Parker 92R vs EJ DE89 -Advice requested!

jicole75 · May 8, 2013

Hi Everyone -

I'm new to this site and love it. I'm also new to DE shaving.
I started the journey by purchasing one of the $5.00 specials on Amazon. It broke in 3 days and I sent it back for the Merkur Futur. Although it was cool, it's a bit costly and I wasn't really able to get all of the little hairs under my nose. (I never cut myself with it but I also couldn't resist going from a 1 to a 4 in the same shave!).

So, after researshing on Amazon, I selected the Parker 92R. The black handle is grippy and heavy. It's nice but doesn't shave as close as I'd like it to, and since I found this site, I see that they may not be the best made because of the butterfly mechanics.

So....everything I've read leads me to the DE89. It should shave close without killing me with razor burn, it's priced right, and it appears to be of a higher quality than the Parker.

I'd love some opinions on the DE89 vs the Parker 92R.

I also bought a box of 50 Blue Bird blades. They seem OK. Better than the one that came with the cheapie razor. Amazon reviews said the feathers are too sharp for the newbies like myself. Any opinions on these? I could potentially return them for a pro-rated refund. (The sample kits seem cool but they're priced SO high compared to other options.

I've got about 7 hours to order today and have in hand tomorrow.

Ultimately, if I could just find some opinions on these 2 razors, I'd appreciate it.

I've spent a lot of time on this site and love it. The next purchase will be the upgrade to the little badger brush that came with my Art of Shaving travel kit.

Thanks!!

mblakele · May 8, 2013

Welcome to B&B!

You might be making too many changes too quickly. Pick a razor and stick with it for two or three months, at least. The DE89 would be a good choice for that.

Taproot · May 8, 2013

The parker 92R is a tad more aggressive than an EJ DE89- if you are using it and not cutting yourself but generally not getting close shaves I'd say just stick to it, close shaves come from practice. Use one razor and go through a sampler.

Mason_07 · May 8, 2013

I heavily researched my first razor when I got into this game (back in January). I too found that most of the advice lead me to the DE89. I picked one up and it has been my go-to razor since. It definitely took me the first few months to get the knack of changing from an electric razor over to a DE. I now have great/close/comfortable shaves each day though. I have gone crazy buying vintage Gillette's and now have a pretty big collection of those (35+) as well. I've incorporated some of those into my rotation on occasion. The fit/finish, smoothness, quality, looks, and heavy feel of the EJ DE89 however is just unparalelled compared to what other options i've tried so far. I don't have any experience with the Parker, but think you'll be very happy with the EJ DE89. The quality is unquestionable. Enjoy!

Codfish · May 8, 2013

I am not a fan of Parker. I bought the 91R and 99R and both were disappointing in terms of quality. Skip the Parker. IMO.

Mick · May 8, 2013

Welcome to B&B

Get one of the Merkur slant razors (39c long handle or 37c short handle). Will shave you close and is very gentle.

If you have not already done so, stop into the Hall of Fame and tell everyone a little about yourself

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/forumdisplay.php/30-Hall-of-Fame

seanusa · May 8, 2013

as far as quality there is no comparison, EJ hands down, however as far as the shave goes assuming your Parker is not flawed and mechanically sound I say stick with it and spend the money on the EVERYTHING sampler from WCS.

Just as a side I have a Muhle R41 that's around $60 and a Cadet OC that was around $15 and the Muhle is hands down the more quality piece, but I have gotten some of the best shaves ever from the Cadet. Go figure, YMMV :001_smile

Leatherface · May 9, 2013

I've got the EJ in question and it's a great razor. I can get really close shaves from it with the right blade and good technique. The quality of the finish on mine is flawless.

I also have the Razorock Jaws OC which has the same head as the Cadet that the gentleman who posted before me mentioned. It's much more aggressive than the EJ but I get a better shave from it with less work.

The EJ is a great buy. I've rarely heard bad things about it. I've certainly got nothing but love for it.

The great thing about DE razors is there's a lot of them. Buy one, try one. If you get one and don't like it you can sell it on the BST at a small loss. Consider that small loss a rental fee for the opportunity to try it. I bet you'll like it though. Buy with confidence.

nano · May 9, 2013

Proud owner of a DE89L: it's a great razor and works well with almost any blade.
Pros: it's quite cheap, great finish, very good head, quite heavy, easy to manage and to shave with.
Cons: I still haven't found any...

rxonmymind · May 9, 2013

I've had a LOT of razors go through my hand and the one that continues to stay is the EJ. It's an excellent razor and seems to be the "magic" razor with any blade I put into it with the exception one which I won't mention as your starting out. Can't go wrong with the EJ. Welcome to B&B & enjoy your journey and let us know what type of set up you have and any difficulties you may experience. We'll help you the best we can.
Cheers!

+1 on West coast shaving. An Excellent vendor here on B&B as is Bullgoose shaving and Italian barber. All three are Ace's.
Below is the for VENDORS section only where they announce new products, changes, etc
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/forumdisplay.php/92-Vendor-Items-For-Sale

Next is WCS as we refer to them short hand...John the owner is tops.
http://www.westcoastshaving.com/

Next is Bullgoose. Phil is a great guy to deal with...
http://www.bullgooseshaving.net/

Finally IB...
http://www.italianbarber.com/

Between those three your bases should be covered in shaving supplies. NOT that I'm encouraging you.... :biggrin1:

BrianC · May 9, 2013

I have a DE89 that I won in a PIF and I love it. Great shave, not aggressive at all but I don't have super thick, coarse hair either.

Razor burn is almost non-existent.

shoulderpet · May 9, 2013

jicole75 said:
Hi Everyone -

I'm new to this site and love it. I'm also new to DE shaving.
I started the journey by purchasing one of the $5.00 specials on Amazon. It broke in 3 days and I sent it back for the Merkur Futur. Although it was cool, it's a bit costly and I wasn't really able to get all of the little hairs under my nose. (I never cut myself with it but I also couldn't resist going from a 1 to a 4 in the same shave!).

So, after researshing on Amazon, I selected the Parker 92R. The black handle is grippy and heavy. It's nice but doesn't shave as close as I'd like it to, and since I found this site, I see that they may not be the best made because of the butterfly mechanics.

So....everything I've read leads me to the DE89. It should shave close without killing me with razor burn, it's priced right, and it appears to be of a higher quality than the Parker.

I'd love some opinions on the DE89 vs the Parker 92R.

I also bought a box of 50 Blue Bird blades. They seem OK. Better than the one that came with the cheapie razor. Amazon reviews said the feathers are too sharp for the newbies like myself. Any opinions on these? I could potentially return them for a pro-rated refund. (The sample kits seem cool but they're priced SO high compared to other options.

I've got about 7 hours to order today and have in hand tomorrow.

Ultimately, if I could just find some opinions on these 2 razors, I'd appreciate it.

I've spent a lot of time on this site and love it. The next purchase will be the upgrade to the little badger brush that came with my Art of Shaving travel kit.

Thanks!!

Hi , being a fairly mild razor I don't think you will get a closer shave from the DE89 than you will with the Parker (this will come with practice), however it is a better made razor in terms of build quality than the Parker (although I admit that I am tempted by the parker barberpole razors) and I do understand wanting to have a good razor to shave with. Regards to your equipment (Razors, blades) try not to change more than one thing at a time that way if you have any issues you can easily backtrack and find the cause

redrako · May 9, 2013

Welcome to B&B.

I would recommend the EJ 89 over the Parker. Although wet shaving is not difficult, there are a lot of variables, such as building a good lather or learning effective angle and pressure, that need to be learned. The fact is that the EJ 89 is not only an effective razor, it's also a forgiving razor.

Like Codfish, I owned a 91R, in fact it was my first and only razor for a long time. Although I learned to shave with the 91R, it was an aggressive razor with a large blade exposure. Unlike Codfish's experience, mine was nicely constructed, and in fact had a great build quality. However, for me as a newbie, it was a meat cleaver.

There have been reports that Parker has been working to improve it's quality and that the newer heads are less aggressive. I don't know if the 92R fits in that category. However after reading B&B for a few years, I've read a lot of posts about Parker quality issues and never read any posts complaining about EJ quality.

Gadget guy · May 9, 2013

I have both these razors - EJ hands down (for me anyway).

Both shave well, but I find the EJ is smoother and the quality of the Parker was iffy (the doors on mine don't open all that smooth. Still functional but blade changes are a bit of a pain).

GG

sandtrout · May 15, 2013

I started with the parker 92R...an aggressive mistake! Luckily, I found this site (B&B) and corrected what I was doing wrong (proper preparation and very low pressure) which stopped almost all of the post burn and nicks but...I was afraid of this razor and no longer having fun shaving so...I ordered an EJ DE 89 AND a Gillette Fat Boy. The GIllette worked so well that I sent the EJ back without trying it. If I were to consider a back up, It would be ANOTHER Fat Boy, a Slim, or a Mergress. I really like the adjustables as opposed to the one-size-fits-all razors. If I were to choose that type of razor...without a doubt it would be the EJ 89. Hope this helps or at least gives you more to think about.

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Parker 92R vs EJ DE89 -Advice requested!

jicole75

mblakele

Taproot

Mason_07

Codfish

Mick

seanusa

Leatherface

nano

rxonmymind

BrianC

shoulderpet

redrako

Gadget guy

sandtrout

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