Weber just arrived -- very mixed reaction

[Anthony_MQ]

Sorry for the lack of pictures as evidence, but I just couldn't wait to post some impressions and get your expert feedback. After just 6 months of hitting the order site when they were out-of-stock, I finally got 'lucky' and the shipment came in today.

My first impression was how the the finish of the head did not match the handle. Head is a flat grey, the handle all super shiny. The 3-D or sculptural aesthetic didn't match either--the head is simply too crude in a nuts-and-bolts manner. In the end these aren't the most important things, but certainly not the most difficult to get right.

Now, on to performance. Imagine writing with a quarter-pound fountain pen. Now imagine the shaving equivalent. In the spirit of YMMV, I can appreciate that an NFL linebacker would feel at ease with a face-scraping tool like this, but for a regular guy what is the purpose? Just fondling the razor out of the box is certainly fantastic--and I normaly love when my toys are very heavy--but this is a precision tool to be applied to one's face. The whole shave was a nervous guessing game with pressure being mostly impossible to establish. One thing that became clear very quickly was that this was a rather mild head. Well, either that or I am the Michael Phleps of shaving technique. Brand new feather blade and a nick-free shave, though nowhere near as close as what a Rocket HD will deliver for me and also quite a distance behind the EJ89.

I'm up for round 2 tomorrow, but right now it looks like this one is headed for display case, sale or a far more sensible handle (to Cooncat Bob up in heaven: this is yet another example of how much you are missed back here).

[alex2363]

Give it more time

[chongo gordo]

Did you read a description of the razor before you ordered it?

[michiganlover]

Give it more time

+1

NEVER judge a razor (or shaving cream/ shaving soap) by a single shave!!

My first impression was how the the finish of the head did not match the handle. Head is a flat grey, the handle all super shiny.

Seriously?? In looking at photos, I would have never drawn the conclusion that the head, and handle were a perfect match in terms of shininess. In every picture I have seen, the color difference is glaring obvious:

[vocalistbob]

I just bought a DLC - it gives me a very nice and comfortable shave with a Feather blade. My take is that it is similar to the EJ's and standard Merkurs. It's a good, well-made razor, but gives a boring shave IMHO.

[crfcom]

I just bought a DLC - it gives me a very nice and comfortable shave with a Feather blade. My take is that it is similar to the EJ's and standard Merkurs. It's a good, well-made razor, but gives a boring shave IMHO.

We don't build razor harems because we tolerate boredom well. There are too many excellent razors which perform well, and are also equally pleasing to the eye.
Of course, this is all subjective, so there are those who find the Weber attractive.

[joe j]

Has anyone tried it with the classic handle now offered by Weber?

[Samjax]

I own the "original" DLC/Classic handle combination and it provides a very good shave. As Bob says - perhaps a bit "boring" (compared to the R41, Fatip or even the Mariner), but it is smooth and reasonably close. Closer than my Triangle Slot Tech...probably more akin to my Mergress on 2 to 2 1/2. Make no mistake about it though, 3 passes with a DLC/Classic/Feather will provide you excellent results and do it without knicks or weepers.

[turtle]

It seems to be a trend to have non matching (finish wise) parts in newer razors.

[crfcom]

It seems to be a trend to have non matching (finish wise) parts in newer razors.

I'm noticing the same thing. I will soon have two Tradere's heading to California for re-plates to resolve that very condition.

[fcdiscus]

Seems I am reading alot about unsatisfacory brand new Weber razors. My hunch is that they may have rushed them to market and did not pay too much attention to Quality Control. Hope I am wrong here!

[Rschan]

Give it more time

+1

[Agravic]

+1

++1

Patience.

My first shave with each different razor I have was tinged with excitement, anxiety, and hesitancy - not necessarily an optimal predictor of long-term happiness.

[Renato1]

If you'd read my write up from about 6 weeks ago, I said the same thing about my Weber DLC as what you are now saying - it is a very mild razor with a Feather.

With a Feather blade and slippery cream like Trumpers or Nomad - it doesn't work well at all.
With a standard stainless steel blade, and creams and soaps, it doesn't work well at all.
With a Feather and a soap, it starts to shave akin to the performance of a Merkur 33C with a stainless steel blade.

And, unlike every other DE razor I own, I can apply pressure like a cartridge razor, without doing damage.

I was initially somewhat disappointed with my Weber DLC, but have warmed to it after finding a use for it. As I'm in the process of experimenting with different razors and soap/blade/cream combinations, I often wind up giving myself a scraping and subsequent rash/ fine pimples, bumps etc. In the past I'd have to revert to electric razors while my face healed up, but I've found the Weber DLC and Feather do the job just as well as electric.

Also, when I'm in a hurry to attend some function - the last thing I want is a bleeding nick that alum doesn't stop, which I seemed to be getting a lot of (I guess my technique suffers when I'm in a hurry). So now I just use the Weber with Feather and soap, to ensure a nickless shave, and no blood spots on my good shirts.

This is plainly a different experience of the Weber to that which earlier owners have posted about.
Regards,
Renato

[Anthony_MQ]

Thanks for the replies guys. The aesthetics I can learn to love. The mildness is OK and can have its uses, as Renato explains. The thing I just don't think I am going to ever get used to is the enormous weight of the handle. It seems incomprehensible to me that anyone would find this beneficial. Perhaps some tips/experiences on that front would be handy.

[kingfisher]

A lot of people really like heavy razor handles. I guess it's a personal preference. At this point I feel like I can shave really well with an extremely light razor (like the Bic sensitive) all the way up to a really heavy razor (like my FaTip with the Tradere handle or my Stahly live blade, which I used this morning).

I'm not sure I even have a preference. Both light and heavy razors seem to have their benefits and drawbacks, to me.

[Anthony_MQ]

Randall,

Not trying to be sarcastic here, but genuinely interested in what you would argue are the benefits of a heavy handle.

Thanks.

[Anthony_MQ]

Tonight, I left nothing to chance. The Weber head was mounted on the brilliant Merkur 23C handle--well, brilliant performer, but very spartan in terms of finish. The soap was MdC, lathered up with my favourite custom brush sporting a 22m TGN finest (2-band) knot.

Having eliminated the monster handle from the equation, I could judge way better what was going on in the shave and actually have control over the process.

First impression: this is indeed a mild razor. Second impression: I definitely wouldn't bet a whole lot in being able to tell the results apart from a Jagger DE89. During the shave, however, the face feel was different from the Jagger. If I rule out against-the-grain passes, the Weber and Jagger are not going to give a shave that rivals something like the formidable Gillette Aristocrat. If I don't, then it's a close battle between closeness and irritation. The milder shavers are always the safer bet and it becomes a matter of your ability to judiciously apply pressure versus your ability to avoid applying it while judging angles better than Minnesota Fats.

A very good result in the end and I am looking forward to more but I have to say that the DE89 seems the much better prospect right now, albeit a razor on the wrong side of the "cool" scale these days.

[OzoneAz]

Randall,

Not trying to be sarcastic here, but genuinely interested in what you would argue are the benefits of a heavy handle.

Thanks.

Anthony I prefer heavy handles. The biggest reason for me is that I literally let the weight of the razor do the work. I apply no pressure at all. I don't know if its proven and I don't have any facts to back it up, but in my opinion weight adds to the aggressiveness/efficiency of the razor. I also seem to have more control with a heavier handle.

[GregDR]

Anthony I prefer heavy handles. The biggest reason for me is that I literally let the weight of the razor do the work. I apply no pressure at all. I don't know if its proven and I don't have any facts to back it up, but in my opinion weight adds to the aggressiveness/efficiency of the razor. I also seem to have more control with a heavier handle.

+ 1,000,000

I completely agree!

I've got a pretty rough beard and when using lighter handles it's harder to find the right amount of pressure to use. Once I'm holding the razor at the right angle the heavier handle allows me to as Chris stated "let the weight of the razor do the work". I literally use 0 pressure and it works great! but as usual YMMV.