What razor really surprised you?

[Straight Rasier User]

R41 - Got a smooth shave and I got cut by the darn thing.

[dreadpirate]

Gillette Old Type. I always thought they were garage sale / flea market items. I was wrong. There are many out there in very good condition, and even re-plated and restored to better than new. They are light but aggressive enough to produce a smooth, close shave. They are also attractive.

Another one that surprised me is the Merkur Slant HD. Actually a smooth close shaver. Leave it to the Germans to come up with a superior design.

[woodfluter]

In my case, the Gem Damaskeene.

I was expecting something very much like the typical 1912 design. It's proven to be the most unforgiving razor I own. I'm going to have to do a photo analysis to illustrate why, but the comb position is different and makes it quite close to shaving with a straight razor. I used it yesterday and will again today...I'm not giving up on this and am determined to let it teach me things!

A DE blade back in 1917 was about 0.0075 inch thick,modern DE blade's are about 0.0004 of an inch thick,yet the bulky over-built heads of many of today's razors look better suited to hammering nails than shaving humans

Minor order of magnitude correction: Modern DE is about 0.004 inch, or 53% of the thickness of the original 3-hole Gillettes, or 44% if the thickness of old or modern SE blades. For diehard shimmers, note that the edge position is changed by only half the thickness, or practically nada. However, blade stiffness may make a real difference.

But I share the sentiment about the original Gillette. It's still an elegant, effective razor.

[Triad]

Cobra classic is one sweet razor!!!!!

[TheGRman]

Another fun, inexpensive razor is the Yuma I have been shaving with since Friday night. It looks like junk. There is just no weight to it. You would think that all of the exposed blade would make it an agressive razor, but but the extreme curvature closes the blade gap so it is actually quite mild.

I agree, the Yuma gives an AMAZING shave. It's wonerful loaded with an Astra SP, and fantastic loaded with a Feather. The Yuma is definately my go-to razor and it is always my travel DE.

[Valerius]

A razor which surprised me a lot is the Superspeed Black Tip (aluminium handle). I tried it just for fun, and what a smooth and well-balanced razor. The blade I used was an Astra SP. Why is this razor not so often mentioned? Does it depend that it was produced only during two years? I don't know, but if you get a chance to try one I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I did.

[JDTTO]

Concord tech clone. Did not expect such a cheap razor to give such a nice shave.

That said, I must admit it has been pushed out of my rotation (still a nice travel razor though).

[alex2363]

2...a Stahly and Toggle, pleasant surprises.

[Cynomys]

Gem Jr. My first SE experience, after I picked up the razor for $8 at an antique store. It almost looked like a toy rather than a serious razor. But, great shave!

[chrissss]

Hoffritz/merkur slant, now it's my daily razor after trying many others !

[David in Boston]

The Merkur Futur with a side note.

I was using it on higher settings to get an aggressive shave which I thought would give me a closer shave.

They did but one day I set it on 1.5 (mild) and got one of the best shaves of my life.

With a two pass shave DFS.

With a three pass shave BBS with no razor burn.

Along with my Astra blades it make a great combination.

[cluelessdude]

R41 2011 model. I expected a blood thirsty monster and I got a smooth shaving pussy cat.

+1 my same experience. I've had my 14 year old cousin touch my face after I've shaved in the past with the Merkur HD as I thought how smooth my face was. He agreed as well.

Now after shaving with the R41 I had him touch my face and he was in shock. Absolutely in shock. He couldn't believe how hairless my face felt lol. Whiskers that didn't even appear to exist in the past had been removed. Remember that this is only the beginning stages of my use with this razor and as I master it eventually my shaves will be even better.

[Oscroft]

I've been pleasantly surprised by quite a few razors, but like many I was knocked out by the R41, which is an amazingly good design.

But what has knocked me out recently is the Fatip OC razors I've just acquired. I've been wanting one for ages, but they've been very hard to get hold of outside of Italy, until Maquires Barbershop started offering them on eBay. The head design is aggressive, in that it exposes quite a lot of blade (which you really can feel), but the geometry makes it quite forgiving at the same time. Everyone should have one.

[Whilliam]

Lord Premium/L6. Twelve bucks, great shave.

+1. A completely unexpected delight.

Bill

BOTOC

[Whilliam]

+1!! so many horror stories about the R41, but it has now become my heaviest rotation razor...just nothing but BBS for 12hrs plus...

+1. It's just a razor, not a fistful of broken glass. The neatest thing is how damn good your face feels for hours after an R41 shave. I just keep feeling my mug; never has it felt so delightfully smooth for so long after a shave. I bought the razor expecting a good shave now and then, but nothing like this.

Bill

BOTOC

[Predict]

Schick eversharp injector. Nice shaver.

[InHotWater]

President: I expected it to shave like a late-'40s Aristocrat, but found it disappointingly mild.

I find the Gillette President to be somewhat mild, but I like the added "heft" from the heavier handle, and the deeper knurling for improved grip too, plus she is a real "looker."

[Predict]

Hd slant 39c. Surprisingly smooth

[OldGreyGuy]

Weber ARC with Bulldog handle.

This razor is a lot nicer than I thought it should be. I've paid more for razors with more promise and while they have fulfilled that promise, the Weber had less hype and was very cheap by comparison so I bought it with very few expectations. What I got was a well weighted razor (I like heavy razors and the bulldog handle is perfect) which was more aggressive & efficient than the similarly styled EJ DE89/Muhle R89 razors yet it feels as smooth as those two excellent razors.

Looking forward now to the soon to be introduced Tradere Open Comb razor, also in Stainless Steel like the Weber I find I am enjoying these newly designed 'Artisan' razors.

[Clutch Cargo]

What razor/blade really took you by surprise?

For me, it's the Merkur 45 Bakelite -- an inexpensive ($18 brand new), non-metal, lightweight (14 g), 3-piece DE razor that can provide consistently close, irritation-free shaves equal to those produced by my most expensive vintage and new razors. I was truly amazed. It makes a phenomenal travel razor, and is an inexpensive way for someone to get into the world of wet shaving for the first time without either breaking the bank or sacrificing shave quality.