Schick Hydro-Magic: A Good Razor with a Useless Feature?

[Whiterook]

I used a Schick L1 for 20 years and I never thought about the need to open the razor for cleaning. That said, I think it is a really nice feature. I have seen enough of them with corroded and damaged levers to cause me to wonder if it is worth having in the long run.

 

[wwoof]

I loved my Hydromagic. It was Goldilocks for me until I sent it off for plating. It came back so aggressive that I no longer use it. Also, the handle is very loose.

 

[gearchow]

I loved my Hydromagic. It was Goldilocks for me until I sent it off for plating. It came back so aggressive that I no longer use it. Also, the handle is very loose.

wow, plating should not have made a difference - it's not very thick. Plating a razor with a plastic handle must be kind of tricky. Any ideas of what may have gone wrong?

-jim

 

[Ron R]

Hydro-magic is a excellent feature, those Schick razor engineers had a real challenge figuring that feature out and making the tooling to such precision so the blade stays is amazing IMO.(and still use the injector feature for new blades)
I have two Hydro-magic Schick razors and I like to rinse my razor after used, I also leave open until next use. Schick built quality IMO for a mass produced razor but every one has their opinions of razor quality .


Have some great shaves!

 

[santamariasteve]

Brother woof,

I don't think I've ever heard of a person replating a Schick Injector razor. Maybe your experience is why. Sorry to hear of the disappointing result.

I also wonder about the economics of re-plating an injector razor. Very clean specimens are readily available on the various auction and sales' sites, and they are dirt cheap compared to most DE razors.

 

[ShaverAZ]

I've got several E and G models as well as a J already, and just recently pulled a Hydro-Magic outta the mailbox. the inside of the lever appears to be made of zamak or some kind of tiny zinc casting that left some white oxidation on the adjacent handle area. After clean up, I put some mineral oil + lanolin straight razor blade oil on the little piece with a Q-Tip to retard further oxidation. It makes opening a lot smoother, also.

 

[MouseRat]

I have never experienced any left over gunk from organics, such as soap scum or left over skin (yuck) in a razor if properly soaked in very hot water with Dawn liquid dish soap. Admittedly, I will soak my razors at least 3 times, again, with very hot water/Dawn mixture, for several hours each time. I also swish and twirl the razor each time it is placed in its hot bath, to ensure the soap gets in all the crevices. The razor is thoroughly rinsed in a hot water bath, as well as hot running water, after each soapy bath soak.

I have torn down razors afterwards and there is never any residual organic scum material left. Just think about what Dawn removes from dishes, pans, pots, etc… with one soak…

If you had a thin brown coating left over after soaking, I would speculate it was more inorganic, rust-type material.

But that’s just my opinion…

I find that rinsing my injectors well after each use (dunked in water and swished plus held under running water) keeps them perfectly cleaned - without the hydomagic feature. I too think it is a bit of overengineering/marketing. I prefer to have fewer moving parts for longer life and better tolerances.

One of the big selling points for me with injectors is their elegance, simplicity, and ease of cleaning. Also, not worrying about drying and cleaning the blade/razor really speeds up my shave routine.

Happy shaving!

 

[Quaznoid]

Never saw any reason to open or clean a Schick injector.