Cheap Chinese & Indian DE Razors - The Good and the Not So Good

[Renato1]

I couldn't resist the temptation and bought a bunch of cheap DE razors off Ebay, most costing around five or six dollars including postage, the dearest being the Weishi for $10.

So I thought I'd write up my initial thoughts based on my testing of the razors, where I used inexpensive DE blades that have worked well in my Merkurs, namely Gillette Super Thin SS and Supermax SS, and assorted soaps and creams (Trumpers and Cade). I may well change my opinion of some of them in coming months when I try them with different blades.

I measured the blade gaps of each as follows:

Chinese razors
................................................. ..Thousandths of an inch
Weishi 2003-M TTO.................................26
Big Roc………………………………………………..26
Flying Eagle………………………………………….35
An Nuo AN-877 TTO……………………………..36
Junjie JJ598 ……………………………………….39
Meiwei MW2008……………………………………31 one side. 34 other.

Indian razors
Gillette 7 O’Clock black plastic, clip……………22
Gillette 7 O’Clock Sterling………………………..22


In general, I was quite surprised at the results - the razors I thought I would like, namely those with moderate blade gaps, I didn't. While those I thought I'd dislike because of huge blade gaps, I was pleasantly surprised with. Shaving with the big blade gaps reminded me a bit of shaving with a shavette - but without the shavette's propensity to cut me everywhere. The two TTO models led me to conclude that any cheap Chinese TTO is best avoided.

Weishi 2003M TTO - Got lots of nicks, I didn't like it much.

Big Roc - Looks really good, nice and heavy with a big yellow handle. Slightly uneven blade gap from one end of the blade edge to the other end (half thou difference). I wanted to like this one because of how it felt and its moderate blade gap, but it just didn't shave close enough with cream or soap. It might be better with a sharper blade, so I'll try a Feather or Astra SP next time.

Flying Eagle - It comes disassembled in a neat little metal case. It is very light and has a big blade gap. I had a couple of small nicks with it. It reminded me of using my Merkur Bakelite, which also is very light and gave me a couple of nicks. Overall, it was still a pleasant enough shave.

An Nuo TTO - Cheap and flimsy, a Superspeed it is not. The TTO screwing part is adjacent the head. But I naturally went to unscrew it at the bottom of the pole, and the pole kept coming apart. The shave was pretty rough. At the end of my first shave, I decided it was time to retire the razor for ever.

Meiwei MW2008 - The ad says it's a rhombus style razor (not sure what they mean) and it is made of metal with a coppery plating. I had to try a quite a few times to get the blade straight with the razor head, which was annoying. Then I noticed the blade gap was different from one side to the other. So I tried reassembling it several more times, but couldn't get the blade gap even on each side. That said, it still gave me a pretty good close shave, with zero visible nicks (but a few invisible ones that the alum alerted me too).

Junjie JJ598 - This is the second heaviest razor after Big Roc and mine has a big green handle. I was worried about the 39 thou blade gap, but I need not have, it gave me a nice close shave without any nicks.

Gillette 7 O’Clock black plastic, clip -The top of this plastic razor clips down onto the base plate to hold the blade in place. The blade dragged all through the shave, and I wasn't impressed. That said, the end result on my face was pretty good, and I had no nicks.

Gillette 7 O’Clock Sterling - I wanted to like this one because it looked a bit like a Gillette Tech clone made by Gillette. It has a metal head and plastic pole, and a small blade gap just like the Gillette Tech. But it just didn't shave close enough with cream or soap. It might be better with a sharper blade, so I'll try a Feather or Astra SP next time.

Regards,
Renato.

UPDATE: I used Astra SP blades in the Big Roc and Gillette 7 O'Clock Sterling, used Truefitt & Hill soap, and this time got close shaves from both of them.

[Sledgehammer39]

Interesting observations.

[Renato1]

You should have ordered the Weishi 9306 and not the Weishi 2003M, now you just bought the cheapest Weishi, while on internet they advise to go for the Weishi 9306 as that one is really well made.

I had thought the 2003M would be okay, as another site said it was okay.

But I found my copy much much rougher than my Superspeed.
Regards,
Renato

[Renato1]

Interesting observations.

Thanks. While trying to find the link in my previous response, I came across this reviews of Chinese razors on other sites.

Regards,
Renato

[bryan1980]

Shame the Weishis aren't better. Maybe someone will make a decent SS clone someday.

[chongo gordo]

Thanks for doing this. I get a kick out of the cheap razors just because some of them are so fugly.

I was quite pleased with my Flying Eagle. A nice little set that is, and less than $5.

[Kevan]

I have a brushed chrome finish Weishi. I's nearly as heavy as a Red Tip, nice and solid-feeling. Blade exposure on both sides is perfect. But the blade is held very close to the bar, resulting in a mild shave indeed. But it is by no means crap.

[Renato1]

Shame the Weishis aren't better. Maybe someone will make a decent SS clone someday.

By all accounts, the dearer Weishi 9306 models are very good - they cost around $18 on Ebay.
Regards,
Renato

[bryan1980]

By all accounts, the dearer Weishi 9306 models are very good - they cost around $18 on Ebay.
Regards,
Renato

Good to know for when the supply of SS's finally dries up!

[Renato1]

Thanks for doing this. I get a kick out of the cheap razors just because some of them are so fugly.

I was quite pleased with my Flying Eagle. A nice little set that is, and less than $5.

Yes, the Flying Eagle is a pretty neat unit.
This whole exercise has me pondering the issue of blade gap. Is it only western made razors where wide blade gap causes aggression?
Cheers,
Renato

[Renato1]

Thanks for doing this. I get a kick out of the cheap razors just because some of them are so fugly.

I was quite pleased with my Flying Eagle. A nice little set that is, and less than $5.

Yes, the Flying Eagle is a pretty neat unit.
This whole exercise has me pondering the issue of blade gap. Is it only western made razors where wide blade gap causes aggression?
Cheers,
Renato

[Renato1]

I have a brushed chrome finish Weishi. I's nearly as heavy as a Red Tip, nice and solid-feeling. Blade exposure on both sides is perfect. But the blade is held very close to the bar, resulting in a mild shave indeed. But it is by no means crap.

The 9306 models like yours cost between $25 and $30 down here, and $18 to $20 from Hong Kong - akin to the Feather Popular - so I wouldn't really categorise it as a "cheap" razor.

I'm a fan of mild razors, and given your opinion, I think the gun metal version may be my next purchase (even though I could buy four other cheap razors at that price!)
Regards,
Renato

[Renato1]

Good to know for when the supply of SS's finally dries up!

In about 100 years?
Cheers,
Renato

[inspiringK]

Great, thanks a lot for posting this, it is fun to see the less-spoken about razors compared. The underbelly of the DE razor manufacturing world given some respect

Seems like the Junjie performed well. This is good to know for interest sake. It may also be a nice cheap razor to stock up on for giving out to potential converts.

[Renato1]

Great, thanks a lot for posting this, it is fun to see the less-spoken about razors compared. The underbelly of the DE razor manufacturing world given some respect

Seems like the Junjie performed well. This is good to know for interest sake. It may also be a nice cheap razor to stock up on for giving out to potential converts.

Thanks, glad you liked it.

I suppose I should have added the Wilkinson Sword Classic which also costs around $10, but I threw the packaging out so I don't now know where it is made. It too is made of black plastic, and has a small blade gap. But it was nice, smooth and mild. It is the one I wouldn't have any hesitation with for potential converts.

By this time tomorrow, I'll have shaved with the Big Roc and a sharper blade to make a final judgement on whether I think it any good or not. I really want it to be good because it is the most impressive, and has a less scary blade gap. (I did have a similar problem with the Weber DLC razor not shaving well unless I used very sharp blades).
Cheers,
Renato

[chongo gordo]

I have a brushed chrome finish Weishi. I's nearly as heavy as a Red Tip, nice and solid-feeling. Blade exposure on both sides is perfect. But the blade is held very close to the bar, resulting in a mild shave indeed. But it is by no means crap.

Agreed. My first DE was a Weishi. I grew tired of it as it was so mild, but the build quality and finish were exceptional.

[Renato1]

UPDATE: I used Astra SP blades in the Big Roc and Gillette 7 O'Clock Sterling, used Truefitt & Hill soap, and this time got close shaves from both of them.

I got too confident with the mild Sterling, and even managed to nick myself.
Cheers,
Renato

[LarryDarrell]

I have the gunmetal Weishi 9306 - it was the first DE I bought (under 20CAD from Fendrian) and it's in my travel kit now.
As has been said, it's relatively mild, but has nice weight and good construction.
It was a good starter razor for me, it needs careful control of the angle or it doesn't do much, but it won't bite you unless you are really careless (yes, I was).

[mharris127]

There is a Turkish black plastic DE razor sold at Bestshave.net. It has cursive script on the top of the head but I cannot see it well enough to read it. It actually shaves well but is very aggressive. I don't have a mic handy but I would guess that the blade spacing is at least fifty thousandths of an inch. It was smoother with Personna blades than with Astra SPs which is a surprise. Either way it was worth my $1.75 and since I ordered several other items at the same time shipping wasn't too onerous.