Weck Gem Pass Around

Wednesday February 3, 2021
Razor: Weck Gem
Blade: Gem (3)
Brush: Teton Zen Series "Bob Ross"
Soap: Lakewood SOCP (1508.5 Project on Steroids)
AS 1: Humphrey's Alcoholado Maravilla 70
AS 2: Clubman Citrus Musk
Fragrance: CK One

Rinse, lather and repeat..............................................Could feel the stubble return early with a vengeance last night and had an early start to today. a quick 2 pass shave yesterday evening let me sleep until 4:30 instead of getting up early enough t be alert and shave. So I'm managing a nice and close shave with this little "Gem" (see what I did there) but it isn't getting me close enough for the longevity I like. I asked Roger about the Weck part of the WeckGem name. He said even though it doesn't resemble it much it is taken from the Weck Med Prep SE Razor. Not many know of that one but I owned 1 and let it go to a so-called friend that proved otherwise. I should have kept it even though I didn't use it much as they are a rare bird and don't come around often. They use a Hair Shaper Blade. I am on the fence on whether I will use this 1 more time tomorrow or get it in the mail, but will have it mailed to the next in line by Friday for sure. That's all I have for you this early. Out the door in a few. Have a great day everyone !

I decided I had enough shaves with it to have a good feel for the razor and it was time to pass it on to the next party. I had two very comfortable and close shaves although the shave did not last as long as I get with my TNNSER razor. Perhaps the Dot 3 would be more to my liking. Results could be totally different for you and I encourage anyone interested to add your name to the list and give it a try. Just dropped it in the mail and it shows arrival with Mike HighSpeed by Monday. Thank you Jerry slantman for making this available for people to try and determine if they would like to purchase one themselves in a color of their choice. Thank you Roger SlimGem for your research and developing these and providing for free the files for people to enjoy them.

Thanks Dave in KY.   Given the tenor of the times, the USPS outdid itself, and the razor arrived today.  I'll shave with it tonight or tomorrow and post my first impressions.

Thanks Dave in KY.   Given the tenor of the times, the USPS outdid itself, and the razor arrived today.  I'll shave with it tonight or tomorrow and post my first impressions.

Awesome

Sanitizing

The razor arrived from Dave in KY in fine shape.  But as I unboxed the razor, it occurred to me that in these times of COVID, we should have publicly discussed sanitizing the razor.  But we haven't, unless I missed it, so I made an executive decision.  I know that Dave is a gentleman, and I really wasn't worried, but I will be passing along the razor within a week, and it seems best to make sure we are all on the same page by that time.    

Normally, I sanitize razors with Barbicide, but this time I used 70% alcohol wipes, being sure to get between the top and bottom of the cap too.  I figured the wipes would get any COVID - among other things - and thought they would be less likely to damage the razor than a Barbicide soak.  As it is, there were traces of black on the wipes that mirrored the handle knurling.  All that said, I hope that slantman,  or anyone who knows about sanitizing these printed razors will please chime in. 

Maiden Voyage

It was no surprise to me that if you get the angle right, the GEM blade will mow down whiskers with merciless efficiency.  The angle that worked for me was as shallow as possible, as slantman pointed out in the OP.  As also mentioned in the OP, the area under the nose is challenging.  I followed the recommendation to go XTG and skipped the ATG .  A few other initial impressions:  First and most important, anywhere the angle was right, the shave was also smooth.  Second, inserting and removing the blade is indeed easy using the recommended method.  Once inserted, the blade stayed exactly in place throughout the shave.  I could see immediately that the blade would not move from side to side.  Whether or not it would slide forward was not so clear initially, but as I said, the blade did not move.  Third, I am not used to the light weight of the razor, 10.7g on my scale.  In a few places, it feels like I'm driving on a bumpy road in a way that I don't get with heavier razors.  Chalk that up to the razor, my technique, or both.

Moving along ...  As it happens, I shaved yesterday, before the Weck GEM arrived.  So I will probably wait until Monday, or maybe even Tuesday, to put some more growth on before saddling up the Weck GEM again.  I'll be back in touch after that.

Sanitizing

The razor arrived from Dave in KY in fine shape.  But as I unboxed the razor, it occurred to me that in these times of COVID, we should have publicly discussed sanitizing the razor.  But we haven't, unless I missed it, so I made an executive decision.  I know that Dave is a gentleman, and I really wasn't worried, but I will be passing along the razor within a week, and it seems best to make sure we are all on the same page by that time.    

Normally, I sanitize razors with Barbicide, but this time I used 70% alcohol wipes, being sure to get between the top and bottom of the cap too.  I figured the wipes would get any COVID - among other things - and thought they would be less likely to damage the razor than a Barbicide soak.  As it is, there were traces of black on the wipes that mirrored the handle knurling.  All that said, I hope that slantman,  or anyone who knows about sanitizing these printed razors will please chime in. 

Maiden Voyage

It was no surprise to me that if you get the angle right, the GEM blade will mow down whiskers with merciless efficiency.  The angle that worked for me was as shallow as possible, as slantman pointed out in the OP.  As also mentioned in the OP, the area under the nose is challenging.  I followed the recommendation to go XTG and skipped the ATG .  A few other initial impressions:  First and most important, anywhere the angle was right, the shave was also smooth.  Second, inserting and removing the blade is indeed easy using the recommended method.  Once inserted, the blade stayed exactly in place throughout the shave.  I could see immediately that the blade would not move from side to side.  Whether or not it would slide forward was not so clear initially, but as I said, the blade did not move.  Third, I am not used to the light weight of the razor, 10.7g on my scale.  In a few places, it feels like I'm driving on a bumpy road in a way that I don't get with heavier razors.  Chalk that up to the razor, my technique, or both.

Moving along ...  As it happens, I shaved yesterday, before the Weck GEM arrived.  So I will probably wait until Monday, or maybe even Tuesday, to put some more growth on before saddling up the Weck GEM again.  I'll be back in touch after that.

Great write-up and thoughts Mike. Thanks for addressing the sanitizing. I just did the soap and water wash but it's all good.

Glade you got the razor okay High Speed. I use Scrubbing Bubbles on all my razors including the Weck. So what Dave did to the razor (washing with soap and water) was perfectly okay as it follows CDC rules. One other note I have already gotten the Moderna vaccine shot 1 and 2.

What Dave and slantman said is fine with me. So barring further discussion, a thorough soap and water cleaning is what I’ll do.

This is a difficult post to write because it comes at the very late end to a very long and difficult day, which is to say that I may be running lower on patience and fair judgement than I realize.  But with that caveat, here goes ...

I had the second shave tonight.  My impressions were similar to the first:  With the proper shallow, riding-the-cap angle you can mow down whiskers closely and smoothly.  However, there are two issues - issues which I did not want to discuss at length after only one shave.  The first is that maintaining the angle is difficult in some areas.  By itself, I do not see this issue as major.  The second is more troubling for me personally.  The razor wants to vibrate when passing over certain areas of my old, and sometimes bumpy skin, hence the "driving down a bumpy road" comment in my first post.  These vibrations are due at least in part to the lightness of the razor.  At 11g, the razor lacks the inertia needed to smooth out even light bumps.  I was reminded of a post by the AimlessWanderer (AW) in another venu.  AW had been gifted a 7g razor, and was using his experience with it to debunk the concept of letting the weight of the razor do the work.  One needs excellent grip control to hold an ultralight razor firmly and still maintain the flexibility needed to shave with "zero pressure" against the skin.  

My technique is not there yet with razors this light (11g).  If I wanted to get it there badly enough, I would get an ultralight razor, perhaps this one, and shave with that razor only for as long as it took to develop the necessary skillset.  I am inclined to agree with AW that mastery of the control needed for ultralight razor shaving would likely have broader benefits.  As it is, I am content to shave with, say, my GEM featherweight - one of my favorites - which is delightfully easy and efficient, and plenty light at 33g.  

BUT, if it is possible to print a razor with a hollowed out center - a center which would accommodate a full length, glued in metal rod - both the weight and [font=Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]rigidity [/font]of the razor would be increased, and the head and handle could probably be more securely bonded.  A quick look on Amazon shows that stainless steel rods of 2.5mm - 3.00mm diameter are cheap. A heavier razor, combined with the current checkered handle - which provided a very easy and comfortable grip - and the easy to load and unload head, would make the Weck/GEM a much more attractive proposition to me.

Finally, please do not let my frank criticisms mask my gratitude to slantman for organizing the pass around and providing a razor, and to Roger SlimGem who, as Dave pointed out, has done the R&D and made the files freely available.  I will be passing the razor along to gvw755 next.

This is a difficult post to write because it comes at the very late end to a very long and difficult day, which is to say that I may be running lower on patience and fair judgement than I realize.  But with that caveat, here goes ...

I had the second shave tonight.  My impressions were similar to the first:  With the proper shallow, riding-the-cap angle you can mow down whiskers closely and smoothly.  However, there are two issues - issues which I did not want to discuss at length after only one shave.  The first is that maintaining the angle is difficult in some areas.  By itself, I do not see this issue as major.  The second is more troubling for me personally.  The razor wants to vibrate when passing over certain areas of my old, and sometimes bumpy skin, hence the "driving down a bumpy road" comment in my first post.  These vibrations are due at least in part to the lightness of the razor.  At 11g, the razor lacks the inertia needed to smooth out even light bumps.  I was reminded of a post by the AimlessWanderer (AW) in another venu.  AW had been gifted a 7g razor, and was using his experience with it to debunk the concept of letting the weight of the razor do the work.  One needs excellent grip control to hold an ultralight razor firmly and still maintain the flexibility needed to shave with "zero pressure" against the skin.  

My technique is not there yet with razors this light (11g).  If I wanted to get it there badly enough, I would get an ultralight razor, perhaps this one, and shave with that razor only for as long as it took to develop the necessary skillset.  I am inclined to agree with AW that mastery of the control needed for ultralight razor shaving would likely have broader benefits.  As it is, I am content to shave with, say, my GEM featherweight - one of my favorites - which is delightfully easy and efficient, and plenty light at 33g.  

BUT, if it is possible to print a razor with a hollowed out center - a center which would accommodate a full length, glued in metal rod - both the weight and [font=Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]rigidity [/font]of the razor would be increased, and the head and handle could probably be more securely bonded.  A quick look on Amazon shows that stainless steel rods of 2.5mm - 3.00mm diameter are cheap. A heavier razor, combined with the current checkered handle - which provided a very easy and comfortable grip - and the easy to load and unload head, would make the Weck/GEM a much more attractive proposition to me.

Finally, please do not let my frank criticisms mask my gratitude to slantman for organizing the pass around and providing a razor, and to Roger SlimGem who, as Dave pointed out, has done the R&D and made the files freely available.  I will be passing the razor along to gvw755 next.

Great honest and respectful evaluation which is the way it should be done. Thanks for taking the time even while dealing with some stresses at home Mike. Peace