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New Micromatic Open Comb

I've never used a Gem razor and figured it was time to try. I generally do not like vintage razors, but this one on eBay looked to be in great condition - and it was only $23 shipped. Unfortunately, I won't be able to try it until the blades I ordered from Connaught show up.

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Oooh, looks very tidy!

One mistake I see some new MMOC owners make is laying the blade edge on top of the stops, rather than behind and pushed against them. By all reports this can be very uncomfortable.

You’ve got the one with the bumps, too, so thinner modern GEM blades will still be held at the correct angle.

I’m pretty new to GEMs, but I really like them. I’m sure one of the veterans will be along soon to post the official instruction booklet from the 30s, so you can see exactly how to use it.
 
I discovered some Gem blades at CVS, so I decided not to wait for the ones from Connaught to arrive. These must be the Gem carbon steel blades made by Gem/Personna/Accutec. I popped one in, lathered up and gave it a try this morning. I was a bit concerned by everything I had read about using a Gem razor, but I found it completely intuitive. No problem finding the right angle, no difficulty maneuvering it in tight spaces. I did my usual two pass shave with minimal touch up. No cuts, nicks or irritations. The blade seemed quite smooth. Of late my favorite shaver has been my Black Hawk, but the MMOC was smoother and yielded the same close and comfortable result.
 
I discovered some Gem blades at CVS, so I decided not to wait for the ones from Connaught to arrive. These must be the Gem carbon steel blades made by Gem/Personna/Accutec. I popped one in, lathered up and gave it a try this morning. I was a bit concerned by everything I had read about using a Gem razor, but I found it completely intuitive. No problem finding the right angle, no difficulty maneuvering it in tight spaces. I did my usual two pass shave with minimal touch up. No cuts, nicks or irritations. The blade seemed quite smooth. Of late my favorite shaver has been my Black Hawk, but the MMOC was smoother and yielded the same close and comfortable result.

I think the CVS blades are stainless steel, but uncoated. The blades from Connaught are coated with PTFE (Teflon, or something similar).
 

Esox

I didnt know
Staff member
The PTFE blades are sharp. With a fresh PTFE I ride the back of the cap.

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As the blade wears I increase gradually to steeper angles.

By shave #5 I use the front most flat.

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By shave #10 I'm not riding the cap at all and using as much blade as I can get.

The MMOC with a PTFE to shave 3 or 4 can be daunting but its easily learned. The blade starts to mellow nicely at shave #4.

Carbon blades are a no go for me: First SE Shave.
 
I bought 200 PTFEs from Connaught to get the best price - value increases. I know I'm going to be using Micromatics for a very long time and they're going to stay in my rotation, even as number one choice. So 200 blades was a no-brainer. Has to be PTFE Personnas.
 
I think the CVS blades are stainless steel, but uncoated. The blades from Connaught are coated with PTFE (Teflon, or something similar).
To be honest, I have no idea. I'm assuming that they're carbon steel only because I did a search on the Forum here on CVS Single Edge and the thread I found claimed that the CVS blades were carbon steel. I don't know any way of confirming that from the appearance of the blades.
 
To be honest, I have no idea. I'm assuming that they're carbon steel only because I did a search on the Forum here on CVS Single Edge and the thread I found claimed that the CVS blades were carbon steel. I don't know any way of confirming that from the appearance of the blades.

If they turn blackish after getting wet (and not dried immediately), they are carbon steel.
 
The MMOC taught me one thing. Unless I use a technique similar to the so well explained by @Esox and keeping the angle correct, I wouldn't have a great shave.

The result is that I found my natural angle using other SE razors.

I use the MMOC when my blade has more than 7 shaves in it. It can squeeze life out of the blade for 7 more shaves.

Unfortunately it hasn't become my primary main razor as I wished for but who knows what happens with time.
 

Esox

I didnt know
Staff member
The MMOC taught me one thing. Unless I use a technique similar to the so well explained by @Esox and keeping the angle correct, I wouldn't have a great shave.

The result is that I found my natural angle using other SE razors.

I use the MMOC when my blade has more than 7 shaves in it. It can squeeze life out of the blade for 7 more shaves.

Unfortunately it hasn't become my primary main razor as I wished for but who knows what happens with time.

Think about the same angle of blade edge to skin when you use your Fatip. The angle I use my Grande with puts the blades edge at the same angle as the MMOC design angle.

Keep at it, you'll get there. The MMOC is awesome, but I understand why it might be overkill for many.
 
I had always thought the MMOC was going to be too big and too unwieldy, but when it arrived I was surprised that it was much smaller than I expected. With that large blade I expected the head to be cumbersome, but that was not the case. Also, I had never been a fan of vintage razors, but this one was in such good condition that I don't feel like I'm using someone else's castaway.

Today was my first shave with my MMOC and the PTFE coated stainless blades that finally arrived from Connaught. I was getting great shaves with the CVS blades, but this just moved it up a level to excellent. For whatever reason, I do not find the MMOC in any way intimidating or aggressive. Perhaps there is some model to model variation or perhaps it just suits my technique. I don't think it's that my technique is "special" - for example, I could never get my Fatip open comb to work for me without causing irritation, while many others user theirs daily. I know it's only one shave with the MMOC/PTFE blade combo, but I've been doing this long enough to know when something works for me.
 

Esox

I didnt know
Staff member
Perhaps there is some model to model variation or perhaps it just suits my technique. I don't think it's that my technique is "special" - for example, I could never get my Fatip open comb to work for me without causing irritation, while many others user theirs daily.

I had to adjust to using a different grip position with the MMOC over my Grande. Once I did I was in business. It felt awkward for maybe a half dozen shaves.

The difference between my MMOC and my Grande, now, is down to purely the thickness of the blades. The SE blade does not flex, at all, at anytime. The DE blade can.

The advantage Fatip OC heads have over other razors is the support offered by the baseplate combined with the generous blade exposure. That allows me to use my Grande at the same angle of blade to skin as I do my MMOC. The red line below being the level my skin with the corresponding edge to skin angle.

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Because of the blade stops on the MMOC, I cant take a picture highlighting the angle of blade to skin, but they are very close if not the same between both razors and how I use them.

When you're using your Grande, try pushing the cap into your skin while you search the most comfortable angle. I use enough pressure to push the cap into my skin as far as the distance between the two red lines to achieve my preferred angle.

The top line would be with 'no pressure'. The bottom line with the pressure I apply. That pressure is only applied to the cap, not the edge. Just like the MMOC, your skin will rise to meet the edge.

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The MMOC, because of the thicker more rigid blade, is the smoother and more comfortable shaver. The Grande is right on its heels but because DE blades are so thin and can flex so easily, maintaining such a critical angle can be difficult.
 
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I had to adjust to using a different grip position with the MMOC over my Grande. Once I did I was in business. It felt awkward for maybe a half dozen shaves.

The difference between my MMOC and my Grande, now, is down to purely the thickness of the blades. The SE blade does not flex, at all, at anytime. The DE blade can.

The advantage Fatip OC heads have over other razors is the support offered by the baseplate combined with the generous blade exposure. That allows me to use my Grande at the same angle of blade to skin as I do my MMOC. The red line below being the level my skin with the corresponding edge to skin angle.

View attachment 968839

Because of the blade stops on the MMOC, I cant take a picture highlighting the angle of blade to skin, but they are very close if not the same between both razors and how I use them.

When you're using your Grande, try pushing the cap into your skin while you search the most comfortable angle. I use enough pressure to push the cap into my skin as far as the distance between the two red lines to achieve my preferred angle.

The top line would be with 'no pressure'. The bottom line with the pressure I apply. That pressure is only applied to the cap, not the edge. Just like the MMOC, your skin will rise to meet the edge.

View attachment 968840

The MMOC, because of the thicker more rigid blade, is the smoother and more comfortable shaver. The Grande is right on its heels but because DE blades are so thin and can flex so easily, maintaining such a critical angle can be difficult.
In my many years of using DE razors I never thought about blade rigidity until you and some others started discussing it on these Forum pages. Through trial and error I found DE razors that worked well for me, but the Fatip was not one of them. I had both a Piccolo and a Zebrano, both the same open comb head with different handles. I sold both and moved on. The only DE I'm still using is my Game Changer .84, and it hasn't seen much use lately either. All three of my SE razors work better for me than any of my DE's, and I'm starting to believe it has to do with the fact that the Supply injector, Black Hawk AC and Gem MMOC use different blades, but all three have blades that flex much less than the DE blades. I shave every morning, 7 days a week, and particularly on weekdays I need a razor that I can use quickly without having to waste time dealing with nicks and cuts (and no one wants to deal with irritation). All three of those razors work wonderfully for me, although now with the PTFE coated blades the MMOC provides the closest shave of the three.
 

Esox

I didnt know
Staff member
In my many years of using DE razors I never thought about blade rigidity until you and some others started discussing it on these Forum pages. Through trial and error I found DE razors that worked well for me, but the Fatip was not one of them. I had both a Piccolo and a Zebrano, both the same open comb head with different handles. I sold both and moved on. The only DE I'm still using is my Game Changer .84, and it hasn't seen much use lately either. All three of my SE razors work better for me than any of my DE's, and I'm starting to believe it has to do with the fact that the Supply injector, Black Hawk AC and Gem MMOC use different blades, but all three have blades that flex much less than the DE blades. I shave every morning, 7 days a week, and particularly on weekdays I need a razor that I can use quickly without having to waste time dealing with nicks and cuts (and no one wants to deal with irritation). All three of those razors work wonderfully for me, although now with the PTFE coated blades the MMOC provides the closest shave of the three.

My MMOC is easily the closest shaving razor I've used, no question there. My skin has also improved from using it.

The RR GC .84 is a nice razor. A rigid design but even with .84 blade gap it has neutral blade exposure.

Picture courtesy of @Cal.
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That would make it much easier to use and maintain the correct combination of angle and pressure than a Fatip. No question about that.

If they had less gap and more exposure I'd own one. You're right though, in the end its the blade that makes the difference.
 
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