Micromatic Monday

[GAW9576]

Here are some pictures to show how any of the Micromatic razors can work with an injector blade.
They all have the 2 tabs on the inside top of the head that make it possible. I load the blade into the top cap with the razor almost upside down so the inside of the top cap is facing the ceiling like the first picture. Twist the TTO knob till the top is almost all the way closed see second picture. Now I fine tune the position of the blade to be sure it's corners will contact the back of the blade stops. Then carefully close the cap the rest of the way and double check that the blade seated behind the stops on both sides. The 2 tabs on the inside of the top cap are behind the blade pushing it forward into the blade stops and the leading edge is holding down on the blade. Don't over tighten the TTO knob as I have actually had blades imbed slightly into the blade stops. Regular injector blades and twinjector blades can be loaded like this. I tried a Schick Proline B20 but the rounded off corners made it not quite engage both blade stops.

As far as the Featherweight VS Gbar. I have a 1st and a 2nd Gen FW and a Gbar. I definitely prefer the 1st Gen FW to the 2nd Gen and the Gbar. That being said the 2nd gen and Gbar are good razors and I like having them in my collection. I just don't reach for them very often. Perhaps I should use them at least a little more often though.

Thanks for the super explanation and information, GAW9576! Your pictures are excellent! (thumbs up emoji here!)

I've never paid that close attention to the underside of the Micromatic cap and really never noticed that those 2 tabs appear to actually slide into the notches of a Gem SE blade and further secure it against the blade stops. Is that a correct interpretation? I went and grabbed the MMOC and a Gem blade and played with it a bit. Although I've never even touched an injector blade and don't know what the difference is between a regular injector blade and a twinjector blade, I can imagine seeing one now in the bottom half of the Gem blade!

Those are some pretty tight tolerances with the injector blade just barely being wide enough to stay in contact with both the tabs on the cap and the blade stops. I guess if you've gone through the steps of loading one enough and successfully shaved a few times, you'd feel confident that the blade isn't going anywhere.

Thanks for the feedback on the FW vs. G-bar. I guess they are some of the least sexiest of SE razors so if you've got a shelf of awesome to select from...the utilitarian razor will get overlooked!

A twinjector is two injector blades stacked with a thin shim between them. They are permanently fixed together at the factory. The bottom blade is set slightly forward of the top blade as far as I can tell. Think of a twin blade unmentionable.
I actually really like the look of the Gbar and the weight is nice. I just like the shave from the 1st Gen FW better and I really like the looks of the 1st Gen FW deluxe. Mine is a user grade with a fair bit of the gold wash missing. I will eventually get one in prestine condition. There are very few razors I feel the need to do that with if that tells you anything.

[Old Sarge]

Thanks for the super explanation and information, GAW9576! Your pictures are excellent! (thumbs up emoji here!)

I've never paid that close attention to the underside of the Micromatic cap and really never noticed that those 2 tabs appear to actually slide into the notches of a Gem SE blade and further secure it against the blade stops. Is that a correct interpretation? I went and grabbed the MMOC and a Gem blade and played with it a bit. Although I've never even touched an injector blade and don't know what the difference is between a regular injector blade and a twinjector blade, I can imagine seeing one now in the bottom half of the Gem blade!

Those are some pretty tight tolerances with the injector blade just barely being wide enough to stay in contact with both the tabs on the cap and the blade stops. I guess if you've gone through the steps of loading one enough and successfully shaved a few times, you'd feel confident that the blade isn't going anywhere.

Thanks for the feedback on the FW vs. G-bar. I guess they are some of the least sexiest of SE razors so if you've got a shelf of awesome to select from...the utilitarian razor will get overlooked!

A twinjector is two injector blades stacked with a thin shim between them. They are permanently fixed together at the factory. The bottom blade is set slightly forward of the top blade as far as I can tell. Think of a twin blade unmentionable.
I actually really like the look of the Gbar and the weight is nice. I just like the shave from the 1st Gen FW better and I really like the looks of the 1st Gen FW deluxe. Mine is a user grade with a fair bit of the gold wash missing. I will eventually get one in prestine condition. There are very few razors I feel the need to do that with if that tells you anything.

Thanks for the twinjector explanation. Did some quick googling and saw a Telly Savalas ad for Gillette Twinjector Blades with him saying, "A cut here...a cut there. Not for me, baby." So this is mimicking a two-bladed cartridge razor I guess.

I've only shave a couple of times with the FW. I didn't have such a good experience the first time, but it got better. I'm not yet totally comfortable with the squared off ends at the corner of the guard. Kind of pointy. I just need to get more experience with it.

[GAW9576]

A twinjector is two injector blades stacked with a thin shim between them. They are permanently fixed together at the factory. The bottom blade is set slightly forward of the top blade as far as I can tell. Think of a twin blade unmentionable.
I actually really like the look of the Gbar and the weight is nice. I just like the shave from the 1st Gen FW better and I really like the looks of the 1st Gen FW deluxe. Mine is a user grade with a fair bit of the gold wash missing. I will eventually get one in prestine condition. There are very few razors I feel the need to do that with if that tells you anything.

Thanks for the twinjector explanation. Did some quick googling and saw a Telly Savalas ad for Gillette Twinjector Blades with him saying, "A cut here...a cut there. Not for me, baby." So this is mimicking a two-bladed cartridge razor I guess.

I've only shave a couple of times with the FW. I didn't have such a good experience the first time, but it got better. I'm not yet totally comfortable with the squared off ends at the corner of the guard. Kind of pointy. I just need to get more experience with it.

I believe the twinjector would be the predecessor to the cartridge. But I'm not great at digging up history on these things.

[Twelvefret]

I know this is a non sequitur for this thread, but didn't know where else to ask it. 

I've been eyeballing the Gem G-bar. Is it a fair summary to say that it is the Featherweight Gen II head with a more heavy handle? How do the shaves compare between a G-bar and a FW? 

I find it interesting when looking a the GEM line you see how they find a successful design feature and carry it across multiple models. I suspect patent issues played a major role as well.

If it is okay with the site owner, it is wonerfully acceptable to me. Discuss anything GEM here please. 

I love the weight of the B-Bar. I naturally curl my fourth finger under the slanted flat bottom of the handle.

[TobyC]

I use the same three fingers that I use on all my safety razors. I don't hold it like I'm gonna murder someone with it.

[Old Sarge]

I use the same three fingers that I use on all my safety razors. I don't hold it like I'm gonna murder someone with it.

Sometimes when I get in an area that I'm really focused on, I find myself choking up and sliding my grip up towards the head. I guess it's like choking up on a baseball bat. Hope to get rid of that nervous tick at some point.

[GAW9576]

I use the same three fingers that I use on all my safety razors. I don't hold it like I'm gonna murder someone with it.

Sometimes when I get in an area that I'm really focused on, I find myself choking up and sliding my grip up towards the head. I guess it's like choking up on a baseball bat. Hope to get rid of that nervous tick at some point.

I say if that gives you more control or helps get the right angle keep with it. If it hinders progress work at correcting it. There are certain things that are good rules of thumb for success across the board and others that are highly individual.

[TobyC]

I use the same three fingers that I use on all my safety razors. I don't hold it like I'm gonna murder someone with it.

Sometimes when I get in an area that I'm really focused on, I find myself choking up and sliding my grip up towards the head. I guess it's like choking up on a baseball bat. Hope to get rid of that nervous tick at some point.

I occasionally do that as well, not recently I don't think. Maybe certain razors with less weight or bite. I normally use two fingers and the thumb somewhere around the balance point of the razor.

[Old Sarge]

Sometimes when I get in an area that I'm really focused on, I find myself choking up and sliding my grip up towards the head. I guess it's like choking up on a baseball bat. Hope to get rid of that nervous tick at some point.

I occasionally do that as well, not recently I don't think. Maybe certain razors with less weight or bite. I normally use two fingers and the thumb somewhere around the balance point of the razor.

TobyC, you just made me think of something that should have been obvious to me. When I was going to college, I coached three sports at the local high school. One of them was girls volleyball. We really worked on technique in regards to the various skills by focusing on doing it the same way again and again...repetition. I hadn't given much though to how I grip the razor, but now that I think about it I find that I'm kind of all over the place. I see that what you said about the balance point of the razor as a focal point regardless of which razor you are using and wether it is short or long handled. I need to give this some more thought, but maybe I need to focus on how I grip the razor a little bit more. Thanks!

[GAW9576]

I had a very comfortable shave with the Star test outfit razor today. Even with an 8th use blade it left me with an irritation free smooth finish.

   

Dave in KY, Old Sarge may be a genius for figuring out what is causing the posting issues.