Schick E3 Injector
The Schick Type E Injector was made from 1935-1945. It has a bakelite handle and a spring mechanism that rotates to the left to allow for cleaning. This Particular razor is most easily identified as an E3 as the guard bar has parallel grooving. The razor is 3.75" long x 1.5" wide. It weights 1 1/8oz or 32 grams. The Type E was the first Schick Injector with a bakelite handle. You can tell the handle on a Schick Injector is bakelite as opposed to plastic as there is no seam down the center of the handle. Quite often on auction sites Schick Type G Injectors are misrepresented (often unintentionally I am sure) as Type E Injectors. The Type G has the plastic handle with the seam down the center. So if you are looking to buy a Type E or a bakelite handle look for the seam, if it is not there then the handle is most likely bakelite (unless someone sanded out the seam).
The Schick Injector is one of the longest production run safety razors ever. It was manufactured from 1935-2003. The very same blade can be used in every Schick Injector and they are still available for purchase to this day.
Schick Injectors are fairly plentiful and can be located readily on auction sites. There are a select few that demand high dollar values and for the most part even pristine NOS Schick Injectors can be had for under $100. The exceptions are some limited edition models made using precious metals and a few of the De Luxe Versions if they are complete with case and original injector with blades in it.
All in all the Schick Injector is about as close to a cartridge razor shave as you can get while still being a safety razor. Like many long production run razors the general rule of thumb is the older the razor the more aggressive it tends to be. This is a fairly early Injector and I would categorize it as Medium Aggressive.
The Razor
As stated above this razor is as close as you can get to a cartridge razor shave yet still be a safety razor. Pretty ironic considering it has been around for 80 years! To install a blade you purchase injector blades. They come in an injector loaded with blades with a metal guide that actually slides into the razor head that is known as a key.
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| Loading Blade |
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| Type E with Injector |
As far as the shave goes as I said I would categorize this as a medium aggressive razor. It provides a fine shave. I was using the schick injector blades that I recently purchased for about $5 . The razor is very small and very maneuverable. It is very easy to get the sometimes hard to reach areas such as under the nostrils etc. The shave performance is excellent. I did my typical 3 pass, WG,XG,AG shave but in all honesty I could prob do a 2 pass with some touch up and be fine. Below was my shave set up:
The Schick Type E Injector is a fine razor. It performs fantastically. If it has one drawback (or 2) it is the size and weight. It is very small and very light. The weight does not bother me, the short handle does a bit but it in no way prevents achieving a good shave. M shave today was fantastic. Super smooth, super easy and very fast.
If you have never shaved with a Schick Injector Type E I strongly recommend picking one up. They are fairly easy to come by, relatively inexpensive, and very fun to shave with from time to time. I would almost say it is a great introduction to Safety Razor Shaving but I hesitate as I feel starting with this will not promote or foster the learning of proper form and technique. That being sad it is great, fun razor to use, that is definitely worth having. Also it is an integral part of Safety Razor history. In production for 70 years and quite ahead of its time when it came out the Schick Type E Injector has a firmly established place in safety razor shaving.
I personally have a fairly extensive Schick Injector collection and this is one of my "user" razors. I have many that are in the case and a few NOS that I really do not use but more display. That being said for every one I have on display I have the corresponding razor in my "user" rotation. I thoroughly enjoy using them and the Type E is one of my favorites. Dare I say it is "just right" on the aggressiveness scale for me.
I hope you enjoyed this Vintage Razor Review and found it informative. If you wish to discuss the Schick Injector Type E more in depth please post on my facebook page ( https://www.facebook.com/WetShaveObsession ) or hit me up on twitter ( https://twitter.com/WetShaveObsess ) .
Enjoy Your Shaves!
Regards,
Jim@WetShaveObsession
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