Despite the headline there is nothing wrong about the GEM FW razor but a lot to like about it. However, if you end up getting this razor you may very well begin an endless journey into the world of SE razors and shaving. 
I have been a DE shaver for years. I dabbled into injectors and straights - but always returned to DE razors. A while back I read some comments by the SE guys - you know who you are
- and thought I would buy one. I looked on eBay for the cheapest one I could find that was in very good condition. I picked up that and a Gbar and fortunately the FW arrived first (the Gbar was defective in that it would not hold the blade properly resulting in cuts and nicks after just one pass. In fact, a second Gbar I bought and returned had a missing guide that holds the blade in place. Both were returned and it took a third one to get a decent razor.)
In any event, I got the razor and looked at it. I said to myself this looks more like a toy with its "plastic-like" handle. However, looks can be deceiving so I tried the razor with a Walgreen's GEM blade in it and was blown away. A very close, smooth shave. In fact, this is one of the few razors that gave me a BBS shave in three passes instead of my usual four. I was very impressed: how could a razor that I bought for around $10 plus shipping give me a shave as good as my $70 Merkur Progress (but my Progress did come with a nice case that I never used).
You may wonder if the razor is so good why the warning. Well this is the razor that got me started on my SE journey and resulted in my purchasing 9 different SE razors (15 in total when you count duplicates). So, stay away from this razor if you don't want to happen what happened to me!
I did get my revenge a week or so ago. I had a house guest who I converted to DE shaving a year ago. His is notoriously cheap and I gave him an old Gillette tech I had around to begin his DE journey. His wife bought him some soap as a gift and he has never bought very much in the way of DE goodies. My wife was showing his wife the sliding drawers I put in our bathroom and she noticed the FW on the counter. She told her husband that "Jim shaves with this little plastic razor." He was shocked so I showed him that it was not a Gillette multi blade monster but a GEM SE razor. I told him he could try in the next day and I cleaned it up and put in a new GEM PTFE blade in it. He fell in love with it and el cheapo a few days later then bought a FW and 1912 razor on eBay. He blames me for his "extravagance."
So be careful. Don't buy a FW or similar inexpensive GEM razor. If you do you may very well join those of us who love the SE experience and will end up with more than what you bargained for.
I have been a DE shaver for years. I dabbled into injectors and straights - but always returned to DE razors. A while back I read some comments by the SE guys - you know who you are
- and thought I would buy one. I looked on eBay for the cheapest one I could find that was in very good condition. I picked up that and a Gbar and fortunately the FW arrived first (the Gbar was defective in that it would not hold the blade properly resulting in cuts and nicks after just one pass. In fact, a second Gbar I bought and returned had a missing guide that holds the blade in place. Both were returned and it took a third one to get a decent razor.)In any event, I got the razor and looked at it. I said to myself this looks more like a toy with its "plastic-like" handle. However, looks can be deceiving so I tried the razor with a Walgreen's GEM blade in it and was blown away. A very close, smooth shave. In fact, this is one of the few razors that gave me a BBS shave in three passes instead of my usual four. I was very impressed: how could a razor that I bought for around $10 plus shipping give me a shave as good as my $70 Merkur Progress (but my Progress did come with a nice case that I never used).
You may wonder if the razor is so good why the warning. Well this is the razor that got me started on my SE journey and resulted in my purchasing 9 different SE razors (15 in total when you count duplicates). So, stay away from this razor if you don't want to happen what happened to me!
I did get my revenge a week or so ago. I had a house guest who I converted to DE shaving a year ago. His is notoriously cheap and I gave him an old Gillette tech I had around to begin his DE journey. His wife bought him some soap as a gift and he has never bought very much in the way of DE goodies. My wife was showing his wife the sliding drawers I put in our bathroom and she noticed the FW on the counter. She told her husband that "Jim shaves with this little plastic razor." He was shocked so I showed him that it was not a Gillette multi blade monster but a GEM SE razor. I told him he could try in the next day and I cleaned it up and put in a new GEM PTFE blade in it. He fell in love with it and el cheapo a few days later then bought a FW and 1912 razor on eBay. He blames me for his "extravagance."
So be careful. Don't buy a FW or similar inexpensive GEM razor. If you do you may very well join those of us who love the SE experience and will end up with more than what you bargained for.
