As Obie indicated, the Edwin Jaggers are a great razor. If I had to keep just one DE it would be the Edwin Jagger.
Printable View
As Obie indicated, the Edwin Jaggers are a great razor. If I had to keep just one DE it would be the Edwin Jagger.
Hard to go wrong with any Gillette adjustable. Feather blades are indeed sharp, but if you start with the razor at 2 or 3, I think you'll enjoy the sharpness.
IMHO, vintage Gillettes are the way to go. Fantastic quality, affordable and widely available. It really is hard to go wrong with any of the bunch. A Fatboy or Slim Adjustable is a good bet because you can dial in the desired aggressiveness. That said, I've had amazing shaves from 3 piece Techs and Super Speeds as well.
I prefer the old Gillette. Technology is great, and my two favorites. Puerto Claude is also good, but the possibility is somewhat aggressive.Another Edwin Jagger DE89. He seems to have a strong following, even though I never used the technology is preferred it.My total of Gillette.
Let's see....
I have maybe 40 DE and SE razors, and maybe 15 different DE and SE blades. That works out to about 600 different combinations.
I have maybe 60 straights and 12 different finishing hones. So figure 720 different edges I can put together.
I've been wet shaving for two years, maybe 500 shaves total, so I'm less than halfway through all these possible choices.
After two years, I can say it ain't the equipment, it's the hand holding the razor.
Work on technique. You will get a great shave with your best equipment. You will get an excellent shave with the worst.
I use and recommend the Merkur 34C. Just be sure to get some quality blades.
My vote goes to a Merkur Futur (especially if you like heavy straights).
They're pretty, and they can shave brilliantly (with the right blade and proper technique).
They are heavy, though.
There are prettier razors, but the Futur will shave as good as the best of them.
That being said, I have several dozen DE razors. Must have variety!! :)
My favorite is the Gillette slim adjustable, works very well for me
I have a late 40's Gillette SuperSpeed and I really do enjoy it. I've had a go at Merkur, Derby and Wilkinson blades and will probably give Feather a try as well. Can't go wrong with the SuperSpeed unless you really "need" it to be adjustable.
-Ben
Echoing what everyone else said - I've been using the merkur 38C hefty long handled "barber pole"for about 6 months now and it's pretty solid. And surprise surprise; I have an edwin jagger chatsworth in the mail right now based on all the rave reviews!
good luck :gl: