OneBlade: GEM vs. Feather

Are you stropping the GEM after every shave or just for the first use?

When I first started the practice I palm stropped before each shave. I then backed off and didn't notice much difference. I currently only palm strop a new blade before it gets put into the razor. There the blade stays for its lifespan (typically 15-30 shaves) and then it is removed to be put in the blade bin when it stops cutting efficiently.

Len thank you for an excellent review and comparison of GEM vs Feather in the OneBlade.  I'm not a SE shaver, at least not yet, however, I find your review to be thorough and articulate and useful.  Every conclusion you draw is supported with evidence and expressed in a clear and concise manner.  This is the sort of review that I aspire to be able to generate at some point.
Thank you,
Marko

Are you stropping the GEM after every shave or just for the first use?

When I first started the practice I palm stropped before each shave. I then backed off and didn't notice much difference. I currently only palm strop a new blade before it gets put into the razor. There the blade stays for its lifespan (typically 15-30 shaves) and then it is removed to be put in the blade bin when it stops cutting efficiently.

Brian---I always take the blade out after each shave in the oneblade to clean the blade and razor. Do you think its necessary to do this as I see you just leave the blade in the razor.

Are you stropping the GEM after every shave or just for the first use?

When I first started the practice I palm stropped before each shave. I then backed off and didn't notice much difference. I currently only palm strop a new blade before it gets put into the razor. There the blade stays for its lifespan (typically 15-30 shaves) and then it is removed to be put in the blade bin when it stops cutting efficiently.

Brian---I always take the blade out after each shave in the oneblade to clean the blade and razor. Do you think its necessary to do this as I see you just leave the blade in the razor.

I usually only remove the blade when it is done. I do rinse my razor thoroughly after the shave and then I shake off the excess water before towel drying.

Thanks Brian

BrushNSoapNblade did a comparison of the feathers today. See https://brushnsoapnblade.wordpress.com/2...smackdown/ The results are around the 37:00 mark but the bottom line was he though the OneBlade choice of the spineless feather was the best single edged blade that he tested.

BrushNSoapNblade did a comparison of the feathers today. See https://brushnsoapnblade.wordpress.com/2...smackdown/ The results are around the 37:00 mark but the bottom line was he though the OneBlade choice of the spineless feather was the best single edged blade that he tested.

I didn't listen but I did see his preview. Didn't look like he included a GEM blade in his comparison. Can you confirm or deny that grim?

BrushNSoapNblade did a comparison of the feathers today. See https://brushnsoapnblade.wordpress.com/2...smackdown/ The results are around the 37:00 mark but the bottom line was he though the OneBlade choice of the spineless feather was the best single edged blade that he tested.

I didn't listen but I did see his preview. Didn't look like he included a GEM blade in his comparison. Can you confirm or deny that grim?

No in this podcast he was discussing Pal and two feathers, but he talked about the OneBlade some and about using other blades in the Oneblade. He was not testing in a OneBlade but a Valet

Len thank you for an excellent review and comparison of GEM vs Feather in the OneBlade.  I'm not a SE shaver, at least not yet, however, I find your review to be thorough and articulate and useful.  Every conclusion you draw is supported with evidence and expressed in a clear and concise manner.  This is the sort of review that I aspire to be able to generate at some point.
Thank you,
Marko

BrushNSoapNblade did a comparison of the feathers today. See https://brushnsoapnblade.wordpress.com/2...smackdown/ The results are around the 37:00 mark but the bottom line was he though the OneBlade choice of the spineless feather was the best single edged blade that he tested.

I didn't listen but I did see his preview. Didn't look like he included a GEM blade in his comparison. Can you confirm or deny that grim?

No in this podcast he was discussing Pal and two feathers, but he talked about the OneBlade some and about using other blades in the Oneblade. He was not testing in a OneBlade but a Valet

I have all 4 versions of the valets, and I could never get a smooth or close shave with them. Just the opposite with the onblade using either blade.

I only use de-spined Gem PTFE blades in my v1 OneBlade because the Feather FHS blades are garbage.
With the F-FHS, I only get one (maybe two) DFS (not BBS) shave before I have to throw the blade out for being dull/tuggy/uncomfortable. The shave itself is not really enjoyable.
With the G-PTFE, I get ten solid DFS (first 3-5 are BBS) shaves and can go two weeks (M-F daily) before swapping the blade. The G-PTFE shave is very comfortable and smooth.
When Oneblade changed the head design from v1 to v2 in order to explicitly exclude the vastly superior Gem blades...they really jumped the shark. Raising the price by $100 was a slap in the face to the community. I'm so glad that I have a v1 Oneblade. I can't imagine getting stuck with a v2 and not being able to use the Gems.

When Oneblade changed the head design from v1 to v2 in order to explicitly exclude the vastly superior Gem blades...they really jumped the shark.  Raising the price by $100 was a slap in the face to the community.  I'm so glad that I have a v1 Oneblade.  I can't imagine getting stuck with a v2 and not being able to use the Gems.

I have a Oneblade V1, but is that the case with the V2, that you cannot use a de-spined or punched gem with it?