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In which my ER 1914 SE goes vampire.

Never seen so much blood. :cursing:

Needed a shave, loaded a fresh blade (Treets, my favorite), and went with my usual prep. Hot washcloth, lather, let sit for a few minutes, the works.

Enter the Vampire Razor.

I've never had much of a problem with the 1912, but the 1914 simply isn't working. Here I sit holding some wadded TP to a few cuts that alum couldn't handle, and plotting revenge.

Anybody want to trade for a boxed 1914?
 
Wow, that's too bad, I love the 1914 ER. Is it one of the early ones with the small, round handle? Those have very small blade stops and I've had the blade actually ride up on one or both of the stops when the lid is closed.
 
Those have very small blade stops and I've had the blade actually ride up on one or both of the stops when the lid is closed.

That was my first thought too. I had a bit of gunk get under a blade once just ever so slightly pushing it up in one spot... It's a good thing I don't cut easily. I had red irritation lines showing the path of the razor for a couple hours.
 
Check to make sure the guard is not bent or deformed, if it is bent in or down even slightly it could make the razor a literal pain to shave with. I noticed the guard on one of my 1912s was bent slightly.
 
One other thing to consider, if the razor is indeed one of the early 1914s, is that the early 1914's head geometry is quite different than the 1912. If you angle the handle too far out, the guard will not contact your skin, only the blade will. At least that's how my early 1914 is.

-Clarke
 
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One other thing to consider, if the razor is indeed one of the early 1914s, is that the early 1914's head geometry is quite different than the 1912. In order to keep the guard in contact with your skin, the handle is nearly vertical. If you hold the handle too far out, only the blade will be in contact with your skin, requiring extra caution. At least that's how my early 1914 is.

-Clarke

+1 This is exactly what I noticed when using my 1912 and 1914. The 1914 is as good as the 1912 and Damaskeen, but different technique is required.
 
Also, even though it's not common, I've run across bad blades on two occasions. One was a Treet carbon steel and the other a Gem stainless. Both left my face looking as though I'd been in a cat fight.

-Clarke
 
Also, even though it's not common, I've run across bad blades on two occasions. One was a Treet carbon steel and the other a Gem stainless. Both left my face looking as though I'd been in a cat fight.

-Clarke

This + Shave Cat's avatar = awesome.
 
Well, I'll answer all the questions.

Guard is straight as an arrow, per a draftsman's straightedge. No bend.
The blade stops are small, but the blade is held firm and flat- no bend or twist.
As for bad blades, yeah, I do get those once in a while with Treets, problem is, this would be two straight.
 
Remember what I said regarding the head design of the early 1914s. It's real easy to accidentally shave without the guard contacting your skin, allowing only the blade to ride against your skin. The early 1914s can give an extremely close shave. Later 1914s have a slightly different head and can be easily identified as they have larger blade retainers like the 1912s. Their shave is similar to the 1912s also.

-Clarke
 
Remember what I said regarding the head design of the early 1914s. It's real easy to accidentally shave without the guard contacting your skin, allowing only the blade to ride against your skin. The early 1914s can give an extremely close shave. Later 1914s have a slightly different head and can be easily identified as they have larger blade retainers like the 1912s. Their shave is similar to the 1912s also.

-Clarke

That's interesting. I've got two of the later ones with the smooth hexagon handles and the bigger retainers but the heads appear identical to the early ones with the smaller handles. I used a later model this morning with a CVS blade with outstanding results.
 
It's possible you got a whole vault of bad blades. Have you tried one from it in any other razors?

Well, I'll answer all the questions.

Guard is straight as an arrow, per a draftsman's straightedge. No bend.
The blade stops are small, but the blade is held firm and flat- no bend or twist.
As for bad blades, yeah, I do get those once in a while with Treets, problem is, this would be two straight.
 
The difference I see in my early and late 1914 heads is the angle between the head and the handle:

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A lot of guys get used to holding a razor's handle at a certain angle. These two razors will yield completely different shaves if the handle is held the same relative to the skin. Or maybe I've got an exception here.

-Clarke
 
Tom,

Do both of yours have the same wording inside? My older one says American Safety Razor Co. Inc. while the newer says American Safety Razor Corp. Also, the reverse side of the head is different, apparently due to a slight difference in assembly. In my pic above, you can see two tiny rivets protruding near the bottom of the head's back side on the razor on the left. (Sorry, I don't any other pics handy). One other thing, my newer one has MADE IN U.S.A. beneath the patent date, while the older does not. Slight differences, I know, but I find the variations interesting.

-Clarke
 
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The difference I see in my early and late 1914 heads is the angle between the head and the handle:

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A lot of guys get used to holding a razor's handle at a certain angle. These two razors will yield completely different shaves if the handle is held the same relative to the skin. Or maybe I've got an exception here.

-Clarke

Think I have both, use the right one most of the time (that ones rests in my minuteman stand). I use it just as any other SE-razor: head flat against the face. Shaved yesterday and today with it, with a Treet. Good shaves. But if you keep the head flat against your face it is hard to cut yourself. So I do not understand how it could happen with you.
 
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The two in my picture are identical, except for the larger blade stops on the newer one. I have another older one that is also identical. In my office at work I have one new and one older one on display but today's a holiday so I' won't be there but I'll check them tomorrow.
Tom,

Do both of yours have the same wording inside? My older one says American Safety Razor Co. Inc. while the newer says American Safety Razor Corp. Also, the reverse side of the head is different, apparently due to a slight difference in assembly. In my pic above, you can see two tiny rivets protruding near the bottom of the head's back side on the razor on the left. (Sorry, I don't any other pics handy). One other thing, my newer one has MADE IN U.S.A. beneath the patent date, while the older does not. Slight differences, I know, but I find the variations interesting.

-Clarke
 
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