Anyone who uses an old Schick Injector is aware of the "quality" of the Injector magazine holding the blades that are used in these fine single edge razors. Positively not the same build quality as the ones originally made by Schick.
It's been a while since I used any of my Injectors, and today I decided to give it a run with one of my old type E injectors.
I grabbed the new pack of baldes that I had picked up a few months ago, and proceeded to inject a blade into the razor.
Inserted key into the razor, drew back the magazine handle and started to inject the new blade.
First sign of problems. No go on blade movement.
Ah, this has happened before, just have to "wiggle" the magazine a bit to get things to line up.
Ok, blade starts moving into the razor, and bang! The whole injector slide pops over the edge of the razor and the plastic cover pops off of the magazine entirely.
Blades drop out of the magazine, all over the floor.
Ok, I'll get those in a second - first things first, get the blade the rest of the way into the razor.
Withdraw the slider again, and push the blade in.
As I do this, I can physically see the blade moving back and forth in the razor, with the leading edge of the blade coming into contact with the blade stopper at the end of the razor.
Nothing visible on the blade though - looks ok.
Toss the injector magazine in the trash, pick up the scattered blades and toss them as well.
Normal prep, lather, and go to it with a shave.
Not good. First attempt at first pass WTG is harsh.
It is obvious that the blade edge has been damaged by its wiggling path into the razor.
Set aside the Injector and finsish with a DE.
Got to thinking later that I knew the blade was damaged because I knew what a great smooth shave these razors can give. I know from experience.
For those guys who don't have a lot of experience with the Injectors let me say this;
1. The build quality of the new magazine blade holders is absolute crap. Be VERY careful if you are using them, because a slip is just a moment away from a slice to a finger or hand, especially if you have a catastrophic failure like I did this morning.
2. Even without failure, most of the time, there is a bit of "wiggle" necessary to get the blade moving into the razor. Be aware that though a "bit" of wiggle is needed, movement of the blade puts it at risk of being damaged by the razor blade stops.
3. Assess your shave from the moment the blade touches your skin. Someone of less experience may have not known better, and might have continued with the shave, thinking that they were doing something wrong, and trying to correct it as they went. Bad idea. If it feels bad - stop. It should not feel bad, or rough. Forcing your way through a shave is asking for trouble.
There WILL be blood.
I am now on a mission to find a better source of blades than the ASR / Personna magazines currently sold in drug stores. If I find a source, I'll post it here on B&B. If you know of a decent source of quality Injectors, please let me know - because unless I find a new supply of magazines - I have to say I'm done with Injectors.
For clarity - here is a picture of the culprit;
It's been a while since I used any of my Injectors, and today I decided to give it a run with one of my old type E injectors.
I grabbed the new pack of baldes that I had picked up a few months ago, and proceeded to inject a blade into the razor.
Inserted key into the razor, drew back the magazine handle and started to inject the new blade.
First sign of problems. No go on blade movement.
Ah, this has happened before, just have to "wiggle" the magazine a bit to get things to line up.
Ok, blade starts moving into the razor, and bang! The whole injector slide pops over the edge of the razor and the plastic cover pops off of the magazine entirely.
Blades drop out of the magazine, all over the floor.
Ok, I'll get those in a second - first things first, get the blade the rest of the way into the razor.
Withdraw the slider again, and push the blade in.
As I do this, I can physically see the blade moving back and forth in the razor, with the leading edge of the blade coming into contact with the blade stopper at the end of the razor.
Nothing visible on the blade though - looks ok.
Toss the injector magazine in the trash, pick up the scattered blades and toss them as well.
Normal prep, lather, and go to it with a shave.
Not good. First attempt at first pass WTG is harsh.
It is obvious that the blade edge has been damaged by its wiggling path into the razor.
Set aside the Injector and finsish with a DE.
Got to thinking later that I knew the blade was damaged because I knew what a great smooth shave these razors can give. I know from experience.
For those guys who don't have a lot of experience with the Injectors let me say this;
1. The build quality of the new magazine blade holders is absolute crap. Be VERY careful if you are using them, because a slip is just a moment away from a slice to a finger or hand, especially if you have a catastrophic failure like I did this morning.
2. Even without failure, most of the time, there is a bit of "wiggle" necessary to get the blade moving into the razor. Be aware that though a "bit" of wiggle is needed, movement of the blade puts it at risk of being damaged by the razor blade stops.
3. Assess your shave from the moment the blade touches your skin. Someone of less experience may have not known better, and might have continued with the shave, thinking that they were doing something wrong, and trying to correct it as they went. Bad idea. If it feels bad - stop. It should not feel bad, or rough. Forcing your way through a shave is asking for trouble.
There WILL be blood.
I am now on a mission to find a better source of blades than the ASR / Personna magazines currently sold in drug stores. If I find a source, I'll post it here on B&B. If you know of a decent source of quality Injectors, please let me know - because unless I find a new supply of magazines - I have to say I'm done with Injectors.
For clarity - here is a picture of the culprit;
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