Why so many different DE’s

I recently joined another wet shaving forum in Canada and the majority of those who post seem to be using DE’s. The number and variety of DE’s exhibited there blows me away.

There are so many new DE manufacturers in addition to the well established makers that it makes me wonder why so many tinkerers think they can make the ultimate double edge shaver. How many ways can you tweak the design and produce something unique?

I am also blown away by the price range - from under $50 to a couple of hundred dollars. Are they appealing to vanity or do some of these expensive pieces have features that make them more valuable? I only have a Rockwell (my most expensive), a couple of Merkurs (mid-range) and a cheap Fendrihan I won in a draw so I have no experience with the top of the line models.

Aside from the fact that there are some pretty terrible razors out there, what makes one DE so much better than the others that the maker can charge a premium for it?

My guess is that how a DE shaves depends mostly on the head design. Things like blade gap, blade exposure, the curve of the top cap, how well/ridgidly the blade is held in the head and other parameters all have a bearing on it. Makes for an almost infinite number of combinations and that makes it a tinkerers delight.

I was lucky enough to get a Wolfman WR1 OC head with a 0.74 blade gap before the first of several price increases and can say the fit and finish are near perfect and stainless steel beats the heck out of a plated finish. You are just paying for that and being made in low production volume. I thoroughly enjoy the shaves I am getting from it. That said there are several other modern DEs that I also thoroughly enjoy the shaves from as well. Those others range from the Muhle R41, Merkur slant, plastic Fine slant and Merkur 45 bakelite. There is no direct correlation between price paid and how well a DE will shave from what I can see.

Vintage DEs are another can of worms that add rarity and condition into the equation as far as price goes. There seems to be no guarantee, regardless of price paid, that a vintage DE will shave any better than or worse than a modern DE. The shave quality varies as much with them as it goes with modern razors.

It is all very similar to the pricing of modern and vintage straight razors.

Bob

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Originally Posted by BobH

My guess is that how a DE shaves depends mostly on the head design. Things like blade gap, blade exposure, the curve of the top cap, how well/ridgidly the blade is held in the head and other parameters all have a bearing on it. Makes for an almost infinite number of combinations and that makes it a tinkerers delight.

Bob

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Yup, it's all about the way that blade hits my face for me. But the handle is a factor. Come to think of it so is the weight and colour. Like Bob said, blade gap, exposure... Hell, brand name alone could be reason enough! There's tons of ways to tweak a DE razor.

But seriously why did anyone bother building a new handgun after the 1911? Why build the Concord when you have the 747. The fact that you ask why there are so many different DE's, to me means that you don't see the beauty in the DE, but rather, see it as a mere tool - which is cool. I'm like that with cars. My buddies my whole life have talked about their cars, I just never gave a rats... it's just a hunk of metal that gets you to where you are going and depreciates in value at an alarming rate. Worst investment ever lol!

David you are right, I take a fairly utilitarian view of DE’s, but I do appreciate the aesthetics of straights. I use a DE when I don’t have the time to use a straight and when I shave with a straight, it is a pleasurable event. When I shave with a DE it’s a job.

Guess I’m a snob in that way.

I will have to pay closer attention to the details, functional and artistic, in the DE’s in the future. Too many options with DE’s, single blades, injectors, multi-blades, etc make it hard to see the forest for the trees and pictures don’t highlight the differences as clearly as they do with straight razors.

Admittedly I do not use a DE but for maybe once a year. However, the differences between them might exist but whether or not they amount to anything is debatable. I owned a few at one time and felt that it was a case of difference without distinction. Handle length was the only thing that really seemed to make any difference. What it came down to mostly was the blade. Others will surely feel different but I wouldn't be overly persuaded by the marketing.

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Originally Posted by OCDshaver

Admittedly I do not use a DE but for maybe once a year. However, the differences between them might exist but whether or not they amount to anything is debatable. I owned a few at one time and felt that it was a case of difference without distinction. Handle length was the only thing that really seemed to make any difference. What it came down to mostly was the blade. Others will surely feel different but I wouldn't be overly persuaded by the marketing.

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The difference between my R41 and any other DE I've had was measurable. I liked it so much I got two. The second I placed an aftermarket handle on - completely different shave from my original.

You have to like em to see the difference. If you aren't into men, all men are boring. If you are into women, then all of a sudden there is red heads, blonds, well endowed, not so well endowed... etc., etc.

If you want to see the difference in how a DE razor can shave, just take a Gillette Fat Boy adjustable and do a quick hurried shave with it set @ 1 and then a quick hurried shave with it set @ 9. Believe me, you will notice a difference. With an aggressive/efficient razor like the Gillette adjustable set @ 9 it will take all the concentration and skill as using a straight razor and likely the reason a fair number of new DE users have bad experiences with them. Personally, the only way I can get a shave that rivals what I get with a straight razor for closeness and longevity from a DE is to use an aggressive one. That is using the aggressive DE with the same care as I would a straight razor in order not to butcher my face up.


Bob

If you talk to anyone who has a lot of experience with a DE they will tell you they all shave differently and feel differently.

As to the price, why do some straights cost what they do and others more or less. Sometimes it's obvious like scale materials and exotic steel but often times there is no reason.

Many of these super DEs (I mean that in price) are products of one guy who takes months or years to design and produces in small quantities and has to outsource everything.

Then there is the fact folks charge what they think their creation is worth and foks pay it.

I guess there is some ultimate design out there waiting to be discovered and until it is folks will continue to tweak designs to attain it.