Help! Unable to load EMS injector blades into my G1 injector...

[kingfisher]

I have used a G1 injector off and on for a few months now, but I have always used Schick blades I bought from drugstore.com. The last of my Schick blades was beginning to get dull at my last shave, and I had a 20-pack of the EMS blades, so this morning I figured I start out with a sharp blade.

Unfortunately, I was unable to load the blade. It seems like the key wasn't loosening the old blade enough for it to slide out, but I could be wrong. Bottom line is that I inserted the key and then attempted to push the new blade over but it wouldn't budge!

What can I do?

 

[82R100]

The plastic/aluminum cartridges are made with sloppy tolerances. What you need to do is pull the key about 1/8" - 1/4" back out of the razor then twist the cartridge a little as you advance the blade so that you can align the new blade to press the old blade out. Once you get it going, it should work o.k. This is something you have to eyeball and finesse.

The extra gap between cartridge and razor head gives some distance for the blade to twist between the two misaligned items.

- Chris

 

[kingfisher]

thanks, I'll give it a try.


I hope the blades are good. I really like the Schick blades, but these are less expensive.

 

[Wil Dorenbos]

I had a problem with Schick blades, turned out they were stuck in the dispenser. By pushing them down and holding them so for about a minute and then releasing them they came loose.

 

[hypo_style]

Randall,

It seems this is a common problem with the non-Schick dispensers.
See this thread for more.
I was able to solve the problem for myself by taking apart an empty Schick blade housing and inserting in my EMS blades. More hassle up front, but the blades load like a charm now.

 

[norton]

The plastic/aluminum cartridges are made with sloppy tolerances. What you need to do is pull the key about 1/8" - 1/4" back out of the razor then twist the cartridge a little as you advance the blade so that you can align the new blade to press the old blade out. Once you get it going, it should work o.k. This is something you have to eyeball and finesse.

The extra gap between cartridge and razor head gives some distance for the blade to twist between the two misaligned items.

- Chris

Chris is dead on. Incidentally, what he is talking about applies to ALL plastic cartridges for these blades - whether they're new from Pella, EMS, RiteAid or CVS, or the NOS Personna 74s and others on the bay. Some folks go as far as to take blades from the plastic carts and insert them into the Metal carts (with the help of a screwdriver and patience), but once you figure out the needed twist on the cartridge, you'll be good to go.

I don't quite understand why a properly aligned plastic cartridge was never developed, but in my experience, the only ones that come in all metal carts (and thus align properly without fiddling) are Schick branded blades.

 

[82R100]

I don't quite understand why a properly aligned plastic cartridge was never developed, but in my experience, the only ones that come in all metal carts (and thus align properly without fiddling) are Schick branded blades.

I actually misstated my opinion before. I chalk it up to bad tooling. They made the tool wrong and they don't have the motivation to spend the time and money to fix it.

- Chris

 

[gollum83]

You'll either have to do like Chris suggested and twist the cartridge a bit or do like Marc suggested and reload a Schick cartridge if you still have one around with those EMS blades you just got. Personally, I would just jimmy the cartridge into place rather than reload a cartridge myself, but it's your call.

Either way, it's a problem that exists with with all the plastic cartridges I have encountered, although it's a problem that really shouldn't even exist in the first place.