Hi everyone, Jon here with another Razor Spotlight.
One of the main motivations behind this series is a resolution I made this year to expand my knowledge on razors. Since I started wetshaving back in 2012, I’ve done deep dives on soaps, aftershaves, brushes, and even fragrances. But in terms of razors, up to the end of 2018, I’d only used about a half dozen different types, and thought that seriously needed to change.
Today I’ll be sharing with you my experience with a vintage razor that I’ve been testing: the GEM Open Comb MicroMatic. I want to thank my friend Anthony (@bravoure) on Instagram ( / bravoure ) for loaning me this one after learning I had never tried a GEM-style razor before. You can find the link to his Instagram in the description below and be sure to give him a follow as he has some great Shave of the Days posted up.
The GEM Open Comb Micromatic is an American-made Single Edge Safety Razor and was originally manufactured in the 1930’s. Like with other vintage razors, I think it’s kind of cool how something that could be considered an antique can still perform it’s original function decades later and that we’re able to add a little piece of history to our daily grooming routine.
I also want to note that I’ve always really liked twist-to-open razors, as I find them less fiddly, especially when loading a new blade. The fact that you don’t have to disassemble the entire razor is a huge plus, although it does make doing a deep clean more difficult.
Anyhow, after doing a little digging, I learned that this is one of the more (if not most) aggressive of the GEM razors, and as a user of mostly mild razors, I braced myself for a potentially rough shave.
In my first shave with the razor, I used too steep of an angle, leaving my neck area raw and irritated. With my second shave, I went with a much more shallow angle, which seemed to do the trick.
Unfortunately, in all my shaves with this razor, I could never pull off an Against the Grain pass without my neck area dotted with small blood spots and irritation.
Despite the results, I’m still really glad I was able to try a GEM style razor and I’ll be looking forward to trying another, preferably more mild next time.
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7 июл 2024
