Thread: more aggressive DE razor

Hi all,
I have been using a safety razor for a few months now and I am very pleased with the comfort and quality of shaves I have been getting out of my DE razor. The only thing is that I find I have to make four and sometimes five passes with my razor, a Chinese Weishi butterfly DE. (It's cheap, I know, but it's my first safety razor.) Does anyone know any good suggestions for a more aggressive razor in the 40$US or under price range? I'm also open to suggestions for a cutthroat razor but I am on a bit of a budget at the moment.

Originally Posted by SSDD

Hi all,
I have been using a safety razor for a few months now and I am very pleased with the comfort and quality of shaves I have been getting out of my DE razor. The only thing is that I find I have to make four and sometimes five passes with my razor, a Chinese Weishi butterfly DE. (It's cheap, I know, but it's my first safety razor.) Does anyone know any good suggestions for a more aggressive razor in the 40$US or under price range? I'm also open to suggestions for a cutthroat razor but I am on a bit of a budget at the moment.

Edwin Jagger Safety Razors | Shave Nation

Hello SCS:

I have not tried every double razor made, but I dare say the Weishi is probably the mildest on the market. I would take The_Pastor's suggestion and buy the Edwin Jagger 89. The 89L is the lined version of the one in the photo. It's the same razor, but one is lined and the other chrome, and both lovely. The price range is somewhere in the $30's, probably topping at $40 with shipping. The English Shaving Company has the Edwin Jaggers, too.

Regards,
Obie

The Edwin-Jagger is the best option. The more agressive razors not always give the more comfortable and close shave.

For DE you can try a Slant or an old Gillette NEW open comb which can be found online. They were made around the 1930s but give awesome shaves, I used to use one all the time before going to straights.

The razor, referring to the apparatus that secures the blade, is an important part of the equation, but the blade within the razor is even more important in how your shave will feel. A blade sampler pack from on online vendor with an assortment or quality blades would be a great benefit in dialing in your shaving experience.

Blades are not all the same and it is surprising how individual preferences for them can differ among experienced DE shavers. Feathers, Gillettes, Derbys, Personnas, Merkurs, Wilkinsons are all quality blades. For the razor a used Gillette or Merkur,the Jagger noted above. You have to experiment with that aspect as well.

The EJ is a good razor but the heft is quite a bit more than your weishi. It will possibly require less pressure than you've grown accustomed to using. In the 40 dollar or less price range I would suggest go vintage. My top pick for an aggressive close shaver is a GEM 1912 (usually less than 10 bucks on ebay). It shaves as close as a slant. The only problem I have with the 1912 is that I don't need to shave for a day and a half after using the GEM.

A Gillette Red Tip would be more aggressive than your Weishi. A nice, vintage Twist-to-Open from the 50s or 60s and nearly Bomb-Proof. I would also recommend the adjustables. A Fat Boy or slim would also be TTO but would adjust to give you a wide range of aggressiveness.

Find an old Hoffritz slant,use a feather blade,than hold on

Hey ssdd,

I'm probably just as far into this de shaving thing as you but I was thinking maybe a merkur hefty classic open comb. I have the closed comb and I am still tweaking which blades I like but I'm pretty happy with my shaves for the past 6 months. I figure you might be able to use the extra heft in the razor so as not to have to worry about braving the feather blades. Or maybe the heft and feathers would do it for you. Good luck!

Justin