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Trying to narrow down my final choice, need the experts to chime in

Welcome to B&B. Just my 2 cents, but I'd echo the recommendation for an injector especially if it is to be used exclusively on the neck. You aren't getting what you want from a DE, no reason to think having to snap them in half will improve the shave. I use all the formats regularly (save the snap-in-half stuff), and find the Schick to be best on the neck. My thought is the true injector is the narrowest blade of the SE formats - so it can go across E-W without the edges digging in around the Adams' Apple. And has been just pointed out, it is likely the cheapest to grab & experiment with ..
I don't necessarily think it's the blade, I think it's the DE razor I am using.
 
To both questions, Schick has different models, with slightly different blade exposures.

Regarding blade-feel, with razors having higher blade-feel (e.g., more "aggressive") you will feel the "squeegie" effect of the blade. Low blade-feel razors (SuperSpeed, Tech), have you feeling the guard & cap & hair (largely) disappears.
Hmm, not quite sure what ""squeegie" effect of the blade" entirely means.
 
I shaved with the Hawk V2, Hawk V3 OC, and Hawk V3 Standard, but not the A. In my experience the Hawk V2 is milder but does allow for a broader angle of attack. The Hawk V3 Standard was a smoother shaver, slightly more efficient, and better built, but had a narrow range of effective shaving angle. The OC was a bit rougher shaver with more efficiency yet. My sense from others is the A is in between the Standard and OC.

A handful of modern injectors are out there but for the ones mentioned above it is vintage purchases on ebay, BSTs, and some Etsy shops. There are many threads delving into each model (E, I, J, etc which is essentially an arbitrary designation by individuals that started cataloguing the history of the injector and how to identify each variant)
On the italianbarber website, the ECO is shown as in the middle between all of these, however, it uses half of a DE blade. Would you generally recommend a AC blade?

The whole injector thing is very confusing to me, I don't quite get it, hence I am still aiming for one of the four on my initial list.
 
I'll chime in, too! I have had the Hawk V3 standard and the Colonial General. Both were perfect for me, as I am not fond of blade feel nor of aggressive razors. Unfortunately, the General is no longer in production, so you have to find one on the Buy Sell Trade. I no longer have mine, as I was able to get a titanium Vector.

The Schick injectors are wonderful, so intuitive and easy. And fun to collect and compare all of the many Types! I prefer the Hydro-Magics (Types I and J), the Type G, and the adjustable Type M.

Parker makes a modern Injector that is priced nicely.

So if scrolling through eBay for a used razor isn't your thing (yet!), I'd recommend the Hawk or the Parker. Heck, us crazy B&Bers would get both!

Make sure you let us know what you decide and how it works out.
 
I'll chime in, too! I have had the Hawk V3 standard and the Colonial General. Both were perfect for me, as I am not fond of blade feel nor of aggressive razors. Unfortunately, the General is no longer in production, so you have to find one on the Buy Sell Trade. I no longer have mine, as I was able to get a titanium Vector.

The Schick injectors are wonderful, so intuitive and easy. And fun to collect and compare all of the many Types! I prefer the Hydro-Magics (Types I and J), the Type G, and the adjustable Type M.

Parker makes a modern Injector that is priced nicely.

So if scrolling through eBay for a used razor isn't your thing (yet!), I'd recommend the Hawk or the Parker. Heck, us crazy B&Bers would get both!

Make sure you let us know what you decide and how it works out.
Thank you for chiming in! What version of the Hawk V3 did you get? I am still trying to understand the meaning of the terms blade feel, aggressive, blade gap, and blade exposure, and efficient. They are all so complicated.

What makes you not fond of blade feel or aggressive razors, is there a simple way to understand?
 
Thank you for chiming in! What version of the Hawk V3 did you get? I am still trying to understand the meaning of the terms blade feel, aggressive, blade gap, and blade exposure, and efficient. They are all so complicated.

What makes you not fond of blade feel or aggressive razors, is there a simple way to understand?
I had the standard plate, not the A.

As for the terms, there was an excellent thread a couple of years ago. I will look for it and post it here.

Blade exposure describes where the blade is in relation to the imaginary line between the top cap and the base plate. The more the blade protrudes, the more blade you feel and the better the chances of nicking yourself, in my opinion! That, to me, makes a razor aggressive.
 
On the italianbarber website, the ECO is shown as in the middle between all of these, however, it uses half of a DE blade. Would you generally recommend a AC blade?

The whole injector thing is very confusing to me, I don't quite get it, hence I am still aiming for one of the four on my initial list.
I would take that chart from italian barber with a "grain of salt" as it is more of a guide than an exact ranking, at least in my experience with their razors. Single edge razors (that use a more traditional single edge blade) can be a great solution for the neck line in my experience. The AC blade format and injector blade format both offer advantages over a DE blade from rigidity, comfort, and durability. The AC format goes further with a whole spectrum of blade offerings from mild to high efficiency and even guarded variants. If you aren't ready to tackle an injector purchase then I would recommend AC offerings, given that you can tune them further with different AC blades, with much more impact than the difference between DE blades. If you wanted a more gentle intro on AC then I would consider the Hawk V2 or Hawk V3 Standard. You can then dial up or down the "efficiency" with different AC blade choices.
 
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While some safety razor parameters have been generally illustrated before, here at B&B and elsewhere, a more comprehensive picture has now been created.



The general illustration above shows the blade and shave planes and the parameters that follow around the blade cutting edge for a blade loaded in a safety razor: blade angle, handle angle, blade exposure, guard span, cap span, blade gap, free-end distance, clamp distance. Free-end and clamp distances were measured for the first time with my photo analysis of the Edwin Jagger (EJ) DE89 head (B&B URL). Important details that could not be simply illustrated are included at the bottom of the picture. For example, I rigorously define blade gap based on personal experience in measuring the quantity with my accurate set of micrometer-measured feeler gauge blade combinations (B&B URL).

Blade gap is commonly associated with razor aggressiveness, but, at best, blade gap only loosely relates to razor performance. Blade exposure, guard span, and blade angle, on the other hand, are very important performance parameters with respect to aggressiveness and efficiency. Unfortunately, these three parameters are not easily measured. Photo analysis is the primary method for measuring the illustrated parameters, but physical measurements, such as for blade gap, should be used when appropriate to complement or supersede digital measurements. The illustrated parameters around the cutting edge apply both to double-edge (DE) and single-edge (SE) safety razors. The first note in the picture about using a blade with a nominal width for analytical purposes therefore applies similarly for DE and SE razor blades.

The illustration included here might be updated in the future, and if that happens, I will update this thread accordingly. Regardless, it is hoped that this picture or an updated version will become the premiere reference illustration for safety razor parameters around the blade cutting edge.
This is the best information I have ever seen on the terms we throw around!
 
I would take that chart from italian barber with a "grain of salt" as it is more of a guide than an exact ranking, at least in my experience with their razors. Single edge razors (that use a more traditional single edge blade) can be a great solution for the neck line in my experience. The AC blade format and injector blade format both offer advantages over a DE blade from rigidity, comfort, and durability. The AC format goes further with a whole spectrum of blade offerings from mild to high efficiency and even guarded variants. If you aren't ready to tackle an injector purchase then I would recommend AC offerings, given that you can tune them further with different AC blades, with much more impact than the difference between DE blades. If you wanted a more gentle intro on AC then I would consider the Hawk V2 or Hawk V3 Standard. You can then dial up or down the "efficiency" with different AC blade choices.
If you were to pick 1, what would it be, hawk v2 or v3? I think it comes down to material, aluminum vs stainless steel (and some minor design tweaks).
 
Re reading your thread intro I would consider the V3 over the V2. You will have more options on plates if you end up wanting to try a different level of efficiency and blade feel down the road, without having to purchase an entirely new razor (although you can experiment with that by just selecting different blade options before moving to a new plate setup). And in my opinion the fit and finish is higher on the V3 compared to the V2 while being a smoother shaver (at least with the Standard plate configuration for the V3)
 
I recently bought the Hawk v3 and really like it. Try it with a Kai Captain Titan Protouch MG for a mild shave. I love the Schick injectors a few have mentioned and bought a G and the adjustable M. Absolutely awesome. I also have the Vector. The reason for the Hawk was I needed a razor that I can do “fast” shaves with and also travel with. The Vector is a wonderful 3 pass razor but not for “fast” days. I have a Twig and some DE razors and that hasn’t been touched once I discovered AC and Injector blade formats. I tend to like mild razors that are efficient and are forgiving to use in my problem areas (chin and neck) If I grow my beard back I would still keep the Vector, Hawk and the Schick M in daily rotation.
 
Please don’t overcomplicate this. Get a Schick injector. The E is the model from the 30’s and 40’s, the best shaver but might be harder to find and cost more. The excellent models G and J are from the 50’s and 60’s and are plentiful and cheap. The adjustable model M dates from the 70’s. All are fantastic.

You can buy them on eBay or Etsy or at local antique shops or flea markets. They shouldn’t cost more than $5 - 35 and with the Chick blades they’ll get the job done, no question. Chicks are available on the web or at many US drug stores.
 
The Razor Company (TRC) has an excellent history of Schick here -

 
Please don’t overcomplicate this. Get a Schick injector. The E is the model from the 30’s and 40’s, the best shaver but might be harder to find and cost more. The excellent models G and J are from the 50’s and 60’s and are plentiful and cheap. The adjustable model M dates from the 70’s. All are fantastic.

You can buy them on eBay or Etsy or at local antique shops or flea markets. They shouldn’t cost more than $5 - 35 and with the Chick blades they’ll get the job done, no question. Chicks are available on the web or at many US drug stores.
Why is it called "Schick injector" when most of the brands are Schick?
 
Thank you for the reply. You may be right, however, I do want to try and save some coin and not buy additional razors if it's not needed.

May I ask why people don't like razors that take half DE blades?

I've used the aluminum Hawk, the stainless steel Hawk, and Vector for head shaves with the AC blades. All worked fine, though I don't know how they might work (or not) for edging a beard.

As of now, I'm rotating my Vector (AC blade) and a $20 Hawk Eco (half DE blade) for my head shaves, and will say this: I can get a great shave from either, very close to BBS.

One thing to mind is the width of the AC blade format. Again, I've never used one to maintain a beard line, but it may be a consideration.
 

garyg

B&B membership has its percs
Why is it called "Schick injector" when most of the brands are Schick?

Not all were Schick brands, though most .. Gillette made at least a couple injectors, as did PAL .. there may be some other moderns aside from Supply Company. But technically you are correct, it should be simply "injector"
 
Well, @Quaznoid, @MaineYooper, and @garyg

I learned so so so much over the last week, both about SE razors, but more importantly about the vintage schick injectors. After doing tons of research, I became fascinated by all of the different types; it was so interesting!

I am now awaiting the arrival of my newly purchased Schick Injector Type G, Variant 3, Style 6 (Amber Handle)!

I could not be more excited!

s-l1600.jpg



Thank you to everyone who took the time to contribute to this thread. I appreciate all of the help, advice, and input. This was fun!
 
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