There are too many categories of SE razors to make a blanket statement IMO.
Many SE designs have blade stops which makes their design fundamentally superior to DE designs for reasons I wrote up a few years ago here
So if you have a vintage GEM or an Injector razor with blade stops, those have an absolutely consistent geometry and exposure regardless of the blade you use. This doesn’t mean that you’ll like the geometry, but if you do, it’ll be super consistent.
Modern GEM designs are all trash IMO. They follow DE designs and misuse them with the wonderful GEM blade meant to be pressed against blade stops. The problem is not that they are produced shoddily (The ones I’ve tried are very well made) but the blade exposure depends on the manufacturing tolerances of the blade when it doesn’t need to.
With AC razors, if you scour the forums, you’ll find people recommending to avoid certain brands of blades for certain razors because “they don’t fit well” like you can’t get them in because the little holes don’t have just quite the right size. To me that is an obvious red flag for their design. They could be designed like Injectors where the clamp presses the blade against the blade stop and they’d be great.
All that being said, manufacturing tolerances for AC and GEM blades seem quite good, so in practice even those lazy designs can shave well, even if the former mechanical engineering lecturer in me would have failed them in a design exam.
Vintage GEM razors and Injectors are a fantastic and very affordable entry point into the SE rabbit hole. I’d be happy to give recommendations, and I can also lend you some of the highlights.
@snooting@sub.wetshaving.social , I definitely second the recommendation of a vintage Schick injector razor - they are the most similar to a cartridge razor and you should be able to find them in pretty good condition on the used market. Schick injector blades should be available at Maggards or eBay. Just a heads up, their chrome plating is very prone to flaking if you use aggressive cleaners - mine now look vintage AF™
I adore SE razors, but the downside to them is very little variation in blade types they offer. For example, vintage GEM razors are really great IMHO - but the only great GEM blade for actual shaving are Personna GEM PTFE blades. When it comes to AC blades, I prefer the guarded ones by KAI and Feather - but then again, those two japanese manufacturers are the only two I know of who produce AC blades at all. The Leaf Thorn I own uses half DE blades and it’s a good razor, but a bit expensive for the quality of its material (zinc alloy, so don’t drop it too often).
My recommendation for a beginner SE razor would be a vintage GEM Star, Flying Wing or Ever-Ready 1912. Note that GEM razors are notoriously difficult for shaving your upper lip though - as I wear a stache I won’t be able to help there, but @djundjila@sub.wetshaving.social should have some tips.
I’ve been considering picking up a SE razor. Do you prefer them to DE?
There are too many categories of SE razors to make a blanket statement IMO.
Many SE designs have blade stops which makes their design fundamentally superior to DE designs for reasons I wrote up a few years ago here
So if you have a vintage GEM or an Injector razor with blade stops, those have an absolutely consistent geometry and exposure regardless of the blade you use. This doesn’t mean that you’ll like the geometry, but if you do, it’ll be super consistent.
Modern GEM designs are all trash IMO. They follow DE designs and misuse them with the wonderful GEM blade meant to be pressed against blade stops. The problem is not that they are produced shoddily (The ones I’ve tried are very well made) but the blade exposure depends on the manufacturing tolerances of the blade when it doesn’t need to.
With AC razors, if you scour the forums, you’ll find people recommending to avoid certain brands of blades for certain razors because “they don’t fit well” like you can’t get them in because the little holes don’t have just quite the right size. To me that is an obvious red flag for their design. They could be designed like Injectors where the clamp presses the blade against the blade stop and they’d be great.
All that being said, manufacturing tolerances for AC and GEM blades seem quite good, so in practice even those lazy designs can shave well, even if the former mechanical engineering lecturer in me would have failed them in a design exam.
Vintage GEM razors and Injectors are a fantastic and very affordable entry point into the SE rabbit hole. I’d be happy to give recommendations, and I can also lend you some of the highlights.
Maybe start with the Clog-Pruf, because @merikus@sub.wetshaving.social’s wisdom:
This is super helpful, thank you.
@snooting@sub.wetshaving.social , I definitely second the recommendation of a vintage Schick injector razor - they are the most similar to a cartridge razor and you should be able to find them in pretty good condition on the used market. Schick injector blades should be available at Maggards or eBay. Just a heads up, their chrome plating is very prone to flaking if you use aggressive cleaners - mine now look vintage AF™
I think I like the idea of starting with a Clog Pruf, but I’ll keep my eyes open for a deal on either.
Have fun diving into vintage razor hunting and get both. That’s the spirit 😉
I adore SE razors, but the downside to them is very little variation in blade types they offer. For example, vintage GEM razors are really great IMHO - but the only great GEM blade for actual shaving are Personna GEM PTFE blades. When it comes to AC blades, I prefer the guarded ones by KAI and Feather - but then again, those two japanese manufacturers are the only two I know of who produce AC blades at all. The Leaf Thorn I own uses half DE blades and it’s a good razor, but a bit expensive for the quality of its material (zinc alloy, so don’t drop it too often).
My recommendation for a beginner SE razor would be a vintage GEM Star, Flying Wing or Ever-Ready 1912. Note that GEM razors are notoriously difficult for shaving your upper lip though - as I wear a stache I won’t be able to help there, but @djundjila@sub.wetshaving.social should have some tips.
Thanks for the ping!