Top 5 Se razors.

[Salty O'Rourke]

Is that this one?

I just got it and I have Feather blades on the way. Do you have to modify the blades?

The Feather blades should fit that razor. I say "should" because AutoStrop liked to play games with the nib placement on their blade holders to foil the after-market blade makers. I have heard of at least one arrangement that the modern FHS blades won't fit, but I can't say which one it is. The FHS blade is not symmetrical, so if it doesn't fit on the first try, flip it over to the other side and try again. You will NOT be able to modify a GEM blade for that model.

I'm on my 6th or 7th shave with the same FHS10 blade in my VB2. I'm not sure why these blades have a bad reputation for longevity, they've always been long-lasting for me. I will say that I get more shaves out of them if I use a soap or cream that provides more cushion rather than more slickness. For me that's Lavanda or Top Secret; a slicker cream with less cushion can make the shave rough and a bit uncomfortable.

The FHS10s are stainless steel, so it's pointless to try and strop them the way the original carbon blades were stropped, but I do palm strop blades between shaves to clean the edge and make sure there's no buildup of soap residue. There are a couple of carbon blades available, one by KAI and one by Feather, the FHS05. I can't speak for the KAI blade; I tried the FHS05 and didn't finish the shave it was so rough.

 

[Tanuki]

I have only used vintage Schick injector and Gem blade SE razors, but here it goes...

1924 Shovelhead - nimble, low profile fits in tight spaces
Schick E - comfortable, convenient, Bakelite candy
Micromatic Open Comb (or maybe Clog-Pruf Peerless) - highly effective TTO
1912 Gem Jr baton handle - get a grip
1912 head with the shortest metal handle available - a particular Gem and two Damaskeenes are shortest I own

My AutoStrop, as I use it, is a Gem SE (despined). Not a top 5 for me, but a fun piece of shave history.

 

[AQU]

Lotta vintage love in here...

I’ve not explored many SE, but my General V2 is superb. I’ve owned a lot of high end DE that all got sold off when I bought this a while back.

They just came back in stock too.

 

[Zoost]

My number 1 - I use it for about 99% of my shaves.....

2) Schick I Type Hydro Magic
3) Gem Clog Pruf
4) 1912 Damaskeene
5) GEM Bullet Tip

 

[Tanuki]

My number 1 - I use it for about 99% of my shaves.....

I still haven’t trapped one in the wild.

 

[Zoost]

I still haven’t trapped one in the wild.

Mine is the 2nd generation, its very easy to distinguish between the two, and I love both the 1st and the 2nd as they give really identical shaves. They were originally sold as "Chrome Plated Single Edge Razors" or "New Ever-Ready Chromium Razors". However, there are many variants (Jewels, Strop Sets, Ambassadors) - much easier just to call them all Streamlines.

 

[Tedolph]

Is that this one?
View attachment 1080210
I just got it and I have Feather blades on the way. Do you have to modify the blades?

Yep, that's it but yours is in better shape than mine. No need to modify Feather blades; they just drop right in. I did have to do a little bending of the registration tabs on the edges of the punch outs. Rrumor has it that Vallet kept moving them around so no one could make replacement blades that didn't have the "Vallet" name punched out in them. You may have to be careful about blade alignment depending on how worn your registration tabs are.

 

[Tedolph]

The Feather blades should fit that razor. I say "should" because AutoStrop liked to play games with the nib placement on their blade holders to foil the after-market blade makers. I have heard of at least one arrangement that the modern FHS blades won't fit, but I can't say which one it is. The FHS blade is not symmetrical, so if it doesn't fit on the first try, flip it over to the other side and try again. You will NOT be able to modify a GEM blade for that model.

I'm on my 6th or 7th shave with the same FHS10 blade in my VB2. I'm not sure why these blades have a bad reputation for longevity, they've always been long-lasting for me. I will say that I get more shaves out of them if I use a soap or cream that provides more cushion rather than more slickness. For me that's Lavanda or Top Secret; a slicker cream with less cushion can make the shave rough and a bit uncomfortable.

The FHS10s are stainless steel, so it's pointless to try and strop them the way the original carbon blades were stropped, but I do palm strop blades between shaves to clean the edge and make sure there's no buildup of soap residue. There are a couple of carbon blades available, one by KAI and one by Feather, the FHS05. I can't speak for the KAI blade; I tried the FHS05 and didn't finish the shave it was so rough.

If you just want to clean the blade on your Autostrop, you can strop it on the reverse rough side of the strop just like you would use the suede side of a regular strop to clean the edge of a SR.

That is what is so neat about these razors-they are basically miniature straight razors!

 

[Old Hippie]

"I've got a little list..." -- Gilbert & Sullivan.

Above the Tie G1, modified
Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements Starling V2 open comb
Ever Ready 1914 Little Lather Catcher
Gem MMOC
Above the Tie SE1 Windsor

I scalloped the baseplate on the G1, shaves much closer now.

The PAA Starling needs more mass. Would be killer as a stainless razor but that'll never happen. Putting a stainless handle on helps.

The ER LLC needs no justification...

Neither does the MMOC...

Breaking away from Gemish I am having some fun with the Windsor SE1. I understood it clamps the blade maybe a little better than the regular SE1. Not much to go on yet but it looks like that may be the case.

O.H.

 

[Tanuki]

The PAA Starling needs more mass. Would be killer as a stainless razor but that'll never happen.

BOSC footnote: Maybe there is an opportunity for aftermarket depleted uranium shims (density 19.1 g/cm**3), for all those aluminum razor heads that we would like to see in stainless.

 

[Feather-man]

Osmium density 22.59 g/cm3

 

[Salty O'Rourke]

Mine is the 2nd generation, its very easy to distinguish between the two, and I love both the 1st and the 2nd as they give really identical shaves. They were originally sold as "Chrome Plated Single Edge Razors" or "New Ever-Ready Chromium Razors". However, there are many variants (Jewels, Strop Sets, Ambassadors) - much easier just to call them all Streamlines.

The Jewel sets were the only ones, to my knowledge, that were sold under the GEM label; Ever Ready marketed the others. For that reason I call mine a Jewel, but I take your point, it's the sets that were named, not the razors.

 

[Zoost]

The Jewel sets were the only ones, to my knowledge, that were sold under the GEM label; Ever Ready marketed the others. For that reason I call mine a Jewel, but I take your point, it's the sets that were named, not the razors.

Yeah, you are right. I wish I had a GEM 'Jewel', I've been on the lookout for one for about 18 months. I have two ER 'Streamlines' 2nd Gen, which are both in perfect condition (my avatar is my favorite one), and I'm on the lookout for a 1st Gen.

 

[Salty O'Rourke]

Yeah, you are right. I wish I had a GEM 'Jewel', I've been on the lookout for one for about 18 months. I have two ER 'Streamlines' 2nd Gen, which are both in perfect condition (my avatar is my favorite one), and I'm on the lookout for a 1st Gen.

Mine came from Australia. There's a theory, expounded on another wetshaving forum, that the GEM Jewel sets were only sold in the Empire/Commonwealth nations, although I haven't heard of any turning up in Canada so perhaps that's just a supposition.

 

[Zoost]

Mine came from Australia. There's a theory, expounded on another wetshaving forum, that the GEM Jewel sets were only sold in the Empire/Commonwealth nations, although I haven't heard of any turning up in Canada so perhaps that's just a supposition.

I heard that too. I have a collector contact located in Australia, he's on the lookout for one for me.

 

[Old Hippie]

BOSC footnote: Maybe there is an opportunity for aftermarket depleted uranium shims (density 19.1 g/cm**3), for all those aluminum razor heads that we would like to see in stainless.

Oh, sure, that'd work gangbusters. We'd always know if the shave was smooth by tracking it with a Geiger counter. Gives a new meaning to "glowing health."

O.H.

 

[Tanuki]

Osmium density 22.59 g/cm3

Why didn’t I think of that!?!? I'm shutting down my DU shim production until I can license the osmium idea from you.

 

[Feather-man]

"No license necessary, go forward with your production. The Great Osmium has spoken."

 

[Ratty]

I’m not an expert, I only have two SE razors:

1. Paradigm Titanium SE
2. Colonial General V2

both excellent razors

The paradigm is my favourite razor out of 6 DE razors and the 2 SEs above

 

[Elvis Outlander]

1. Schick E with Proline
2. Schick E with Chick
3. Schick E with Personna
4. Eveready 1914
5. Gem Lather Catcher

I wish I could add the 1912, but I don't want to give the Schick E fewer than 3 of the top 5 slots.