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My first SE shave, any advice for me?

EclipseRedRing

I smell like a Christmas pudding
I recently purchased this on the Bay for the princely sum of £5 along with some GEM PTFE coated blades. It was sold as an Ever Ready 1912 and I believe these were made for several years. It is made in England and in perfect condition as is the case. Looking at the case I suspect 1940's but would appreciate an expert opinion.
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Tonight I tried it out for my first ever SE shave; I used TOBS Jermyn Street cream and a Simpson Wee Scot brush. I am normally a soap user but I thought a cream may offer more protection. I concentrated on the angle as advised in threads I have seen on B&B and I immediately noticed the excellent audio feedback which I really like; I suppose this is due to the way the blade is supported. The first pass WTG was fine but I noted the difficulty in shaving N to S under the nose. The second AGT pass enabled easier access to the under nose area but it felt harsh as the first pass had not removed much in that area. I am thinking an XTG second pass on the upper lip may be a good idea in future. I finished up with Thayers and vintage 1977 Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Shulton Old Spice. OS.jpg

An hour after the shave I can tell that the flat areas on my neck and face are smooth but under my chin and around the jaw line there is some roughness and the shave was not as close. All in all, a satisfactory first attempt and I shall persevere with this until my technique, and the finished result improves. I have no doubt that this is a very common razor in the SE community but I encourage anyone who has not tried one to do so. Any advice on improving my future SE shaves would be appreciated. Thanks.
 
You got a good deal on that razor. Under the lip, shave somewhat horizontally, not vertically. Either that, or move your nose out of the way and use a very light touch due to the angle.
 

Ron R

I survived a lathey foreman
The 1912 Razors are excellent with all the changes for the better engineered in them. I have a Gem Damaskeene OC 1912(the real Mckoy) and that was the bedrock for the Gem brand, your model has improved base plate with drainage holes in the base plate to allow water out and has the closed comb for strength and slightly more aggressive than the original 1912 Damaskeene , Gem also had the closed comb Damaskeene later models. Everready, Gem and Star are all under the ASR umbrella of companies and all 1912 were more than likely all made in the same factory just stamped with a different brand. The 1912 is one of my favorites and was MFG in the millions over it's life timeline.

Have some great shaves!
 

EclipseRedRing

I smell like a Christmas pudding
You got a good deal on that razor. Under the lip, shave somewhat horizontally, not vertically. Either that, or move your nose out of the way and use a very light touch due to the angle.

Thank you, sound advice.

The 1912 Razors are excellent with all the changes for the better engineered in them. I have a Gem Damaskeene OC 1912(the real Mckoy) and that was the bedrock for the Gem brand, your model has improved base plate with drainage holes in the base plate to allow water out and has the closed comb for strength and slightly more aggressive than the original 1912 Damaskeene , Gem also had the closed comb Damaskeene later models. Everready, Gem and Star are all under the ASR umbrella of companies and all 1912 were more than likely all made in the same factory just stamped with a different brand. The 1912 is one of my favorites and was MFG in the millions over it's life timeline.

Have some great shaves!

That is a very interesting thread, thank you. If nothing else I have learned how little I know.
 

EclipseRedRing

I smell like a Christmas pudding
I have been persevering with the Ever Ready 1912 and what a fantastic razor it is. This razor provides a shave every bit as close, and just as important, every bit as pleasurable, as any of my DE razors. I have been using Proraso pre shave and also a slightly wetter lather than usual and the results have been great. I have focused on blade angle, pressure, and short strokes similar to blade buffing. From what I read the SE blades are expected to last for more shaves than their DE equivalents and I have also considered that I could strop the SE blade to further prolong the shave quality, and blade life. I have an excellent leather and canvas strop for use with my straight razor which would be suitable. I can see that with the absurdly high prices being realised at auction for DE razors these days that an SE collection could be an attractive proposition. Better not say that too loud.
 

Ron R

I survived a lathey foreman
I have also considered that I could strop the SE blade to further prolong the shave quality, and blade life. I have an excellent leather and canvas strop for use with my straight razor which would be suitable.
You can try stropping but I had no luck with single edge blades and in fact making it duller which I found strange. If you want reasonably priced blades that are coated I would recommend Connaught shaving UK which handle Gem Personna.
I live up north and I have to buy on line because no one carries Gem blades, they last and are very sharp.
If you are using US dollars they are even better priced and expect 1 to 2 weeks delivery.
Have some great shaves!
 
Brother RedRing,

SE blades do not last longer than DE blades or injector blades.

I get 7 quality shaves from a DE blade.

I get 5 quality shaves from a SE blade.

And I get 14 quality shaves from an injector blade.

My beard is moderately coarse and tough.
 

Ron R

I survived a lathey foreman
Brother RedRing,

SE blades do not last longer than DE blades or injector blades.

I get 7 quality shaves from a DE blade.

I get 5 quality shaves from a SE blade.

And I get 14 quality shaves from an injector blade.

My beard is moderately coarse and tough.
Looking at your list there is some accuracy IMO depending on the brand name.

DE blades(most brands) I usally get 5-7 good shaves- my rule average 6 max shaves then toss.
SE Gem blades 8-12 good shaves- My rule average 10 max shaves then toss.
SE Schick injector teflon coated 8-12 good shaves - my rule average 10 max shaves then toss.
SE Feather FHS-10 platinum + teflon coated 2-3 shaves- my rule 2nd or 3rd shaves max toss.

I have not tried the Feather AC SE family of blades but I think from my readings most get around 5 good shaves.
My beard is of medium growth toughness IMO.
 
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I have also considered that I could strop the SE blade to further prolong the shave quality, and blade life. I have an excellent leather and canvas strop for use with my straight razor which would be suitable.

Your straight razor is carbon steel, which is why stropping and honing is mandatory for maintaining the edge. SE blades, at least the PTFE coated ones, are stainless steel and won't respond in the same way if you strop them. I do palm strop my SE blades but I do this with the expectation of cleaning the crud from the edge and not to prolong the edge life.

As for blade life, I get 8-10 shaves from an SE blade, sometimes I can stretch one to 12. Most DE blades last me 3-5 shaves tops; there is one brand that I get 7 or 8 shaves from. I usually toss my injector blades after 14 shaves just because I'm bored with them by that time. My beard is fairly tough, not so heavy but pretty wiry after 50 years or so of activity.
 
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