My SE luck continues - all bad. Throwing in the towel

[Kent Kimmons]

Well, the MicroMatic Flying Wing was a crash,
The Shavwell ended up being Shavdangerous,
And the Schick injector just didn't give me a good shave (wife liked it on her legs though).

I'm throwing in the towel on SE and sticking with DE razors.

Wishing you SE guys all the best, just not for me. Finding little can compare with my Gillette Aristocrat.

 

[DrumZalot]

I am also very new to single edge razors. I started out easy on a Heavy Flat Top then a 1912 I am now going to bump up to more aggressive razors such as the Micromatic. I've been asking a lot of questions about SE's and was doing 2 easy pass shaves with and across the grain. Recently I went for 3 passes adding against the grain the shave went well. I shave slowly and check my angle. I've been looking at Mr. Guy's videos with Micromatics. I'm not a pro with SE's yet so some of the more experience men around here can hopefully help you.

 

[Haggises]

Good luck in the DE world. I can't imagine how anyone could get a bad shave from an injector - they're so easy it's almost cheating.
But then, YMMV and it's a funny old world.

I will gladly take your SE razors and dispose of them properly. PM me for address. TIA.

 

[Galhatz]

Fwiw, i got horrible shaves with an injector using tge Chinese Schick blades. I actually sold both injectors. But curiosity got to me and I got an I2 coupled with a petsonna pfte blades and that setup works extremely well for me if not the best.

The flying wing is quite deceptive razor that will punish you for too much pressure. The friendliest micromatic is the clog-pruf which I like quite a bit. The g-bar and the Featherweight are very mild, too mild for me but you might want to give them a try.

Last, if DEs work well for you, no point getting frustrated with bad shaves, sometimes a shave is just a shave, enjoy it.

 

[smalltank]

IMO every razor is a YMMV..even straight razors....gotta "sift" through things til you find what works well...

 

[Morman Bridge]

Today was my first SE shave,and I can see why he doesn't care much for SE shaving. I'm pretty experianced with DE's, but I was not prepared for what my 1896 Star did to me!!! That thing is archaic. I'm going to try my Micromatic tomorrow. Anyway Hello to all you Single Edge users out there tonight. God Bless

 

[dparish1952]

Kent,

I had my first SE shave yesterday using a G bar with a Gem Super Stainless blade. I will take another day for my face to recover.

I read that the blade was no good, but I couldn't find alternative, and I agree that it was no good. Shave was worse than a dull cart. Too many passes, too much pulling, too much irritation, and too much hair remaining.

I found some CVS carbon blades at one location, and I'll try them Thursday. Meanwhile I'll read on for how to modify my technique.

After Thursday I have a 1912 to try, and if that doesn't work then I'll try a Pal Adjustable that I'm waiting to receive.

I am considering the hack that will let me use half a Lab Blue DE blade in a SE. It all depends if I see any hope at all in continuing.

Wish me well!

 

[mulligano]

I'm sure you've already seen these or know the tips, but in case you haven't, these are the videos I used when I first started with my 1912 and I found them great - particularly the way he holds the razor.

Tips
Live Shave

I hope this helps and that you don't have to throw in the towel.

 

[dparish1952]

@mulligano, nice videos. Thanks.

 

[shavefreak]

Yeah a gem/everready 1912 should be the place to start with SE, The ever ready streamline is the best if you can find one. The gem g bar is a bit mild and should not tear up a face.

 

[Mick]

Put them in a drawer until you get your shaving technique down a little better.

I have no problems shaving and getting BBS with anything from a Tech to a straight to a broken bottle but I have been shaving for right about a half century now.

Trust me. It is not 't the tools that are the problem. Put them away and bring them out in a year or so. You will be pleasantly surprised.

 

[Haggises]

10c worth of advice for those having a hard time.......

Angle - if you're used to a DE, you're probably starting at the wrong angle. The blade needs to be steep. Not quite head-flush-against-the-cheek, but close to it.

Pressure - many SE razors don't have the weight of a DE. The weight distribution is often different too. You might find you can't get away with just the weight of the razor and need to apply a bit. BUT ONLY enough to keep the razor from skipping across your face. If you're pressing, it's too much.

Lather - try a wetter, slicker lather like you would do with a straight.

Blades - if you don't like the CVS carbons, try the Walgreens/Walmart stainless or the PTFE coated stainless. And vice versa. See the blade guide for more info.

Razors - try the 1912 and G-bar first. Master one of those then branch out into the 1914/1924 or Micromatics or Lather Catchers.
Make sure your blade is snug and under the blade stops. Make sure it doesn't jiggle when you move.

Expectations - Don't expect to get a perfect shave first time. It's not the same as DE - it's almost as different from DE as DE is from a cart. Remember how long that took you to transition?

Have patience and maybe you'll find happiness in LOSERville. If not, no worries, we always welcome tourists and day-trippers!

 

[MrLara]

I can't imagine how anyone could get a bad shave from an injector - they're so easy it's almost cheating.

I agree.

I started using one recently, and so far i have had nothing but great shaves. they are very forgiving razors. If i would have started with these, i may have not bought a DE.

 

[stvince71]

Today was my first SE shave,and I can see why he doesn't care much for SE shaving. I'm pretty experianced with DE's, but I was not prepared for what my 1896 Star did to me!!! That thing is archaic. I'm going to try my Micromatic tomorrow. Anyway Hello to all you Single Edge users out there tonight. God Bless

Good Grief, why in the world did you start SE shaving with a Lather Catcher? Those shouldn't even be looked at by new SE shaver until you've worked on your technique first. I would would try to find a 1912, G-Bar or a push button as a starter razor, then try the MM after. Ssave the lather catcher for when you've become more experienced.

 

[neatokino]

Your mileage WILL vary, but...

I started with a 1912 Damaskeene, and I managed a great shave on my second try. My technique was NOT terribly good, but I took it slowly and carefully. Since then, I've tried other 1912's, Juniors, MM Open Combs and MM Clog Prufs, a Damaskeene OC and I've got a couple of Streamlines. I was a total convert in the first week. But to this day, I feel that the Damaskeene and the Junior give the best shaves with the least amount of technique. Maybe you should try one of them. As my technique improves, and it has a long way to go, I'm able to enjoy the more aggressive razors, but to start, the Damaskeene can't be beat.

 

[Redzone]

I am still noob status and am able to get decent shaves from all my SE's. I was a bit freaked out before the first shave but just stuck with the advice from here and had no issues. At present I use and Injector for first pass and then a Gillette SS for next 2, maybe you could try mixing it up too.
You will find the Aristocrat even better now if thats possible.
Worst case you have a nice PIF there

 

[Morman Bridge]

Hello again gentlemen, well I waited a little longer to try my second SE shave than I thought I would, but a few minutes ago I did it. I used my Gem Micromatic to do it, and I did get a socialy acceptable shave out of it. I must say those little Micromatics are a great shavetool. Thanks for the links to the videos Mulligano, they helped me out. Now whenever I want an SE shave the Micromatic is what I will use untill I get some experiance in SE shaving. I ordered ten new Blue Star GEM blades too. Well, that's all for now, thanks for everything guys. God Bless and have a good day!!!

 

[Isaac]

Just go all out..and get a straight razor. I love mine

 

[White Tuna]

I'm sure you've already seen these or know the tips, but in case you haven't, these are the videos I used when I first started with my 1912 and I found them great - particularly the way he holds the razor.

Tips
Live Shave

I hope this helps and that you don't have to throw in the towel.

Thank you for posting this. I watched this and corrected some of my habits on yesterday mornings shave and got a really close shave. Made some mistakes and had some weepers and irritation on my neck this morning so skipped a shave. Will continue tomorrow or Sunday.

 

[tfinch]

My first SE shaves were pretty good, but I didn't really get the hype. I tried them again recently after six months or so using other stuff, and I was astonished how great the 1912 felt. I got the first BBS I've had in a while, one of those unintentional surprise BBS. It's strange how many different pieces of kit this happens with. I've come to the realization that I should never get rid of anything because in six months I'll probably get bored enough to try it again and love it.