Long handle for DB89?Lady opinions would be awesome!

Still pretty new to DEs, but I'm getting BBS shaves in most places on my face. Spots/irritation are almost non-existent and my skin is looking (and feeling) great! SWMBO has taken notice and is now getting curious. My wife would like to test the waters, but pointed out the difficulty she would have with the short handle on my DB89. So a couple of questions for all you pros out there....

Would a DB89 be a good place to start for a lady?

Anybody know of a longish handle I can get for my DB89?

If the handle is close to the price of a razor, are there any modern razors (my wife isn't interested in used/vintage) suggested specifically for the ladies?

Thanks in advance!!!!

I'm not a lady, but I have a girlfriend who took interest in DE razors. I recommend perhaps the EJ head with the Merkur 180 handle. That should be a great compromise, the most of the weight centered in the head, very easy to drag against the grain with no pressure on the legs.

Good luck!

Thanks, JL! Sorry for the basic follow up, but I guess this means that the 180 handle fits onto the EJ head? Same threading and such? Thanks again!

ShavetheWhales said:

Thanks, JL! Sorry for the basic follow up, but I guess this means that the 180 handle fits onto the EJ head? Same threading and such? Thanks again!

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Got me there. I assumed it would. Hopefully other members will chime in with some direct experience.

While I don't know the answer to your actual question .. I have a Parker 96R, it's got the longer handle on it (same with their 29L which really looks like the lady Gillete most people recommend). It's not the highest of caliber razors. It works though. Most people recommended that I buy the lady gillette when I was searching but I wanted new instead of vintage.

I don't actually find the need to HAVE a longer handle though. It may depend on how she ends up shaving and how limber she is. I realize that's a little weird to say but if you are fairly flexible you'll likely be using that to your advantage instead of needing a longer razor (at least that's what I do). I wouldn't have an issue with a shorter razor.

One advantage though is that if you tend to grip your razor nearer to the head you might get more pressure than is needed and a longer one can force you to grip at the back end.

Take this with a bucket of salt, I'm very new to all this.

I'm pretty sure even a lower caliber DE is better than the best cartridge. Do you find that to be true with your Parker?

ShavetheWhales said:

Thanks, JL! Sorry for the basic follow up, but I guess this means that the 180 handle fits onto the EJ head? Same threading and such? Thanks again!

Click to expand...

J743 said:

Got me there. I assumed it would. Hopefully other members will chime in with some direct experience.

Click to expand...

The Merkur 180/23C handle will work well

For modern long-handle:
- Muhle R89 Grande - Same razor head as the EJ DE89 but with a long handle.
- Parker 29L

For vintage long-handle:
- Lady Gillette
- Gillette Long Handle Super Adjustable (Black Beauty)

ShavetheWhales said:

I'm pretty sure even a lower caliber DE is better than the best cartridge. Do you find that to be true with your Parker?

Click to expand...

I have posted a thread titled, "Philosophical Discussion: The razor or the blade", which goes into my experiences with this particular razor. In short, the experience hasn't been bad but I'm not blown away. I have had better shaves from my cheapy little disposables.