Oddities and goodies in my haul with questions

olschoolsteel, it amazes me sometimes how much "YMMV" really is true. I have the Pushbutton too, but for me, it is mild but effective. It shaves great for me, especially with a fresh PTFE blade. It seems to me that they all have the same head (G-bar, Pushbutton, Featherweight, Contour), but somehow shave different. The G-bar is very similar, but with added weight so maybe a tad more efficient. Let us know how they shave for you.

I really enjoy my G-bar. It was a gift from someone that actually sent me blades to try out a featherweight I had acquired. I ended up PIF-ing the Featherweight. I didn't like using it at all, but I still use the G-bar. I like it.

I think the weight makes a huge difference for these razors, because as far as I know the head geometry and blade exposure is identical for all 4.

I wonder if Gem had so much customer feedback on the over aggressiveness of the MMOC that they scaled back the aggressiveness just a little too far.

Given that the MMOC was in production for a decade they sure didn't move very quickly if that were the case. Personally I find the MMOC a joy to use. It was all downhill after the Clog-Pruf.



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You Sir are a Stallion. It takes a real man to swing an MMOC...and totally own it.

olschoolsteel, it amazes me sometimes how much "YMMV" really is true. I have the Pushbutton too, but for me, it is mild but effective. It shaves great for me, especially with a fresh PTFE blade. It seems to me that they all have the same head (G-bar, Pushbutton, Featherweight, Contour), but somehow shave different. The G-bar is very similar, but with added weight so maybe a tad more efficient. Let us know how they shave for you.

The only caveat that may make my shave of lesser quality is I use the carbon blades sold in thee 10 pack from Walgreens. I think they are Star brand. They are pretty much a single use blade. They could rust overnight soaking in a jar of 10W30 (exaggeration of course). But seriously I have never owned the good blades and have always used the Star blades as a single use shave to get my jollies from my Gems. Even though they are a bit lower quality, they should give similar shaves to the higher quality stainless blades from overseas. Maybe not.

If I like this G-bar and shovelhead as much as I think, I may have to order a 100 pack of the nice ones. That should last me the rest of my life

BadDad I appreciate the feedback. I kinda thought the Featherweight and the Pushbutton were similar but I didnt know the G-bar fit in that category too. At least when I send a couple to the boys we dont have to decide who gets what based on aggressiveness.

You REALLY need to get the PTFE blades and ditch the other ones. BIG difference IMO.

You REALLY need to get the PTFE blades and ditch the other ones. BIG difference IMO.

+1

You REALLY need to get the PTFE blades and ditch the other ones.  BIG difference IMO.

+1

I definitely agree. I have shaved with the GEM Blue Star blades and even have some in the den but I haven't used them in ages.

You REALLY need to get the PTFE blades and ditch the other ones. BIG difference IMO.

Absolutely agree here. The stainless blades are just so much smoother and sharper. I tried the GEM Blue Star and hated them. I couldn't even get 1 reasonably comfortable shave from them. I almost threw away my Featherweight because I, like you, did not think there would be that much of a difference. There is. There absolutely is. When I got the G-bar and order coated blades, I learned quickly. I still didn't enjoy the Featherweight, but the G-bar was an immediate pleasure with the stainless blades.

Shoot me a PM. I'll send you a few PTFE coated blades to try...


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You REALLY need to get the PTFE blades and ditch the other ones.  BIG difference IMO.

Absolutely agree here. The stainless blades are just so much smoother and sharper. I tried the GEM Blue Star and hated them. I couldn't even get 1 reasonably comfortable shave from them. I almost threw away my Featherweight because I, like you, did not think there would be that much of a difference. There is. There absolutely is. When I got the G-bar and order coated blades, I learned quickly. I still didn't enjoy the Featherweight, but the G-bar was an immediate pleasure with the stainless blades.

Shoot me a PM. I'll send you a few PTFE coated blades to try...


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Thanks Chris, I appreciate the generosity but another member took pity on me the same as you and is already sending me some so I can see what I have been missing out on. I like using Gem SEs but because of the rust factor, I dont use them with any frequency. I am sure the good blades will change the characteristic of every SE I own.

Thanks Chris, I appreciate the generosity but another member took pity on me the same as you and is already sending me some so I can see what I have been missing out on. I like using Gem SEs but because of the rust factor, I dont use them with any frequency. I am sure the good blades will change the characteristic of every SE I own.

Well, I'm glad somebody is setting you straight!

In all seriousness, I get 5-7 shaves from a PTFE coated blade, and I only use it sporadically most of the time. I use the razor, open the top cap, dry the blade with a paper towel, and let it sit on my shelf for several days to 2 weeks before using it again. Sometimes, I may need to palm strop if it has been a long time, but usually, I can just pick it up and go...no trouble...

That would be impossible with a high-carbon blade like the Blue Star, even in an area as arid as mine....

Just as a followup, looking through amazon, are these the correct coated blades to buy? If I zoom in I think I can see GEM stamped into the spine.

https://www.amazon.com/Single-Edge-PTFE-...zor+blades

But when I did a price comparison on a good known source for coated Gem blades, it was 9 bucks cheaper to order from overseas.

http://www.connaughtshaving.com/gemss.html