Razor: Gem Junior Bar
Blade: Fan Single Edge
Brush: Spiffo 2 band
Soap: D.R. Harris Marlborough Shaving Cream
Well…. they can’t all be fantastic shaves. I picked up this vintage Gem Junior Bar from an antique store earlier this summer. I love the look of this little guy and I got it for a fantastic deal. I hadn’t used a single edge before so I was looking forward to giving this guy a go. I knew blades would be hard to find and they had some vintage NOS blades with so I grabbed them as well (finest Swedish steel). It is the blades that let me down I’m certain.
I picked up a couple tubes of D.R. Harris on the buy and sell as I wanted to give them a go. Marlborough is described as Cedar, Sandalwood and a notes of spice. To my nose, this smells similar to Proraso Red. I didn’t mind the scent, but it wouldn’t be one I would normally reach for. Performance wise, this was the same as Taylor of Old Bond Street for me. Super easy to get a rich and dense lather, not the slickest and not the greatest post shave, but more than adequate.
The shave it self, it felt a bit rough. Not quite tugging but there was definitely a lot of blade feel and it just didn’t feel like it was effortlessly slicing thru the hair. I wasn’t expecting a lot to be honest given the age of the blades. I do have a sample coming of some better blades so I’m looking forward to revisiting. I was pleasantly surprised when I used the Alum block that I had very little sting. No weepers to speak of, so I think I had the angle and technique down for this guy. I’m optimistic my next go with this little gem will be a win.
Happy Hump Day all!
