GEM Flying Wing, Open Comb and G-bar SE razors

I'm delighted to say that I recently introduced a close friend of mine to the joys of wet shaving. I sent him a few pictures of stuff I had in my collection and included the one of my recently-acquired GEM Micromatic Flying Wing to the left. He commented 'My God. Does that thing have jaws?' No, Tiberius*, no it doesn't have jaws, I thought. But what it does have is a rather attractive turning knob at the bottom of the handle that reminds me of the Merkur Progress adjustable DE safety razor.

One of the things I like about vintage SE razors - whether GEM or Ever Ready (those are the only types I have in my collection) - is that they look vicious but aren't**. They've given me consistently smooth and close shaves and, considering their age, there are plenty of bargains to be had out there***. Ebay is a great source, for instance, for Ever Ready 1912s if you're looking for one.

The same can be said for GEM razors. I picked up the one pictured to the right for the price of a few trips to Starbucks**** and it's truly a thing of beauty. It's also probably the mildest of my four GEM razors but still delivers a close and comfortable shave as long as you don't go hacking away at your face.

The last of my recently acquired GEMs is this one here - the fantastic TTO***** GEM Open Comb. It looks like something Jules Verne****** would have shaved with. Alongside the Fatip Grande and the RazoRock SLOC it's one of my favourite open-comb razors. It doesn't feel like you're grappling with the jaws of death when you're shaving with it. In fact it delivers a surprisingly smooth and effective shave and, as long as you concentrate on the correct angle, you won't emerge from your shave den with a bloodied face.

That's it - a brief cruise around three of my four GEM razors, the remaining one being the GEM Micromatic Clog Pruf razor which you can read about elsewhere on this site by following the link. I can't say I have a favourite as they're all different. If you don't have one already and get a chance to get hold of one, I'd say give it a go. I don't think you'll regret it.

* His name isn't Tiberius. His name is Jonathan. I don't know why I changed his name to Tiberius.

** Depending, that is, on whether you follow advice given by fellow wet-shaving enthusiasts and ensure you have the correct angle. For more on this, have a read of Dave's Shave Of The Day #17.

*** But not, so much, if you order from the States. Three of the four GEMs I have I've ordered from the US and blimey, those customs charges.

**** Please insert your favourite coffee house here.

***** TTO = twist to open. Come on, you at the back. Keep up.

****** Even though, actually, this particular razor was manufactured roughly 30 years after Jules Verne's death in 1905. But I'm harking back - sort of - to a comment I've made elsewhere on this site about a particular razor looking like something a Victorian time traveller would shave with. No, I can't remember where exactly I made that comment. Have a look around the site and I'm sure you'll find it.