What's new

Micromatic Monday

Well guys the flu has hit our house this week. We stayed home from community day at our homeschool group. I ended up sleeping till almost noon. I will be skipping the shave today but enjoy seeing everyones contributions.
 
And speaking of the pure in blood!

My new-to-me Micromatic Clog-Pruf, Peerless flavor!

Just to mix it up (and save ya’ll from having to read more deathless prose), pictures first:
87055E94-5DEB-4DAD-8769-65484C5AC739.jpeg

7E57D699-3435-4EB6-8BAF-C4F94B0E2468.jpeg


Next, a question for the experts. (@mata_66 @Flintstone65 @Ron R @BBS-1 et al)

Were all the Peerless a bright brassy finish? This is the first I’ve found in the wild, but I don’t remember seeing any pix of chrome or nickel Peerless. Or bright gold, for that matter.

>MMCP Peerless (that toothy grin!)
>Gem PTFE (8)
>Old Spice puck
>Ever-Ready one buck banded boar - based on the condition of the handle and knot I think this was the first time it has been used
>Alum, witch hazel blend, Pinaud VIBR

Excellent, close, warm lather shave. Two passes and touch up. First impression - smoother than my chrome Clog-Pruf. I continue impressed by the Old Spice lather, just wish I was fonder of the scent. Didn’t keep me from snapping up the Old Spice puck (backup, aka lifetime supply) that was bundled with the E-R brush.
 
Well guys the flu has hit our house this week. We stayed home from community day at our homeschool group. I ended up sleeping till almost noon. I will be skipping the shave today but enjoy seeing everyones contributions.

Hope the flu goes lightly on you and your family!
 

Flintstone65

Imagining solutions for imaginary problems
And speaking of the pure in blood!

My new-to-me Micromatic Clog-Pruf, Peerless flavor!

Just to mix it up (and save ya’ll from having to read more deathless prose), pictures first:
View attachment 1072537
View attachment 1072535

Next, a question for the experts. (@mata_66 @Flintstone65 @Ron R @BBS-1 et al)

Were all the Peerless a bright brassy finish? This is the first I’ve found in the wild, but I don’t remember seeing any pix of chrome or nickel Peerless. Or bright gold, for that matter.

>MMCP Peerless (that toothy grin!)
>Gem PTFE (8)
>Old Spice puck
>Ever-Ready one buck banded boar - based on the condition of the handle and knot I think this was the first time it has been used
>Alum, witch hazel blend, Pinaud VIBR

Excellent, close, warm lather shave. Two passes and touch up. First impression - smoother than my chrome Clog-Pruf. I continue impressed by the Old Spice lather, just wish I was fonder of the scent. Didn’t keep me from snapping up the Old Spice puck (backup, aka lifetime supply) that was bundled with the E-R brush.
I haven't seen (or at least remember) enough Peerless Clog-Prufs to be able to weigh-in. I practically went blind counting teeth on razors posted in less-than-perfect auction pics, and I never walked away with a Peerless. It would be great to know if they have a certain "look" -- like the MMOC Bumpless....start with the gold/brass ones; it would certainly make my job easier when I almost certainly go back on the hunt.

I don't recall if you have the non-peerless (aka the Peer?) Clog-pruf as well....if you do, do you notice a difference between the peer and the peerless?
 

Flintstone65

Imagining solutions for imaginary problems
My GEMonday was a 1907 Gem Junior -- not the 1912 Gem Junior, and not the Gem Junior Bar (which I always assumed was the first Gem Junior). The razor looks like a hybrid between the 1904 Model Gem and the Gem Junior Bar; and according to Mr. Waits, the Gem Junior appears to be another response to Gillette's Double/Singe Ring disposable blade razors. In fact, while this razor has the wide base of a 1904, it's narrower top piece looks better designed for disposable GEM blades, and was in fact shipped with those style blades and not with the Wedge. Despite the mix and match look, this is a cool looking razor -- although I feel that way about every Lather Catcher.

The shave was good, but not quite as nice as either it's predecessor or it's successor. It was my first shave with it, but I still maintain that the "Bar" razors, either the GEM New Model or the Gem Junior Bar, produce a slightly more comfortable shave. If there is a difference, it's not because of blade movement: the side blade clips are TIGHT, I mean I had to push to get the thin Gem SS PTFE blade to slide in there; and the spring on the back clip is scary tight....the blade does not move.

It was also my first time using Saponificio Varesino shaving soap...the Felce Aromatico (aka Fern Scent), and it....was....AWESOME! I got this fairly used soap from the BST, and I'm glad I tried it. It was like putting cream on my face, and I mean cream. It lathered quickly and made a nice yogurty lather, and I love the Fougere (scusa, intendo felce).

A couple more comments on the shave, and then on to the pics (yep, there is more than one). The handle that came with "Junior" was a small metal handle, but it was in BAD shape, so I used a Gem celluloid handle (probably from a Gem Elite Junior). And the blade was on it's 11th shave, and may be getting ready to make an exit.....I suspect it was the main contributor to the slight decrease in comfort from other Gems. Oh and I should mention that the brush is an Omega boar knot in a custom Jayaruh handle (JR #373).

Here are the pics:
proxy.php

proxy.php

proxy.php
 
Last edited:
I don't recall if you have the non-peerless (aka the Peer?) Clog-pruf as well....if you do, do you notice a difference between the peer and the peerless?

First impression - smoother than my chrome Clog-Pruf.

YMMV of course. That evaluation isn’t based on a side-by-side test, and hasn’t been published in a peer-reviewed journal.

I would rate all my Micromatics roughly equal in efficiency (it’s the blade), with my aggression scale descending: MMOC (bumps make no difference), MMCP, MMCP-P, MMBT/FW (I only have the nickel Guiding Eye variant and a gold NOS set I will never use). All my flat-toppy and push-buttony Gems have been milder/less efficient for me.

On my vintage patrols here in NW Oregon I see far more MMOCs than any other model. And plenty of pre-Micromatic ASR razors. Not many post-Micromatics to be found.
 
My GEMonday was a 1907 Gem Junior -- not the 1912 Gem Junior, and not the Gem Junior Bar (which I always assumed was the first Gem Junior). The razor looks like a hybrid between the 1904 Model Gem and the Gem Junior Bar; and according to Mr. Waits, the Gem Junior appears to be another response to Gillette's Double/Singe Ring disposable blade razors. In fact, while this razor has the wide base of a 1904, it's narrower top piece looks better designed for disposable GEM blades, and was in fact shipped with those style blades and not with the Wedge. Despite the mix and match look, this is a cool looking razor -- although I feel that way about every Lather Catcher.

The shave was good, but not quite as nice as either it's predecessor or it's successor. It was my first shave with it, but I still maintain that the "Bar" razors, either the GEM New Model or the Gem Junior Bar, produce a slightly more comfortable shave. If there is a difference, it's not because of blade movement: the side blade clips are TIGHT, I mean I had to push to get the thin Gem SS PTFE blade to slide in there; and the spring on the back clip is scary tight....the blade does not move.

It was also my first time using Saponificio Varesino shaving soap...the Felce Aromatico (aka Fern Scent), and it....was....AWESOME! I got this fairly used soap from the BST, and I'm glad I tried it. It was like putting cream on my face, and I mean cream. It lathered quickly and made a nice yogurty lather, and I love the Fougere (scusa, intendo felce).

A couple more comments on the shave, and then on to the pics (yep, there is more than one). The handle that came with "Junior" was a small metal handle, but it was in BAD shape, so I used a Gem celluloid handle (probably from a Gem Elite Junior). And the blade was on it's 11th shave, and may be getting ready to make an exit.....I suspect it was the main contributor to the slight decrease in comfort from other Gems. Oh and I should mention that the brush is an Omega boar knot in a custom Jayaruh handle (JR #373).

Here are the pics:
proxy.php

proxy.php

proxy.php

Beautiful razor Fred and it looks superb on the chosen handle. One of these days I will get around to turning myself a replica of the Elite handle. Maybe even a few in different colors/materials.
 

Ron R

I survived a lathey foreman
Well guys the flu has hit our house this week. We stayed home from community day at our homeschool group. I ended up sleeping till almost noon. I will be skipping the shave today but enjoy seeing everyones contributions.
Dam flu season, hope you & the rest of family start to feel a little stronger in the days ahead!
 

Ron R

I survived a lathey foreman
My GEMonday was a 1907 Gem Junior -- not the 1912 Gem Junior, and not the Gem Junior Bar (which I always assumed was the first Gem Junior). The razor looks like a hybrid between the 1904 Model Gem and the Gem Junior Bar; and according to Mr. Waits, the Gem Junior appears to be another response to Gillette's Double/Singe Ring disposable blade razors. In fact, while this razor has the wide base of a 1904, it's narrower top piece looks better designed for disposable GEM blades, and was in fact shipped with those style blades and not with the Wedge. Despite the mix and match look, this is a cool looking razor -- although I feel that way about every Lather Catcher.

The shave was good, but not quite as nice as either it's predecessor or it's successor. It was my first shave with it, but I still maintain that the "Bar" razors, either the GEM New Model or the Gem Junior Bar, produce a slightly more comfortable shave. If there is a difference, it's not because of blade movement: the side blade clips are TIGHT, I mean I had to push to get the thin Gem SS PTFE blade to slide in there; and the spring on the back clip is scary tight....the blade does not move.

It was also my first time using Saponificio Varesino shaving soap...the Felce Aromatico (aka Fern Scent), and it....was....AWESOME! I got this fairly used soap from the BST, and I'm glad I tried it. It was like putting cream on my face, and I mean cream. It lathered quickly and made a nice yogurty lather, and I love the Fougere (scusa, intendo felce).

A couple more comments on the shave, and then on to the pics (yep, there is more than one). The handle that came with "Junior" was a small metal handle, but it was in BAD shape, so I used a Gem celluloid handle (probably from a Gem Elite Junior). And the blade was on it's 11th shave, and may be getting ready to make an exit.....I suspect it was the main contributor to the slight decrease in comfort from other Gems. Oh and I should mention that the brush is an Omega boar knot in a custom Jayaruh handle (JR #373).

Here are the pics:
proxy.php

proxy.php

proxy.php
Very Nice lather catcher, I was bidding on a similar one on _bay not that long ago, glad to see one up and close like yours.
 

Flintstone65

Imagining solutions for imaginary problems
Very Nice lather catcher, I was bidding on a similar one on _bay not that long ago, glad to see one up and close like yours.
Thanks. This one came cased with the handle and strop (although the handle has seen better days)....I'll be taking some more shots of it and will post them up in the TALC. This one came from our very own BST.
 
On the gold MM Clog-Pruf Peerless topic:

This is another nice print ad of the Micromatic Clog-Pruf from 1946. A lot to learn from it. "It's back" means it went away. When did it go away? It went away three years before during WWII. You have to read all the fine print to know the ad is about a "Clog-Pruf " (ehm or just look at the razor, lol), because it is described as the "Gem Peerless" model.
proxy.php

In addition to suggesting an alternative to panicking about COVID-19, this ad convinces me that the Peerless was an exclusively gold-plated model.

Today, the caption to this cartoon would be “My eyes are up here!”

And on the pricing topic, according to some recent reading (a book, actual paper, published 1969), the base pay for a major in the US Army, 1942, was $200/month. So $1.25 for a high quality razor doesn’t look cheap, but it does seem inexpensive to me for what ASR gave a man.
 

Ron R

I survived a lathey foreman
SOTD, Tue, March 10th 2020

Razor : Gem Featherweight standard model- MFG 1950-53
Blade: Gem Personna SS PTFE (2)
Soap: Razorock Don Marco- if you like a citrus scent with good lather qualities this would be a good consideration IMO.
Brush : Yaqi tuxedo knot 24 mm "Sagrada Familia"
Pre-shave: Brush wash whole face with CeraVe hand bar soap + a dollop of clear Aloe Vera gel on beard area.
Prep : cold water rinse after each pass of 3.
Post shave: Italian barber Amici aftershave with witch hazel + Nivea balm.
Results : CCS,DFS,BBS + no irritation + no weepers = :a17: great shave! Hit my favorite sweet spot target!

SOTD, March 10th 2020 (2).jpg


Have some great shaves!
 

Ron R

I survived a lathey foreman
SOTD, Thursday March 12-2020- not sure I will be around for MMMonday this go around because will be out of town. Posting a little early.

Razor : Gem Damaskeene open comb- MFG 1912-15, this is the razor that took Gem to new heights of popularity in USA and world wide. They sold Millions of 1912 different variant models for many years with some improvements.
Blade : Gem Personna SS PTFE (3) :001_wub:
Soap : Razorock Irish country side. - mild scent with great lather qualities IMO.
Brush: Yaqi rainbow with brown whiskers 26mm - great brush IMO.
Pre-shave: Brush wash my whole face with CeraVe hand bar soap + a dollop of Clear Aloe Vera gel on the beard area.
Prep: Cold water rinse after each pass of 3.
Post shave : Proraso green with witch Hazel + Nivea balm.
Results: CCS,DFS,BBS + no irritation + 1 blemish weeper= :a17: Great shave & hit my sweet spot target!


SOTD, Thursday Mar 12 2020 (2).jpg


Have some great shaves!
 
Top Bottom