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Schick injector

I have a number of good (well, I think they're good) DE razors and have always wanted to try a SE injector. I was considering the Parker adjustable injector but I found a good deal on a vintage Schick adjustable injector. I'm looking forward to trying it! Any advice for a DE razor user?
 
It's really light weight and prone to getting wobbly, you need to try to keep the angle throughout a stroke. You can start in the middle of the range, but don't turn it all the way up unless you want to remove dead skin cells. Once you have the angle figured out, you can experiment with the settings more. Also, it wants to shave fast, partly due to the weight and partly due to the blades. Try to slow it down, shorter strokes.
 
It's probably worth mentioning even though it gets repeated all the time, put the head flat on your face and only tilt down a little. The handle is going to be higher than most DEs and the amount that you need to tilt is surprisingly small. Trying to maintain that angle is not automatic though not difficult. Keeping your shoulder up some can help prevent accidentally lowering the handle and causing a scrape.
 

Phoenixkh

I shaved a fortune
It's probably worth mentioning even though it gets repeated all the time, put the head flat on your face and only tilt down a little. The handle is going to be higher than most DEs and the amount that you need to tilt is surprisingly small. Trying to maintain that angle is not automatic though not difficult. Keeping your shoulder up some can help prevent accidentally lowering the handle and causing a scrape.
Thx. I inherited two Schick injectors that were my mothers. They are the G4 and G8, if I have the models correct.. so no adjustable ones. Still, from looking at them, that looks like the right path to use. I still have to clean them up a bit but i did buy two brands of razor blades to use. I'm sure they'll get their time in the not to distant future.
 
Thx. I inherited two Schick injectors that were my mothers. They are the G4 and G8, if I have the models correct.. so no adjustable ones. Still, from looking at them, that looks like the right path to use. I still have to clean them up a bit but i did buy two brands of razor blades to use. I'm sure they'll get their time in the not to distant future.
The Schick historians will probably be along eventually, but those are probably a bit more efficient than the later models like the adjustable. They are a great thing to have laying around because the blade lasts forever and you have keep a blade in it for the most part. Just remember that you have to have an injector key, using Prolines requires loading them into an empty cartridge that has the key. They should be as easy to figure out as your Claymores were, shave wise.
 
Don’t be afraid to crank it up. Schick injectors shave better than any DE, IMHO, and require little to no technique. And use only Chinese made Schick blades (“Chicks”) in the yellow package).
 

garyg

B&B membership has its percs
Ned's correct - as the years went on the Schick's got progressively milder (the Adjustable Type M being the exception of course). I switch back and forth constantly with DE, AC, and the Schicks (I use the Adjustable or an E mostly) don't require any conscious thought, and last a long time.
 
When I was a teenager back in the 1960s, one of the first razors I ever owned was a Schick Type L injector that could use either single or dual injector blades. Somewhere along the way, I lost that razor. A few years ago, I purchased a Type L from another forum member. It was NOS still in the original packaging.

Injector blades tend to be very sharp and because they are thicker than DE blades, they last a lot longer. Thus, do not be discouraged by the cost per blade. While injector blades are somewhat expensive per blade, the cost per shave is in the same range as DE blades. I highly recommend the Schick injector blades produced in China (sometimes called Chick blades). They are sharp and work well, even better than the vintage Schick blades that came with my NOS razor. Personna also makes injector blades. Personna and Schick are both brands used by Edgewell Personal Care. The blades might be identical other than the branding.

Injector razors are designed to be used with the cap of the razor flat against the skin. This is in contrast to DE razors that are held at an angle. Getting used to shaving in this manner is a little awkward at first, but it won't take you long to master.

I use a variety of Parker razors, but I have not tried their injector razor. If you do get an adjustable razor, start at the lowest setting. Since injector blades are super sharp, you need to be careful until you figure out how they work for you.
 
It's probably worth mentioning even though it gets repeated all the time, put the head flat on your face and only tilt down a little. The handle is going to be higher than most DEs and the amount that you need to tilt is surprisingly small. Trying to maintain that angle is not automatic though not difficult. Keeping your shoulder up some can help prevent accidentally lowering the handle and causing a scrape.

Aaron has great and very important advice. Injectors are meant to shave at a very shallow angle. You put the flat part of the head against your cheek, then angle it down just a few degrees until the blade cuts. Because the blade is so stiff and the angle is so low, they are amazingly smooth. In some ways I imagine it to be like using a straight razor with a safety bar. It slices whiskers at their base. Enjoy!
 
Thanks for the tips!

I picked up a 7 pack of blades from my local Albertson's. Its interesting that I can get these at the supermarket. The price was $5.49 US which looks not to be too bad of a price. I should get the razor some time next week. Looking forward to trying it!
 
As mentioned above, if you don't end up liking the Personna blades, you can grab Chicks online. There are currently 7 packs of USA made ones from the 90s on ebay also. :devil:
(the store brand Personnas have a bit of a bitey edge to them)

Well, reverse my post! If the blades aren't bitey enough, go looking for the CVS Personnas.
 
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Today was my first shave with the vintage Schick adjustable injector.

My observation is that the shave angle is more or less foolproof, as you position the flat portion of the head against the skin. The only drawback I can think of is that getting this razor clean, particularly between the head parts, is more challenging. This isn't a huge drawback, though.

Overall I am very impressed with the Schick injector. I would say the injector is probably easier to learn than a DE. I wouldn't be surprised if this design's success is one of the factors that prompted Gillette to move to their replaceable cartridge head design.
 

garyg

B&B membership has its percs
I never really got a good shave from the twins - going back to when they were new. As said, I experienced more clogging than a single blade, and at least nowadays they cost appreciably more. I'm not sure they are any more efficient than a single injector, wonder if they are thinner blades (more like DE) which attracts some shavers??
 
I do like the efficiency of a twin injector blade, but they easily clog. The key to prevent twin blades from clogging is to use a lather that’s on the wetter side than normal and to rinse the razor more frequently throughout the shave.

I know there ore some on this forum that have claimed to get up to 60 uses on a twin blade. I once pushed mine up to 32 shaves and it was still giving decent shaves.
 
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