Shovelhead....not for the faint

[kingfisher]

So this morning I combined the two razors in an interesting way.

First, I took the fat black plastic handle from the Junior and put it onto the Shovelhead. I then did the first pass with the Franken-shovel. I really liked it on the fat black plastic handle. I think this handle is very underrated.

Anyway, there was still a TON of blade feel and after the first pass I decided to change razors for the second pass. So I put the black plastic handle back onto the Junior and used it for the second pass.

This approach worked very well, like turning down an adjustable between passes.

 

[Tanuki]

@kingfisher Thanks for the detailed shave reviews. I like my Shovelhead but like @Flintstone65 I am suffering under the burden of too many razors.

My Shovelhead has the super short handle, which may help me keep the touch light and the angle adjusted. I also have never used it except with a GEM PTFE that has already been broken in with at least two shaves.

 

[kingfisher]

So, I wanted to update this, because I pulled out the Shovelhead again for this morning's shave. This time I put the handle from the Everready Streamline onto the Shovelhead. Made for a much better-looking razor and also it definitely handled better.

I loaded up a fresh GEM blade and went at it, remembering to keep the angle a bit steeper than I do with my other GEM-style razors. I kept a very light touch.

There was still a ton of blade feel, almost like shaving with a straight razor. It is also very noisy. The head of this razor is like the box you put your subwoofer into; it really amplifies and concentrates the sound. First pass was very efficient. I could've stopped after one pass and had a pretty good shave. I went ahead with a very light-touch XTG pass and was rewarded with a great shave.

I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised by the Shovelhead today. It's a really good razor. It is really not for a beginner, though, because it requires a very light touch and essentially constant attention to the angle. But I enjoyed the shave a lot. I think this could be used as a daily shaver provided very light pressure is maintained.

 

[kingfisher]

Last update on this thread for me.

Shaved with the Shovelhead on the Streamline handle again today. The Streamline handle really makes this a much better razor. I'm also getting the hang of the exact angle that it prefers. I did a bit of skin stretching and used a very light touch.

First-pass reduction is really good. Enough that I could have quit after one pass and been more than presentable. I did an XTG pass anyway because I had a really nice lather from my Soapy Science Doc's Special Blend and I wanted to use it.

Smooth and comfortable second pass led to a DFS+. No nicks, no weepers, no irritation. Really a nice shave.

 

[Flintstone65]

Last update on this thread for me.

Shaved with the Shovelhead on the Streamline handle again today. The Streamline handle really makes this a much better razor. I'm also getting the hang of the exact angle that it prefers. I did a bit of skin stretching and used a very light touch.

First-pass reduction is really good. Enough that I could have quit after one pass and been more than presentable. I did an XTG pass anyway because I had a really nice lather from my Soapy Science Doc's Special Blend and I wanted to use it.

Smooth and comfortable second pass led to a DFS+. No nicks, no weepers, no irritation. Really a nice shave.

I'm really glad you figured this excellent razor out -- it's okay for me with it's original handle, but it soars into greatness with a longer and heavier DE handle. I'm currently testing a Stoll 1914 razor -- it's as if an Ever-Ready 1914 "Little Lather Catcher" had a baby with the 1924 Shovelhead....it looks like an ER 1914, but it loads from the back like the Shovelhead. My first shave was very comfortable, but I think it's because the blade never touched my stubble -- it was as if I hadn't shaved after 3 passes. My second shave was today, and after putting in a brand new (typically scary sharp and somewhat harsh) GEM SS PTFE blade -- and really concentrating on the angle -- I ended up with a decent shave (probably somewhere between CCS and DFS).

Net net: I find some vintage razors I can pick-up and get a great shave almost effortlessly, and some of them require me to put in some time and tweaks to bring it around.

 

[Chesty]

My experience with SE razors started with a Gem 1912. It really looked like it would be hard to use but my first shave was smooth and gentle and every shave after has been the same. The EverReady took a little more getting used to but after a day or two, it all fell into place. Featherweight had a steep learning curve but after putting it away for a while, it turned out to be a nice shaver. Same with the Pushbutton. I am still new to the MMOC and find it harsh but I attribute that to my technique. The shovelhead is much the same in that it has some fight until you perfect the angle and pressure. In my opinion, any of the Gem style SE's require attention to angle. Riding the head works on some and a few degrees off that works on others. It sometimes takes a day or two to find the right spot. Any one of them can feel like a chain saw but with a little attention and finesse will give as good a shave as you could want. Just an opinion.

 

[kingfisher]

Chesty, I agree with you. Some are easier/more forgiving than others.

FWIW, I find the MMOC to be smooth and comfortable. For the MMOC, go as shallow as you possibly can, and incorporate a bit of skin stretching.

 

[Flintstone65]

My very first SE was an MMOC, and I had heard such horror stories that I treated it with kid gloves....and I was rewarded with a more comfortable and closer shave than any of my DE's. Now it seems when I have an issue with a new SE, it's that I can't get the closeness of shave that I get from my "established" razors. on the "mild-to-wild" versus "inefficient-to-efficient" scale, I'm fine with mild or wild, but it has to be efficient -- if after 3-full passes and a clean-up (or touch-up) pass, I'm still feeling or looking like I need a shave, then I've got a problem. That said, I can usually bring a razor around with technique, but that also means spending real time (a week, sometimes 2 weeks) using the razor solely, which given the number of razors I have, is not something I enjoy doing.

 

[Tanuki]

Chesty, I agree with you. Some are easier/more forgiving than others.

FWIW, I find the MMOC to be smooth and comfortable. For the MMOC, go as shallow as you possibly can, and incorporate a bit of skin stretching.

+1 on the skin stretching. I go shallow with the MMOC, But I can’t really hit “flat on face”.

I'm really glad you figured this excellent razor out -- it's okay for me with it's original handle, but it soars into greatness with a longer and heavier DE handle. I'm currently testing a Stoll 1914 razor -- it's as if an Ever-Ready 1914 "Little Lather Catcher" had a baby with the 1924 Shovelhead....it looks like an ER 1914, but it loads from the back like the Shovelhead. My first shave was very comfortable, but I think it's because the blade never touched my stubble -- it was as if I hadn't shaved after 3 passes. My second shave was today, and after putting in a brand new (typically scary sharp and somewhat harsh) GEM SS PTFE blade -- and really concentrating on the angle -- I ended up with a decent shave (probably somewhere between CCS and DFS).

Net net: I find some vintage razors I can pick-up and get a great shave almost effortlessly, and some of them require me to put in some time and tweaks to bring it around.

On the handle issue: I really like the dinky 2 3/8” handle on my Shovelhead. But I was completely habituated to short, skinny, light handles by decades rotating a Gillette Old Type on a hollow ball end and a Merkur 36 on their classic short handle. Such a YMMV situation.

 

[Ron R]

Just a change up from Sunday routine, I used a Everready 1924>1933 Shovel head with a E.R Streamline strop handle for extra length and weight.
Good audio feed back and handling with this razor and results are reasonable CCS,DFS,BBS & I have had better with this razor.
Razor:Everready 1924>33 Shovel head- excellent condition
Blade:Gem SS PTFE (2)
Brush: Razorock Noir 400
Soap: Haslinger Schafmilch
Pre-shave: Wet the face + Aloe Vera Gel
Post shave: Razorock blue barber + witch hazel + Nivea balm

Have some great shaves!

 

[kingfisher]

Nice! That's exactly the razor I used this morning, with the Shovelhead on the Streamline handle.

I almost NEVER skip a day shaving, but I didn't shave yesterday because I had to get up really early to help a friend set up a garage sale. So this morning I had two days' growth. My beard grows fast, so it was quite a bit to mow down.

Used Mystic Water Rosalimone soap and had a wonderful, fragrant lather. The first pass with this beast was astounding! I could see all the stubble in the lather falling off the razor. After one pass I could have quit and gone to church, no problem. SAS+ in one pass. Completely comfortable.

I decided to do a light second pass and was rewarded with a DFS+ shave.

It's an aggressive beast, to be sure, but boy does it know how to remove stubble!

 

[Ron R]

Nice! That's exactly the razor I used this morning, with the Shovelhead on the Streamline handle.

I almost NEVER skip a day shaving, but I didn't shave yesterday because I had to get up really early to help a friend set up a garage sale. So this morning I had two days' growth. My beard grows fast, so it was quite a bit to mow down.

Used Mystic Water Rosalimone soap and had a wonderful, fragrant lather. The first pass with this beast was astounding! I could see all the stubble in the lather falling off the razor. After one pass I could have quit and gone to church, no problem. SAS+ in one pass. Completely comfortable.

I decided to do a light second pass and was rewarded with a DFS+ shave.

It's an aggressive beast, to be sure, but boy does it know how to remove stubble!

I had such a good shave yesterday with my GEM G bar that it was border line to have a shave today and the Shovel head more than likely would of performed better with longer stubble. It is sure a different way of loading a razor and it takes a little time to figure it out & seat it right. I shim the blade with a elastic on the spline area because in the day it was designed the blade spline were thicker, not sure if it makes a difference but the results were OK.
<--Notice the thicker blade spine on the 2nd blade from the left that was around in the 1920's.
Have some great shaves!