My first DE razor - A Parker Interceptor.

**Jason T.** · 05-29-2009, 02:59 PM

Ive decided to take the plunge and invest in my very first DE razor. It is a brand new Parker Interceptor and it came with 6 Gillette 7 o'clock blades. I bought it off eBay for a tenner.

One reason why I decided to go DE is to help the environment by not throwing out loads of plastic cartridges as well as the big savings on blades. When my skills improve with my DE im looking to upgrade to something more substantial (or even to a Slant Bar once fully mastered).

I really hope to see a huge benefit in the quality of my shaves as im willing to learn to use my DE properly. I'll take a look at some of the DE threads on this site.

**highball** · 05-29-2009, 03:02 PM

I had a Parker Interceptor and it was junk , it lasted a week till one of the doors fell off.
Good luck with yours

**Sharpj74** · 05-29-2009, 07:48 PM

Welcome to the world of DE shaving. Don't let someone's bad experience deter you from trying something great. You'll find that trying new & different set ups as your skill progresses will provide different results. But enjoy every step of the way.

**Jason T.** · 05-30-2009, 03:23 AM

Originally Posted by Sharpj74

Welcome to the world of DE shaving. Don't let someone's bad experience deter you from trying something great. You'll find that trying new & different set ups as your skill progresses will provide different results. But enjoy every step of the way.

Hiya, I just received my DE today. It came with Gillette 7 o'clock blades instead of Feathers. I tried it out today doing a 3 pass shave, twice with the grain and once against the grain. I was pretty impressed considering it was my first shave. Obviously I got a few nicks here and there but it does feel a lot better than with my Mach 3. The noise it makes when shaving the hair is a lot louder than my Mach 3 though! I'll definetly upgrade to a Merkur or the like when I improve though.

**PaulX608** · 05-30-2009, 03:38 AM

Congrats on the first DE shave! Glad you like your Parker, and the Merkurs are good as well. Don't be too quick to rule out vintage razors, though. There are lots of them out there and they shave as well, if not better, than new models. Until the rest of us buy them all, that is!

Welcome to our wacky little community!

**bogbrush** · 05-30-2009, 06:10 AM

I hope your Parker is fine, quite a lot of them are a bit dodgy

**DunEdinRanger** · 05-30-2009, 06:23 AM

Jason,

Welcome. For $10 you can't really go wrong with a training razor and blades.

You may also want to check out the B/S/T for some nice deals there.

**Jason T.** · 05-30-2009, 06:25 AM

Originally Posted by bogbrush

I hope your Parker is fine, quite a lot of them are a bit dodgy

My Parker seems well made, its solid, there are no loose bits and it holds the blade securly and evenly (the blade sticks out equally on both sides of the head)

I know its not the best razor in the world compared to a Merkur (Ive held a Merkur in the shaving shop), but it was cheap and came with free blades so I thought it makes a good beginner's razor. I didn't want to spend too much on a DE to begin with in case I didn't like it. I'll give this razor several more goes and I'll let you know how I get on with it.

**SRock** · 05-30-2009, 07:22 AM

Like I said in Chat, get away from the Parker and use your Tech!

Jarmo P · 05-30-2009, 07:38 AM

From my limited experience comparing other razors. My HD's are great and the Progress is too a nice shaver. You have the amount of control to go gently and know the razors attack.

What I wonder most is Parker is supposed to be an aggressive shaver and with Feather blades as a starter?

**Jason T.** · 05-30-2009, 07:39 AM

Originally Posted by Jarmo P

What I wonder most is Parker is supposed to be an aggressive shaver and with Feather blades as a starter?

It didn't come with Feathers. It came with Gillette 7 o'clock blades. The seller on eBay must have listed the wrong blades by mistake.

**ScYcS** · 05-30-2009, 08:22 AM

Sure it's 7'o'clock blades and not 7'am blades? I see a lot of Parkers sold with the 7am blades and those blades are the worst of the worst. Kinda fits that they come with parker razors as i consider those razors also the worst of the worst actually...

**Jason T.** · 05-30-2009, 11:08 AM

Originally Posted by ScYcS

Sure it's 7'o'clock blades and not 7'am blades? I see a lot of Parkers sold with the 7am blades and those blades are the worst of the worst. Kinda fits that they come with parker razors as i consider those razors also the worst of the worst actually...

They are definetly 7 o'clock blades and not 7 am blades. Ive just checked the packaging myself.

**ScYcS** · 05-30-2009, 12:43 PM

Originally Posted by Jason T.

They are definetly 7 o'clock blades and not 7 am blades. Ive just checked the packaging myself.

That's good.

**Kevan** · 05-30-2009, 12:46 PM

Parkers get a bad rep but I've had two and they've both been fine & solidly built. In fact, my 3-piece Parker has a head that looks just like the "new" Muhle/EJ head that everyone raves about. I's a smooth shaver with a decent blade gap. The only thing that separates it from my Merkurs is that the Parker's nickel coating is a bit thinner.

It's all about what works best for you. If you like it and it satisfies you, great; there's no need to get something else just because people say Parkers are bad compared to (fill in the blank). If it doesn't, then get something else, but only after you give it a fair shake.

**Dubbya** · 05-30-2009, 12:51 PM

Originally Posted by bogbrush

I hope your Parker is fine, quite a lot of them are a bit dodgy

I sincerely believe, from my own experience with them over the years, that if you bought an entire shipping crate of Parkers, about half of them would be bound for the garbage bin. They seem to have serious quality control issues.

Some are good shavers and some are smelting pot fodder.

To the OP, I'm glad you seem to have gotten a good one.

Welcome aboard.

rainman · 05-30-2009, 12:53 PM

Originally Posted by Dubbya

I sincerely believe, from my own experience with them over the years, that if you bought an entire shipping crate of Parkers, about half of them would be bound for the garbage bin. They seem to have serious quality control issues.

Some are good shavers and some are smelting pot fodder.

I just don't understand why they don't up the quality and ask for $10-$15 more per razor. Their market thrives on newbies not wanting someone's used Gillette and not wanting to spend Merkur prices from the start.

**ScYcS** · 05-30-2009, 01:22 PM

They're $20 as is. If they get to $30 or $35, nobody buys them anymore and everyone just buys a Merkur, or, even better, a Edwin Jagger with Muehle head (best razor out there for the money right now imho).

Prices as is:

Parker ~$20-25
Merkur HD ~$27-35
EJ Muehle R89 ~30-35

If Parker would put more money in QA and makes them $5 or $10 more, nobody buys parker.