1912, what that all about? I get it now!

[JayGee]

Thanks to @Randomangle
I had my first shave using an SE, a very nice USA made 1912.

Shave was so easy & quick. My face is beautifully smooth. The blade angle is a doddle to find and the buttering toast noise is incredible.

I'm more than a little surprised that DE shaving actually caught on. I'm guessing because earlier GEM blades still required honing & stropping, DE was more convenient?

Anyways, nice to have some variety.
I'd never even heard of an SE razor until I joined the forum. Thanks TSR!

Typically how many 3-pass shaves are likely from a GEM coated blade?
I'll try shimming the next blade once I've used this first one, seemed a waste to take the spine off an unused blade.

 

[Fergiebilly]

Early DE Blades needed Stropping as Well..King Gillette was the 1st Person to Carry out a Huge Market Research Study in the USA on what the Vast Majority of Men Wanted & Required from a Safety Razor..

He Found that Over 2/3rds of USA Males had a Light to Moderate Growth & that they Reported that they Wanted a Milder Razor than what was Currently Available at the Turn of the 20th Century..

In Short..He Gave them What they Wanted..

Some People get a Large Number of Shaves from a Gem Blade..Me..I Dumped them after 4 Three Pass Shaves..

There is an Array of SEs Out there including Injectors & New Models being Released as we Speak..

Enjoy the SE Journey..

Billy

 

[JayGee]

Thanks Billy, very interesting.

Much appreciated,
Jg

 

[JohnnyO]

About 5 two pass shaves from a GEM for me Jay, welcome to the SE branch of the shaving tree.

JohnnyO. o/.

 

[Bezoar]

the life time of each blade will vary with the razor its used in. first gem carbon steel blade in my featherweight only lasted say 3 decent shaves. the others in my first 10 pack of gem blades are 2-3 shaves before tossing.