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I was surfing the net when I discovered the existence of GEM razors. I did a search on some online stores and haven't found any brand new Gem razors for sale, but DE razors are still being produced and sold new (you don't have to hunt in antique shops if you don't want to).
Why aren't they popular?
i often wonder the same thing.. they look really cool and blades are inexpensive.. i'm tempted to purchase one and see how they shave.
thanks Ironman , I just took a look on ebay and found some blades , I had no idea that you could still get blades for the Gem razor , I have an old Gem of my fathers and often wonder how it shaves , now thanks to your post I have an oppertunity to find out ...cheers Baz
Ok, here is whaat I am told the reason is. This needs to be told from a historical perspective. The company once known as Gem today is a part of Proctor and Gamble and is known as Gillette. Gilette has always had the attitude that they will dictate to the customer what they will use and at what price and everyone will pay us what ever we want for our products and will buy what ever we chose to make. Way back when, King Gilette named his company Gem and made the single edge razor. The company made the razors sucessfully for many years then, around the time that King Gilette died they started to work with a double edge razor. They found that the double edge is actually cheaper for them to make since it did not require hinges and could fasten together more easily. Converting to the construction of double edge razors was fairly simple and cheap to do and the general public never once asked why is a double edge beter than a single edge. When the company converted to double edge it took the name Gillette for the founder of the company and doubled the price of their product. Customers never asked "why is double edge better than a single edge." Like today no one has ever asked Proctor and Gamble to explain why two blades are better than one.
I have been shaving with a Gem Micromatic in my rotation for about two months now and have found that the blades really make a difference. I found the GEM blades at Walgreens and thats what I have been using don't try using the single-edge blades from the hardware store there not made for shaving. The GEM really shaves great and I like it very much, takes alittle getting used to so go easy with it at first untill you get the feel for it.
Regards,
RB
I started shaving in the late 1960's , and if you shaved with a blade you used either a DE , SE , or an injector (usually a Shick) . I tried all three . The DE blade seemed too flexible for my liking . The SE blade gave me the rigid sturdy blade that I liked , but it gave me alot of nicks . Which was probably due to my inexperience at shaving , because the DE gave me alot of nicks , too . I finally settled on the injector razor , and used it until I finally bought a Mach 3 . IMHO , the injector razor is the best of the three , with the SE second best , and the DE last .
I think the reason is that the DE and the Schick injector shave better. More a blade thing than a design thing IMO. I can get a good shave from a Gem but not as good as from a good DE. When I was in my 20s I liked the Schick best until the Gillette 'Good News' came out. Straight razors beat 'em all. :) For blades Gems from Walgreens or Ted Pella coated blades are the only way to go with those razors IMHO.
I'd bet DE blades are also cheaper to produce than SE blades.
Ironman9889,
I have wondered this myself.
Gems (Micromatic aside)/Ever-Readys and Schicks are the manufacturers dream - made of stamped material, with little machining - yet produce, for me, the best shaving safety razors I have ever used :)
I would have thought that this type of razor would have fitted Mr KC Gillettes' business model the best. Perhaps some patent issue prevented him from producing such razors ?
Have fun !
Best regards
Russ
The Gems and the Evereadys were both produced by "The American Razor Company" - not Gillette. Double edge blades became more popular because they were "newer" and more practically, had two sharpened edges to shave with, giving you twice the shaves from one blade.
Imho they require more care while shaving and potentially provide better results.
Many folks today have never even heard of GEM SE razors and saw their dads shaving with DEs. I just discovered them about a year ago and prefer them to the DE as I get a closer shave. Neither, however, beats the pure enjoyment factor from maintaining my own straights.
Many Many years ago I was watching TV and there was some high ranking official from either Gillette or Schick and he was asked what was so hard to make a good razor. He replied "It's not hard to make a good razor; it's hard to make millions of them!" I would suppose that this applies to blades and disposables. My ex-father in law was on 'The Gillette Shave Team' he received free blades in the mail and was to use each of them for a specific period of time and judge his shave after each use. Just FYI!
I have been thinking of trying SE razor for a while now... I recently found a nice Gem Micromatic clog pruf cheap. I am looking forward to testing it out.
i got about 10 of these things and don't know what to do with them :/
It was all about marketing. Gem (which I have used since 1965 until now) never could market to the degree that King Gillette did. Initially, Gillette practically gave away the razors, the idea was to mass-market the blades. Then Gillette got the contracts to the Army and Navy in WWI and later in WWII. When the boys came home, guess which one they bought?
Nowdays, I think it has to do with "boys and their toys" Gem has a limited selection of razors, and about three different blades suited for shaving, I don't count all the hardware cutting blades. Gillette however had MANY models over the years, and many different blades still made around the world to still play with. New DE razors are still made, not so with Gem. And with a bigger market, there are more surviving Gillettes to play with.
A DE will not shave as close as a SE if you know how to use it. The various Gllette style blades can vary widely in quality. The shaving quality GEM blades are usually good. A rigid blade (Gem) will, like a St8, cut better than the more flexible Gillette.
Actually there were Gem Micromatic double edge blades made.
GEM Double Edge Blades - Badger & Blade
See ya, Country Joe
Vintage Gillette safety razors, Gillette Razors, Vintage Razors, double edge safety razors for sale.
hey guys
Can anyone help me with info on my grandads Ever Ready SE razor that has a flip up top where you lay a single edge GEM blade, which looks like it doubled as a window paint scraper. I know of course that there is a difference in the scraper blades at the hardware store and these, which I bought at Walgreens, (a PACK OF 10 FOR ABOUT $5.) Has anyone tried these? The razor is in great shape. I have had it in our china closet sitting for years. I started shaving with a Dovo straight razor about 2 years ago and I love it! Closest shaves I have ever had so I decided to break the Ever Ready out to see how that worked.
Any help would be appreciated. Thanks guys.:medvl:
Gem's/Ever Ready's are awesome shavers and the Walgreens blades are among the best made for them today. Keep your prep the same as you would for using your straight. When it comes to the shave itself, use zero pressure and keep as flat a blade angle as the head of the razor allows. Take your time and you will be rewarded with one of the best non straight shaves you can possibly get.Quote:
Originally Posted by renegade64
Gem "Ted Pella" blades, gents. I love my Gem Triumph with pellas.
Thanks Theseus! You were absolutely right. Last night I used the Ever Ready with Gem blade. i had a few days thick beard growth and the razor took it off like it wasn't even there. Gotta be careful about going over the same spot twice. Even with a light touch, that blade, with too much pressure, will take off your face. The men using these razors back in the 30's and 40's had to be animals! Used every other day and for some every day, god bless em.
I'm not sure when he purchased this razor, but the patent date on it is 1912. I'll be using it and my Dovo cutthroat back and forth.
Thanks again Theseus.
Glad to be of help.:)Quote:
Originally Posted by renegade64
+1. The American Safety Razor company still lives, producing GEM and Personna blades. They also make many of the store-brand DE blades you see on drugstore and supermarket shelves. I personally get much better results from my GEMs than from my DEs. The thicker, more rigid steel of the GEM blade compared to a DE blade mimics a straight and gives excellent shaves. They are how I got interested in straight shaving.Quote:
Originally Posted by aroliver59
First vintage razor I ever bought was a Gem Jr. with the big bakelite handle at a garage sale for $0.50. That was about 3 years ago. Did a little googlefu, and picked up some GEM blades at Walgreens. Man, the first time I saw that edge coming towards my face I was shaking so bad. Had to sit it down about 1/2 dozen times before I worked up the nerve to try it. Low and behold only one weeper and a pretty nice first experience. I've got a handful of GEM's and Eveready's, but my favorite to use is the Damaskeene with a Ted Pella blade. Gives me a closer shave than any of my DE's. One of the reasons that I ended up here after inheriting some straights. Sending my first off to be honed this week so I can give it a try.
SE's are becoming more and more popular as DE shavers are discovering them again. I have a friend who has collected everyone he could get off the 'bay and he swears that they shave ever bit as good as his Str8's.
Right now they are still fairly inexpensive, but like all things, the more they get discovered the higher the value will go.
Enjoy it!! They are wonderful... :tu
M
Late to the party with this Necropost. I recently started shaving with Gem micromatic I acquired with a lot of straight razors.
I am truly amazed by the quality of the shaves this razor provides! I haven't shaved with a disposable blade for 2 years. This is the first time a safety razor has provided me a shave that is at par with a straight razor.
I'll add to the Necropost too. The Gem 1912 I use will also give a SR a run for the money and so will early Gillette OC DEs. I believe these types of razors would be called "aggressive" by most current DE users and I think that is why they can rival the SR in a shave. It is also probably why they are not as popular with new generation DE shavers as they require a shaving technique that is the same as for a SR and not one a "milder" more modern DE will let you get away with. That is just my opinion and as always YMMV applies.
Bob