Other than the obvious color what makes these two razors shave so differently?
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Gem Guru?
- Thread starter DocHoliday0831
- Start date
NOT a GEM guru, but it could be down to very slight geometry differences caused by use through the years. They also look like they might be made of different materials...are they weighted the same? That could be another reason they shave different. Looking at them, the brass one has much more teeth in the comb, which would (in theory) act more like a straight bar. Height of the teeth in relation to the blade could have something to do with it as well.
From these pictures, I cannot see a difference. It looks like one has just lost its plating. And as far as I know the Clog Prufs were all the same design. Possibly one got torqued at some point and is slightly off of alignment? That is my only guess right now. I will research a little more when I have more time.
My guess would be the plating. Both razors are brass. The one that looks brass, likely had a gold plating, but back then the platings were very thin and wore off over the years, so it's probably just brass now. The other one still has it's nickel/chrome plating, so the razor head against skin is probably smoother.
The Nickel colored one I got from KJ in a Bingo box the other was pif’ed from the other site. The Brass colored one has about twice as many teeth in the comb but otherwise feels extremely similar weight wise. Idk but the nickel one is much smoother.
BrickHud
0
I'm coming around to the notion that the Gem blades (specifically modern PTFE-coated stainless Gem blades) are just the bomb. They make vintage Gem razors great (and affordable) shavers, and they make modern Gem razors (Rocnel, Blackland, e.g.) really work well. Even more impressive, they make razors that take Valet-style blades such as the Feather FHS better. Put a modern Gem blade in a OneBlade or AutoStrop, and enjoy the outstanding shave.
In applauding the excellent Gem platforms, I think we need to acknowledge the contribution of the blades that Gem designed for these razors.
In applauding the excellent Gem platforms, I think we need to acknowledge the contribution of the blades that Gem designed for these razors.
The Gem razors is the side of traditional shaving that I have never gotten into, so I have no experience to help answer the original question. But if you ever figure it out, I am interested in the cause of the apparent difference in the way these razors shave. I looked at them for a while, but I have so many other tools other than the straight razor for those infrequent days when I shave with something else that I decided to stay away.