Hi Guys
Got several Valets. Not sure why. They're kind of funky, have gears and look prehistoric. Whats not to like? The blades were old and there doesn't seem to be anyone in town that does the proper honing of these things. Tried the strop and figured I'd have arms like Popeye before I could shave with this thang. So I ordered some Feather SEs and they are not particularly cheap or readily available. I went through the group Gem buy so I do have lots of SE blades. I remember watching a video of a fellow B&Ber on how to alter a Gem to fit the Valet. So I got a few blades, a pair of needlenose pliers and went to work. Really easy. Just remove the spine, grip the blade with another pair of pliers and place the pliers where indicated and snap off the extra piece. I use the pliers to slide the blade into its holder and voila.
You can see the original blade and how it compares to a Gem (spine removed). I've drawn lines on the Gem to show where to snap off. The third blade shows what it looks like after and ready to use in the razor. It seems like a lot of work but it's not really and I get to use the Autostrop in my rotation. I like shaving with it. Pretty comfortable and the learning curve ain't too bad
Got several Valets. Not sure why. They're kind of funky, have gears and look prehistoric. Whats not to like? The blades were old and there doesn't seem to be anyone in town that does the proper honing of these things. Tried the strop and figured I'd have arms like Popeye before I could shave with this thang. So I ordered some Feather SEs and they are not particularly cheap or readily available. I went through the group Gem buy so I do have lots of SE blades. I remember watching a video of a fellow B&Ber on how to alter a Gem to fit the Valet. So I got a few blades, a pair of needlenose pliers and went to work. Really easy. Just remove the spine, grip the blade with another pair of pliers and place the pliers where indicated and snap off the extra piece. I use the pliers to slide the blade into its holder and voila.
You can see the original blade and how it compares to a Gem (spine removed). I've drawn lines on the Gem to show where to snap off. The third blade shows what it looks like after and ready to use in the razor. It seems like a lot of work but it's not really and I get to use the Autostrop in my rotation. I like shaving with it. Pretty comfortable and the learning curve ain't too bad