Best cheap de for a beginner

I want to get my brother in law a de to get him off the cartridges but don't hold a lot of hope that he will stick with it. I have been doing a lot of looking around and have at the moment narrowed it to a feather popular or a weishi as I want something mild to start him on. I have been scouring ebay but the razors go for more than these are worth and the postage doubles the price till its $45 to 50. If anyone has and suggestions in the lower range or what models please let me know. Rest assured if he follows through I will get him something nice. Thanks for your help.

Wilkinson swords plastic razor is surprisingly nice to use and comes with a pack of blades for around $10. Its a very mild DE and makes a good travel razor too. Search YouTube there are several reviews on it.

Watch the antique shops too. I picked up a 62 Gillette slim for $5. 20 minutes scrubbing it with toothpaste and it looks new. It also function perfectly. Same story on a 58 fatboy I bought for $9. They had been left covered in soap scum and with blades in them. They looked ruined and full of rust. Well blades rust but chrome doesn't. They cleaned up easy. A little scrubbing, oil and disinfectant. Good as new.

I'm in the local antique store regularally but they never have de just straights. Will check out the Wilkinson. Had also considered the gillette 7 clock but wanted something more substantial.

FEATHER Hi-Stainless Double Edge Razor POPULAR with 2 Blades Freeshipping | eBay
$14.66 including shipping.

If it was me, I would lend/give him one of mine that I wouldn't mind losing. If he likes it great, he can keep it, if not he can return it to me.

This is the one I'm talking about:

Amazon.com: Wilkinson Sword Classic (Razor + 5 Blades): Health & Personal Care

They sell them at Boots (chemist) in the UK.

Here is a video review:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvtkIvCC8d4

I've seen the Lord razor recommended in the past as well: Amazon.com: Double Edge Razor LORD Chrome ---GREAT VALUE---: Health & Personal Care
It's a Gillette ball tech clone made in the middle east.
I bought one once but didn't get a chance to try it out before I gave it to a coworker.

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Originally Posted by RedGladiator

FEATHER Hi-Stainless Double Edge Razor POPULAR with 2 Blades Freeshipping | eBay
$14.66 including shipping.

If it was me, I would lend/give him one of mine that I wouldn't mind losing. If he likes it great, he can keep it, if not he can return it to me.

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That is the feather one I was looking at. Unfortunately the only 2 I have are heirloom ones from deceased grandfathers that I would be very upset with being damaged or lost

Pass the wilki, it is plastic and IMO the feel of metal head is far ahead of plastics. Maybe Microtouch? Or a vintage from ebay?

Trust me I have been searching ebay for a week solid and there is nothing coming cheap due to shipping. I will check out the other recomendation as well

the lord L6 is a murker clone shaves great but the handle is aluminum so its light if you want a cheap tto get a weishi thats also called the microtoch one sold at walmart for 20 bucks but the weishi is 6 bucks on the bay and its the same exact razor. gilette techs usually go cheap on the bay 10-15 bucks but being new some people think used razors are nasty so id play it safe and get him a new one

From the 2 I have (tech and flare tip rocket ) I think the tto would be the go as I had better shaves from it and prefered the weight and is a solid bloke I'm buying for so think that he will too.

Hi Eddy, get him a Merkur 1904. Men's Biz in Melbourne is the best place to get one in Australia. Forget the rest, this is a quality razor and when teamed with Astra or Feather blades he can't go wrong.

EJ 89 or Parker 24C are my 2 go to DE razors. Not sure if you can find them on Ebay or in Aus though. The Parker was like $30.

Dont know about in Australia but here, beauty supply shops carry cheap Chinese DE razors. I'd THINK Pacific rim stuff (maybe a Weishi) would be cheap and easy to find.

A vintage gillette super speed. I haven't bought a DE in ages, but when I got mine, they were cheap ($10 for a nice one) and they're mild.

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Originally Posted by Maladroit

Hi Eddy, get him a Merkur 1904. Men's Biz in Melbourne is the best place to get one in Australia. Forget the rest, this is a quality razor and when teamed with Astra or Feather blades he can't go wrong.

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Concur. An excellent razor at a great price. The open comb Merk 1904 (41C) Classic is duh schizz for a new guy.

You can get an Edwin Jagger for about $30 ish on Amazon (And probably most retailers) a great razor. and if you didnt like it they fech a similar price on the bay even the used ones.
Its a great razor in terms of looks and shaving ability.

Good luck with which ever razor you choose

The Cadet razors are cheap, well-made, good shavers - I recommend them highly.

I won't say much about shipping internationally. I will also suggest antique shops. Sometimes it takes a few trips. I just found a nice vintage with a large comb for less than $9 US. I'm sure there has to be someplace near you that has nice vintage items. If you don't mind international shipping you can also check out/price SRD. They have sone good quality razors for reasonable money (not counting shipping). Good luck!

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Originally Posted by tom475

I won't say much about shipping internationally. I will also suggest antique shops. Sometimes it takes a few trips. I just found a nice vintage with a large comb for less than $9 US. I'm sure there has to be someplace near you that has nice vintage items. If you don't mind international shipping you can also check out/price SRD. They have sone good quality razors for reasonable money (not counting shipping). Good luck!

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International shipping is the only reason I haven't got him a vintage one yet. The local antique store never has de's I should know I go there regularly to get the best straights they get in. I have been checking out the suggestions and the merkur and the ej razors seem to be 3 piece razors and I am wanting a tto. I did find a Parker 95r for 37 inc shipping and was wondering on opinions on this razor.

I started with a Parker 96R as my first DE. It came as a package with a sample of Shark razor blades. It has worked like a champ for me for the past 8 months. I just started SR shaving this past week so I am using DE much less now. Not a reflection on the Parker but I started wet shaving to get into SR.

I tend to have a thick European beard that grown like old hardwood forests. Nothing gentle here. The Parker was easy to learn with and it is forgiving to me. I like the longer handle but I have ham hocks for hands so I can really use the longer handle. With simple maintance and basic care the Parker should last several years, I would think.

Hope an opinion helps with your decision. Just remember that all opinions are like armpits and the bottom of feet: they all stink and mine stink more than most:gl:

I'd get him a Gillette Tech or a Schick Krona (TTO) as they're inexpensive, and although he won't get a bunch of nicks and cuts, you can still get a close shave with them.

Just to let you know how it has gone. After much badgering of the wife (her brother btw) I managed to increase the amount spent and got him a good condition Gillette slim adjustable with the reasoning that it is good to learn on wont need upgrading and if its not for him he can give it back to me and I can move on to the next convert. Thanks for all the help I don't know about de and the information has been great.

Weida Co. LTD is one of the big manufacturer in China.
The Original Butterfly Style Razor_Foshan City Shunde WEIDA Industrial CO.,LTD

Weishi 9306 is well known, a good homage to Gillette Rocket Flare Tip.
In the last years, the long version has 3 new handles with a bunch of colors.

https://i.imgur.com/VwuJLBB.jpg