Micromatic and blades

[LtBrugman70]

So, I made my first RAD purchase this week: a GEM micromatic and some GEM blue star blades.

Now, I know that I need to get used to the micromatic, but my first shave was sub-par. I had a decent lather going (MamaBear's rosemary+mint), but there was a relatively large amount of snagging and I've got a couple of nice nicks and some razorburn where I never got razorburn before! I'm thinking that some of the problem may stem from sub-par blades...

So, what options exist for different types of blades that fit the micromatic?

Also, can anyone give me some general advice for using the micromatic? The head is rather large compared to some DEs, and it can he hard to manuever in some of the corners, so to speak. Especially the nose area.

 

[moses]

A lot of people like the Micromatic. If you haven't, you should look at SMF, and read the super long thread on Gem razor shaving.

As to blades, there are some from a source called TedPella that seem to be the best. I have some, and they are great blades. Problem is, the seller aims at industrial applications, so they are kind of in bulk (200 per order for $33). Number 121-3 here.

I too find them a real pain to use in difficult places. Curves, especially the concave ones of the neck under the jaw seem very difficult. For this reason, I have kind of put the Gems aside for a while.

As for razor burn. Make sure you are using the right angle. The flat plate of the head should be flat on your face (or as nearly as possible, when necessary due to facial contours). Otherwise nasty scraping will happen.

 

[Suzuki]

The Pella blades are pretty good.

I've also been playing with the GEM razors - I used an open-comb micromatic for a week, with mixed results and lots of nicks.

This week I've been playing with a cheapie flip-top with the white plastic handle. I actually like this one more - I think the safety bar works better than the open comb. I'm still having difficulty around the chin area, but the filp-top seems to be a little more agile and I'm better able to get the head at the right angle. If you get the angle wrong or use too much pressure, you will definitely give yourself a major case of burn.

I'm going to keep playing with my GEM's, but if the shaves don't get better over the next month or so, I'll keep the one I like best and some blades and will trade/sell the rest. The learning curve is much steeper (and blodier) than with an injector, but I'm going to persevere to make sure I give these razors a fair shake.

I much prefer my Schick injector and have a NIB Golden 500 and some lightly used Nationwide Campus razors heading my way.

There's a great thread over at SMF, as there are quite a few people who like the GEM and Ever-Ready razors.