Thread: I never tried a SE razor (e.g. Ever-Ready). Any tips on what to look for?

As the title says. For instance, some people like Treet blades, while others warn against them. I haven't bought a razor yet so any tips would be highly appreciated.

Just have two suggestions for you. The first is to use Personna GEM stainless steel PTFE coated blades. Being stainless they resist rusting and being PTFE coated they are smooth as well as sharp. I'll go out on a limb and say they are the best I have found for use in an SE Ever-Ready type razor.

The second has to do with the angle they shave at. The top plate should be almost touching your skin. If you open the gap too much you will be scraping your face and get a good dose of razor burn. It is a bit different to a DE if you are used to one of those.

You should be able to get almost double the amount of shaves from those blades compared to what you would get from a DE blade.

Bob

OK thanks Bob!

You can also consider the Mongoose which is an SE of the newer all stainless variety though I think the make it in Aluminum too. It takes the Feather SE blades. It gives a great shave though I think there are a bunch of DEs out there that are better. It's also on the aggressive side.

I have a few SEs now, they are my preferred shaving method if I can’t use a SR for whatever reason. My favourite is the Gem Micromatic open comb, but the Gem 1912 is up there too. The MMOC is more aggressive.

I use the Gem blades, the same that Bob suggested. I can easily get 20 shaves out of each blade if I hand strop. That’s 3 times as many shaves than any DE I’ve tried. I have a coarse beard, so the thicker SE blades work better for me.

The gem micromatic open comb is my favourite SE. They are cheap and readily available and I love that space age design.

I have a lifetime supply of PTFE blades I bought from Connaught shaving.

Thanks folks!
Dang, I should have looked for the Micromatic then. I bought two cheap ones; an Ever-Ready and a Star 1912 (waiting for them to arrive in the mail)

BTW, I have a pack of stainless blades coming, but can anyone recommend a brand of carbon blades? I just want to make my own comparison EDIT: oh I guess maybe this was the deal with the Treet blades? Maybe there are others too?

Carbon blades went the way of the horse and buggy many years ago and with good reason. Yes they are cheap and yes in theory they can be sharpened but rust is the real problem there. They rust really fast and you have to treat them with oil or keep them away from moisture. Back in the day with the Gillette Blues they only gave a single shave. When Wilkenson came out with stainless folks didn't look back.

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

Carbon blades went the way of the horse and buggy many years ago and with good reason. Yes they are cheap and yes in theory they can be sharpened but rust is the real problem there. They rust really fast and you have to treat them with oil or keep them away from moisture. Back in the day with the Gillette Blues they only gave a single shave. When Wilkenson came out with stainless folks didn't look back.

I have never tried it, but for various reasons I think I might be among the few that could make carbon blades work, simply because of my habits. When I use my DE razor, I always take the blade out between each shave and quickly "finger strop" it anyway. I have found that I am always happier with the shaves this way.