pushbutton ? Could it be blade exposure or openness of comb.
From another forum?
Some more follow up on your question about the GEM 1912 razor .
WOW, The GEM 1912 is a beautiful razor in appearance but believe me that razor has to be understood before the shave begins IMO.
I took out the Andonstar X500 usb microscope to see what was happening when I put a piece of credit card across the cap and guard with blade seated under some serious magnification , my observation became apparent to see that as the blade exposure becomes very serious as the razor becomes to a steeper inclination like ridding the guard.
You were right about 1912 being more aggressive compared to the Gem Featherweight, push button or the G-bar that are built to hold that blade more rigid.
The way to use the Gem 1912 is like very shallow approach like they suggest and slightly tilting to throttle the aggression as needed and should be fine. Getting to Steep a inclination is going to get a person into all kinds of nasty razor burn from scrapping the skin and nicks will increase IMO.
The other models mentioned do have some positive blade exposure as the inclination becomes steeper and so the operator throttles his desired aggressiveness by tilting the cap, the cap is more rigid and they have less exposure. The Micromatics or some later models are superior in design to the 1912 because they are very rigid and weighted well IMO.
The high lighted area on the Gem 1912 is when you will start to feel some aggression or on a greater steeper inclination.

 

[Droo78]

Good for you, they are one of the simplest designed razors and just give a great shave. I modified mine a little and if you get one great. They are very common and are found in Antique stores & flea markets also.They are mid range aggression and efficient if you want to know IMO.
View attachment 932055

I know this is a GEM related thread, but injectors were discussed.

@Ron R , Well I lost out on the E2 injector bid last week but I bid and won a razor lot tonight including 6 Schick Injectors and a Gillette Techmatic to round out the group. I'm not as proficient yet in dating Schick razors, but it should be fun and fun learning to shave properly with these once they arrive. Razors plus shipping totaled $19.17. I'll take that.

Here are some pictures from the seller.

 

[Ron R]

I know this is a GEM related thread, but injectors were discussed.

@Ron R , Well I lost out on the E2 injector bid last week but I bid and won a razor lot tonight including 6 Schick Injectors and a Gillette Techmatic to round out the group. I'm not as proficient yet in dating Schick razors, but it should be fun and fun learning to shave properly with these once they arrive. Razors plus shipping totaled $19.17. I'll take that.

Here are some pictures from the seller.

View attachment 933713 View attachment 933714

Good deal you got IMO , you have 2 E2 Schicks for sure, the two in the picture on the bottom left are E's for sure and the middle one I suspect is. The E2 have the wings on the side of the spring is how you tell, the other two on the right are G models and the one in the top left picture not i'm not sure. The adjustable on the top right in a Gillette techmatic that did not take (blast )off in sales. The techmatic was a stainless steel spool razor that the equivalent of 10 blades. From my limited research on the Techmatic because I bought one recently in a _bay lot also, the astronauts in the apollo space program used that model of razor above the earth.
When you get your razors and decide to use one of them make sure the blade is sitting nice and flat in it's seat when loaded. I have a rare E5 that was very aggressive and with closer inspection with a magnifier I noticed the blade over lots of blade changes had raised off the seat and lifted the blade front edge up on the blade keepers making a upward groove direction for the blade and that baby was aggressive.

 

[Droo78]

Good deal you got IMO , you have 2 E2 Schicks for sure, the two in the picture on the bottom left are E's for sure and the middle one I suspect is. The E2 have the wings on the side of the spring is how you tell, the other two on the right are G models and the one in the top left picture not i'm not sure. The adjustable on the top right in a Gillette techmatic that did not take (blast )off in sales. The techmatic was a stainless steel spool razor that the equivalent of 10 blades. From my limited research on the Techmatic because I bought one recently in a _bay lot also, the astronauts in the apollo space program used that model of razor above the earth.

Razor on top left of picture. J1?

 

[Droo78]

Good deal you got IMO , you have 2 E2 Schicks for sure, the two in the picture on the bottom left are E's for sure and the middle one I suspect is. The E2 have the wings on the side of the spring is how you tell, the other two on the right are G models and the one in the top left picture not i'm not sure. The adjustable on the top right in a Gillette techmatic that did not take (blast )off in sales. The techmatic was a stainless steel spool razor that the equivalent of 10 blades. From my limited research on the Techmatic because I bought one recently in a _bay lot also, the astronauts in the apollo space program used that model of razor above the earth.

Close up of the middle razor.

Another view. The middle dome looks flatter on the left one..

 

[Ron R]

Gem experiences with 5 different models!

Gem G bar razor.

Weight: 60 grams(2.12 oz)
Blade gap: .023 thousands of a inch (.58 mm)
Blade exposure: Positive slightly
Blade: Gem Personna stainless steel PTFE(very sharp blade, #1 & 2 shave could feel rough to some and then smooths out)
Overall handling: Good weight & good grip on handle, also easy to install blades with easy clean up afterwards.

-Good blade securement with four blade seats machined at the lather ports with a spring loaded cap that pushes blade forward into the front two blade keepers and enough pressure downwards to keep the blade safely held in place for a enjoyable shave we all want.

-Razor technique changes slightly compared to a standard Gillette razor , Shallow (ride the cap) angle of razor with light to neutral pressure with short strokes worked best for myself. Longer strokes of the razor did not work out for me.

-good razor for medium beard type like mine for a shave that should give a CCS> DFS>bbs range with the Personna SS PTFE blade.

-possible daily driver for certain beard types, for my medium beard type the GEM G bar would be a good choice IMO. Most of my shaves WTG 1st pass ,2nd pass XTG & ATG 3rd pass with a clean up for 1 week were giving results of CCS> DFS>bbs. BBS can be had on the cheeks easy and along the neck line DFS > bbs range with easy J hooking technique if a person desires. Buffing had no problems as the blade smoothed out IMO.

-some times XTG pass will help to knock the most stubble down around the chin area and then ATG pass was a lot smoother with no razor skipping.

- once you get your technique dialed in the Gem G bar is a joy to shave with IMO.

 

[tbone72]

I've been a dedicated double-edge man for going on 25 years now, almost all of that time with the same Merkur Progress razor, loaded with Merkur blades. This week I received a Gem Damaskeene that I bought on that well-known auction site at a good price; under $15 including a (really beat) original case. Lathered up this morning not expecting much...and proceeded to get the best shave of my life! I think I have a new daily driver, and I may never go back to DE. How come more wet shavers aren't into these single-edge razors, anyway? (That's a rhetorical question; I really don't want a bunch of competition for all the bargains out there!)

 

[Ron R]

I've been a dedicated double-edge man for going on 25 years now, almost all of that time with the same Merkur Progress razor, loaded with Merkur blades. This week I received a Gem Damaskeene that I bought on that well-known auction site at a good price; under $15 including a (really beat) original case. Lathered up this morning not expecting much...and proceeded to get the best shave of my life! I think I have a new daily driver, and I may never go back to DE. How come more wet shavers aren't into these single-edge razors, anyway? (That's a rhetorical question; I really don't want a bunch of competition for all the bargains out there!)

I have a 1912 and that is the next razor of 5 models that I purchased & I'm about to use for approx 1 week for testing, I had one shave with it already last week and i think it's a good razor also like you mentioned. The Gem Damsakeene was the key model to Gems success and newer generation models took some of it's strengths and built possibly some better razors like the micromatics that people really enjoy.
The 1912 is such a great looking razor and they were very popular IMO and sold more than likely millions. One thing that is interesting the blade gap on my 1912 (.023 thousands of a inch (.58 mm) and the Gem g bar, Feather weight and the push button have very similar blade gaps with in a +- .002 thousands of a inch and they also incorporated similar spring closing cap and blade tension system of the 1912 on the Gem G bar and Feather weight models.

 

[tbone72]

Wow...that's a good-looking razor you have there!
You aren't going to try to shave with that original blade, are you?

 

[Ron R]

Wow...that's a good-looking razor you have there!
You aren't going to try to shave with that original blade, are you?

I was thinking I could and I stropped that blade but time has made it to dull, It would not cut free standing hair on my arm which I test blades for sharpness if I'm going to use.

 

[Spang]

How come more wet shavers aren't into these single-edge razors, anyway? (That's a rhetorical question; I really don't want a bunch of competition for all the bargains out there!)

Bingo. The vintage Gem/Ever Ready single edge is one of the best safety razors ever devised, and the 1912 is perhaps the best all around design in the series. There is a reason why the basic 1912 was marketed and sold by American Safety Razor foe more than 40 years. ASR had a superior product, but they simply didn't have the marketing muscle to compete with Gillette, so the classic Gem SE went the way of the dodo. Their under appreciated status continues to the present. The good news outcome of that extinction story is that you can still get all of the old Gem SEs you want, and for a song. I recommend doing just that, as all of the Gems (and the Ever Readys, too) are excellent razors.

 

[Ron R]

I put a new Personna SS PTFE(teflon) coated blade corked once into my mint Gem 1912 and had one of my best shaves ever, this razor is almost 100yrs old will leave a lot of modern razors parked on the side lines when it comes to efficiency and not really over aggressive. Just a great close comfort shave with smoothness that is very good. I can see why they were in production for so long, A shave can not get any better IMO for my medium beard type with out removing the skin. My favorite Schick E2 has just met its SE big brother when it comes to efficiency! Lets see how it is for a daily driver? When efficiency gets high I go to a 2 pass WTG 1st and ATG 2nd and clean up is all that was needed DFS>BBS.

 

[tbone72]

I was thinking I could and I stropped that blade but time has made it to dull, It would not cut free standing hair on my arm which I test blades for sharpness if I'm going to use.

Well, hope you enjoy it. That one is almost too perfect to use!

 

[tbone72]

Bingo. The vintage Gem/Ever Ready single edge is one of the best safety razors ever devised, and the 1912 is perhaps the best all around design in the series. There is a reason why the basic 1912 was marketed and sold by American Safety Razor foe more than 40 years. ASR had a superior product, but they simply didn't have the marketing muscle to compete with Gillette, so the classic Gem SE went the way of the dodo. Their under appreciated status continues to the present. The good news outcome of that extinction story is that you can still get all of the old Gem SEs you want, and for a song. I recommend doing just that, as all of the Gems (and the Ever Readys, too) are excellent razors.

Great...now you're just encouraging my RAD

 

[tbone72]

I put a new Personna SS PTFE(teflon) coated blade corked once into my mint Gem 1912 and had one of my best shaves ever, this razor is almost 100yrs old will leave a lot of modern razors parked on the side lines when it comes to efficiency and not really over aggressive. Just a great close comfort shave with smoothness that is very good. I can see why they were in production for so long, A shave can not get any better IMO for my medium beard type with out removing the skin. My favorite Schick E2 has just met its SE big brother when it comes to efficiency! Lets see how it is for a daily driver? When efficiency gets high I go to a 2 pass WTG 1st and ATG 2nd and clean up is all that was needed DFS>BBS.

I haven't tried an injector razor; that may be my next step (after all, they are cheap and plentiful too!)
If you'll please excuse my ignorance, what do you mean by "corked once"?

 

[Droo78]

I put a new Personna SS PTFE(teflon) coated blade corked once into my mint Gem 1912 and had one of my best shaves ever, this razor is almost 100yrs old will leave a lot of modern razors parked on the side lines when it comes to efficiency and not really over aggressive. Just a great close comfort shave with smoothness that is very good. I can see why they were in production for so long, A shave can not get any better IMO for my medium beard type with out removing the skin. My favorite Schick E2 has just met its SE big brother when it comes to efficiency! Lets see how it is for a daily driver? When efficiency gets high I go to a 2 pass WTG 1st and ATG 2nd and clean up is all that was needed DFS>BBS.

That sounds like my kinda shave! Congrats.

 

[Ron R]

I haven't tried an injector razor; that may be my next step (after all, they are cheap and plentiful too!)
If you'll please excuse my ignorance, what do you mean by "corked once"?

I was over on another thread"Micromatic Monday" some one mentioned about the Gem Personna blade being a little rough on the first couple of shaves(they are very sharp IMO and will give a feather blade a run for it's money IMO). To smooth a blade out some of the old timers & this Greenhorn run the blade edge through a cork or Styrofoam about 1/8 deep along the length of the blade once only per side into the cork. I mentioned I would cork a blade to see how it would react, it does smooth it out a little but you will lose some coating no doubt and especially teflon which is soft. They coat a blade with Teflon to smooth it out also.
This from another forum I contribute to.

Corking is a controversial subject that is seldom used is my jest of it. I have used this method just recently to test on a blade that always starts out a little ruff and then becomes a great blade into about the 3-4 shave. The two common materials are cork and Styrofoam and I used cork for my blade. From my research lots of folks have tried it on feather blades and a few others.
The blade I tried it on was the Polsilver SI and just did 1 shallow swipe 1/8 deep over the full length & do the other side and it did smooth the blade out for first use but you more than likely lose 1 shave doing this?. All my other blades I have no issues with and it seems a stupid procedure but if you have 100 blades and the blade is uncomfortable on the first shave it might be alternative. When they put the coating on the blade they use a sputtering machine for this process and maybe the dried coating is a little rough until you strop the blade with your beard on the first shave?
You would only cork on a new blade before first use and that is it or go to another blade alternative.

The blades stuck in the materials are all spent blades from my blade bank and are used for visuals only.