I've bought and sold a few GEM razors without ever having used one...something about using a "box cutter" blade in a razor terrified me.
On a whim (after seeing a post by @LRod) I purchased a Shield Predator and 100 PTFE blades from Bullgoose Shaving. I know I probably could have found the blades cheaper, but a Ti razor for 120 bucks...I could not help myself.
So, first the bad:
This isn't a Blackland razor in terms of machining. All of the matte surfaces are VERY nice, but the tricky part - the threads - not so much.
I've got a Vector in stainless steel, which may not be a fair comparison, but both razors use the same flat post to attach the handle. With the Vector if you are misaligned when screwing on the handle it stops dead, letting you know at first thread. With the Predator, the threads are not only a bit gritty, I turned the handle at least 3-4 turns before it jammed. Of course if you remove and realign the handle it screws right on, but is still a bit crunchy.
I had a Timeless Ti Crown handle, and it is MUCH smoother when installing but still more prone to misalignment than my Vecttor...and it looks great on the Predator:
My first use was a single WTG pass on my beard, finished with one of my DE razors. It was uneventful and seemed to shave nice. It was really just an ice-breaker to get me over my (unfounded) fear of this blade format.
My last two uses were 2-pass head shaves WTG and ATG with touchup, and I gotta say...the shaves are incredible.
I'm getting BBS head shaves with zero irritation, and better yet, these are autopilot shaves with no fear of drawing blood. The razor is very smooth with no tugging or resistance even ATG...I'm guessing due to the thicker, stiffer blade, similar to an AC blade.
Anyway, I use my Vector exclusively to shave my head (never used it on my beard) and thought that it was the pinnacle, but I gotta say: the Predator is right there doing it's part to dethrone the king.
I am very impressed.
On a whim (after seeing a post by @LRod) I purchased a Shield Predator and 100 PTFE blades from Bullgoose Shaving. I know I probably could have found the blades cheaper, but a Ti razor for 120 bucks...I could not help myself.
So, first the bad:
This isn't a Blackland razor in terms of machining. All of the matte surfaces are VERY nice, but the tricky part - the threads - not so much.
I've got a Vector in stainless steel, which may not be a fair comparison, but both razors use the same flat post to attach the handle. With the Vector if you are misaligned when screwing on the handle it stops dead, letting you know at first thread. With the Predator, the threads are not only a bit gritty, I turned the handle at least 3-4 turns before it jammed. Of course if you remove and realign the handle it screws right on, but is still a bit crunchy.
I had a Timeless Ti Crown handle, and it is MUCH smoother when installing but still more prone to misalignment than my Vecttor...and it looks great on the Predator:
My first use was a single WTG pass on my beard, finished with one of my DE razors. It was uneventful and seemed to shave nice. It was really just an ice-breaker to get me over my (unfounded) fear of this blade format.
My last two uses were 2-pass head shaves WTG and ATG with touchup, and I gotta say...the shaves are incredible.
I'm getting BBS head shaves with zero irritation, and better yet, these are autopilot shaves with no fear of drawing blood. The razor is very smooth with no tugging or resistance even ATG...I'm guessing due to the thicker, stiffer blade, similar to an AC blade.
Anyway, I use my Vector exclusively to shave my head (never used it on my beard) and thought that it was the pinnacle, but I gotta say: the Predator is right there doing it's part to dethrone the king.
I am very impressed.
