BullGoose recently had a contest where the prize was a Parker 26C. I was the lucky winner of that prize, so I wanted to start a thread to share my thoughts on this razor for anyone who is interested. I'll link this thread in the original contest thread as well.
I received the razor on Wednesday, and my initial reaction was, "wow!":
View attachment 429854
It always seemed to me that Parker was a lower-end razor, and that bias had prevented me from ever trying one before. I think with this razor they went all out to let everyone know that's just not the case. The razor has a nice heft, the knurling on the black handle is pronounced, and the chrome and black finish is as good as I've ever seen on a plated razor. I'm very impressed with the baseplate (I will add more pics later); it seems as if it was a solid piece, with the combs machined out of it. Between the curvature and machining of the plate, it has very elegant lines. When you place the blade in (again, more pics later) and tighten the handle into the top cap, you notice that there is almost NO blade gap, so to speak. The blade kind of rests on the baseplate, in a parallel curve to it. The only "gaps" are the voids in between the comb. It appears the extensive mildness this might cause will be balanced out by the considerable blade exposure.
Overall, my first impression of this razor is that it is of similar build quality to the Muhle line. I'm very impressed and can't wait to put it to good use. I've been letting my beard grow since wednesday; I want the first shave with this razor to be on several days growth so that I can see what it can do. I will shave with it either tonight (Friday, 3/28/14) or tomorrow (Saturday, 3/29/14), and report back here with my thoughts.
I received the razor on Wednesday, and my initial reaction was, "wow!":
View attachment 429854
It always seemed to me that Parker was a lower-end razor, and that bias had prevented me from ever trying one before. I think with this razor they went all out to let everyone know that's just not the case. The razor has a nice heft, the knurling on the black handle is pronounced, and the chrome and black finish is as good as I've ever seen on a plated razor. I'm very impressed with the baseplate (I will add more pics later); it seems as if it was a solid piece, with the combs machined out of it. Between the curvature and machining of the plate, it has very elegant lines. When you place the blade in (again, more pics later) and tighten the handle into the top cap, you notice that there is almost NO blade gap, so to speak. The blade kind of rests on the baseplate, in a parallel curve to it. The only "gaps" are the voids in between the comb. It appears the extensive mildness this might cause will be balanced out by the considerable blade exposure.
Overall, my first impression of this razor is that it is of similar build quality to the Muhle line. I'm very impressed and can't wait to put it to good use. I've been letting my beard grow since wednesday; I want the first shave with this razor to be on several days growth so that I can see what it can do. I will shave with it either tonight (Friday, 3/28/14) or tomorrow (Saturday, 3/29/14), and report back here with my thoughts.
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