Parker 26C

[Taproot]

I have read this too, they had many issues with QC before, but in recent years they have been consistently releasing good quality razors, at very good prices btw.
My question is ... are these brass?

I think the TTO's are confirmed to be brass. I haven't heard any comment on the 3 Piece heads- I can tell you that the heads are significantly heavier than the Muhle R89/ Edwin Jagger DE89 heads that they emulate.

If these end up being Brass OC heads I would probably buy them first thing when sabbatical ends.

 

[shave/brush]

I know the handles are made from brass. Not sure about the heads. I own 2 of their solid bar 3 piece razors and now this O.C. Whatever it is made from the quality, weight and finish is top shelf. I love mine after 6 shaves. It is becoming my favorite razor.

 

[shave/brush]

Huh, idle curiosity...I wonder where the head is made. The only extra-long stud I've encountered is with the Razorock/Cadet. This does NOT look like that head, but I wonder if it's made in India. Anyone know?

I would also be interested in efficiency/aggression compared to the Cadet.

I had a Cadet about a year ago but then I PIF it. So I have to go by my memory now but when I first got the Cadet I was not use to O.C. razors and it felt quite aggressive to me. I'm sure after using my Joris the Cadet would not feel so bad. So I would have to say now that the Parker and the Cadet are close in aggressiveness.

 

[PGHChris]

OK folks, I just shaved with the 26C. My suspicions were confirmed; this razor performs as good as it looks. Here is my SOTD:

Prep: A hot shower
Pre: Imperial Lavender PSO
Lather: GFT Coconut Oil Cream
Brush: Rudy Vey 26mm Eagle in Moonjava w/ Finest F2 knot
Razor: Parker 26C (obv)
Blade: Personna Med Prep
Post: RazoRock Alum Block
Aftershave: Pinaud Clubman Classic Vanilla
Result: The highest DFS possible. I did my standard 2.5 pass shave - WTG & ATG on the face, WTG, XTG, & ATG on the neck. It was a very smooth shave. I would consider this a fairly mild razor, but efficient. I don't know if it was just me, but the angle seemed very intuitive, and despite the fact that I generally prefer a shorter handle it was very comfortable. I'm BBS everywhere except one small spot on the right side of my neck (which is the bane of my existence!). I got no nicks or weepers, and I will say that this is the best result I've ever had on my first shave with any razor. I think that the learning curve on this will be very short as it provided me a very good shave on the first try. It is not ready to dethrone my stainless razors, but I believe it has definitely found a permanent home in my rotation. While it is not as aggressive as my beloved Goodwill, I was able to achieve the same results, and I dare say it is slightly more comfortable. Overall, I would recommend this razor to anyone; either a new shaver curious about OC's, or a seasoned vet looking to shake up the rotation a little bit. For the price it can't be beat, and if you are even a little bit curious about it then head over to BullGoose and grab one. This razor has completely changed my view of Parker. Where they were once a brand that I would kind of avoid, I'm eager to see if they come out with something as nice as this in the future.

 

[Chadao]

My rotation, most aggressive first:

1. Old Style Thin Head/Old Style Fat Head
2. Joris Palladium/Fatip Anthracite
3. Razorock/Cadet
4. NEW LC
I am wondering where the Parker fits in this. I like to PIF Cadet/Jaws. I'm a Johnny Open-Comb-Seed , I am an OC procelytizer. Those are good, inexpensive razors for giving folks a taste of the OC. But they are a Wee bit aggressive.

I had a Cadet about a year ago but then I PIF it. So I have to go by my memory now but when I first got the Cadet I was not use to O.C. razors and it felt quite aggressive to me. I'm sure after using my Joris the Cadet would not feel so bad. So I would have to say now that the Parker and the Cadet are close in aggressiveness.

 

[shave/brush]

Thanks for the nice review. So I guess you are happy with the razor. I love mine. For the low price they are, I'm thinking about buying a back-up just in case something bad happens to mine.

 

[nuclearblast]

Thanks for the review, it sure looks interesting. Might be something to consider in the future. For now I have enough OC razors coming in the mail...

 

[shave/brush]

My rotation, most aggressive first:

1. Old Style Thin Head/Old Style Fat Head
2. Joris Palladium/Fatip Anthracite
3. Razorock/Cadet
4. NEW LC
I am wondering where the Parker fits in this. I like to PIF Cadet/Jaws. I'm a Johnny Open-Comb-Seed , I am an OC procelytizer. Those are good, inexpensive razors for giving folks a taste of the OC. But they are a Wee bit aggressive.

Without doing a side-by-side comparison, the Parker might be a tad less aggressive than the Cadet. I haven't used the Cadet in months.

 

[PGHChris]

My rotation, most aggressive first:

1. Old Style Thin Head/Old Style Fat Head
2. Joris Palladium/Fatip Anthracite
3. Razorock/Cadet
4. NEW LC
I am wondering where the Parker fits in this. I like to PIF Cadet/Jaws. I'm a Johnny Open-Comb-Seed , I am an OC procelytizer. Those are good, inexpensive razors for giving folks a taste of the OC. But they are a Wee bit aggressive.

I would say this would be the perfect razor to break in a new OC user. On the aggressiveness scale, I'd say its just a tad less aggressive than an LC NEW, but just as efficient and smoother. I need a few more shaves to make sure, but out of the gate I would say this is a fantastic razor for anyone. While it feels very mild, it is very efficient.

 

[shave/brush]

I would say this would be the perfect razor to break in a new OC user. On the aggressiveness scale, I'd say its just a tad less aggressive than an LC NEW, but just as efficient and smoother. I need a few more shaves to make sure, but out of the gate I would say this is a fantastic razor for anyone. While it feels very mild, it is very efficient.

I would have to agree with you 100%.

 

[guzziknight]

My rotation, most aggressive first:

1. Old Style Thin Head/Old Style Fat Head
2. Joris Palladium/Fatip Anthracite
3. Razorock/Cadet
4. NEW LC

And I found the opposite. I love my Old Type, and my Merkur 1904 that's based off of it, and I think they're both very mild shaves. Contrast that to the NEW LC I had which I thought was way more aggressive, so much so that I sold it. I have a Cadet OC as well, which in think is more aggressive than the Old, but less than the NEW LC. Just shows how much this is really YMMV!

 

[JimL911]

This is a great razor for new OC user. This was my first one and I love it. Very easy to find and maintain the right angle. I didn't find it aggressive just more efficient. I returned to the DE in January with an EJ89. It was good but I wanted a little more. I have been using a Slim on 6 but I wanted more heft and the Parker fits the bill perfectly.

I just had my first shave with an Old Type head and found it gave me a bit better shave but I had to work at keeping my angle. For the money and ease of use I think Parker hit a homerun.

 

[Qhead]

First off, PGHChris that brush in your picture looks super cool! Secondly, thanks for your review. I have a Parker 26c on order with Bullgoose and can't wait to try it. Fought the RAD for over a year but finally gave in with this one as it is economical and hopefully will deliver a great close OC shave!

 

[SciTX]

Pulled the trigger on the black handled one.. Couldn't resist

 

[PGHChris]

Pulled the trigger on the black handled one.. Couldn't resist

You made good choice! YMMV, but I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Had I not won the contest I would've bought one. I had a hard time choosing between the black handle and the chrome, but I think the black is just a little bit sharper looking.

 

[PGHChris]

Ok, so I shaved with the 26C again tonight. Yesterday was a weekend shave, where I had plenty of time to really try to get a good shave with the razor, and I did. So this evening I wanted to see what result I got with "quick" shave, without actually being pressed for time. I used the same Med-Prep blade, and brush, but I just used a hot towel for prep, no PSO, and face lathered with the La Toja stick. I finished with the alum and Clubman VIBR, and after a fairly quick 2-pass shave I have what I would call a DFS result.

Two shaves in and I am still a big fan of this razor. I don't want to say I was careless with this shave, but I tried to rush a little, and was definitely not as attentive as I was yesterday, and I still got a great result. This leads me to believe that this razor is pretty user friendly, as I know my technique is lacking. So if I can get great results then I'd be willing to bet most people would as well. I stand by my recommendation that this razor is for pretty much everyone. I've never had a razor perform worse over time, normally its quite the opposite, but I'll post my thoughts later in the week after I have a few more shaves under my belt.

 

[shave/brush]

I know where you are coming from. I had my 7th shave tonight with mine and I'm still amazed at how close it shaves and how smooth. This razor is a keeper.

 

[SciTX]

I bought one of the black handled ones last week, it came last night and shaved with it this morning....here's my post about it...I posted the same thing on the BOTOC thread, but thought others that don't frequent that thread might be interested:

So today I tried out the new Parker 26C and was very impressed... The finish on the razor is well done, the head is nice and shiny, it all fits together snugly, nice blade alignment, the handle is knurled well and it has a nice heft to it.

Loaded up an Astra SP (my standard for any new razor) ,lathered up some Proraso white with a Vie Long horse brush...smeared on some Noxema and got after it....this is one fine performing razor for me...nice and close, I'd say mid aggressive but not just waiting to bite you at first lapse of focus....got a DFS three pass shave...BBS in most places...a smooth irritation free result..for $29 shipped this is a great buy IMO!

It really has earned a spot at the top of my rotation with just one shave.

 

[Taproot]

Sigh, you guys have me all hopped up on this razor and I am on sabbatical.

 

[nuclearblast]

Sigh, you guys have me all hopped up on this razor and I am on sabbatical.

There's always the 2015 sabbatical ...