SMF

Today I had the first shave in a long time with a Schick Injector razor. I normally use DE Feather blades in a Gillette fatboy set to 5 for most passes and reset to 7 for the final polishing passes. I just got a box of Personna 74 Tungsten steel injectors that the previous owner claimed was the last box for sale in America. First impression: It has a very aggressive blade angle based on the serious scraping that occurred when my 2 day growth of beard was ATG (I always start ATG now). After a several strokes ATG and across TG. it got smoother and eventually I got as close a shave as I can recall. Second Impression, the Schick was very manuverable especially under my nose. That is a difficult area for a fatboy (and probably most DE razors) because the angle of the razor is critical to getting the blade to do its job. Not so much with the injector. It behaved a lot like the BIC steel disposables that I use occasionally. The hardest razor I own to manuver is the Merkur Futur. Big, clumsy and heavy.

Pete, Well, yeah. The original Bic disposibles were clearly modeled on the Schick Injector....just a plastic throw-away version. The Injector has several strong points; a) the manuverability that you mentioned, b) the angle is set so the shaver does not have to maintain it himself, and c) the blade is thicker and more rigid than a DE blade and this is often an advantage for those easily prone to razor bumps, those with tough beards, and those with more curly whiskers. It is also an extremely easy razor to use; no learning curve to speak of. All in all, the Schick Injector is, argueably, the best designed mass production shaving instrument ever made IMO.
Regards,
Gordon

Pete, I'm glad to hear that you got good results with your Schick. I'm not a regular user of injectors or SE razors, but when I do decide to shave with one, I'm always impressed.

bernards66 wrote: All in all, the Schick Injector is, argueably, the best designed mass production shaving instrument ever made IMO.
Regards,
Gordon

Which is why we need to blockade the Schick Hydro factories to force "the man" to start making injectors again. Then we'll demand free rainbow colored unicorns...

I think Ron (rsp1202) said it best; "the Schick Injector is the answer; now what was the question"?

Regards,
David

Just picked up some Ted Pella injector blades along with 121-3 SE blades and they are coming up soon in my rotation.

Alan

bernards66 wrote:Pete, Well, yeah. The original Bic disposibles were clearly modeled on the Schick Injector....just a plastic throw-away version. The Injector has several strong points; a) the manuverability that you mentioned, b) the angle is set so the shaver does not have to maintain it himself, and c) the blade is thicker and more rigid than a DE blade and this is often an advantage for those easily prone to razor bumps, those with tough beards, and those with more curly whiskers. It is also an extremely easy razor to use; no learning curve to speak of. All in all, the Schick Injector is, argueably, the best designed mass production shaving instrument ever made IMO.
Regards,
Gordon

Gordon,
I believe you are most likely correct in what you say above. That being said, it is just not as much fun to use as say a Gillette RedTip for me. Kind of odd.
J.

Is anyone still using those long Feather injector blades that have to be snapped in order to fit into the Schick? I never tried it myself, sounded like an awkward operation to me (ie, cutting yourself while trying to snap the blade, jagged edges making for painful shaving).

hmm..Injector vs SE..I hear they are almost identical in closeness and manueverability

ST

Craig_From_Cincy wrote:Is anyone still using those long Feather injector blades that have to be snapped in order to fit into the Schick? I never tried it myself, sounded like an awkward operation to me (ie, cutting yourself while trying to snap the blade, jagged edges making for painful shaving).

I shied away from experimenting after reading about Corey Greenberg's skin-thinning consequences and Gordon's cautions. I don't think you need a Feather in an injector to get a close shave -- matter of fact, I'm sure of it.

Corey Greenberg, there's a name I haven't heard in years. What ever became of him?

John, Well, yes, that's the other side of it. It's a version of what the open razor shavers say....the DE takes more skill to use well and thus it can be more 'satisfying' to use in that sense. It's also what blew Corey Greenburg away when I finally talked him into trying an Injector....it was just so damn easy that it almost seemed like 'cheating' ( chuckle ). I quit using my Injector Type N2 regularly when the fine US made blades disappeared and went back to my DEs. Fortuitously, we discovered the virtues of the original 'Swedes' around that same time, and I'd started with the Injector in the first place because of my dissatisfaction with the then available DE blades. So, the Injector blades tanked about the same time that a really good DE surfaced....so, that was that. But I still use the Injector when I travel, still having a small stash of the old US made blades.

Ron, Yeah, even the inventor of the 'Featherjector', AndySam, later admitted that he could not just continue to use it day in and day out. It was too much. Plus, when I tried the whole trip, making and inserting the clipped blades was a royal PITA. The US made Schick blades were the way to go with this razor, and now, of what's available, those Chinese made Schick versions.
Regards,
Gordon

My second shave with the same blade today was even harsher than yesterday when I had a two day growth. I expected the tungsten steel blades to last longer than that. I wound up using the Feather to do a final posish, because the injector was beginning to irritate my face. I had to shave in a hurry so that might explain it. No time for a preliminary wash or soak. I think the feathers are sharp enough to cut the tough whiskers better and the #7 setting of the Fatboy still seems less aggressive than the Schick.

SmallTank wrote:hmm..Injector vs SE..I hear they are almost identical in closeness and manueverability

ST

The head (and blade) on a single edge razor is much bigger than the head on an injector. Technically, an injector razor is a single edge razor, but that term is better reserved for the razors that use the larger Gem-type blades that also fit in paint scrapers. (This is not to imply that you can go to a hardware store and get a shave-grade blade for this razor.)

I use injectors occasionally but prefer single edge razors over them. I learned long ago that nothing short of a straight razor catches my tough flat curly whiskers better than SE razors. I think it has alot to do with the blade angle when it comes down to the two types (injectors and SE). This is also probably why adjustable injectors set on a high setting are my favorites injectors. They allow me to get that steep angle I like. I tend to stay away from SE razors that have a shallow angle.

bernards66 wrote:Pete, Well, yeah. The original Bic disposibles were clearly modeled on the Schick Injector....just a plastic throw-away version.

Is there anything in the current line of Bic or other brand disposables that would compare to that sort of shave, or are they not worth bothering with these days?

I think you can still get a Bic Metal disposable razor. That's the one that gets mentioned most often.

Another one is the Gillette Guard, which was released last fall. It has a light handle with a single blade pivoting cartridge, and is worth a look. It's not sold here officially; it's from India, but it can be found online.

Big differences for me vis a vis disposables (BIC Metal and Sensitive) and the injector. The former rends, etc.; the latter doesn't. Perhaps a failure of technique on my part, but I just can't get a comfortable shave on any single or twin-blade throwaway no matter how I work them. Aptly named.

I tried and gave up injectors a long time ago. Not that they were a bad shave. Actually very close. I was having a problem with ingrowns and instead of trying to alter my technique I just bailed on them and went back to my DE razors. I've neve used Bic Metals. I do still use Bic Sensitive's from time to time for head shaving. They work great for the head I can do it with no mirror effortlessly. For the face my problem with the Bic Sensitive's is that it looks like a close shave but it is some kind of illusion. Later in the day I notice more than with a DE/Injector/SE. Also, it seems like I can go any direction that I want with the Bic Sensitive and there is no problems. The problem is that I'll feel bad irritation later with the Bic Sensitive even with only with the grain shaves. So I keep the bics to head shaving.

Christopher, The original Bic disposibles have, for some reason, become hard to find ( discontinued? ). The Bic Metels are slightly more aggressive than the Original and the Sensitive somewhat less so, but they are all similiar in design and all were plainly derived from the basic Injector design. Of course, none of them are as 'good' as a real later model Schick Injector with a good blade but I wouldn't expect a disposible to be. The real injectors had at least some weight and the blade was thick and rigid. Still, I can get a pretty good shave with them, and if I had to travel with carry-on luggage only they are what I would pack.
Regards,
Gordon