After my first shave with an SE....I'm hooked. What next?

I shaved with a new to me Aluminum Mongoose and got a spectacular shave. It has me considering letting go of my ATT set to acquire a new SE (or more likely, just acquiring a new SE  ) . At the moment I'm hoping for one of the Cobra's from Classic Shaving or the One Blade. However, the cost of the One Blade gives me pause despite the hype. What else should I consider? Your thoughts are greatly appreciated!


By the way - I shaved with the Kai milds...

Cobras are definitely worth the try, if you like SEs, you owe it to yourself to try one. Could take a while to acquire but be patient, in the mean time definitely explore the vintage GEMs. They are very easy to find and cheap. For starters you have many options, Featherweight, G-bar, and bullet tip. All fantastic shavers and more on the mild side for SEs! Can be easily acquired on ebay!

Yes, no need to spend big bucks for an SE that gives a top notch shave when the Gems are plentiful and inexpensive. The only caveat I would add is that you should consider using only Personna Gem stainless steel PTFE coated blades with them. Those blades are just so smooth and don't rust like carbon ones do.

Bob

(02-12-2016, 10:07 AM)daverasi Wrote: I shaved with a new to me Aluminum Mongoose and got a spectacular shave. It has me considering letting go of my ATT set to acquire a new SE (or more likely, just acquiring a new SE  ) . At the moment I'm hoping for one of the Cobra's from Classic Shaving or the One Blade. However, the cost of the One Blade gives me pause despite the hype. What else should I consider? Your thoughts are greatly appreciated!


By the way - I shaved with the Kai milds...

Hello Dave,

Though I live in Ocosta, I spend about 1 week a month in Seattle, and I'm in Seattle now.  
I also recently bought an Alumigoose off the BS&T on this forum, and I couldn't be more pleased.  
Mine came with 3 new blades, a Kai mild, Feather AC Pro, and Feather AC Pro Super.  
I found the Kai mild just a bit too mild, the Feather AC Pro was a little rough for the first 2 shaves, but then smoothed out nicely.  
I haven't yet tried the AC Pro Super, but I probably will soon.  I also bought a 7 blade Mongoose sampler from tryablade.com.
I am looking forward to trying the Kai Titan Original.  I hear it's just as sharp as the Feather, but smoother.
I have a very nice Gem Junior 1912, with no plating loss, that I would sell for a very reasonable price.
I'll PM you a picture, in just a few minutes.  Thanks.

Roy

Why not just stay with the AlumiGoose? You like the shave you got. I love mine.

Schick Type F.

I was very fortunate to have a member here reply to my WTB on another forum a few years ago and sell me one. One of my favorites by a long shot.

Outstanding shaver. 

I had an original Batch 1 Mongoose and sold it. Too wide for me and I couldn't get it under my nose well. 

It was an excellent razor, just not for me. I'm very interested in Phil's new razor when it's ready. 

I totally love SE blades. Rigid and long lasting. I have a dozen different Gems and Stars too. The PTFE blades are a must there. They also give me trouble under the noise, but I just go with it.

Haven't used any of my single edge razors for a while.

Might have to in a week or so.

After I'm done test driving a hybrid tech though. 

(02-15-2016, 07:48 PM)shave/brush Wrote: Why not just stay with the AlumiGoose? You like the shave you got. I love mine.

I fully intend to, it's the best shaver I've ever owned.  
The Alumigoose has the most stable blade of any razor I've ever used; 
way better than the chattery Cobra Classsic.

Roy

The King Cobra and a Kai Mild is my favourite razor and blade combo bar none...

Dave, I never tire of hearing more people experiencing the awesomeness that is SE shaving. 

If you find that you prefer the stiffer, more rigid blade in a very stable environment, then you may want to skip the Cobra offerings as the blade bed is moveable and it led to worse shaves for me than my others SEs. I stuck it out as long as I did simply because the Feather AC blades are so good. The Mongoose took care of the moving blade for me and I find it to be the superior platform for these blades at the moment. However, several new options are in the works from other manufacturers like BuklGoose, Colonial, & Rocnel. 

Lately though I have come to enjoy the milder and not quite as sharp GEM SS PTFE blades. This is where my OneBlade rules the day, every day. However, I already spent the money on. Before you do I would suggest trying some of the vintage SE razors so you can first see if you even like this style of ladies from either GEM or Feather. For the Feather blades you can either find a Valet AutoStrop razor or you can even add a spine to them. Then you can enjoy some great SEs with either the GEM or Feather. My favorite SEs would include the EverReady 1914 & the GEM MicroMatic Clog Pruf. 

I look forward to hearing what all you try out and how it works for you. Welcome to the Sharp Side!

As has been stated, no need to spend a lot of money. Just go vintage and use GEM PTFE blades. Currently in my line up I have a GEM Bullet tip, GEM 1924 head on a Mongoose Bomber handle, & a 1912 on a Maggard MR22 Handle. All are fantastic shavers that will provide a BBS shave everytime!

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the Gem OCMM---A great SE shaver

Thanks for all the suggestions.  Since I've started this hobby 5+ years ago I've never ventured into SE or vintage razors.  Any suggestions for buying in eBay and appropriate cost/market rate for the vintage razors named above would be appreciated.

(02-20-2016, 07:59 AM)daverasi Wrote: Thanks for all the suggestions.  Since I've started this hobby 5+ years ago I've never ventured into SE or vintage razors.  Any suggestions for buying in eBay and appropriate cost/market rate for the vintage razors named above would be appreciated.

Well first off how aggressive do you like your razors? The MMOC (Micromatic open comb) can be aggressive, a 1912 is middle of the road, and a bullet tip or a 1924 are more on the mild side. All are great shavers though. As for price, unless your looking for NOS, any of the ones mentioned can be found for under $12. If interested in just trying something first shoot me a PM.

I only own vintage SEs. My preference at the moment is an ER 1912, followed closely by a Featherweight. Interesting on some level (or not) is that the head on the ER 1912 seems to be identical to that of my GEM Junior, but the ER gives me better shaves. Same is true with my Featherweight and G Bar. Same head design, but I like the shave of the Featherweight better. It must have something to do with handle shape and/or overall balance.

I'm also recently finding myself more comfortable with SEs (though I must say, I love my Wolfman, which gives a DE blade some stiffness closer to an SE). I received my OneBlade last week and I admire it a bunch: I'm getting smooth, close, trouble-free shaves with it with great ease. It's sort of idiot-proof, but a beautiful piece of equipment. It's also pricey!

Have a lovely-looking GEM 1912-type to try, but haven't got it going yet.

I also have a stainless steel Mongoose which is pretty new to me. I've found there's more of a learning curve to this razor than I expected (it's hefty! those AC blades are SHARP!), but I'm getting better with it. Still not sure that the heft is quite for me. But those AC blades really do seem great...

I first dipped my toes into SE shaving with a Schick E-2 type injector, which was great, and was soon joined by an I-2 Hydromagic. I still love these injectors! Since nice vintage injectors are inexpensive and new blades are still made, this is a great way to try SE shaving. I love how light and maneuverable my Schicks are, and yet they handle my coarse whiskers quite well.

David, it sounds like the AlumiGoose may be right up your alley.

David, I agree the AlumiGoose might be right up your alley.

For 2015, I shaved with SE razors for 58% of my shaves.  The Mongoose accounted for the majority of SE shaves.  I did experiment with injectors but just never really clicked with them.  I do like using vintage GEM razors with the coated blades.  The shaves rival those with the Mongoose or AlumiGoose and are a great place to start without spending a great deal of money.

Thanks guys: I'll look into the Alumigoose when it's next available!

That Alumigoose looks AMAZING !! After reading your reference to your ATT I am feeling urge to step up to the plate and try an SE since I am currently using the ATT S2. Looks like an SE may be a good fit.

It seems like the vintage GEM's look like the way to go while waiting for the Alumigoose to become available. Certainly a cost effective way to experiment : )

Thanks for all the great advice posted here.

I ended up buying a few items on ebay: 


Gem Micromatic Chrome

Gem Micromatic Safety Razor Clog Pruf

Gem G-Bar



 I'm going to give them a try once my blades arrive from Connaught.  For the moment I am holding off on the One Blade.  One Blade's marketing strategy is interesting but gives me pause when deciding to pull the trigger. They had a Valentines Day deal that included the razor w/case, a ton of product and the brush for $399. They also sent me a 10% off coupon.  I still didn't pull the trigger.  Now I've got an offer which is essentially the same as the above $399 "deal" for $299.  I'm going to either get a like new one or wait (possibly in vain) for another 35% off code...