Injector next steps?

[abershaver]

I bought a vintage Schick (Type J). LOVE it. So ... now I want to get one other injector. I am a minimalist and I am not looking to build a big collection. What would veterans advise? Some thoughts below on fairly obtainable options for me in Scotland/UK:

1) Supply. Lots of UK stockists. I like the all metal design and adjustable heads. But is this worth the significant extra cost?

2) Parker Adjustable. UK stockists forthcoming apparently and seems less expensive. Again I like the idea of adjustable settings. But is this too mild for most people? MANY reviews say so.

3) Stick to vintage Schick. If so, what would be a nice alternative to the J type? Is an adjustable worth the extra money? (Injectors seem less common in the UK so I would be at the mercy of the Bay).

4) PAL injectors. Seen quite a few on UK eBay. Do they shave well and will standard injector blades work with them (the head shape looks slightly different)?

Again, any advice welcome as I continue my Injector journey!

 

[OhioBob]

For what it’s worth I would go #3 adjustable, #4 adjustable, #2 and finally #1.

 

[Ron R]

Personally a Schick adjustable injector is a great razor, well built and can take a twin ll blade also. Another favorite of mine is a Schick E or G type mid range razor injectors. There are MFG's of new injectors for sale also as you have mentioned and also the SUPPLY adjustable heads that are popular also .
SE is a nice system and the blades seem to last and get good shaves with no blade tab overhang. 75% of my large collection of razors are SE razors but mostly vintage. I have 1 Pal razor the injecto-matic and that is milder mid range and I enjoy using it also and shaves very similar to your J1 type.

 

[garyg]

+3 on the Schick Adjustable - I've run through the Schicks from A to O, and have found that anything later than a G isn't efficient/aggressive enough for my beard and tastes, except the Type M adjustable that I run wide open. I have a Supply and both the fixed PAL Injecto-Matic and a PAL adjustable.

If you like the J I'd recommend trying to snag a Type M - similar shave when dialed back and similar feel in hand to your J. I wouldn't buy the Parker, but the Supply is a great razor, well built to last a lifetime. It will likely cost more than twice as much as the Type M though, and some have criticized its heft.

 

[Whiterook]

The Parker is a good razor, but it isn't going to adjust to be much more agressive than your J. The E and G can be had cheaply and are more aggressive. These are great!

To answer your question, the Pal injectors do use the same blades. If you find a Pal adjustable in good shape it will serve you well, but the shaving angle is not the same as the Schick.

Regarding the Supply, I like mine, but I do think it is a bit too heavy compared to other injectors such as vintage Schicks.

 

[abershaver]

Thanks for all of the detailed opinions so far. I think I am going to put the Schick adjustable in top spot on my wish list. The Supply razor would be second choice I think due to its wide availability.

 

[FarmerTan]

Thanks for all of the detailed opinions so far. I think I am going to put the Schick adjustable in top spot on my wish list. The Supply razor would be second choice I think due to its wide availability.

You've been here nearly 10 years and you are a minimalist?

You sure you aren't a robot?!?

 

[abershaver]

You've been here nearly 10 years and you are a minimalist?

You sure you aren't a robot?!?

Ha ha! Let’s just say that I was anything BUT a minimalist until about 2 years ago.

 

[Azumarill]

1) Supply. Lots of UK stockists. I like the all metal design and adjustable heads. But is this worth the significant extra cost?

I would happily endorse the Supply razor; it's beautifully engineered and £65.99 now in the UK is a very reasonable price for what you get. The only drawbacks of note are that the aggressive setting isn't, to my mind, the smoothest when compared with other single edge formats. The Personna blades are reasonable, but for some strange reason, I have never managed to successfully inject a Schick blade into the Supply razor despite much experimentation, and have to manually load these. Schick blades generally aren't readily available in the UK (there are the B-20s, which I don't personally recommend for injectors), so I find the blades situation something of a limitation. Supply are a great company though, and their accessories and shaving creams are something else.

 

[abershaver]

I would happily endorse the Supply razor; it's beautifully engineered and £65.99 now in the UK is a very reasonable price for what you get. The only drawbacks of note are that the aggressive setting isn't, to my mind, the smoothest when compared with other single edge formats. The Personna blades are reasonable, but for some strange reason, I have never managed to successfully inject a Schick blade into the Supply razor despite much experimentation, and have to manually load these. Schick blades generally aren't readily available in the UK (there are the B-20s, which I don't personally recommend for injectors), so I find the blades situation something of a limitation. Supply are a great company though, and their accessories and shaving creams are something else.

Thanks for your thoughts. Yes I noticed that the Supply is around £65 on some websites - that seems like a fair price for a new injector actually. I have never had an adjustable razor of any kind so that is a plus point for me. The attraction of just buying it (rather than waiting for what the second hand market throws up) is another plus point!

I like Personna blades generally and their injector blades thankfully work really well for me (I bought some from Connaught). I assumed Schick blades would be on eBay or Amazon UK but you are right - they seem really hard to find in comparison!

 

[FarmerTan]

Ha ha! Let’s just say that I was anything BUT a minimalist until about 2 years ago.

At the risk of being banned, perhaps you could give me lessons? My lovely wife would SURELY pay you!

 

[xiletero]

For me Schick adjustable is good (have 2) and the Parker is basically useless, since I get better shaves with a non adjustable Schick.

 

[Batman]

I love the I2 Hydro-magic.


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[Gryffindor]

The injector I would suggest isn’t strictly one. Consider a Ronson with injector blades in it.

 

[cyberdog]

Schick Adjustable with a Schick Twin Blade equals a fantastic shave, with the yellow packaged Chinese Schick blades in second. - Haven't tried any of the Supply branded (Personna?) blades, so can't comment on them. The Schick Twins do however seem to last forever.