Valet Autostrop VC4; impressions and shave-off versus Streamline

[kingfisher]

Gents,

I happened upon a pristine Autostrop VC4 set in an antique store a number of years ago. I ordered the Feather blades and tried it once; never even got through an entire shave. Wrote off the Autostrop as a terrible razor.

That was well before I discovered GEM-style SE razors and learned how to shave with them. So, over the weekend, I decided to find the Autostrop and give 'er another try. I got a fresh Feather blade, palm stropped it briefly, loaded it up, and gave it a go.

I got a surprisingly smooth and easy two-pass shave. When I reported this to a friend of mine via text, he asked how it compared with a "GEM razor" shave, so this morning I decided to do a shave-off. For the GEM razor, I chose my Everready Streamline, since it was already loaded up with a GEM blade that had about 4 or 5 shaves on it. So, here's the shave-off comparison.

LOOKS: The Valet has a certain steampunk sort of mechanical look that some people love. It is gold in color, and, although it may be actually gold plated (I don't really know), it comes off as kind of overly shiny and bit fake looking. I'm not big into steampunk, so the gears and all that don't mean that much to me. The streamline, with it's gorgeous lines and shiny chrome, wins in the looks department by a country mile for me. Others may disagree. If you are into steampunk, you might prefer the Valet.

LOADING A BLADE: Loading a blade into the Streamline is a walk in the park. Pop open the lid, place the blade inside, close the lid. The compartment encloses the blade perfectly.
Loading a blade into the Valet, on the other hand, is a bit of an adventure. Since the cap can flip all the way back and almost down onto the handle, one has to be careful. The blade has strange cut-outs that fit onto tiny bumps on the underside of the lid. Then two tiny little wings have to be moved over so that they clamp the blade in place. Finally, the lid has to be closed, and the lever on the back of the head pushed into place. Winner here is the Streamline by miles and miles.

BLADE PERFORMANCE: After my original attempts with the Feather blade in the Valet, I had come to the conclusion that it wasn't a good blade. Now I think it was mostly my inexperience that made it seem that way. Although everyone talks about how rigidity is one of the pluses of the GEM blade, I think the Feather blade is actually considerably more rigid. Sharpness is about the same, IMO. I didn't get any tugging from the Feather at all.
This is pretty much a wash.

SHAVE PERFORMANCE: I made a fantastic lather with a homemade soap from a forum buddy, Jetpilot, and went to work. I shaved the left half of my face with the Valet and the right half with the Streamline. I started on the left with the Valet. First pass went very smoothly. There is a lot of blade feel with the Valet; I kept the pressure very light. It was easy to find the correct angle.
The Streamline is heavier and has a fatter handle. Angle is about the same as the Valet. First pass on the right side of the face went smoothly without incident.
Rinsing after the first pass revealed that first-pass stubble reduction was about the same on both sides.

Next I did an XTG second pass, left side (Valet) first. It was a bit harder to keep the correct angle on this pass, largely due to my inexperience with the razor, but it still went smoothly. The razor doesn't really glide quite as well as most of my GEMs.
Second pass with the Streamline was smooth and comfortable.
Rinsing after the second pass revealed a very close shave on both sides; perhaps the Valet side was a tiny bit closer? No sting with the aftershave. No nicks or weepers on either side.

No obvious winner in the quality of the shave, in other words.


Overall, who won the battle? Well, if I had to choose to keep one of these razors and give away the other, I would definitely give away the Valet. The blades are more expensive and loading the blade is fussier. Plus I like the looks and feel in the hand of the Streamline better.
But I was pleasantly surprised at how well the Feather blade performed (I definitely wrote this blade off way too soon) and at how simple it was to get a nice smooth shave with the Valet. I am considering ordering more of the Feather blades so I can keep the Valet in the rotation.

 

[HouseOfChains]

Great comparrsion shave! I have a few 1912 style razors but no valet though I'd like to try one.
Having to but another blade for the valet would be a bummer for me.

 

[BBS-1]

Great comparrsion shave! I have a few 1912 style razors but no valet though I'd like to try one.
Having to but another blade for the valet would be a bummer for me.

Use an earlier model version that can take a modified Gem blade instead then.

The VC1 models are easy enough to acquire the only thing is a lot of times the comb and guards are bent downwards and those blade tabs tend to break or distort real easily.

You are better off getting a B1, B2 or VB1 instead, the tabs that hold the blade in place are better designed for starters and at least as far as I've experienced shave closer for me than the VC1 using modified Gem blades.

You should be able to just remove the spine on the Gem blade and that should be good enough. If the blade won't sit evenly or secure then use a Dremel type tool with a round diamond bit or grinding wheel and open up the rounded portion of the blade under the spine until it is wide enough that the tab on the razor will fit in it.

 

[HouseOfChains]

Use an earlier model version that can take a modified Gem blade instead then.

The VC1 models are easy enough to acquire the only thing is a lot of times the comb and guards are bent downwards and those blade tabs tend to break or distort real easily.

You are better off getting a B1, B2 or VB1 instead, the tabs that hold the blade in place are better designed for starters and at least as far as I've experienced shave closer for me than the VC1 using modified Gem blades.

You should be able to just remove the spine on the Gem blade and that should be good enough. If the blade won't sit evenly or secure then use a Dremel type tool with a round diamond bit or grinding wheel and open up the the rounded portion of the blade under the spine until it is wide enough that the tab on the razor will fit in it.

Thanks for the info! [emoji106][emoji106]

 

[kingfisher]

I shaved with the Valet again this morning. It was the third day, but I had only technically done 1.5 shaves with it previously, as I split yesterday's shave with the Streamline.

I had heard that these Feather blades deteriorate pretty quickly, so last night I palm stropped it about 50 or 60 times on each side. This morning I still noticed a bit of tugging. Having said that, it provided a good two-pass shave.

I feel like the blade might have one shave left in it, at best. I wonder why these particular blades get worse so quickly in comparison with the GEM PTFE blades, which last at least 6 or 7 shaves for me? I have decided that the Valet is actually a really good razor, but I'm not sold on these blades. If they were really inexpensive, I wouldn't have a problem with doing two shaves and replacing the blade, but they are not cheap, even in bulk.

It's kind of a shame, because the razor is actually kind of fun to use.

 

[Joshua223]

Never tried ANY SE before. The more I read here, the more I want to try one.
Those AutoStrops seem to be in some shops. Usually don't have all the accessories though.

 

[kingfisher]

You don't need the accessories.

If I had never tried an SE, I don't think I would start with an Autostrop. Try a GEM 1912 or a Contour or something first.

 

[BBS-1]

I shaved with the Valet again this morning. It was the third day, but I had only technically done 1.5 shaves with it previously, as I split yesterday's shave with the Streamline.

I had heard that these Feather blades deteriorate pretty quickly, so last night I palm stropped it about 50 or 60 times on each side. This morning I still noticed a bit of tugging. Having said that, it provided a good two-pass shave.

I feel like the blade might have one shave left in it, at best. I wonder why these particular blades get worse so quickly in comparison with the GEM PTFE blades, which last at least 6 or 7 shaves for me? I have decided that the Valet is actually a really good razor, but I'm not sold on these blades. If they were really inexpensive, I wouldn't have a problem with doing two shaves and replacing the blade, but they are not cheap, even in bulk.

It's kind of a shame, because the razor is actually kind of fun to use.

You should get 6 shaves out of the FHS-10 stainless and 5 - 6 shaves out of a FAS-10 carbon steel.

That is what I get with those blades doing 5 passes each shave.

Stropping those feather blades will wear out the edge almost immediately. I know from trying to strop both the Feather blades and a Gem carbon steel with a strop using one of my Autostrop razors. Stroping the Valet blades doesn't help them either. The few I've tried with or without stroping the edges were garbage and the blades would have needed to be rehoned first before being usable.

Unless the guards are bent you should be getting a mild shave with the C model ones that should be as close if not closer as any milder Gem aka the G-bar and up models.

If you have micromatic open comb or clog pruf you use that to find the optimal angle for these autostrops. the front of the guard on them have slight bend, that is angle you want to use to line up blades. Put the micromatic flat on the face then adjust the head until that bend is flat with the face then line up autostrop with the blades being the same angle and try to maintain that angle all through the shave regardless of type of pass. With a little practice it will be second nature when you picture up an autostrop to hold it at around that angle.

 

[ajkel64]

Thanks for sharing. I have some Valet razors but I have not tried them yet as I find SE razors to harsh. It is my technique though most of the time.

 

[BBS-1]

Thanks for sharing. I have some Valet razors but I have not tried them yet as I find SE razors to harsh. It is my technique though most of the time.

Autostrops are also adjustable for the B and C model razors. If you read the instructions that come with them if you the razor too harsh don't push the tab for the guard fully closed. It will make the razor shave even less aggressive if you don't close it all the way.

I've been using Auto Strops almost exclusively to shave with this and part of last month. They definitely take a little practice and getting used to before you start to get some top notch shaves out of these razors. You just need to resist the urge to press harder on the blade or go steeper on the angle because you don't think it is cutting. You need to maintain angle with minimal pressure and short choppy strokes like cutting a tree down with an axe. If the angle is right you won't be scraping your face. Once you got that down then you can stretch the skin to get a closer cut on each pass without any issues either.

My A1 or VB2 are 2 of the best SE razors I own. They are right there with micromatic open comb and clog pruf peerless for closest shaves I get with. I have to caveat that though that I haven't used any Feather blades into those 2 yet and only modified Gem blades thus far.

 

[Fatboyming]

I was lucky enough to find a mint VC1 Autostrop together with a mint brass Gem 1912 parade. That's the great thing about these relatively unpopular razors (compared to Gillette) they are still reasonably priced. I have had a few shaves with both (with Gem blades) and my initial impressions are that the shave is very similar for razors that look so different. Very smooth and efficient. Of course with not having to modify the blades the Gem 1912 wins on convenience. I imagine though if I sat down and modified a batch of blades in one go it would not be an issue. Gem blade life seems short compared to the best DE blades.

 

[kingfisher]

My experience is slightly different. I think GEM blades generally last longer than DE blades.

 

[BBS-1]

I have to correct something in my other post the razor is a VB1 not VB2.