would like to have some advice of DE razors

Hi folks,

now i'm shaving since 1 year and half with my straight razors which i like to use, prepare and to have them. for my opinion, this the joy of the life. but sometime, it arrives me to be so tired, or to harry to move out, not so many time, need a quick shave. that's why i open this thread, i would like to have some advices and information to chose a DE razor ( i hope i'm in good section to post this).

as i saw there some kind of DE's. papillon, 3 pieces and also stright bord and grill bord. i would like to know the differences about these; sensation of shaving... which will help me to chose a DE.

DE razors just like straights are a personal preference.
Some people say that open comb models are ore agressive, some do not find differences. The aggressiveness comes from the blade exposure/blade gap , which vary for different models and makers.
You can try Gillette slim adjustable, which as the name suggests has adjustment for the blade gap. That model may just be the only razor you will need to try since it will probably have a setting that will work for you.
From the modern crop of razors, Merkur 34 C is very popular and highly regarded. Parker and Edwin Jager also are very well received. I personally like Maggard Razors V3 very much, it is very inexpensive well made and gives very close shaves.

One thing to also keep in mind is that the same razor will shave differently depending on the type of blade used. Get sample packs of blades and test which owrk for you with the razor of choice.

Good luck

+1 to Stefan's post. With a Gillette adjustable or some other adjustable you could have a DE that is all you would ever need. You can begin at a mild setting and as your DE technique improves you can slowly change the setting towards a more aggressive one. It is as good a one size fits all DE solution as you are likely to find.

Bob

thanks for advices. these adjustable ones are old razors or new?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Oustoura

thanks for advices. these adjustable ones are old razors or new?

---

Gillette DE razors are vintage razors. Current production Gillette are not double edge but rather multi edge razors.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Oustoura

thanks for advices. these adjustable ones are old razors or new?

---

The Gillette adjustables are old/vintage DEs but there are some new ones currently made by Merkur such as their Progress and Futur models.

Bob

yes i saw those merkur ones', they are too expensive that i rather to pay for a stragith razor and not on a DE. i think i will look around for a Gilette DE as you recommended.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Oustoura

yes i saw those merkur ones', they are too expensive that i rather to pay for a stragith razor and not on a DE. i think i will look around for a Gilette DE as you recommended.

---

I don't know if the Gillette ones in good condition are much less expensive than the Merkur ones if you are looking on ebay. Over here they still can be had inexpensively at yards sales if you are patient. Good luck with your search.

Bob

Gotta say, I recently went a bit crazy and got some vintage DE razors. I too, thought that a slim, or a fatboy, will be the way to go, for the reasons already mentioned. Truth is, for me, Gillette slim adjustable lacks the balance, so I sold it as soon as I got a Fatboy. As far as adjustables go, for me, Fatboy is the way to go.

Then I got a few more DEs, some bought, some received from fellow wetshavers to try out, etc.

Today I can say, the adjustable factor is not as important, as I thought it would be. In fact I believe it isn't important at all. My best DE shaves were delivered by (all vintage here) English Gillette New type long comb, especially the one with raised flat bottom - RFB, the New improved silver Bostonian, heavier TTO aristocrats and similar heads (like #58 and 1934 TTO aka #15 OC aristocrat). All of these razors have one thing in common - they weigh around 60-70g on average and I like that - Shave me well and fit great in my hand, with great balance.

I almost forgot to mention my Hoffritz slant (or its modern day brother, Merkur 37C slant bar), which is a totally different beast and with a slightly different technique, deliveres an amazing shave.

The blades however, will make the real difference - just repeating whats been said. Pol silver, Voskhod and Rapira are highly regarded as sharp and comfortable blades that last more than a few shaves. Feather is high on my list, too, but not everyone likes the sharpness and aggressiveness it offers.

I was a DE shaver for years before I started with straights. I've owned quite a few DEs and still have waay too many. I only use one.... a Merkur HD. I have a Merkur Vision adjustable, a Futur adjustable and I had a Progress adjustable. They all ended up with about the same gap setting as a fixed Merkur HD and so they proved to be pointless. Perhaps the worst thing about an adjustable DE is that you never stop fiddling with the adjustment.... Also, different weights of DE razors mean you will probably find different blades are better in each one.

I've had a few Gillette vintage DEs that are adjustable, and none of them shaved me well... It wasn't the razor, it was my face and beard that just prefers a more open and exposed blade. Some gents swear by the Gillettes... I swear at them. OK, except for ONE Gillette Tech I found NOS and that shaved me like a dream. I foolishly gave that one to a friend, thinking I could find another one and I did... but it did not shave the same as the one I gave away. So, I went back to the Merkur HD and have not bothered with anything else since.

I have a couple of different brands of blades I like in the HD and so if I ever find myself without a honed straight, I'm set. With 30+ straights, that's not very likely! <grin>

Don't forget about the Feather Artist Club straights, they have replaceable blades, are meant for shaving with, and, are wicked sharp/smooth. You need a very light touch with one, but they shave great if you keep up your end of the bargain. These razors are not cheap, nor are they the same as the cheapo "shavette' ones that use half a DE blade which I find are just good for nicking yourself.

So, a Merkur HD (34C) and a blade sampler and you should be fine.

Regards

Christian

I started my wet shaving journey with DE's, and I still use them every time I shave, even if it's just to shave my head and touch up the face. Some days, when I'm in a rush, I'll turn to the DE's for the entire shave.

I have 4, all Gillettes, 2 adjustable. One is a Slim, another is a Black Beauty long handled adjustable. Then, I have Tech and a Superspeed. For me, the non-adjustables tend to be my favorites, but I love my Slim and BB as well. They all balance differently, shave differently. If I want a close shave, I'll grab my Black Beauty. If I'm concerned about comfort, I'll reach for the Tech or the SS. As Srdjan said, the blades make a huge difference. I tend to go with Feathers and Astra Platinums as my daily drivers. Find the right blade, and a so-so DE can become an absolute dream to use.

I prefer vintage DE's, just as I prefer vintage straights. But, I have several friends who love their Mongoose's (Mongeese????), Razorock Slants, Merkurs, etc. Find what works best for you. And, what I've found is that, even though I enjoy my DE shaves, I end up wishing that I'd had the time to use a straight instead

The advantage that an adjustable DE has is that it will let you adjust the blade gap to suit your skin and your skill level without buying multiple fixed blade razors till you get one fixed blade razor that you like. It is possible that if you buy a fixed blade DE that is a mild shaver that as your skill level improves you may go looking for a more aggressive one to give you a more satisfying shave. You can go through quite a few till you find one you like.

I started using a Gillette Fat Boy set @6, a medium setting for aggressiveness, but finished off at 9 using a feather blade after using a straight razor taught me the importance of no weight and the right angle. I could have stayed with that one DE but did not.

I did learn that I like very aggressive DEs/SEs to get a satisfying shave. There are many ways to go.

If you like aggressive DEs, then some vintage Gillette OCs, the Fatip, Muhle R41 2013 version, Wolfman OC head with the blade gap set to 0.74 and a few others will fit the bill. The Merkur slant is very close in performance to those and I would not call it aggressive but more efficient because of it's slant head design. The Merkur slant is a really well balanced DE.

Bob

I would tell anyone who asked me to skip DE's and get an SE razor instead, in my opinion a superior shave, my Ever Ready 1912 is my favorite non straight shaving tool, just fabulous and cheap as chips !

best regards

john

Right now I think the Mongoose SE is about as good as it gets with the perfect balance between a great shave and not too aggressive.

i don't like SE razors. you need to change the sense of blade after shaving.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Oustoura

i don't like SE razors. you need to change the sense of blade after shaving.

---

Sorry, not understanding what you are meaning here.

Bob

Sorry I meant even if I use a SE I'll need to put a DE blade inside right? So after used a side of the blade I have change the blade's side to use which is not used.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Oustoura

Sorry I meant even if I use a SE I'll need to put a DE blade inside right? So after used a side of the blade I have change the blade's side to use which is not used.

---

No, SE razors don't use DE blades. Some are like these below.

I started wet shaving with a Dovo stainless straight. Some of the customers that came into the Knife Shop I work part time in talked about using double edge. I had to give it a try. I just continued to bid on Ebay until I purchased a nice clean Gillette Slim Adjustable at a reasonable price. I now have three that I didn't pay more then 40.00 for. I think the cheapest was purchased for 19.95.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by onimaru55

No, SE razors don't use DE blades. Some are like these below.

---

Oh OK. I did not know the blades. The first one is a feather I think but for shavettes ?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Oustoura

Oh OK. I did not know the blades. The first one is a feather I think but for shavettes ?

---

Yes. for a shavette tho some of the old injector styles used a smilar blade

Not sure what injector or GEM style SE availability is in Europe, might be better for him to stick to DE as he's only looking for occasional use? From that perspective I'd try whatever vintage DE he can locate there,

i found a gillette adjust. as you recommended. i will give it a try when i received. by the way, do you know if there is any box to keep it in with blades?

a pic for exemple;

Attachment 233070


i know there is original box for gillette adjust. but it's plastic and i don't really like thay way it looks.

Congrats, do show some pictures when you get it. I believe the boxes you would like, such as the one pictured, would be too small for the Fatboy. It is thicker and longer than most razors Gillette had put in nice metal/leather/wooden boxes.

That's a nice Leresche by the way ;-)

As for the shave, try it around the middle setting WTG (maybe 6-7) and decrease, as you go XTG and ATG. I go ATG at 1, or 2. Gives a nice close shave, free of irritation.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Srdjan

Congrats, do show some pictures when you get it. I believe the boxes you would like, such as the one pictured, would be too small for the Fatboy. It is thicker and longer than most razors Gillette had put in nice metal/leather/wooden boxes.

That's a nice Leresche by the way ;-)

As for the shave, try it around the middle setting WTG (maybe 6-7) and decrease, as you go XTG and ATG. I go ATG at 1, or 2. Gives a nice close shave, free of irritation.

---

yep, i will take some pics when i got it.

actually that's the problem the fatboy is 9cm of long. many vintage box are about 7 or 8 cm. i will see what i will find on next days.

Congratulations on your purchase. I use a Slim and I love it. My current setting is a 7 but I would suggest a lower setting to start, say 3-4 which is close to a Super Speed which is on the mild side. Once you get the angle down then crank it up. The hardest part is finding a blade that works best for your face/hair. I still haven't found the "one" but since my beard is coarse I prefer a sharper blade. I've had real good luck with Rapira and Astra SP blades, the Feather blade is super sharp but I can only get 2-3 shaves out of it before it starts tugging. I recently purchased some Gillette Silver Blue blades and these so far are a great compromise between sharpness and comfort. Good luck!

thanks for you advices guys.

are you ready?

here;

Attachment 233217Attachment 233218Attachment 233219Attachment 233220Attachment 233221Attachment 233222


some of pics are not the best quality, it's because of me. i don't have any talent of photography. :D there was some rust on i cleaned them but not tried yet.

i'm still looking for a box to put them in. btw, do you have any blade advice to use with these? i have actually some derby ones but if there is any better quality, i would like to give a try.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Oustoura

thanks for you advices guys.

are you ready?

here;

Attachment 233217Attachment 233218Attachment 233219Attachment 233220Attachment 233221Attachment 233222


some of pics are not the best quality, it's because of me. i don't have any talent of photography. :D there was some rust on i cleaned them but not tried yet.

i'm still looking for a box to put them in. btw, do you have any blade advice to use with these? i have actually some derby ones but if there is any better quality, i would like to give a try.

---

Nice looking razors! The Derby blades for me did not work too well, they tugged and I had to use pressure to get them to cut so I had irritation afterwards. I have the best luck with very sharp blades, they are more efficient but less forgiving. The beauty of your adjustable is that you can dial down the setting to use a sharper blade until you are more comfortable. I had great luck with a Feather blade on setting 3, DFS every time but they just don't last very long, 3 shaves max for me. Probably the most consistent blade for me is Astra SP, no matter the setting I get a good shave from it and usually 5-6 shaves. I've heard great things about Voskhods, Ladas and Bolzano, I have several packs on the way but I haven't tried them yet. I recently started using Gillette Silver Blues and so far they are great. A sampler pack is probably the way to go, you get several brands and can decide for yourself. Good luck in your search.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Oustoura

thanks for you advices guys.

are you ready?

here;

Attachment 233217Attachment 233218Attachment 233219Attachment 233220Attachment 233221Attachment 233222


some of pics are not the best quality, it's because of me. i don't have any talent of photography. :D there was some rust on i cleaned them but not tried yet.

i'm still looking for a box to put them in. btw, do you have any blade advice to use with these? i have actually some derby ones but if there is any better quality, i would like to give a try.

---

I think those two sampler packs will have at lest one kind that you will like

Popular Blade Sample Pack

Personna Blade Sample Pack

Polsilver Super Iridium and Voskhod blades are very highly regarded as well.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by mainaman

I think those two sampler packs will have at lest one kind that you will like

Popular Blade Sample Pack

Personna Blade Sample Pack

Polsilver Super Iridium and Voskhod blades are very highly regarded as well.

---

thanks a lot, i will see those. ;)

You may want to look into getting a Gillette DE razor. I have been using the one that was issued to me in boot camp almost 40 years ago. I still out shaves modern day technology. I recently found a metal jig to sharpen the blades with so I'm set and well prepared.
Razor shaves great, clean up is a breeze, and I get a really close shave.

don't know what you think, i tried yesterday a safety razor 3 pieces like that (mine is merkur but same head like brush);

Attachment 234194

i feel much more comfortable with this one than gillette adjustable. any other had same feeling? what's the real difference? i feel this one is much closer to shave with a straight razor but can't explain why.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Oustoura

don't know what you think, i tried yesterday a safety razor 3 pieces like that (mine is merkur but same head like brush);

Attachment 234194

i feel much more comfortable with this one than gillette adjustable. any other had same feeling? what's the real difference? i feel this one is much closer to shave with a straight razor but can't explain why.

---

Open comb DE razors have thinner heads than an adjustable and seem to shave better with an angle that is steeper, top cap closer to the face, than an adjustable with it's thicker head. That is especially so with the more aggressive OCs. IIRC Merkur OCs are on the milder side from what I have read. I like OC DEs because they do not seem to clog up as much with lather and stubble as solid bar (SB) DEs seem to do.

Bob

I find my Parker 91R does a pretty decent job - it was my first "proper" DE after using the cheap Wilkinson Sword and own brand offering from Boots, so it's my baseline really, cost me about £23. I got a Timor butterfly razor for about £16 which does a decent job, but the opening mechanism isn't brilliant and sometimes loosens off which isn't good. My most recent purchase is actually a Feather Popular which cost about £12 - bought as a spare to keep at my girlfriend's house. Even though it's mostly plastic I find this works to its advantage by making it top heavy meaning the weight of the metal head does most of the work. Brilliant shaver for the money and I'd recommend it as a starting point, but maybe with a blade that's a bit more forgiving than Feather's own (excellent) offering!