First Shave with an Injector

DesertRat · Post by **DesertRat** » Fri Oct 15, 2010 11:41 am

Had my first shave with my injector this morning and it was pretty amazing. I've had this razor for a while but hadn't shaved with it until today. I believe it's an L1.

I had about 4 days worth of growth and it mowed my hairs down with ease. The razor took care of the angle for me so I just focused on the pressure. Much easier and quicker than a DE. 2 passes and no irritiation at all. I use the Coates limited edition shave cream since I knew it would give a great lather without much fuss.

I'm going to give it a week's worth of shaves and see if it still works for me.

Kicking myself for not trying this one sooner!

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rsp1202 · Post by **rsp1202** » Fri Oct 15, 2010 12:16 pm

Paul, welcome to the rat racer's club. Yep, it's an L-type. Looks like you're using current Schick blades, which will do okay -- but if you want to kick things up a notch, find some NOS Schicks on eBay and see what this jackrabbit can really do.

desertbadger · Post by **desertbadger** » Fri Oct 15, 2010 12:18 pm

Yes, that's the L model and yes, they are wonderful shavers.

Regards,
David

merkri · Post by **merkri** » Fri Oct 15, 2010 12:46 pm

I have a question about injectors, as I will probably inherit a couple:

I've heard that injector blades are widely available in salon supply stores. Is this correct? One reason I've been reluctant to try them is because I haven't seen the blades anywhere. If it's just a matter of knowing where to look, though, I might give them a try.

rsp1202 · Post by **rsp1202** » Fri Oct 15, 2010 1:22 pm

I've not seen any injector blades at salon supply stores, though I was expecting at least some Pellas would show up. Certain drugstores will have store-branded Personnas and maybe sometimes a Schick, but the best bet is still online.

Speaking of which, I was checking eBay availability of the NOS Schick Plus Platinums to show Paul (see below), and for the first time in my experience, there are NONE currently on sale. Not yet a case for an injector-rush version of the Iridium panic, but certainly odd. <nervous laugh>

Gene · Post by **Gene** » Fri Oct 15, 2010 1:28 pm

I've got my meager supply of NOS under close guard, that's for sure.

Books · Post by **Books** » Fri Oct 15, 2010 2:01 pm

What I can't seem to find is a type M, I've got 2 L's (1 daily I bought NOS and a backup) and 2 N's (inherited both from my late father). But my first razor was a type M (think N with a rubber grip) and I'm still looking.

Pauldog · Post by **Pauldog** » Fri Oct 15, 2010 2:54 pm

The M is the adjustable. The N had several different variants, so I think you meant that you had one of them.

DesertRat · Post by **DesertRat** » Fri Oct 15, 2010 4:24 pm

rsp1202 wrote:I've not seen any injector blades at salon supply stores, though I was expecting at least some Pellas would show up. Certain drugstores will have store-branded Personnas and maybe sometimes a Schick, but the best bet is still online.

Speaking of which, I was checking eBay availability of the NOS Schick Plus Platinums to show Paul (see below), and for the first time in my experience, there are NONE currently on sale. Not yet a case for an injector-rush version of the Iridium panic, but certainly odd. <nervous laugh>

Thanks for the tip. I'll have to keep my eyes out for the NOS blades. Hopefully, they will pop up again soon. <laughing nervously along with you>

L. Martino · Post by **L. Martino** » Fri Oct 15, 2010 4:34 pm

Books wrote:What I can't seem to find is a type M, I've got 2 L's (1 daily I bought NOS and a backup) and 2 N's (inherited both from my late father). But my first razor was a type M (think N with a rubber grip) and I'm still looking.

Hi Bob,

The adjustable M type is worth trying. That's the one I settled on after a long injector journey years ago. Best handle design, and the adjuster does work, which is a nice option. The L type was also an excellent design and felt good in my hand.

Ron was right about you trying some NOS blades. Sad to say, all the currently made blades are just gonna be ok when compared to some NOS types. I got my injector out recently and used an old Personna 74 and whew......those blades were actually really sharp.

I have an M that's you're welcome to try if you like. I also have a few different blades and you can pick one or two of those also. That's gonna be the way to see how crazy good these things can be.

Let me know if that interests you,

Martin

Oh, here's a pic of the razor and some blades.

bernards66 · Post by **bernards66** » Fri Oct 15, 2010 10:29 pm

Paul, Well there you go. Now you see why I used to routinely recommend these things to newbies wanting to get into more traditional shaving. "Easier and quicker than a DE...", yep, and as you noticed the business about having to find the correct blade angle is taken out of the equation, which was often a God send for newbies. The Injector is also unusually helpful and effective for gents with a tendency toward ingrowns and razor bumps. These later model Schick Injectors were, arguably, the overall best mass produced shaving instrument ever offered. I only backed off of touting them when really good blades became unavailable. But now, with those better Chinese made Schick blades hitting the market here I again feel comfortable strongly urging these on struggling newbies or gents with heavy and/or curly beards. They may look kind of plain and pedestrian but they do a hell of a job, and they do it with no fuss, no muss, and little in the way of learned skill required. Enjoy!
Regards,
Gordon

CMur12 · Post by **CMur12** » Fri Oct 15, 2010 10:34 pm

Paul, that's the razor I learned to shave with, back around 1967!

Glad you're enjoying it.

- Murray

desertbadger · Post by **desertbadger** » Sat Oct 16, 2010 1:44 am

Don't be a bit afraid to try the Chinese Schick blades. Although I have a good supply of NOS 74's and Gillette Platinums, I do on ocassion use the Chinese version and they are very good.
One of the retailers that handles them is drugstore.com

Regards,
David

DesertRat · Post by **DesertRat** » Sat Oct 16, 2010 5:10 am

Thanks for the link. I'll have to order some of the Chinese blades until some of the NOS ones pop back onto Ebay.

DesertRat · Post by **DesertRat** » Sat Oct 16, 2010 5:12 am

bernards66 wrote:Paul, Well there you go. Now you see why I used to routinely recommend these things to newbies wanting to get into more traditional shaving. "Easier and quicker than a DE...", yep, and as you noticed the business about having to find the correct blade angle is taken out of the equation, which was often a God send for newbies. The Injector is also unusually helpful and effective for gents with a tendency toward ingrowns and razor bumps. These later model Schick Injectors were, arguably, the overall best mass produced shaving instrument ever offered. I only backed off of touting them when really good blades became unavailable. But now, with those better Chinese made Schick blades hitting the market here I again feel comfortable strongly urging these on struggling newbies or gents with heavy and/or curly beards. They may look kind of plain and pedestrian but they do a hell of a job, and they do it with no fuss, no muss, and little in the way of learned skill required. Enjoy!
Regards,
Gordon

Gordon, as usual I'm kicking myself for not listening to your advice earlier. I was really determined to master the DE and the injector kept getting pushed back in my razor rotation.

Remind me to always listen to you in the future!

Books · Post by **Books** » Sun Oct 17, 2010 11:45 am

Thanks for the info, I guess I did have an N variant. Thanks for the offer, but I'll stick with my Non Adjustables for now.

CMur12 · Post by **CMur12** » Sun Oct 17, 2010 3:12 pm

This is all kind of strange for me. As I said above, this is the razor I learned to shave with, and, to the best of my recollection, I continued to use it for about five years, until I grew a beard. Even so, when I took up wetshaving according to the model in these forums, almost four years ago, I took up the DE (which I had previously used in the late 1970s) and I became so engaged in the DE paradigm that I have not been able to become comfortable again with the Injector! I still have several Schick Injector razors and quite a stash of blades (including NOS), so I still hold out some hope that I will one day readapt.

- Murray

APC · Post by **APC** » Sun Oct 17, 2010 6:08 pm

rsp1202 wrote:Paul, welcome to the rat racer's club. Yep, it's an L-type. Looks like you're using current Schick blades, which will do okay -- but if you want to kick things up a notch, find some NOS Schicks on eBay and see what this jackrabbit can really do.

I managed to score some Schick Krona injectors not too long ago. I have gotten 6 or 7 terrific shaves in my L1 and should be able to get several more. I also have some Personna 74s which are outstanding as well. 74s appear like phantoms on EBay and the competition for them is fierce. Both are vastly superior to what few blades are available now.

I am waiting for my G series to come back with a new Rudy Vey handle.
The G is more agressive, but a great shaver once one gets the hang of it.

DesertRat · Post by **DesertRat** » Tue Oct 19, 2010 4:40 am

Just ordered some of the Chinese blades off of Amazon. My current pack is running low and I didn't want to be caught without a supply.

I usually have a habit of switching back and forth among my DEs trying to decide which one I like best. I'm 3 shaves into the Injector and I don't see myself switching to another razor anytime soon. The shaves I'm getting are that good.