So I was browsing the Bay...because I'm a junkie and I can't help myself...and I noticed a Gem razor in its box with no bids on it. The pics were lousy but it was free shipping so I thought to myself, "sure, why not?" 1.99 later, I get my package and I realize it's not a normal 1912, it's a Damaskeene. 
Based on my limited research, I can put this at the pre-1916 date range, since it still has a steel handle (not brass) and it says "Gem Cutlery" not "Gem Safety Razor" or just "Gem". (The company ceased calling itself Gem Cutlery in 1916.)
So, I scrubbed it down with some dish soap and gave it a Barbicide bath and gave it a whirl.
I've been shaving with it for about a week now. (I can't do a review on just one shave, now can I?) using carbon-steel CVS blades. I shaved one day, two days' and three days' worth of growth in successive shaves.
Before I start, I should list my SE experience and preferences for a point of reference: I've used the MMOC (too aggressive), the "normal" 1912 (not bad, but rough), the Ever-ready Shovel-head (no blade feel) and the G-Bar (too mild). I live for Schick Injectors and use one as my primary razor.
So, onto how the Damaskeene performs:
In a word: beautifully. The knurled handle offers great traction for the fingers, so it's easy to grip it lightly, but still maintain control. When compared to other 1912's, the comb is longer, but set further below the blade (meaning considerably more blade gap) so it's a pretty vicious cutter, but like all the other 1912's, there's really only one angle where it works and it's easy to find. The first time I used it, it took the top off of a pimple and I didn't even notice until I started bleeding. The longer comb makes the operating angle range smaller, so it's less likely to bite.
Its balance is very nice, similar to normal 1912's, but a little better since its incrementally longer, and the steeper angle at which the head is set means a more natural-feeling handling angle. The blade may be only five degrees off the skin, but the handle is held at a similar angle to any Gillette DE of the era. (I wonder if that's what they were going for. It's a pretty natural-feeling angle.)
In terms of mildness, it's up there. It's not Feather Weight or Push Button mild, because those are mild and have little blade feedback. There is lots of feedback with the Damaskeene, and using it means listening to that slightly disconcerting (to me, at least) "toast-scraping" noise while you shave. However, it doesn't feel anything like it sounds. Unlike a G-Bar, though, it's mildness does not translate to needing more passes. This is a two-pass BBS shaver. Make no mistake, it's taking whiskers and like every Gem I've ever used, no pressure means no pressure. The weight of the razor is sufficient.
On the downside, it's still got the same bulky 1912 head that is inconvenient to maneuver under the jaw and under the nose. (I'm probably spoiled by Injectors in this regard.) That's the only downside I can really think of...except maybe the noise. I just don't like that scraping noise.
In summary: there's a reason that the Damaskeene is held as a luminary in the SE Pantheon. It's really that good. This is a razor that rewards good technique and doesn't punish bad technique.
Am I going to keep it. You're darn right I am! Before this, I was never 100% into non-Injector SEs. They were always either too harsh or they didn't feel like they did enough in a single pass. This razor is difference and very, very good. It's earned its place alongside the Fatip and the Schick Injector as "A razor I will actually use to shave with on a regular basis", which is my highest grade of esteem.
Quick review capsule
- Pros: Balance, narrow and consistent cutting angle, closeness of cutting, stops cutting before you start doing damage.
- Cons: bulky head, loud scraping noise, a little hard to find.
- Price: it's a vintage razor, so it depends
- Quality: old Gems are known to be indestructible
- Ease of Use: for a non-Injector SE, it's a breeze
- Aggressiveness: Between a 1912 and a G-Bar, but a much closer cutter than either
- Recommended: Yes, it's easily in that rarified RAD-killer category
The set:
The back of the head:
The blade tray:
The Damaskeene takes its place in my den:
Based on my limited research, I can put this at the pre-1916 date range, since it still has a steel handle (not brass) and it says "Gem Cutlery" not "Gem Safety Razor" or just "Gem". (The company ceased calling itself Gem Cutlery in 1916.)
So, I scrubbed it down with some dish soap and gave it a Barbicide bath and gave it a whirl.
I've been shaving with it for about a week now. (I can't do a review on just one shave, now can I?) using carbon-steel CVS blades. I shaved one day, two days' and three days' worth of growth in successive shaves.
Before I start, I should list my SE experience and preferences for a point of reference: I've used the MMOC (too aggressive), the "normal" 1912 (not bad, but rough), the Ever-ready Shovel-head (no blade feel) and the G-Bar (too mild). I live for Schick Injectors and use one as my primary razor.
So, onto how the Damaskeene performs:
In a word: beautifully. The knurled handle offers great traction for the fingers, so it's easy to grip it lightly, but still maintain control. When compared to other 1912's, the comb is longer, but set further below the blade (meaning considerably more blade gap) so it's a pretty vicious cutter, but like all the other 1912's, there's really only one angle where it works and it's easy to find. The first time I used it, it took the top off of a pimple and I didn't even notice until I started bleeding. The longer comb makes the operating angle range smaller, so it's less likely to bite.
Its balance is very nice, similar to normal 1912's, but a little better since its incrementally longer, and the steeper angle at which the head is set means a more natural-feeling handling angle. The blade may be only five degrees off the skin, but the handle is held at a similar angle to any Gillette DE of the era. (I wonder if that's what they were going for. It's a pretty natural-feeling angle.)
In terms of mildness, it's up there. It's not Feather Weight or Push Button mild, because those are mild and have little blade feedback. There is lots of feedback with the Damaskeene, and using it means listening to that slightly disconcerting (to me, at least) "toast-scraping" noise while you shave. However, it doesn't feel anything like it sounds. Unlike a G-Bar, though, it's mildness does not translate to needing more passes. This is a two-pass BBS shaver. Make no mistake, it's taking whiskers and like every Gem I've ever used, no pressure means no pressure. The weight of the razor is sufficient.
On the downside, it's still got the same bulky 1912 head that is inconvenient to maneuver under the jaw and under the nose. (I'm probably spoiled by Injectors in this regard.) That's the only downside I can really think of...except maybe the noise. I just don't like that scraping noise.
In summary: there's a reason that the Damaskeene is held as a luminary in the SE Pantheon. It's really that good. This is a razor that rewards good technique and doesn't punish bad technique.
Am I going to keep it. You're darn right I am! Before this, I was never 100% into non-Injector SEs. They were always either too harsh or they didn't feel like they did enough in a single pass. This razor is difference and very, very good. It's earned its place alongside the Fatip and the Schick Injector as "A razor I will actually use to shave with on a regular basis", which is my highest grade of esteem.
Quick review capsule
- Pros: Balance, narrow and consistent cutting angle, closeness of cutting, stops cutting before you start doing damage.
- Cons: bulky head, loud scraping noise, a little hard to find.
- Price: it's a vintage razor, so it depends
- Quality: old Gems are known to be indestructible
- Ease of Use: for a non-Injector SE, it's a breeze
- Aggressiveness: Between a 1912 and a G-Bar, but a much closer cutter than either
- Recommended: Yes, it's easily in that rarified RAD-killer category
The set:
The back of the head:
The blade tray:
The Damaskeene takes its place in my den:
