New to the forum

[ShadowsDad]

Wendell, don't buy "just any" SE razor. Buy with a specific goal in mind and you'll do OK.

[jww]

I am hoping that if I ignore the urge, that the desire will eventually go away ...... like, yeah, right ....... sure ......

What do you suggest as a target first SE razor then ....... (yes, I seem to be digressing down that rat hole).

[ShadowsDad]

The easiest mild vintage SE razors to try are the GEM G-bar, Featherweight, and Contour (push button). They all share the same head basically.

A bit harder to find and IMO milder than the above is the GEM '24 short head. I've seen one only and unfortunately I just gave it away so I can't even show you what it looks like. The differences between it and the standard GEM '24 are small and you'd need to put them side by side. Don't confuse the standard '24 for the '24 short head- they shave entirely different. To pick out a GEM '24, first it will say GEM on it. Then, unless someone changed the handle, it will have a finely fluted handle. Also don't confuse it with an EverReady '24, though they don't look anything alike, one might confuse the 2 razors when reading a blurb.
The GEM '24 is to the right of the laying down gold color Jr (not Jr Bar)

Again the short head looks like the GEM '24, with small differences that require comparison. If I find another I'll pick it up since it's so mild and there are folks who want that quality. Just don't hold out much hope.

The last mild razor is the GEM Jr Bar lather catcher. That Jr Bar is much easier to find than the '24 short head and far easier to identify. Here's a picture of one.

The bar is clearly seen going across the head of the razor in the vicinity of the comb.

As long as I know folks want these, I'll keep my eyes open, but not being in acquisition mode it will pretty much be someone approaching me with an "I have this razor..." sort of comment. It does happen.

If you are interested in a modern SE razor, I just tested a loaner Cobra and the angle is pure SE. I had no problem hitting it at the very start of the first pass. The shave was fantastic. The downside is the expense. I would call the razor mildly efficient. If I hadn't known I installed a blade I could have sworn there was no blade in it at all. Whoever makes them did a really fantastic job with the design. I can even get along with the odd handle. My experience with other injectors (what the Cobra most resembles, but it's not an injector) wasn't nearly as positive. I didn't care for it at all.

I found both of the last 2 razors to be so mild as to be close to unusable for me. I had 2 Jr Bars and both shaved identically, so I'm fairly certain that that characteristic is across the board for them all.

[jww]

Thanks Brian -- great precis.

[Squire]

You guys are quick to point the way to the primrose path.

[brothers]

That's an impressive array of hardware!