autostrop, rolls, and mildness

Bezoar

Bezoar

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1,538
I am just curious as to this,

the auto strop has an open comb design, the rolls is just a straight up slab of miniature straight razor. Which one is able to be considered the milder of the pair?

Or at least most similar in shave technique to a gem feather weight?
 
Greetings

If it helps at all there are many models of Valet Autostrops some of the earlier models are very aggressive; in my opinion unnecessarily so, the later models are much less so and I find the later models better (closer) and more face friendly shavers.

The last model Autostrop produced by the way has a standard closed comb (safety bar) design to which Valet gave the strange name of Runner Guard.

Regards
Dick.
 
well I haven't gotten much firm information on them. found a "fan site" that well states 4 versions were made, and only the 1st version can use the valet, feather SE and the standard gem blade if the spine is removed and the corners are clipped.
All made once Gillette got into the Valet company,,,, only use Feather SE and Valet blades due to the decorative pin designs used to hold blades in the head.

I remember someone saying the valet can use regular DE blades but I cant find much on that..
 
I would say AutoStrop and Probak got into Gillette, more than all the way around. At least Gaisman did. http://www.safetyrazors.net/DEBladePage.htm
Here is a thread I found useful about AutoStrops and the blades each model takes http://shavenook.com/showthread.php?tid=2035.
These razors don't get much attention, but I like them. Last week I shaved with a VC1 and its not aggressive IMO. It was loaded with a despined GEM blade and I pushed down the lever just a tiny bit to give it an extra umph.
 
the valet is an interesting razor, its almost worth seeing if feather will make the se blade in a carbon steel version...

I might be able to get an unused one. still has the wrapper on the strop.
 
Bezoar said:
the valet is an interesting razor, its almost worth seeing if feather will make the se blade in a carbon steel version...

I might be able to get an unused one. still has the wrapper on the strop.
Click to expand...
Lots of Valet variations, I highly recommend the VC1. Dandy with a despined GEM.
5d0bb4b560ab814e36ab9e54e24f3c76.jpg
 
the more I look at them the more I like them. The only thing I hate is that, I don't see the carbon steel feather SE blades advertised or talked about. only the stainless steel version of that blade.

since at least one person has experience with one, here are some questions.

1. I am under the impression that the little hooks on the end of the blade hold it in place in the VC1. And that in the vc2,3,and 4, the hooks go through at least one pin tab to keep the blade anchored.

if that is the actual method of attachment of the valet blade, how does the despined and corner clipped GEM blade maintain is position in the razor?

2. the feather se blade is near identical in a dimensions to the valet blade. I have seen that the feather se blade only hooks onto one blade holding tab pin in the vc2,3, and 4. And that if it isn't loaded one way it can be extremely aggressive.
 
Bezoar said:
the more I look at them the more I like them. The only thing I hate is that, I don't see the carbon steel feather SE blades advertised or talked about. only the stainless steel version of that blade.

since at least one person has experience with one, here are some questions.

1. I am under the impression that the little hooks on the end of the blade hold it in place in the VC1. And that in the vc2,3,and 4, the hooks go through at least one pin tab to keep the blade anchored.

if that is the actual method of attachment of the valet blade, how does the despined and corner clipped GEM blade maintain is position in the razor?

2. the feather se blade is near identical in a dimensions to the valet blade. I have seen that the feather se blade only hooks onto one blade holding tab pin in the vc2,3, and 4. And that if it isn't loaded one way it can be extremely aggressive.
Click to expand...
No the hooks are not the primary mechanism for holding the blade in the VC1, they are merely stops. The blade is firmly held in place in in the slot into which you slide the blade. Unless damaged it's a very firm fit. There is less wiggling than you typically see in systems which rely on pins/posts in my experience.

2c9443498d9bee11b9d611886189193b.jpg
 
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thank you, how does that change with the VC 2, 3, and 4? I am curious as they made many versions of each razor simply by changing the orientation and style of the "proprietary blade attachment pins".

Have you tried to strop a modified GEM blade?
 
is it better to focus on getting an auto strop razor that is in the best possible mechanical and finish condition with an original strop,

and THEN to worry about Valet blades?
 
Bezoar said:
thank you, how does that change with the VC 2, 3, and 4? I am curious as they made many versions of each razor simply by changing the orientation and style of the "proprietary blade attachment pins".

Have you tried to strop a modified GEM blade?
Click to expand...
There is no slot after the VC1, the blade is hung on posts then secured with a door on the VC2 and similar mechanisms thereafter. I've only used the VC1 as I prefer GEM blades. I just hand or jeans strop my SE blades but have never tested how it impacts durability.

See here if you haven't already.

http://shavenook.com/showthread.php?tid=2035
 
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Greetings

With Valet Autostrop razors, quite irrespective of which model and how the blade is held in place the purpose of the various blade securing arrangements is to secure the blade in the blade holder (whatever type of blade holder) during the stropping process, it plays little or no part during the shave; in every model during the shave the blade is forced up against the blade stops as it is with standard SE razors. When the blade is released from against the stops for stropping in the razor there would be nothing to prevent the friction of the leather on the blade pulling it from the blade holder (in VC one and other very early models) or from the gate or from under the blade 'ears' in the later models, this is the reason for the various methods of securing a blade.

With modified Gem blades the little half moons that were in the very bottom of the Valet blades and secure the blade are not there, they are further up the blades side so on VC1 and other early models a modified GEM blade is not held in by anything other than friction, this does not matter at all as during the shave it is forced hard up against the blade stops and thus cannot move.

The subject of stropping any modern coated blade is subject to much debate,a lot of myth/black art and a huge amount of YMMV. A modern stainless coated blade relies on the coating for it's sharpness therefore any wear of the coating (ie stropping) unless very very small is likely to worsen the edge, some folks gently strop them and find it helps, I have found just the opposite. Modern carbon GEM blades ie Blue Stars and Treet's in theory should be stroppable but in practice they are not, I carried out a lengthy experiment with Treet blades three or four years ago involving thirty blades, I was unable to make a single one any better then when I removed it from the packet despite using different abrasives leathers and other stropping mediums.

Old thick stroppable SE blades are a very different animal, whilst the steel is probably no better, they are thick and ground with just a single bevel at a quite different angle and will strop up in the same way as a wedge (hollow ground) blade. So IMHO all modern SE blades carbon or stainless are what they are, disposable blades, use them and bin them.

Regards
Dick.
 
Norfolkdick said:
Greetings

With Valet Autostrop razors, quite irrespective of which model and how the blade is held in place the purpose of the various blade securing arrangements is to secure the blade in the blade holder (whatever type of blade holder) during the stropping process, it plays little or no part during the shave; in every model during the shave the blade is forced up against the blade stops as it is with standard SE razors. When the blade is released from against the stops for stropping in the razor there would be nothing to prevent the friction of the leather on the blade pulling it from the blade holder (in VC one and other very early models) or from the gate or from under the blade 'ears' in the later models, this is the reason for the various methods of securing a blade.

With modified Gem blades the little half moons that were in the very bottom of the Valet blades and secure the blade are not there, they are further up the blades side so on VC1 and other early models a modified GEM blade is not held in by anything other than friction, this does not matter at all as during the shave it is forced hard up against the blade stops and thus cannot move.

The subject of stropping any modern coated blade is subject to much debate,a lot of myth/black art and a huge amount of YMMV. A modern stainless coated blade relies on the coating for it's sharpness therefore any wear of the coating (ie stropping) unless very very small is likely to worsen the edge, some folks gently strop them and find it helps, I have found just the opposite. Modern carbon GEM blades ie Blue Stars and Treet's in theory should be stroppable but in practice they are not, I carried out a lengthy experiment with Treet blades three or four years ago involving thirty blades, I was unable to make a single one any better then when I removed it from the packet despite using different abrasives leathers and other stropping mediums.

Old thick stroppable SE blades are a very different animal, whilst the steel is probably no better, they are thick and ground with just a single bevel at a quite different angle and will strop up in the same way as a wedge (hollow ground) blade. So IMHO all modern SE blades carbon or stainless are what they are, disposable blades, use them and bin them.

Regards
Dick.
Click to expand...
Yeah..That..Factory Blades Aren't Designed to be Stropped in any Shape or Form..o_O

Billy
 
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