What blades does this razor accept?
Hi folks,
Been shaving my head with DEs for years. The shinier the better!
Well, I just picked this razor up at a boot sale, knowing basically nothing about vintage razors. It was cheap, and I like the ornate handle, so "why not?", I thought.
However, I tried a DE blade in it and it didn't fit. Does anyone know the name for the blade this accepts? I assume it takes a SE blade, but a standard one looks too skinny.
I've seen people on the Internet talking about "Gem" blades. Not much comes up for that when I search UK suppliers, so I wonder if there's another name for them?
Maybe you can't get them any more...
Any advice? I'd like the give it a spin.
Cheers
This looks like a GEM 1912 razor and it take GEM blades. You want to get PTFE blades.
I thought it might be a 1912. Glad for confirmation.
I'm having trouble finding those blades in the uk though.
https://www.connaughtshaving.com/gemss.html
Is in the UK, at least I had to pay customs
Nice razor! I can't speak to how it'll perform for head shaving, but gem razors are a real treat. The link above is a good source for the blades you want.
There are other GEM blades out there, but in general people hate them. Stick to the ones linked here.
Thanks!
I do wish I could buy fewer than 100 to see if I like it or not.
First of all, great find! That's a beautiful Ever-Ready 1912 in good condition and as a fellow head shaver, these are great for shaving your dome as long as you keep the head plate (mostly) flat on your skin.
You can get a 10-pack of those PTFE-coated GEM blades either from the link that @PorkButtsNTaters666 provided or sometimes they're available at eBay. However, those of us here who use GEMs are almost exclusively using those blades. The pure stainless steel don't have the best reputation and other SE blades in this style are strictly for home improvement.
Thanks! For £5 I thought it was worth a shot!
What happens if you don't? Does it nick your skin?
Thanks. Shame the smaller packs are out of stock. I may have to bite the bullet and buy 100.
I’m a face shaver but just want to say these are my favorite razors. You’re in for a treat.
On my face at least, I’ve found these razors to be very forgiving. I’ve only ever cut myself on these razors out of personal stupidity. While riding the cap is the correct way to go, I do occasionally ride the bar and it’s fine.
It doesn't shave as close and indeed you can nick your skin if the angle is too vertical. But in my experience, it's really easy to use and get right from the start.
Apologies, that site isn't very well optimized for browsers with dark mode - didn't see those were out of stock. FWIW, I got myself a 100-pack once I got my first GEM razor and it's still not empty. These are really sturdy and hold up for a long time... the downside is that there's not much variety in blades, but the blade quality makes up for it.
Are you stropping those blades to make them last longer?
Nope. They are in general a bit more sturdy since they are thicker than DE blades.
I see.
And one more question, sorry, how is this kind of razor around the ears? Is it possible with the added bulk?
You can, I thought.
Smaller packs are out of stock at the moment.
Oh yeah oops.
Sharp ones, ideally
Thanks for sharing this profound wisdom 🤣
I’d be happy to send you a few blades if you haven’t found a source for fewer than 100.
Feel free to reach out on Matrix if you’re interested.
Thank you. That's very kind.
I ordered a pack of 100 just earlier today. Doh!
I figured if I didn't like this razor, I can probably sell it and the blades on ebay easy enough. But let's hope I like it :)
I suspect you will, they’re very nice razors once you learn how to use them.