Looking for SE recommendations.

[Tomo]

Bought a OneBlade Core, didn't really like it enough to become proficient with it. When I happened upon the right angles/approaches, it was very good, but it depended on a very narrow margin of efficient technique.

I use the FHS-10 blade in my AutoStrops, and I can't for the life of me understand why so many users deride it as short-lived. I get at least 5 or 6 uses from these blades, and could stretch them further if I wished, but I'm a stickler for BBS. It doesn't help the blade's reputation when OneBlade advises the user to toss them after one or two shaves.

As the OP is in Oz, the whole US distribution kerfluffle doesn't apply - he can probably order blades from vendors in Asia or even some in the EU without trouble.

As a straight razor user, a lack of stropping seems like the obvious reason that se blades wear out quickly. You always strop a straight razor before each use but se blades rarely get this treatment. I would be very interested in the details of your autostrop. Are these devices still available?

 

[Salty O'Rourke]

As a straight razor user, a lack of stropping seems like the obvious reason that se blades wear out quickly. You always strop a straight razor before each use but se blades rarely get this treatment. I would be very interested in the details of your autostrop. Are these devices still available?

The Feather FHS10s are stainless steel blades, stropping them would be ineffective. The FHS05 blades are carbon steel, and I suppose you could strop them to keep them going, but I tried some new out of the package and thought they were terrible.

This thread will tell you all you need to know about the AutoStrop razors. They are available on ebay, although most of the strops are long gone or dried out and cracked.

 

[Ivo4u2]

Take a peek at eBay there are several out there (valet blade) but most of them are having old leather as a strop and no idea if they work

OTOH there is a thing called razor pit made for carts but I am not sure if it works on a ob

 

[CelticFox]

Can't go wrong with a GEM 1912 in my opinion. They're very affordable and it's one of, if not my favorite razor. Though I have several safety razors both SE and DE (more SE by far though) I always go for my 1912 when I want a simple, comfortable shave. It's also in a good spot for me, not too mild but not aggressive either. I think it's a good one to try out since if you don't like it, you won't be out a lot of money either.

 

[Tomo]

Well it looks like I’m still on the hunt for a decent se. The Oneblade Hybrid arrived today and it failed to impress. I don’t have anything against plastic but the handles sharp angled edges and were very uncomfortable. Once inserted the blade was loose and wobbled around all over the place. I don’t see how the pivot head would ever engage or be useful in any way. I can also see the the mechanism would gunk up and be impossible to clean because you can’t take it apart. No I think I will pass on this one and keep looking.

 

[Haiku]

Choose a platform: Gem, AC or injector (or one of the really idiosyncratic vintage ones that used proprietary blades).

No reason you can't explore all of them, of course!

Not being an injector person, I'll let others make those recommendations.

I agree about finding a middle-of-the-road Gem. The older 1912-pattern is very mild and forgiving but the handle threads are an obsolete standard (8-24 IIRC) so you may need to learn to like the vintage handle as well. YMMV. More recent Gems like the G-Bar/Heavy Flat Top, Featherweight, Clog-Pruf shave differently. All of them are fairly inexpensive still, so you can try several for "one money."

I'll also suggest Ever-Ready. While they were also part of ASR with Gem, they had their own product line and even similar looking razors had differences. The Ever-Ready 1914 pattern "Little Lather Catcher" is a very nice little shaver. The 1924 Shovel Head is generally considered more aggressive than the ER 1914.

If you like OC razors, the Gem MMOC (Micro-Matic Open Comb) is a popular choice. There are some modern "Gem-ish" razors that are OC as well (PAA Starling V2 OC is one of my faves). If you run across an ATT G1 I'd say pick it up. It's not OC but it has potential and is a good shaver.

I'm a bit less involved with AC format. I can recommend blades more than razors, as I've only so far used the ATT SE1 and SE2. It's YMMV, but my advice with AC is to remember that it's a big sharp blade and maybe start out with a package of Feather ProGuard or other guarded blade. The Feather Pro blades I found better than the Feather Super Pro before I tried the ProGuard. I tried the Schick P-30 and realized I didn't have the mojo for it. Others really like it. I will eventually get to trying out more blades. Between the two razors I suggest definitely that you start with the SE1.

O.H.

Great post. I'm a fan of the vintage GEM's. The 1912 and the G-Bar would be the two I would recommend be tried to start with. I find the G-Bar to be a very mild razor and will be a good contrast with the "classic" 1912.

 

[Neffarious]

The Vector. It's my hand down favorite razor, with a Windrose polished titanium handle. I think it keeps with the proportions well. Its really thin and not slippery.

 

[Tomo]

The Vector. It's my hand down favorite razor, with a Windrose polished titanium handle. I think it keeps with the proportions well. Its really thin and not slippery. View attachment 1073389

It’s a very nice slim design. The stock handle doesn’t do much for me.

 

[Neffarious]

it didn't for me either. The polished one was too slippery for me. I spent a bit of time trying different handle designs that I already owned. The slim diameter is very important to the appearance of the razor and the overall balance. Honestly the Ti one lightens it up a little, but it doesn't make it too light IMO. Again, this is my absolute favorite razor, ever. If the stock handle had more spirals or Aristocrat texture I think it would have been better from a grip standpoint.

 

[Tomo]

it didn't for me either. The polished one was too slippery for me. I spent a bit of time trying different handle designs that I already owned. The slim diameter is very important to the appearance of the razor and the overall balance. Honestly the Ti one lightens it up a little, but it doesn't make it too light IMO. Again, this is my absolute favorite razor, ever. If the stock handle had more spirals or Aristocrat texture I think it would have been better from a grip standpoint.

I placed an order today for the machine finished model. It will be nice to have a SE in the collection and this one seems interesting and gets good reviews.

My DE razor is a Timeless which I really like. It’s nice how Timeless let’s you build your own razor from a range of handles, materials, base plates and caps.

Stork seems to have very nice handles that would suit this razor but I can’t work out how you are meant to order them.

 

[Quaznoid]

Schick injector. E, G and J models give me the best shaves. L a little less so. Schick figured out the angle for you and covered the blade corners for a boob-proof shave. Might be possible to equal the performance but it cannot be exceeded. Use Chinese Schick blades (“Chicks”) only.

 

[Tomo]

After an incredibly long wait (74 days in the post) my Vector finally arrived from a third party vendor in the USA.

My first impression was that this is a solid little razor. I went with the machined finish and it looks great. It’s a compact unit but still has some nice heft in the hand. The weight is all in the rather odd looking handle. Fit and finish is on point and as you would expect from a top of the line razor.

The first shave this morning was fantastic. Straight off the bat one of the best shaves I’ve ever had. This little guys gets in and around everywhere with ease. There wasn’t much in the way of audio feedback but it gets the job done very effectively. I’ve heard the experience described as squeegeeing stubble off and this is spot on. It’s a fun and intuitive razor to use. I’m not sure if it is the stiff AC blade or the blade geometry but the usual problem areas were no problem at all today. Just under my chin is always tough, the hair lies very flat at an angle to a concave section of face. No problem at all today BBS almost everywhere including the problem areas. I still can’t quite believe it.

Needless to say I’m VERY impressed with this razor. There is not much metal there for you money but it does an amazing job. There is nothing else like it on the market. Shane has really nailed it with this one.

The blades are expensive and I hope that they last a few shaves. I normally swap my Feather DE blades every shave. If I can get 3-5 shaves out of the Feather AC Pro I will be happy.

The odd little handle is kind of growing on me too. It actually has a very nice balance. The little notches are quite ergonomic and I did not find the machined finish to be slippery at all. I didn’t think that I would like it but it’s actually pretty good so I have to give credit where credit is due.

Overall another very happy customer.

 

[Blackland Razors]

View attachment 1108786

After an incredibly long wait (74 days in the post) my Vector finally arrived from a third party vendor in the USA.

My first impression was that this is a solid little razor. I went with the machined finish and it looks great. It’s a compact unit but still has some nice heft in the hand. The weight is all in the rather odd looking handle. Fit and finish is on point and as you would expect from a top of the line razor.

The first shave this morning was fantastic. Straight off the bat one of the best shaves I’ve ever had. This little guys gets in and around everywhere with ease. There wasn’t much in the way of audio feedback but it gets the job done very effectively. I’ve heard the experience described as squeegeeing stubble off and this is spot on. It’s a fun and intuitive razor to use. I’m not sure if it is the stiff AC blade or the blade geometry but the usual problem areas were no problem at all today. Just under my chin is always tough, the hair lies very flat at an angle to a concave section of face. No problem at all today BBS almost everywhere including the problem areas. I still can’t quite believe it.

Needless to say I’m VERY impressed with this razor. There is not much metal there for you money but it does an amazing job. There is nothing else like it on the market. Shane has really nailed it with this one.

The blades are expensive and I hope that they last a few shaves. I normally swap my Feather DE blades every shave. If I can get 3-5 shaves out of the Feather AC Pro I will be happy.

The odd little handle is kind of growing on me too. It actually has a very nice balance. The little notches are quite ergonomic and I did not find the machined finish to be slippery at all. I didn’t think that I would like it but it’s actually pretty good so I have to give credit where credit is due.

Overall another very happy customer.

Awesome! Somewhat ironically, in machining usually the less material you have left over the more expensive the part is. That is, you're paying more in order to have less.

 

[Tomo]

Awesome! Somewhat ironically, in machining usually the less material you have left over the more expensive the part is. That is, you're paying more in order to have less.

The added value over a lump of steel is very high. You guys have come up with a really great product.

 

[Ron R]

Many thanks for the suggestions gents. The winner this time round is the Oneblade Hybrid but you’ve given me a lot to think about.

The main reasons were as follows
1. Fantastic reviews of shave quality. Mantic raves about them and I haven’t seen a single negative comment on shave quality.
2. The design is unique and very different from anything that I already have. Between my Ralf Aust straight and Timeless double edge, I will now have a wide coverage of different systems and styles ranging from historical, traditional to ultra modern. This range of styles fits in well with my other collections, general tastes and interests.
3. At 20% off the hybrid bundle was available at the right price. It is a slight compromise but I’m happy that right quality of materials have been put in the right place. The bundle also has some useful items. I like to have a carry case for my dopp bag while blades and a blade bin are essential. An extra $350 AUD for a steel handle is a little excessive. For me this would have been an over investment in a system that is unlikely to be my daily driver and may not have blades available in the future.
4. I think that I can finally bin the Mach 3 all together with this. The Oneblade looks like it can go anywhere without concern. Even the Mrs. should be comfortable enough to deploy it on the back of my neck from time to time.

This piece will add a new dimension to the collection. It is different enough that there is probably still room for a traditional se at some point in the future.

Good choice of Razor, I have a Oneblade Core and it seems to work good for me, the hybrid is a step up from that of coarse.

 

[chillybase]

The Vector would probably be my next SE exploration if I had the money to get it. It is definitely a sweet looking razor.

 

[pbrmhl]

I've got a Vector, ATT SE2, Ikon MR SE, Alumigoose, Colonial General and Asylum RX in the AC blade razor category. I used to think the SE2 was my favorite, but I recently dug out my first generation General and changed my mind. The second generation looks sleeker, and though I've not used it, I suspect it's similar. What a great razor.

 

[Rosseforp]

Awesome! Somewhat ironically, in machining usually the less material you have left over the more expensive the part is. That is, you're paying more in order to have less.

A machinist makes chips. When done a finished part is left.....