***Weber Razor***

[firehydrant]

My Weber razor has arrived and after two shaves now I am ready to give a preliminary review.

The Weber is a basic no nonsense razor. The design is functional and without flourish yet it has a simple unadorned beauty. It is a three piece non adjustable design that is simple to load and use. The material, machining and finish are high quality. The weight and balance of the razor is excellent. The handle is solid stainless steel, fairly thin and long but has a very nice feel. The knurling is a fine, non aggressive pattern but has a sharpness to it that provides a very positive grip. I could pick this up with oil on my fingers and still have a sure grip on it. The head of the razor is patterned after the Gillette old type with a heavy cap.

And here lies the problem. The gap between the base and the blade is almost nonexistent but that isn’t necessarily a problem. The edges of the cap are so thick that the blade exposure is negligible. When it comes to aggressiveness, my razor is milder than a Gillette Tech. After three ATG passes using a Feather blade I still could not get a clean shave.

Now, to be fair, this is a new razor from a new company. They are still perfecting their design and manufacturing processes and each razor is pretty much handmade. When I compare my razor to the pictures that “Venom” posted I can see that the cap on his razor may have thinner edges than mine and those cap edges are the difference between a mild and an aggressive shave. I think they may have moved from prototypes to production a little too fast.

If they can fix two things they will have a extraordinary razor.

1.The blade exposure needs to be dialed in and standardized.

2.The pins on the head need to be sized so that the blade will not have any play in it when the razor is being loaded.

I am still glad that I bought this razor. This is a tool built to last for generations. I think that Weber is on the right track and given a little more time will have an excellent product (Look out Merkur).

I am still trying to decide if I will send my razor back to Weber for some work or if I will try my hand at working the head down little by little until I get “the perfect shave”.

The opinions expressed are those of the poster and not necessarily those of Badger & Blade. Your mileage may vary.

[Woofbark]

It was a pleasure to shave with this razor. It was not overly aggressive. On a scale of 1 to 8, I would give it an aggression level of 5. This is an effective and yet comfortable level. Slightly more aggressive would be fun but not necessary.
The balance of the the razor is very good which helped in providing a close even shave. The weight and length of the handle were also helpful with closeness of shave.
The angle of the head and the open comb design created a smoothness that prevented any nicks or razor burn. This also made it easy to shave close to the nose without any problems. Again, quite comfortable to use.
The ease of use and quality construction are definitely obvious. It's also nice to have a razor that will never need to be replated. Someone did the proper math when he designed this razor. The head angle and weight demonstrate this. I wonder if anyone could ever make a razor, such as this one, out of hardened copper? It would give it a unque color and still never need any plating. It's a cool thought.
Thank You to The Weber Company for making a fine, solid American product.

[blantyre]

There was a thread about the Weber razor recently. I bought one (new on ebay from the manufacturer) and have been using it over the last few days. So here’s a brief review. It’s a fairly well made stainless steel 3-piece open comb razor. The head is very similar to an old type Gillette – the photos compare the Weber, an old and the older version of the Muhle R89 OC. The head stubs and thread appear to be welded on and then dressed. There is a large “W” engraved on the head – I could live without that. Perhaps just Weber in nice lower case like the “Made in USA” legend would be better. The front surface of the cap would benefit from a bit more polishing since it has some tool marks on it.

The overall quality of construction is reasonably good. The turning on the 3 ¾” long handle is well executed. The knurling was quite aggressive, so I rubbed it with scotchbrite to soften the points of the knurls. The finish on the head is a little rough in places – I also dressed the underside of the teeth with a fine diamond file to take of the sharp edges. Bearing in mind that the razor costs $55 plus $4.95 CONUS, these defects are not show stoppers for a stainless steel razor IMO. You could get 4 of these for the price of a Pils and still have enough left over to buy some blades. The Weber is also made in the USA as clearly engraved on the underside of the baseplate.

I’ve shaved with a Bic, Feather and one of the Astras that came with the razor. I got the best shave with the Feather and a very good one with the Astra. The Bic did not seem nearly as good for some reason, although I like them in most Gillettes. Tried a couple of soaps and creams.

Overall impressions: A medium to mild razor (I consider the older Muhle to be aggressive and like it a lot). Has a heavy very solid feel. Gives a good shave, quite tolerant of blade angle and easily maneuvered around. The blade edges stick out – like on an old type head. This is makes it easy to align the blade. Like most 3 piece razors, some tweaking of the blade alignment is necessary although a slight misalignment is not the serious problem that it can be on more aggressive razors.

Bottom line – I would recommend this razor to someone who wants something a bit out of the ordinary. The shave is good and not hard to achieve. The quality is adequate. A worthwhile buy.


http://badgerandblade.com/vb/attachm...1&d=1283102429
Weber1.jpg


http://badgerandblade.com/vb/attachm...1&d=1283102429
Weber2.jpg

[firehydrant]

Weber Razor has sold about nine razors (according to eBay) and has stopped selling razors.

Has anyone been in contact with them?

Talk to us Ed.

[michiganlover]

Maybe he realized we are a tough market, demanding perfection, and decided to go back to selling at flea markets, and outdoor shows (a market without experience; they don't know any better, and thus are willing to accept a sub-par product).

The amount of blade tabs that are exposed makes the Weber a very poorly designed razor in my opinion.

[Omaha-BeenGlockin]

The blade tabs issue was the deal breaker for me too--otherwise I'd probably own one already. Maybe they went back to the drawing board to re-work their product?

[GentsInstinct]

Maybe he realized we are a tough market, demanding perfection, and decided to go back to selling at flea markets, and outdoor shows (a market without experience; they don't know any better, and thus willing to accept a sub-par product).

The amount of the blade tabs that are exposed makes the Weber a very poor designed razor in my opinion.

Or maybe he took the reviews and suggestions here to heart, pulled the razors and is going back to the drawing board to make improvements.

[cooncatbob]

I sent him a welcome PM on the 19th and received a reply.
He hasn't logged on here since the 24th.
His e-bay listing has expired with 8 out of his stock of 20 razors unsold.
Maybe he's working on an improved version of his razor, though I for 1 have never cut myself on the end taps.
I sent him a message through his site inquiring what's up.

[firehydrant]

Or maybe he took the reviews and suggestions here to heart, pulled the razors and is going back to the drawing board to make improvements.

I really do hope that they succeed.
I wish that they would have used a group like us as a test group to work out the last stage of their R&D before they went to market.

[Haiku]

He had a website, is it still up?

[amishmotorboat]

I don't know why the tabs sticking out would be a deal breaker for anyone comfortable shaving with a Gillette old type.

[firehydrant]

He had a website, is it still up?

The web site is still up but there is no way to purchase a razor anymore.

[cooncatbob]

The web site is still up but there is no way to purchase a razor anymore.

Yeah, but you can try contacting him through his website and ask him directly rather then post here and guess.

[amishmotorboat]

Yeah, but you can try contacting him through his website and ask him directly rather then post here and guess.

Why are you being so level headed about this?

[cooncatbob]

Why are you being so level headed about this?

Well if you just want to gossip that's one thing, but if you want the fact from the man himself just ask him, I believe I saw a "Contact Us" button on his website.

[blantyre]

The head is about as close to a copy of the Gillette old as I've seen anywhere - hence the blade exposure at the edges is also the same. I've never heard anyone comment on this issue with the old type head.

I reviewed this razor here a few days ago and gave it an overall thumbs up with some reservations about detailing.



http://badgerandblade.com/vb/attachm...1&d=1283307204

[Scott0079]

or maybe he took the reviews and suggestions here to heart, pulled the razors and is going back to the drawing board to make improvements.

+1

[GentsInstinct]

The head is about as close to a copy of the Gillette old as I've seen anywhere - hence the blade exposure at the edges is also the same. I've never heard anyone comment on this issue with the old type head.

I reviewed this razor here a few days ago and gave it an overall thumbs up with some reservations about detailing.


http://badgerandblade.com/vb/attachm...1&d=1283307204

You keep the Weber, give me that Aristocrat.

[amishmotorboat]

Well if you just want to gossip that's one thing, but if you want the fact from the man himself just ask him, I believe I saw a "Contact Us" button on his website.

It was an admittedly poor attempt at humor.

[Mako72]

I always like a good conspiracy but... Its back to school season, first week most places. If he has kids or goes to school combined with working... could be time is tight. Just a thought.

Jay