New Razors

[Aneurysm]

Hi,

I am new to DE shaving and would like to find out if Merkur is the only company around that's still manufacturing new DE razors? Cos from reading around, that seems to be the case. Can anyone enlighten me?

Thanks!

[Aneurysm]

Sorry just to add on, I don't mean the blades but the razors. Thanks

[Straight Arrow]

Two manufacturers that are discussed frequently around here are Parker and Weishi. I have not tried either so I can't recommend.

[bjrn]

There's also Muhle, Feather, Wilkinson-Sword and Dorco.

[SilkySmooth]

Trumpers too!


===Tom

[Aneurysm]

Any website to recommend on where to get them?

Thanks

[Aevum]

depends, wilkinsons are the most common, their plastic excuse for a DE can be found in most supermarkets, the merkurs and muhle require specialized retailers, but they are brought in to some stores, the dorcos, well, YMMV,
the fearther, any shop with feather blades should be able to order one, barbershop classis in holland has merkur, parker, weishi and muhle, edit has feather and merkur in the UK, personaly, i own a parker 96R, very dissatisfied with the finish compared to my gillette and my schick, if you want a NEW DE razor, a merkur HD or a progress are the best purchesses you can make right now, the feather is hard to get and is not worth it, the weishi a generic chinese copy of a Gillette TTO,

but, just in case, still manufactuing DE razors,
Dorco, Merkur, Muhle, Parker, Trent, Feather, Weishi (sometimes rebranded under vincent or other names), and those are the ones i know off, there are also some manufacturers which make costum handles coupled with the head from another manufacturer, usualy merkur,

in one of the sale sections theres a tread with alot of shops depending on where you live, i live in spain, so im kind of limited to european shops,

[moses]

As you've heard, there are several. I have only tried Merkur. And honestly, based on general reputation, while some people like some of the others, Merkur and Meuhle seem to be the only ones you would really consider quality. And the head geometry on the Meuhle seems for be very love/hate, whereas Merkurs are generally more love/like at lot.

-Mo

[scoopster]

Similar to Trumper, Edwin Jagger uses Merkur heads but applies their own finish and constructs the handles. They have a very nice assortment of handle geometry and materials available. They are pricier than the Merkur offerings but you might find something you really like. I would get a basic Merkur model and if you get afflicted by RAD check out the fancier stuff from the various vendors thay modify and resell based on Merkur components. Good luck.

[Lionhearted]

Not a website but new Parker and Weishi razors are available on eBay nearly every day. These aren't top notch razors.

Personally I think you'd be better off getting an old Gillette, very common on eBay. Some are like new in a case and a few are unused. None made today have the quality of Gillettes.

Richard

[Antique Hoosier]

I would get a basic Merkur model

Dave has given you very wise advice.... The Merkur HD is possibly the only razor you would ever want or need. If you want to gamble a bit you could join the 38C Merkur crowd.... it is not for everyone...but some of us truly enjoy it. No offense to the Parker/Welshi/et all afficienados.... don't waste your money.... they (IMO) do not hold a candle to the Merkur HD or any of the Vintage Adjustable Gillettes on eBay either...the Slim, Fat Boy, or Long Handle Black Super Adjustable would beat the pants off an inferior newly made offbrand razor ( AGAIN>>>Strictly my opinion)

[Suzuki]

Dave has given you very wise advice.... The Merkur HD is possibly the only razor you would ever want or need. If you want to gamble a bit you could join the 38C Merkur crowd.... it is not for everyone...but some of us truly enjoy it. No offense to the Parker/Welshi/et all afficienados.... don't waste your money.... they (IMO) do not hold a candle to the Merkur HD or any of the Vintage Adjustable Gillettes on eBay either...the Slim, Fat Boy, or Long Handle Black Super Adjustable would beat the pants off an inferior newly made offbrand razor ( AGAIN>>>Strictly my opinion)

+1

The Merkur is the only manufacturer currently making good DE razors (the high-end razors all seem to use Merkur heads (the same head design as used on the classic or HD).

I've not used a Parker or Weishi, but they are basically rip offs made in India and China, respectively and you get what you pay for - reviews of these razors are all over the board.

The vintage route is a great way to go Gillette made some great 3-piece razors and the Gillette SS razors are better than any of the copies being made today.

The most popular Merkur razors are the Classic, Classic-long handled and the HD with the regular (not slant) head.

[Aevum]

i made the mistake of going for a parker insted of a merkur, good think i have my schick krona now,

[OldFashioned]

What is the difference between the classic and the HD? I was thinking of getting the merkur classic 1904 style for a first time DE user? Is it a good choice or should i go with the HD? And what does HD stand for? LOL.


+1

The Merkur is the only manufacturer currently making good DE razors (the high-end razors all seem to use Merkur heads (the same head design as used on the classic or HD).

I've not used a Parker or Weishi, but they are basically rip offs made in India and China, respectively and you get what you pay for - reviews of these razors are all over the board.

The vintage route is a great way to go Gillette made some great 3-piece razors and the Gillette SS razors are better than any of the copies being made today.

The most popular Merkur razors are the Classic, Classic-long handled and the HD with the regular (not slant) head.

[Suzuki]

What is the difference between the classic and the HD? I was thinking of getting the merkur classic 1904 style for a first time DE user? Is it a good choice or should i go with the HD? And what does HD stand for? LOL.

The classing and HD have the same basic head design (in terms of shaving properties - although they have different opening/loading mechanisms) and are both great razors.

The HD or "Heavy Duty" is a beefier razor, which some folks like, as the handle is thicker and there's more weight to the razor, which means you can let the razor do all the work.

One option that folks often don't consider is the Classic long handle - same head as the classic with a longer handle (obviously!), which just makes it easier to hold the handle and control the angle.

Any of the Classic, Classic long-handle or HD are great razors (this is coming from a Merkur/3-piece razor fan).

[duna]

There's also Muhle, Feather, Wilkinson-Sword and Dorco.

May sound a little strange, but new Gillette DE razors are still made, sold only in selected (developing ?) countries. I bought one in a supermarket in Beijing (PRC) in August 2007. It's a lightweight razor very similar to a Knack, but it's a very simple 3 pieces. Metal head, plastic handle. I'm told it's a great shaver, very practical with long handle and thin head. (I never opened the blister). I also bought (and often use) very good local production (Chinese) Gillette blades. The image of King Gillette is still printed on the paper box, like in the ancient Gillettes of the past. They are on the same level that our common Euro Gillettes.

[bjrn]

Sounds interesting, could you post a picture of it? I'm just curious what it looks like. :)

[Aevum]

i shaved with my wilkinson classic this morning with a derby blade, very good shave, and its a 2,70 euro razor here in spain,

[duna]

Sounds interesting, could you post a picture of it? I'm just curious what it looks like. :)

I'm still looking to find the current whereabouts of my Coolpix :frown: mmmhh may be in the car's trunk... I'll see

You must be patient, I'm afraid, but I am a film guy, not a digital one, my digital camera gets a lot of dust... I'm not going to post here pictures taken with a mobile phone.

[bjrn]

No rush, I was just curious. :)

[Kairen]

This is the razor Duna was talking about

I use it daily and it's really nice, better in my opinion of a lot of razor i actually own

[JokerJon]

That Chinese Gillette looks very similar to the DE razor sold by Boots in the UK.

[bjrn]

You just got to love that they still have Mr. Gillette himself on the packaging instead of just the brand name. Thanks for the pic, Kairen.

[Aevum]

china being the copyright wild west now a days, you wonder if thats a real gillette product, it looks alot like a treent product,

heres a funny thing, i only noticed it when i saw looking the the picture i took of my black handled superadujstable and my parker 96R, suddenly i started looking at them, and i notice that the upper ring looks very similar to the adujstable ring on the superadjustable, i start comparing them one against the other, and in the end, the parker design is copied from the superadjustable, it looks the same except for the longer handle and the fact that its not ajustable,

but, the quality gives it away, the handle is a bit crouked, its not not perfectly perpendiculador to the head, its much lighter, and the head is alot less complex, its a decent shaver, but dont expect it to be a quality shaving tool,

[duna]

You just got to love that they still have Mr. Gillette himself on the packaging instead of just the brand name. Thanks for the pic, Kairen.

wow thank you Kairen

I still miss my Coolpix :confused:

[iron maiden]

I was just wondering with the pics of King Gillette and all... Do any of you think it would be possible that Gillette (P&G) might ever reintroduce the Gillette SS or Fatboy razors in a limited run? I'm expecting that if they'd introduce a new twist to the already classic razor, they'd sell a helluva lot of them.....if the quality was as good as the old ones.

With all of this interest in wetshaving, I don't understand why Gillette hasn't at the very least, started making new blades for sale in the USA?

[Aevum]

nope, if they reintroduce a DE razor, expect it to be something cheap and plastic, they will want to make it as cheap as possible, and they dont want it to compete against their cartrige products,

look at the wilkinson classic DE, it might shave decently, but it dosnt look built to pass the test of time,

[duna]

I was just wondering with the pics of King Gillette and all... Do any of you think it would be possible that Gillette (P&G) might ever reintroduce the Gillette SS or Fatboy razors in a limited run? I'm expecting that if they'd introduce a new twist to the already classic razor, they'd sell a helluva lot of them.....if the quality was as good as the old ones.

With all of this interest in wetshaving, I don't understand why Gillette hasn't at the very least, started making new blades for sale in the USA?

From the manufacturer's point of view, DE blades are outdated, expensive to make, old and dangerous. Cartridges are safe, plastic, patentable, cheap to make, with giant profits inside. Razors are even more a hassle (for them).

This great wetshaving experience is not for the masses, at the moment. People use canned stuff, multiblade disposables, they need a quick shave and to obtain this they are eager to shell out enough money to make the producer happy. The whole technologic parabola is warped towards this end. Some thousands happy wetshavers are not enough, compared to the millions mesmerized daily by the media. I'm sorry for them, appreciating every day the pleasure of great soaps.

[Aevum]

actually, DE blades are cheaper to make then cartriges but theres no profit and the patent has expiered, the razors themselfs, a cartrige razor is just a injected plastic/metal handle with a patented hook handle for the catrige,

old DE razors, especialy adjustables are more complex to make, but you check out the basic today, the 2.70 wilkinson classic DE, which is made from a cast stainless steel piece, and 3 injected plastic pieces, its quite simple to make, which is why i suspect wilkinson still makes it, its a mild razor, not especialy efficient, but a good shaver, i shaved with it today, but at the end, i had to clean up the ATG with a slim adjustable,

[duckintheface]

The classing and HD have the same basic head design (in terms of shaving properties - although they have different opening/loading mechanisms) and are both great razors.

What is the difference in the opening/loading mechanism between the Classic and the HD? I thought that with both you turn the base of the handle to release the top cover. Is that incorrect?

Also, does anyone know exactly what the weights of the Classic and HD are?

[Aevum]

i think both are 2 piece, you twist the bottom to unscrew the top, which is the most common design,

btw, anyone can post pictures of those russian gillette rubie shavers ?

[mr-razor]

i think both are 2 piece, you twist the bottom to unscrew the top, which is the most common design,

btw, anyone can post pictures of those russian gillette rubie shavers ?

here are the pictures:

[NurseMedic]

i think both are 2 piece, you twist the bottom to unscrew the top, which is the most common design,

Actually, the Merkur Classic is a 3-piece: the handle unscrews and the head is 2 pieces, which sandwich the blade. Some point to this as one of several reasons why the HD is slightly superior to the Classic. FWIW, the Classic was my first DE and sees 50/50 time with my C1 SuperSpeed.

Mike in Michigan

[iron maiden]

Co Bigelow also sells new DE razors....usually cost around 100bux. I was just there last week, and they looked like a Merkur head on a longer handle.

As far as new razors, the Merkurs are very hard to beat.

[Aevum]

that rubie is mighty shabby, the one i saw in the FS forum was a bit better,