So at the start of this journey I asked my dad if he had any old razors. He came up with a Gem Micromatic.
Unfortunately, he was not 100% sure of its origin or history. He said it might have been my grandfather's. I think I'll stick with that story.
I took it and held onto it for the past few months. I wasn't sure I should have started with a vintage razor thinking the learning curve may have been steeper.
The razor itself is in pretty good shape considering its age. Definitly user grade with some brassing on the head and on the handle. But mechaniclly, its solid. TTO movement is smooth and no sign of wiggle. After learning so much from my fellow members here on B&B, I gave it a once over with scrubbing bubbles and an old toothbrush (Side note: I used my 2 year old daughters old toothbrush and it worked fantasticly in the tiny crevices.) This Gem sparkles once again!
So tonight I decided I would see how she shaved.I picked up a pack of SE blades from CVS a couple days ago. I ran through my usual routine, shower, CO Bigelow (VDH bowl lathered with my trusty Wee Scot), and a few splashes of warm water.
Keeping the basics in mind, I went for the first pass. The head of the Gem is angled, so a minor adjustment was needed. The handle is actually parallel to your face. The head holds the blade at the appropriate angle. The sound was different from my EJ89. It was almost a perfect cross between my DE and my straight. It was quite interesting. But still a sound all its own. I performed my usual 3 pass shave (ATG, XTG, ATG) The results were outstanding! Great BBS but somehow felt a tiny bit more BBS from my EJ89?
Finishing off with a warm then cold water rinse and my favorite part of massaging in my Nivea Q10 Dual Action balm. (Love the smell of that stuff)
It was an awesome feeling using a razor my grandfather used (I'm running with that). Although my gear is certainly minimalist, I am glad to have such a great performer from long ago.
Unfortunately, he was not 100% sure of its origin or history. He said it might have been my grandfather's. I think I'll stick with that story.
I took it and held onto it for the past few months. I wasn't sure I should have started with a vintage razor thinking the learning curve may have been steeper. The razor itself is in pretty good shape considering its age. Definitly user grade with some brassing on the head and on the handle. But mechaniclly, its solid. TTO movement is smooth and no sign of wiggle. After learning so much from my fellow members here on B&B, I gave it a once over with scrubbing bubbles and an old toothbrush (Side note: I used my 2 year old daughters old toothbrush and it worked fantasticly in the tiny crevices.) This Gem sparkles once again!
So tonight I decided I would see how she shaved.I picked up a pack of SE blades from CVS a couple days ago. I ran through my usual routine, shower, CO Bigelow (VDH bowl lathered with my trusty Wee Scot), and a few splashes of warm water.
Keeping the basics in mind, I went for the first pass. The head of the Gem is angled, so a minor adjustment was needed. The handle is actually parallel to your face. The head holds the blade at the appropriate angle. The sound was different from my EJ89. It was almost a perfect cross between my DE and my straight. It was quite interesting. But still a sound all its own. I performed my usual 3 pass shave (ATG, XTG, ATG) The results were outstanding! Great BBS but somehow felt a tiny bit more BBS from my EJ89?
Finishing off with a warm then cold water rinse and my favorite part of massaging in my Nivea Q10 Dual Action balm. (Love the smell of that stuff)
It was an awesome feeling using a razor my grandfather used (I'm running with that). Although my gear is certainly minimalist, I am glad to have such a great performer from long ago.
