Share your thoughts about the 1924 Shovel head

[Psychtec]

Please share your thoughts about the 1924 Shovel head, positive or negative. Is it a:

1. Daily driver
2. Part of a rotation
3. Used every now and then
4. I don’t own one
5. I sold mine, did not like

The Shovel head is my favorite razor. It is the only razor type I own. It is my daily driver. I use a baton handle from a GEM Jr. when I shave face and head, along with its regular handle.

I am a daily shaver. I shave my face and head daily. I use EZ Blade Shaving Gel. I use it because it has a shaving oil base and it allows me to see what I am shaving.

I use either a GEM CS or SS PTFE blade. I toss blade after 3-4 face and head shaves, regardless.

I thought the Shovel head was not well loved. Most recent reviews I have read supported this.

I did an experiment. I looked the “Single Edge Razor “ thread section on B & B. It has 160 pages. I started reading page 160 and went backwards. It took a while.

What I learned was surprising.

1. It is a well respected razor
2. For many it is a favorite
3. It received many excellent reviews
4. It is used by many
5. It gives excellent face and head shaves.
6. There are lots of knowledge and history out there about the Shovel head

What would you like to say about the, 1924 Shovel Head?

Continue to get good shaves with whatever single edge razor prefer.

Which single edge razor do you prefer to use?

 

[cpool222]

It's a good razor. It is a little more aggressive than the 1912 IMO. I prefer the Bullet Tip or "guiding eye" Micromatic. Everyone has their own opinion on these, right?

 

[Psychtec]

Cpool222

I hear that a lot, and I agree with you. The 1912 and the Bullet Tip are SE’s that provide good overall shaves.

Continue to have good shaves with your choice of razors!

 

[luv2shave]

I've got several Ever Ready "Frame" razor also called Shovel head around here. Based on threads here, I've gone about getting the different variations like the square comb, round comb, variations in handle attachment on the bottom, travel seta etc

I've managed to obtain some 30 odd shaves off a Gem blade in a Shovel head.

It is an excellent razor and shaves very well with short strokes making that "scrapping burnt toast" sound.

I love my Shovel heads. I have every Gem blade razor from Gem and Ever Read, love all of them, but the Shovel Head has a special place thanks to its unique character. I use it quite often when I use a single edge Gem blade razor.

 

[NorthernSoul]

I've dabbled with many GEM razors but haven't tried the 1924 yet. I'm still learning and gradually improving with the other GEMs. So far, I think the 1912 and Micromatic Clog-Pruf are my favorites. Maybe I'm missing out?

 

[thombrogan]

It’s very nice, but I’m usually not good enough at shaving to consistently enjoy it. Very cool, though.

 

[Buttercup]

I haven't shaved with my 1924 in a while, perhaps later this week I'll dust it off. I generally remember it as a fine enough shaver with the only issue being to make an extra flick or two after rinsing soap/stubble in order to flick out water retained between the top cap and base plate!

 

[steelwindmachine]

The 1924 was a good, interesting GEM razor to try. It was satisfying to hear the cutting action so pronounced by the head cavity acoustics. Ultimately, I recently sold it in favor of my more comfortable to use GEM bullet tip with Guiding Eye similar to @cpool222 's comments.

I also found the 1924 handle length just a bit shorter than is comfortable for me and the depth of the head made it a bit tricky to maneuver, even running side-ways compared to the "newer" TTO Micromatics that don't have the tab on the back.

 

[Ron R]

The Ever-ready 1924 is a nice mid range. It might be a little different razor to use as a newbie off the start, it was a very popular razor 1924-1933 production run, that seems a long time production run and so it was very popular comparing to other Ever-ready models production runs.
It is part of my ASR rotation and at first It is awkward to load a blade because it has the keeper arms inside to retain the old style blades with out the notches that new blades have with a different spring to tension the blade also + the spline was thicker on the older blades.
If a person finds it aggressive all I do is use a shim made from a spent modern blade and put it underneath the modern spline and it seems to smooth out the razor nicely (you do not need to put a shim there if your happy with the results just using a modern blade.)
The results from my typical shaves are very close shaves with no issues with shim and with out shim.
(Some old archived photo's that might help me explain the differences in blades and suggested angle to use.)

(Left) 1950's introduced modern blade we use today + thinnest spline of all , below photo shows of the blade evolution that where used in ASR razors over time.

(L) shows how the shim placed under the new blade smooths out the shave, (R)instructions, click photo to in large)

(photo below indicates what happens when shim is added reducing the blade exposure and helps smooth out the shaves)

Have some great shaves!

 

[geneaut]

I have a Shovelhead and the 1912, and I tend to use the 1912 a little more. Both shave fine, but the 1912 is just a little easier for me to use as a primary DE safety razor shaver.

 

[Haiku]

Love mine. Love all my SE Gems and EverReady razors. They're all brilliant.

 

[Psychtec]

It is nice to see love for both the 1912 GEM and the 1924 ER Shovel head razors.

Thank you all for supporting this thread. Much appreciated.

 

[Jhona1971]

It's my favorite Razor period. Gives me great shaves every single time. I only need to do two passes and I'm done. The angle at which it shaves is more intuitive especially if you are coming from a DE. I have very course and sensitive skin and it works great for me. If you find it too aggressive make a dense and well hidrated lather. Don't use any pressure what so ever let the razor do all the work. Its just fantastic to me.

 

[Jhona1971]

The Ever-ready 1924 is a nice mid range. It might be a little different razor to use as a newbie off the start, it was a very popular razor 1924-1933 production run, that seems a long time production run and so it was very popular comparing to other Ever-ready models production runs.
It is part of my ASR rotation and at first It is awkward to load a blade because it has the keeper arms inside to retain the old style blades with out the notches that new blades have with a different spring to tension the blade also + the spline was thicker on the older blades.
If a person finds it aggressive all I do is use a shim made from a spent modern blade and put it underneath the modern spline and it seems to smooth out the razor nicely (you do not need to put a shim there if your happy with the results just using a modern blade.)
The results from my typical shaves are very close shaves with no issues with shim and with out shim.
(Some old archived photo's that might help me explain the differences in blades and suggested angle to use.)

(Left) 1950's introduced modern blade we use today + thinnest spline of all , below photo shows of the blade evolution that where used in ASR razors over time.
View attachment 1687725 View attachment 1687726

(L) shows how the shim placed under the new blade smooths out the shave, (R)instructions, click photo to in large)
View attachment 1687729View attachment 1687727

(photo below indicates what happens when shim is added reducing the blade exposure and helps smooth out the shaves)
View attachment 1687732

Have some great shaves!

So I'm assuming that's just a gem blade spine folded in half? Do you roll the spine as to flatten the "shim"? Do you do this on the 1924? How do you feel it effects the shave?

 

[Ron R]

So I'm assuming that's just a gem blade spine folded in half? Do you roll the spine as to flatten the "shim"? Do you do this on the 1924? How do you feel it effects the shave?

Once it is removed from the spine of a spent blade I fold it back together and flatten as best as I can and it will work even if not perfect. Also on the The Ever-Ready 1914 and 1924 models I twisted the base plate keepers forward enough to keep the new blade secure from wanting to lift up through the blade slots and then I just slip the shim underneath to raise to lift the back of the new blade.
The results are a smoother shave and very enjoyable shave has been my & other fellows experiences.
The 1924 razor was very popular razor because it was in production for about 9- 10 years and production was sidelined when the new Micromatic razors were introduced and the modern blades were also introduced with the slots cut into the sides of the blade. Those slots were used to help secure the slide new blades into the front blade keepers of the Micromatic razors and to accommodate the new double edge blades also. The Micromatic razor was also the first mass produced twist to open and close + tension the blade in the world, a clever engineering marvel for tensioning and securing a razor blade!
(Old archived photo)
These new blades were introduced in 1932>, they still had the thicker spine until the 1950's when they introduced the Aluminum spines that we use to this day!

Have some great shaves!

 

[WildeONE]

I love all my Gems and Ever Ready razors they're my favourite blade type. The 1914 is probably my favourite of the older models but the 1912 runs it close. I think the only thing that puts the 1924 slightly behind these two is the hinge on the front of the guard bar sometimes likes to grab hairs you're not shaving and pull them out! I do have 5 different 1924's and wouldn't get rid of them but the others take up more of my shaving time. I have over 50 gems/ever ready razors and there's not a bad one among them. They're easy to fix and to modify which I enjoy. Also the 1912 has to be one of the best razors for a new wet shaver to start their journey.

 

[Ron R]

I love all my Gems and Ever Ready razors they're my favourite blade type. The 1914 is probably my favourite of the older models but the 1912 runs it close. I think the only thing that puts the 1924 slightly behind these two is the hinge on the front of the guard bar sometimes likes to grab hairs you're not shaving and pull them out! I do have 5 different 1924's and wouldn't get rid of them but the others take up more of my shaving time. I have over 50 gems/ever ready razors and there's not a bad one among them. They're easy to fix and to modify which I enjoy. Also the 1912 has to be one of the best razors for a new wet shaver to start their journey.

Very good assessment of your ASR razors IMO. I have only been using my many ASR razors for about 5 years now and they work well IMO also. I'm a bit of a historical person who likes researching stuff if possible, lots of folks like the ASR razors and lather catchers and we all learn some interesting facts as we bump along.

 

[Psychtec]

Since I began wet shaving less than a year ago my daily driver was my Shovel head.

Well about a month ago the Shovel head got demoted because I began using a 1912 Gem and really enjoyed the shaves I got. After about a month of use the 1912 Gem became my daily driver. I was pleased.

I thought it was:
1. Smoother
2. More audible
3. Provided a closer
4. More comfortable shave

Last week something said don’t give up on the Shovel head. I used it for the first time in over a month.

Well my Shovel head is once again my daily driver because it really is:

1. Smoother
2. More audible
3. Provided a closer
4. More comfortable shave.

I did make one change to my Shovel head. Now when I shave I use the fat Bakelite handle of a 1912 Gem Jr.

I would still recommend the 1912 Gem. Excellent razor. It is now my backup razor.

Currently I have been shaving with a Blue Carbon Steel blade.

 

[Dave Deluxe]

I have a 1924 but rarely use it, it's one of my least favorites. I had been using a MMOC on a pretty regular basis. Now I use a 'Bullet Tip' with an injector blade, instead of the GEM blade. I find that currently the Bullet Tip is my regular go to. I made a couple modifications to my lather and the whole works like a champ. Have never had better shaves.

 

[shave/brush]

I had a 1924 and I found it shaves very similar to the 1914. Do like the 1914 a bit more. I sold the 1924.