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Newbie jumping into the deep end

Old Hippie

Somewhere between 61 and dead
Lovely! I also have a soft spot in my heart for "orphan" things that are well used and show evidence of owner repairs. (Mrs. Hippie would say the soft spot is in my head...)

Welcome to the madhouse from a fellow sexagenarian.

O.H.
 
Good stuff mate. I did a similar thing at 55. Wait til you get into vintage Gems. All the best.
So, I know absolutely nothing about the GEMs (assuming you are referring to the single edge razors?). I recently bought a lot of four vintage razors for $8 plus shipping that included three different Superspeed Flare tips. The fourth razor was the Ever Ready SE razor shown below.
PXL_20220510_134118350.PORTRAIT.jpg

PXL_20220510_134732878.PORTRAIT.jpg


Is this the basic type of razor you were describing? It is easily apparent how to load a blade, just flip up the spring loaded cover. Does it just take a "standard" single edge blade? I'm clueless.
 
You should only
So, I know absolutely nothing about the GEMs (assuming you are referring to the single edge razors?). I recently bought a lot of four vintage razors for $8 plus shipping that included three different Superspeed Flare tips. The fourth razor was the Ever Ready SE razor shown below.
View attachment 1453432
View attachment 1453437

Is this the basic type of razor you were describing? It is easily apparent how to load a blade, just flip up the spring loaded cover. Does it just take a "standard" single edge blade? I'm clueless.
Any single-edge razor blade will fit, but you should only use blades specifically made for shaving, not blades from Home Depot.

GEM PTFE blades seem to be popular. You can read more in the Single Edge Razor forum, and buy sample blades at the tryablade website.
 
You should only

Any single-edge razor blade will fit, but you should only use blades specifically made for shaving, not blades from Home Depot.

GEM PTFE blades seem to be popular. You can read more in the Single Edge Razor forum, and buy sample blades at the tryablade website.
Only GEM blade will work as Artist Club Style single edge won't work.

And yes, you should buy the GEM ptfe coated blade such as the personna
 
So, I know absolutely nothing about the GEMs (assuming you are referring to the single edge razors?). I recently bought a lot of four vintage razors for $8 plus shipping that included three different Superspeed Flare tips. The fourth razor was the Ever Ready SE razor shown below.
View attachment 1453432
View attachment 1453437

Is this the basic type of razor you were describing? It is easily apparent how to load a blade, just flip up the spring loaded cover. Does it just take a "standard" single edge blade? I'm clueless.
GM, that is exactly the type of razor I was referring to. Gem, EverReady and Star razor brands produced roughly the same single edge style. Although there are some fabulous differences - OC, CC, push to open, shovel headed and the lust (not misspelled) goes on.

They take a single edge GEM blade. The blade also looks like an industrial scraper still on the market. Make sure you don’t buy the scraper or your plastic surgeon will be needed. I prefer a Persona Statinless steel single edge PTFE coated blade (YMMV). They are much thicker than a DE blade. There are other brand blades around I think.

I see you are in the States. I‘m in Australia. I don’t know where you can get them over your way. I buy them from Connaught Shaving in England.

For a history of the razor have a look at American Safety Razor Dating Chart - Gem, Ever Ready, Kampfe Star - https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/threads/american-safety-razor-dating-chart-gem-ever-ready-kampfe-star.566585/ on this site. In essence three companies combined over the years. There are many threads on Gems for you to look at here. Fabulous resource.

Yours looks like a 1912 style razor. But I am not knowledgeable enough to date it. They made that style for many years.

As for shaving I get 10 shaves out of each blade on a regular basis. Each as close to BBS as I can get. Lovely razors. It is my go to razor style.

The shave angle is much closer to the angle needed to use a straight razor than that for a DE. The angle of the head is held much closer to the face (shallower) than a DE. Some of their instructions recommend the head be flat to the face. That depends on which versions you have. Their are YouTube clips galore which will help with that.

I realise that by posting this I will cause you to spend more. Your RAD will reach epic proportions I suspect. However a good GEM/EverReady/Star in great nick can be picked up between $10 and $50 depending on how lucky you are. You bought yours for a steal. Well done.

Have fun!
Wal
 
GM, that is exactly the type of razor I was referring to. Gem, EverReady and Star razor brands produced roughly the same single edge style. Although there are some fabulous differences - OC, CC, push to open, shovel headed and the lust (not misspelled) goes on.

They take a single edge GEM blade. The blade also looks like an industrial scraper still on the market. Make sure you don’t buy the scraper or your plastic surgeon will be needed. I prefer a Persona Statinless steel single edge PTFE coated blade (YMMV). They are much thicker than a DE blade. There are other brand blades around I think.

I see you are in the States. I‘m in Australia. I don’t know where you can get them over your way. I buy them from Connaught Shaving in England.

For a history of the razor have a look at American Safety Razor Dating Chart - Gem, Ever Ready, Kampfe Star - https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/threads/american-safety-razor-dating-chart-gem-ever-ready-kampfe-star.566585/ on this site. In essence three companies combined over the years. There are many threads on Gems for you to look at here. Fabulous resource.

Yours looks like a 1912 style razor. But I am not knowledgeable enough to date it. They made that style for many years.

As for shaving I get 10 shaves out of each blade on a regular basis. Each as close to BBS as I can get. Lovely razors. It is my go to razor style.

The shave angle is much closer to the angle needed to use a straight razor than that for a DE. The angle of the head is held much closer to the face (shallower) than a DE. Some of their instructions recommend the head be flat to the face. That depends on which versions you have. Their are YouTube clips galore which will help with that.

I realise that by posting this I will cause you to spend more. Your RAD will reach epic proportions I suspect. However a good GEM/EverReady/Star in great nick can be picked up between $10 and $50 depending on how lucky you are. You bought yours for a steal. Well done.

Have fun!
Wal
Thank you so much for your thorough response! I have already purchased five GEM Stainless PTFE coated blades to give this bad boy a spin. The finish has some rough spots, but the razor looks to be in a fully functional form.

I'm embarrassed to admit that I considered simply tossing this razor into the dust bin because it looked so ... odd to me. Now, I'm super excited to further expand my shaving experience by trying it out. Yeah, I guess getting it as part of a lot of razors that cost me $8 was something of a steal.
 
More than happy to help. There are many here much more knowledgable than me about this style of razor. Posts everywhere. I’m glad that you picked it up and especially at that price. A whole new world out there now. Great stuff.
 
So, I know absolutely nothing about the GEMs (assuming you are referring to the single edge razors?). I recently bought a lot of four vintage razors for $8 plus shipping that included three different Superspeed Flare tips. The fourth razor was the Ever Ready SE razor shown below.
View attachment 1453432
View attachment 1453437

Is this the basic type of razor you were describing? It is easily apparent how to load a blade, just flip up the spring loaded cover. Does it just take a "standard" single edge blade? I'm clueless.
The 1912 is a lovely razor, a very different yet complimentary experience to DE razor shaving. In some ways it is arguably superior to a DE. I find it the closest to a straight razor shave one can have with a 'safety razor'.

Here is a thread which I began when I was considering getting a SE razor. I ended up with yours' although mine is an English made 1912 improved, made from 1936 to at least 1950. Yours is virtually the same. You may find it helpful. The kindness and wealth of knowledge that was shared by B&B colleagues in the thread was amazing. It takes you through initial enquiries by myself, to the first shaves I experienced.

How Does One Shave With A GEM/Ever Ready 1912 SE Razor? Tips On Technique From Colleagues Needed. - https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/threads/how-does-one-shave-with-a-gem-ever-ready-1912-se-razor-tips-on-technique-from-colleagues-needed.622671/

It turned out to be a wonderful razor. I've had some of my best shaves ever with it. I hope it helps.
IMG_20220505_171625182.jpg
 
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We'll to the forum! Sounds like you are off to a great start and have plenty of hardware to use and try. It's always fun trying out new razors!
 

Whisky

ATF. I use all three.
Staff member
Welcome to B&B. When you get a chance head over to the Hall Of Fame and tell us a little about yourself.
 
Welcome to B&B. When you get a chance head over to the Hall Of Fame and tell us a little about yourself.
Done! Thanks for the heads up :thumbup1:
 
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