SE first impressions and some questions.

[nachum]

[SIZE4]After 2 years of DE shaving I just had my first 2 shaves with an SE. It's an Ever Ready 1912. Why didn't anyone tell me how wonderful SE shaving is? I just had a truly BBS shave! Now for my questions...

• carbon or ss blades - which do you prefer?
• I always use a DE blade for 3 shaves. What's the average for an SE blade?
• I love the 1912 and want to try others. What other SE's do people prefer?
• Why isn't SE shaving more popular? This shave was amazing!
• Does anyone make a modern SE razor?

Thanks in advance for all of your help.[/SIZ]

 

[xxvaleria]

Regarding your questions:

1. I prefer the coated SS blades because they don't require the maintenance that carbon blades do.
2. You can expect at least twice as many shaves, perhaps three times as many, shaves with an SE blade, and more than four times as many with an injector blade.
3. I especially like the ER Streamline among the GEM-style SE razors. Injectors are also SE razors, and I prefer them above all.
4. Because people haven't tried it. The same reason that DEs aren't more popular in the general population. They just don't know.
5. The only currently-manufactured SE razors are the Cobra Classic and King Cobra, and the (hopefully soon-to-be-available) Mongoose. The Huntlee razor is still in development, I have heard.

 

[nachum]

[SIE=4]xxvaleira - thanks for all of your feedback. i know less than nothing about injectors. which would you recommend? I looked at a thread and saw different letters to describe injectors. What are these referring to? thanks![/SIE]

 

[xxvaleria]

Almost anything you might want to know about Schick Injectors can be found here: http://www.renaldo.us/SchickRazors.php

The letters represent the age and type of the razor, A being the oldest and O being the most recent. Also, generally, the degree of aggression runs through the alphabet from A (quite aggressive) to the later models like N and O (quite mild). A good compromise for a beginning user would be a G, I, or J. Personally, I like the D through G very much.

Another excellent injector is the PAL Injectomatic, which is comparable to the Schick G.

Injector razors are not being made any more, but most can be found on the auction sites. The rarest (and most expensive) are the D, F, and O. Injectors tend to be cheaper than vintage DEs, and fall in the same price ranges as the GEM-type SEs. There are even adjustable injectors, Type Ms, but they run a little more expensive than the regular injectors. You can even find NOS occasionally, but they will cost a premium.

There are only two current manufacturers of blades, Schick (which are made in China) and Personna (which are made in the USA), but both brands are excellent blades and can last up to 25 - 30 shaves. I have gotten 25 shaves with the Chinese Schicks (called Chicks) and some other gents on the forum have gotten up to 30 shaves. The blades can be gotten from Amazon and from some other online resources.

Get a good injector and some modern blades and try them out. I can guarantee that you will enjoy them immensely. They give superb shaves, are very intuitive to use, and are light and maneuverable so they can get into the "trouble spots" like the chin and upper lip very easily.

 

[pjgh]

I don't mind which type of blade, but find the stainless last longer, giving me 5-6 shaves compared to 3-4 for carbon.

After the 1912, do try a Clog Pruf - they're more aggressive, but give a great shave. I'd also prioritise a 1914, but thereafter an MMOC, Flying Wing, perhaps one of the later, lighter ones like the Featherweight, Pushbutton or Contour. I like the Contour for a quick, "modern" shave. Look out also for a later model 1912 with a light aluminium handle - it completely changes the dynamics of the 1912 shave.

If you're happy to switch to an injector style shave, there's a Cobra, but that's about as modern as they come. The GEM Contour II was produced right through to the '80s and has a really modern look. There have been a couple of innovations, but they've yet to get past the proof of concept stage.

Here's my late Contour II:

 

[Mick]

SE razors are very nice tools. Technique required is different but easy to master.

I like the GEM PTFE coated SE blades. They come in 100 count cartons and are easily found online.

I've found that there is not as much difference in the SE razors. The MMOC is about the most aggressive with the others being similar in how they shave.

SE blades last me about twice as long as DE blades do.

 

[BSAGuy]

SE's are great. Welcome to the club.

 

[poppi]

I prefer the carbon steel blades and get 5-6 shaves out them. They do require that you remove the blade and dry it in order to avoid rust. The stainless blades just don't work for me.

And there lots of SE's out there to try. Most at a very reasonable cost too.

Check out http://www.theoriginalsafetytoo site for all things SE.