Weber Lovers, Unite!

[Renato1]

Renato- I read your other thread on the Weber problem you have. Did you contact Weber and tell them maybe you got a bad one? You might also want to send it to another member of B&B that can compare it to a Weber they have and see if it is the razor or not?

Yes, he did get back to me, suggested I try a few more blades and to then send the two top bits back to him for checking out.

I am very interested in Bobtrumpet's experience, as he most likely would have gotten his Weber from the same batch as mine.
Regards,
Renato

[Viseguy]

Attachment 250575Attachment 250576

Here is a Weber DLC head on a Merkur 30C handle, and a Weber handle on a Merkur 30C head. I currently have a vintage Gillette open comb head, and base out for nickel plating at the Razor Emporium, which will probably end up on the Weber handle, or an Ikon Bulldog handle. I kinda like to mix, and match. Just a little something different. Both combo's provide an exellent shave.

The all-black combo looks cool. What is the 30C handle made of? Specifically, the black section. And is it knurled and "grippy"?

[Viseguy]

I use a Weber Classic Handle/DLC as part of my rotation. The razor performs quite well - and I own another 25 or so SE/DE/Straight/Rolls shavers. Is it as versatile as my Merkur Vision 2000? No. Does it shave as close in one pass as my 1907 Lather Catcher or Gem OCMM...or Vision running wide open? No. Will it give you a BBS shave in 3 passes? Yes - without question - and it will do so with an absolute minimum risk of nicks or weepers. If I had to pick out a handful of shavers to live with and stop collecting (which I have no intention of doing), I'm pretty sure the Weber would make the cut due to its workmanship, feel, consistency and pure pleasure of use. It's not perfect - but it's certainly more "perfect" than most.

Well said. The Weber DLC with Classic handle would be in my top three candidates for the "desert island" razor, precisely because of the array of positives you mention.

[Ron991]

The all-black combo looks cool. What is the 30C handle made of? Specifically, the black section. And is it knurled and "grippy"?

Good question as I don't really know, and come up short as to an answer from Merkur. At any rate it feels like It's a harder substance than rubber, but is not quite as soft as rubber. I'm sure some kind of a plastic compound plays a part here also. It is spiraled, and does provide a sure grip when wet with both water, and lather. Sorry thats the best I can do.

[Bobtrumpet]

It is interesting that the first thing you have done is criticize the blade.
I'd appreciate it if you did a side by side comparison with any other razor you know that gives you a very close shave with one pass- running your finger over each just shaved area in turn.

I may get a chance to do this, but I am usually pressed for time when I shave; if so, I'll post the results.

One of the reasons I blamed the blade is that . . . well . . . I actually put a 1-day used IP in the razor the night I got it and dry shaved part of my cheek. Smooth as can be (both the blade and the result); very little, if any, irritation. Granted it's an area that shaves more easily than my neck or jaw line, but minimal irritation without any lather. That's why I think it's a blade issue.

But I haven't ruled out the razor. That's why I need to try it with different blades for the next couple weeks to make sure.

[Viseguy]

Good question as I don't really know, and come up short as to an answer from Merkur. At any rate it feels like It's a harder substance than rubber, but is not quite as soft as rubber. I'm sure some kind of a plastic compound plays a part here also. It is spiraled, and does provide a sure grip when wet with both water, and lather. Sorry thats the best I can do.

Thanks, that helps.

[Bobtrumpet]

My Weber DLC did arrive yesterday. Fit and finish were as good as I have seen. Nice heft and feel. I like the deep knurling on the handle.

I used it this AM with a Gillette 7 O'clock green (India). While the green Indian Gillette is usually smooth for me in my Muhle R89, it was a little rough in the Weber. It did appear to be the blade, not the angle nor pressure. In fact, it was easier to "let the razor do the work" with the Weber than any other razor I have tried, including the Merkur 34G.

The result, except for the mild irritation, was first rate. Very easy to find the right angle. I'll try some other blades for smoothness and see how it goes for the next couple weeks. I think it will turn out to be money well spent.

While I was not able to do a side by side with my Muhle R89, I did use a different blade today; an Israeli Personna Super + Platinum. I got a very nice shave, low irritation (nothing like with the Gillette Indian green), near BBS as I can get. The first WTG pass was noticeably closer than with my R89.

I did notice one thing when I used the green Gillette; when I screwed on the handle, the blade bent in the middle more than curving along the top cap. The IP I used today curved instead of bending in the middle. Based on a sample of one, I think the green Gillette blades are a little thinner than the Personnas, which causes them to bend in the middle as opposed to curving on the contour of the top cap. I think the blade's bending results in a different blade angle than if it curves.

I'm curious to see if others have this experience with their Webers.

[SilentSound]

I only have two shaves on my new Weber so far, both times using the Astra blades that shipped with it. I only get mediocre performance shaving with the grain (user error?), but ATG I get easy BBS with no irritation. I can't even feel it cutting, but it does a great job. You can definitely count me among the Weber Lovers!

[Renato1]

I may get a chance to do this, but I am usually pressed for time when I shave; if so, I'll post the results.

One of the reasons I blamed the blade is that . . . well . . . I actually put a 1-day used IP in the razor the night I got it and dry shaved part of my cheek. Smooth as can be (both the blade and the result); very little, if any, irritation. Granted it's an area that shaves more easily than my neck or jaw line, but minimal irritation without any lather. That's why I think it's a blade issue.

But I haven't ruled out the razor. That's why I need to try it with different blades for the next couple weeks to make sure.

If you check my updates on my thread on the Weber DLC, I've found the cause of my woes - it wasn't so much the blade(though sharper blades worked better) but the Trumpers shaving cream that was causing my issues. My Weber just doesn't like Trumper's cream. Yet when I used the Weber with with a soap and then with a cream that had been lousy with my other razors, the Weber worked really well.
Regards,
Renato

[Viseguy]

Thanks to your artistry, turtle, I just ordered the Bulldog handle, to go with the DLC head (and long Classic handle) that I already have.

The handle arrived yesterday, and I used it with the DLC head last night. It was great. I love the deep knurling on the Weber handles, Bulldog and Classic. They're satisfyingly "grippy", making the razor easy to control despite the heft.

[Bobtrumpet]

Renato, I'm glad you found a solution to your problem with the Weber. Enjoy!

If you check my updates on my thread on the Weber DLC, I've found the cause of my woes - it wasn't so much the blade(though sharper blades worked better) but the Trumpers shaving cream that was causing my issues. My Weber just doesn't like Trumper's cream. Yet when I used the Weber with with a soap and then with a cream that had been lousy with my other razors, the Weber worked really well.

[Renato1]

Renato, I'm glad you found a solution to your problem with the Weber. Enjoy!

Thanks Bob,
I will.
Cheers,
Renato

[vreddy2000]

I use shims in my DLC to up the aggressiveness. Three shims really widens the gap and makes a noticeable difference in aggressiveness, but even so it's still a very forgiving razor.

I had the exact same idea for my de89 , I was poking around the house for washers but did not find any for my purpose.
I was going to go to lowes and see if I have better luck.

what kind of shims did you use? any suggestions on what I shoud look for at lowes?
thanks...

[Xilbus]

I was wondering why this weber razor is 70$ when other ss razors are 180-230$ range ? is there something missing in the weber that the others have ?

[jbradley]

I was wondering why this weber razor is 70$ when other ss razors are 180-230$ range ? is there something missing in the weber that the others have ?

I've not found the Weber to be lacking or missing anything.

[Xilbus]

I've not found the Weber to be lacking or missing anything.

Ok but still there is a huge difference in price between this razor and the feather and the ikons.
West coast shaving sells the r41 for 70$ and this is plastic with a chrome cover. Ither Weber got all their equipment for free or the other ss makers are all making a huge profit.

[Yuritau]

First, the r41 isn't plastic. I don't have one, and I never will, but I'm certain there would have been a lot of noise here about it if that were the case. Also, the only way it makes sense, imho, to compare the price of a SS razor to a non SS razor is if you're trying to say the non SS razor is greatly over-priced.

Second, Weber is still a fairly new name in the razor making game, so they can't trade on the brand name as much as a company like Feather can. Case in point, the first run of Webers were priced at $55, and after that batch sold out in short order, the price migrated up to $70.

Third, if you put a Weber next to the Feather all stainless, or an Ikon, you can pretty easily see that Weber spent much less time and money on making the razors pretty. The Weber razor still shaves superbly, but it is definitely not the 'looker' of the bunch.

Having said all that, Weber likely does have their profit margin set lower than companies like Feather and Ikon and Pils, but I doubt it's massively lower. Well, except for Pils, I'd wager Pils has a decently high margin.

[GencoOliveOilCompany]

One of my first razors I purchased was a Muhle r41 which I certainly was not ready for. After my technique improved, I tamed the r41 with a Weber Bulldog handle (saw that idea on B&B as well as The Shave Den forum)...very careful 2 pass WTG DFS with no pressure. Wasn't able to do that with the light Muhle handle; you unconsciously applied pressure which led to severe drops in blood pressure.

[Xilbus]

First, the r41 isn't plastic. I don't have one, and I never will, but I'm certain there would have been a lot of noise here about it if that were the case. Also, the only way it makes sense, imho, to compare the price of a SS razor to a non SS razor is if you're trying to say the non SS razor is greatly over-priced.

Second, Weber is still a fairly new name in the razor making game, so they can't trade on the brand name as much as a company like Feather can. Case in point, the first run of Webers were priced at $55, and after that batch sold out in short order, the price migrated up to $70.

Third, if you put a Weber next to the Feather all stainless, or an Ikon, you can pretty easily see that Weber spent much less time and money on making the razors pretty. The Weber razor still shaves superbly, but it is definitely not the 'looker' of the bunch.

Having said all that, Weber likely does have their profit margin set lower than companies like Feather and Ikon and Pils, but I doubt it's massively lower. Well, except for Pils, I'd wager Pils has a decently high margin.

Muhle makes the Edwin jagger razors and the handles to look the same so it's a plastic body with a chrome plating. But my point was that the weber and the muhles have the same price.


Question, can the weber handle go on a old type Gillette head?

[Viseguy]

I had the exact same idea for my de89 , I was poking around the house for washers but did not find any for my purpose.
I was going to go to lowes and see if I have better luck.

what kind of shims did you use? any suggestions on what I shoud look for at lowes?
thanks...

I use a spent blade (minus the edges, of course -- use a sharp scissors to cut along the lines as shown in the picture). It's easy, and you get fine control over the thickness of the shim. I started out with a one-blade shim; now I'm up to three, and that seems to be optimal for me.