Thread: Thinking of a safety razor.

Originally Posted by PhatMan

Basil,

For new build safety razors I would recommend the Muhle R106/109 or Edwin Jagger EJ89 (Muhle head). Very competent, well built razors.

For vintage, you can't go wrong with some model of the Gillette SuperSpeeds. They are so much part of shaving history, I think all shavers should have one !

For me, the best shaving vintage Gillettes are the Gillette News, particularly my British New long-comb two-piece

For vintage razors, I prefer the single edge types e.g. GEM, Ever-Ready & Schick. These seem to be not to everybody's taste

Do get yourself a blade sampler pack, as the choice of blade is very, very personal. We often have the case of 50% of people who love a blade and the other 50% vehemently hate it !!

Good luck !

Have fun !

Best regards

Russ

Now that I have purchased 2 Merkurs I am curious why you recommend the Muhle R106/109 or Edwin Jagger EJ89 over the Merkur's?

Thank you,
--Shoki

Shoki,

I am 'shave curious'

My first new build DEs I bought were the Merkur HD & the Slant; these shaved very well.

When the Muhles became available, I was curious, and bought the R109.

I found it to be superbly made, and much better finished than my Merkurs.

In addition, I found the shaves to be 'better'; as all these razors are fixed head, small changes in the head geometry, blade exposure etc can make for a difference and thus for an individuals preference.

My preference is for the Muhle

Others prefer the Merkurs !

That is one of the joys of wet shaving - we are not a bunch of sheep - we all have our own individual preferences and opinions

Have fun !

Best regards

Russ

Originally Posted by Shoki

Now that I have purchased 2 Merkurs I am curious why you recommend the Muhle R106/109 or Edwin Jagger EJ89 over the Merkur's?

Thank you,
--Shoki

I have both a Merkur 28C and an Edwin Jagger DE89L and prefer the latter. It seems to do the job better whilst being less likely to bite. All IMHO, YMMV etc.

You ought to try a Gem G-Bar.Its a single edge razor and its the closest thing I know of that gives a shave like a str8.And not a bad looking DE to boot.

Originally Posted by Blackstangal

You ought to try a Gem G-Bar.Its a single edge razor and its the closest thing I know of that gives a shave like a str8.And not a bad looking DE to boot.

Are those sold new? I have an older GEM but wan't sure if I could pop in any old blade.

Thank you,
--Shoki

No this is Vintage and usually found in your neighborhood antique shop.Single edge razors are still sold today and should work.Make sure they are for shaving and not for utility knives or box cutters.I think Ted Pella makes a good one.I have vintage gem razors I use when I use one.

Originally Posted by Shoki

Are those sold new? I have an older GEM but wan't sure if I could pop in any old blade.

Thank you,
--Shoki

Basil, I bought my son a new Merkur Futur a year ago,and he has been enjoying it and the whole wet shaving thing.But, i got a 1956 Gillette maroon tip SS for myself and made the mistake of letting him try it,Havent seen it since,he loves it over the Merkur.We have been using the Merkur blades,But a package came in the mail today containing 10 packs of Gillette 7 o'clocks yellow package blades,can wait to try em!! Hope this helps

Picked up a EJ DE89 Chrome. Now I have 4 DEs and only 3 Straights... That can't be good...

Originally Posted by Shoki

Picked up a EJ DE89 Chrome. Now I have 4 DEs and only 3 Straights... That can't be good...

No kidding, now you've inadvertently switched to the "other side"... there are other forums out there for your kind!

It could be a good thing.I have 50 to 60 or more str8s and maybe 30 to 40 DEs.I use mostly str8,but I havent forgot where I came from.I love the DE engineering,but str8s are my main shavers.

Originally Posted by Shoki

Picked up a EJ DE89 Chrome. Now I have 4 DEs and only 3 Straights... That can't be good...