The Pils Double Edge Razor

Ladies and gentlemen:

Do you own a Pils double edge razor? Do you use it? And what are your thoughts on it?

Yes, it's pricey.

I use a straight razor daily, of course, and rotate my modest collection of 25, including the Feather Artist Club. Every seventh shave, however, I devote to the double edge, and whenever I am short for time.

Why the seventh shave? I don't know. It sounds logical.

I am still fond of my double edge razors, even though the lineup is down to two: an Edwin Jagger "Chatsworth" barley and a Muhle-Pinsel, the R89. Both razors use the Muhle shave head, by the way.

My blades are Feather and Gillette 7 O'Clock "Sharp Edge" in the yellow wrapping — the yellow packs — after having tried scores of other brands.

Lately I have eyed the Pils, and have done considerable research on it, as I do on everything else before I buy it. I also have done a massive amount of research on the new Feather stainless steel and am still thinking about it.

Anyway, the questions for now centers on the Pils. Since I have the highest respect for your thoughts and opinion, I look forward to hearing from you. Many thanks.

Regards,
Obie

i have always loved the looks of the pils.. it's simply a handsome shaver.. i too would love to hear anyone's input on it.. how pricey is it?

There have been threads on Pils razor showing that they might have rust problems. If I can find them, I'll link to them. Recently, Pils added a 2-year warranty to their DE razors. When I was looking at getting one a while ago, I asked the sellers if they had warranties on their products. At the time, the sellers told me that Pils would not have warranties on their products; however, that has changed.

The razor appears to have a unique blade-gap and orientation to it that would require a bit of learning. Given that you are an expert shaver, you might enjoy the challenge. I have also read that the razor really works better with certain DE razor blades.

I don't own this razor, and I don't think I want to own it anymore. I am more interested in your Chatsworth and the Feather Stainless Steel razor.

Good luck!

I got one as a birthday present in June. It is a beautiful and well-constructed razor - mine has had no rust issues. However, I find the balance (excessively head heavy), thin smooth handle and quirky shaving angle make it not a favorite. I get much better and more satisfying shaves from a large number of my other DE's and SE's that cumulatively do not add up to the price of the Pils. If it were not for sentimental reasons (gift from my wife and sons), it would have probably hit one of the classified forums a while ago. I did write a review on B&B as well.

It's a great looking razor and I'd like to try one someday, but at $200.00 I can't do it. As much as I love my straights, I don't have any $200.00 ones.
(I know lots of guys spend more than this, but I won't)

The other two are a Merkur Futur, my first, and a Feather All Stainless.

It is indeed pricy, the most expensive I own. If $250 bucks isn't that big a problem, I would recommend one, for sure.

I like the way it shaves very much. I also like the indestructible finish of the steel, there's no plating to damage. It's weight is very nice. I just don't have anything bad to say about mine.

As for the rust issue, a colleague of mine bought one used that had a little rust under the head cap. He brought it in so we could have a look at it with the microscope before deciding how to remove it. Another colleague with professional corrosion control experience also had a look. We agreed it was rust deposited by a rusting blade left in the razor. He wiped some of it off with a paper tissue. I cleaned the rest off with limescale remover and a toothbrush. This one, at least, was a case of poor maintenance by its owner. I've not had the slightest rust problem with mine.

Is it worth that price? That's what I keep coming back to. I'm not so sure it is. The Feather All Stainless is a hundred bucks cheaper, and performs as well, if a little less aggressive than the Pils.

My judgment is that it is a luxury razor that works very well indeed. The main decision to make is how much that luxury is worth to you.

I have to admit that the Pils looks small when seen held by hand. Where does the weight come from, the INOX construction?

But, the head is a pretty hefty slab of steel captive on a solid steel handle. The cap is quite thin. I've read a lot that it is head heavy, but I consider that to be a function of where you grip it.

Regardless of where you grip it though, it has plenty of inertia due to that mass.

Hello, TheMetatron:

Thank you for that most useful information on the Pils Razor. It is an intriguing razor in appearance, and sings of quality craftsmanship. I have also eyed the Feather and am impressed by its clean lines and overall quality.

From what you and others have noted, the Feather is the less aggressive of the two razors. I generally prefer the less aggressive razors. That's why I abandoned the Merkurs for the Edwin Jaggers and the Muhle-Pinsels. As you well know, the EJ and Muhle use the same Muhle shave head.

The Pils and the Feather are expensive, yes, but I agree with you that the price poses the philosophical truth of the worth of something to the individual shaver. Whether I will buy one or the other, or both, will probably depend on the continuous discussions in my head and the dangling of coins in my pocket.

Regards,
Obie

Of course, you see how I solved that dilemma. I have both the Feather AS and the Pils.

The truth is though, and I've been giving this a lot of thought, I am thinking the Feather AS is going to be my boys' first razor.

Well, I'll tell you Obie I broke down and bought the Feather. It's not a looker like the Chatsworth but if you want a go to razor that is engineered perfectly and has very purposeful ergonomics with perfect balance and shaves as good as the Chatsworth the feather is the one to get. I don't know much about the Pils but I think you are paying dearly for the German name and the opinions I've seen are very mixed. I don't think I've ever seen someone complain about the feather.

Hello, thebigspendur:

How ironic!

This afternoon, between working on my novel, practicing my classical guitar, cooking, taking care of dearly beloved who last week had a knee replacement operation, sending out a string of e-mails, and brewing several pots of tea, I have gone back and forth between the Pils and the Feather.

And finally settled on the Feather — and clicked the "buy" button from a favorite vendor. He was out of the bloody razor. Aha! I thought, perhaps that's a sign to forget the razor, and the Pils, too.

Now that I read your thoughts on Feather, I must find another vendor who carries it at a good price. Which vendor did you use?

Thanks for your thoughts, my good man. You and I seem to have similar tastes in double edge razors. I love my "Chatsworth" barley — class all the way.

Regards,
Obie

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Obie

Hello, thebigspendur:

How ironic!

This afternoon, between working on my novel, practicing my classical guitar, cooking, taking care of dearly beloved who last week had a knee replacement operation, sending out a string of e-mails, and brewing several pots of tea, I have gone back and forth between the Pils and the Feather.

And finally settled on the Feather — and clicked the "buy" button from a favorite vendor. He was out of the bloody razor. Aha! I thought, perhaps that's a sign to forget the razor, and the Pils, too.

Now that I read your thoughts on Feather, I must find another vendor who carries it at a good price. Which vendor did you use?

Thanks for your thoughts, my good man. You and I seem to have similar tastes in double edge razors. I love my "Chatsworth" barley — class all the way.

Regards,
Obie

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I bought mine from Classic Shaving.

Its a great looking razor but I really only use my DE when I havent got time for a straight razor shave..! :) I've only got a Merkur 34c HD which cost me about £30 or something, all the rest of my razor money has gone on straights and hones!

So for that reason I guess the price would probably put me off.