In anticipation of receiving my first Gem razor I happened to be in CVS and picked up their brand of SE blades(buy one get one for half price) They look identical to the Gem brand stainless but don't say where they are made. I hope these blades will work good in the Gem razor(micromatic) that I will be getting. Now I see Winn Dixie has their own branded SE blades but that package says made in Korea. Can anyone give me some insight about brands.
More Gem Questions(Blades)
- Thread starter slantman
- Start date
You want to use blades that have packages that say GEM by Personna. They are available at Walgreen's if you have any in your area. Ted Pella and EMS also have SE blades that work.
- Thread starter
- #3
Thanks I will keep that in mind.
There really aren't that many SE blade types out there. I tend to use the GEM/Personna's from WalGreen. I've heard so-so things about the CVS blades, but haven't tried them yet.
As for the Korean blades, that's new to me. I would go ahead and get a small pack of them and see how they do. You never know, they could be the next "hot" blade.
The Ted Pella blades are all I have used and they work great. From what I hear, the Gem from Personna blades on Amazon and in the stores are they exact same thing. If anything, just try them and see what happens. Gems work differently than DEs though, so pay attention to your angles.
The only caveat here is that since this is your first time with this razor type, you might want the first blade to be an acknowledged good one. Don't throw away any others, just save them for after you've used a good one or two.
- Chris
- Chris
- Thread starter
- #7
Great advise from all. Since I already have the CVS blades I will give them a try.
Since I am an experienced DE & injector shaver I should know immediately how good they are. But next up will be the Gem Personna from Walgreens. After that I am going to try the Korean made Winn Dixie brand.
Thank you
Since I am an experienced DE & injector shaver I should know immediately how good they are. But next up will be the Gem Personna from Walgreens. After that I am going to try the Korean made Winn Dixie brand.
Thank you
CVS in my area sold Treet SE blades befroe they started selling the ones with the CVS name on them. There is a good possability that they are the same. I haven't tried the Korean blades from Winn-Dixie, but did try some off brand Korean SE blades from a local independent market. I don't know if they are the same, but the ones I tried did not cut well and pulled at my beard. The package said "Compare to Treet" on the back of the card. I compared and promptly trashed the Korean blades. Heck, I've used the mild Dorcos in my vintage Gillettes and never had any this dull.
-Clarke
-Clarke
If you end up trying the CVS razors please let us know! I likewise just happened to purchase a package today with the aniticpated arrival of the GEM Micromatic I purchased from GaryG.
Thanks,
~Kary
Razor(s) -- '55 SS; '62 Slim
Blades -- Trying a sample pack that includes Merkur and Feather
Brush -- Cheap Boar
Cream/Soap -- C. Bigelo; Colonel Conk (lime)
Thanks,
~Kary
Razor(s) -- '55 SS; '62 Slim
Blades -- Trying a sample pack that includes Merkur and Feather
Brush -- Cheap Boar
Cream/Soap -- C. Bigelo; Colonel Conk (lime)
- Thread starter
- #10
My Gem Micromatic was mailed Wednesday so hopefully I will get it Monday or Tuesday. I will load a CVS and advise of its shave ability. If no good I will return the 2nd unused pack I bought and head for Walgreens for the Gems.
- Thread starter
- #11
On the CVS brand blades on the side of the actual dispenser is says AMERICAN SAFETY RAZOR COMPANY. So they must be Gem Personna?
ASR makes a lot of the store branded razor blades, though the quality of each is not equal. I personally would go with the GEM by Personna available at WalMart.
Agreed. The time to experiment with off-brand blades is after you already have established a baseline with the known good blades, not on your first time out.
They must be.
There isn't a CVS were I live but I'm taking my son home today were there is one I'm going to drop by and pick up a pack or two.
I tried my OC Micromatic yesterday that I got two days ago with the real GEMS and man that is one heck of a shaving machine.
Good point try the real thing I still had a heck of a time not hacking up my face.
There isn't a CVS were I live but I'm taking my son home today were there is one I'm going to drop by and pick up a pack or two.
I tried my OC Micromatic yesterday that I got two days ago with the real GEMS and man that is one heck of a shaving machine.
Good point try the real thing I still had a heck of a time not hacking up my face.
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- Thread starter
- #15
I have used the CVS brand injector blades and find them excellent. I am wondering why ASRCO would risk selling to a big co like CVS inferior blades. I can't believe they would be utility grade selling as a shaving blade. ASRCO is too big for that nonsense.
ASR does make non-stainless and non-PTFE coated blades as well as the stainless PTFE-coated versions we like. The blades sold as specimen prep blades are probably better yet and they don't even make those available to the general public for shaving.
My point is that ASR makes a wide range of SE blades some better than others. Even with careful reading of the CVS-branded package we may not know at what price-point CVS chose to come in at. Remember, they work on razor-thin margins! (I had to sneak that in!)
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- Thread starter
- #17
Yes I agree they do make non stainless and uncoated blades but more for utility use then shaving. I will try them several days in a row and see how sharp they are and if they rust. Even if they are bad I will simply use them in my utility knife and buy the Gem Personna at Walgreens.
Thanks Bob for your advise
Thanks Bob for your advise
When I first got a GEM razor I picked up some blades off the shelf at a supermarket or drug store and they were not stainless. The first blade I used rusted badly before I got to my second shave. I still have the little grey dispenser (just like the CVS picture above) and just looked to see exactly what they are. There is no brand name like GEM or Treet but the dispenser does say "American Safety Razor". The remaining blades in it are rusted.
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As far as carbon steel blades rusting quickly, it depends upon what's in your water. My municipality's water comes from wells and only small amounts of lime are added to regulate the ph. We also have natural springs in the area. Even here in humid Florida, I've yet to have a carbon steel blade rust if changed out in a weeks time.
-Clarke
-Clarke
- Thread starter
- #20
I received my Gem Micromatic today and promptly sanitized it. Nice razor for under $7 delivered. I loaded it with a CVS SE blade and noticed the angle is similar to an injector(IMHO). Since I already shaved this morning I decided to do one pass just to get the feel of it. I went very slowly. This is the bar type so not as aggressive as an open comb. No cuts,irritation or any other problem. I even did ATG/XTG
In 3 words "I like it"
Will continue every day until all the blades are used up then will get the Gem Personnas.
In 3 words "I like it"
Will continue every day until all the blades are used up then will get the Gem Personnas.
