all Jaggers not the same :(

Well, I have some rather unfortunate news.

About a year ago I purchased my first EJ DE89L and was more than pleased with it. Everything about it just made shaving such a joy.

I enjoyed it so much I bought a second backup in case anything should happen to the first one. However upon first shave there was something different.

I tried a blind experiment for over a month using the same type of blade that always worked with the first DE89L. Every time I shaved with the second razor I could tell there was something different. A less of a smooth shave. I tried different soaps and creams and the first EJ always worked fine but the second was always different.

Thoughts?

All these new Edwin Jaggers use the same Muhle shave head, to my knowledge, and are superb shavers. Perhaps your second razor was defective, or the shave head did not close tightly enough, thus making the blade a bit wobbly.

DE's are machined to certain specs, but their are always tolerances (anyone who has done any machining will know what I mean) so yes it is possible that two razors of the same model will shave differently. In fact this is true of pretty much any razor. If you take a vintage Gillette and pair it with another of the same model and shave with the same blade you will likely have a different experience like you did with your EJ's. This could be described as the individual character of your particular razor.

I'd recommend experimenting with different blades to find a better match for your second EJ.

You can't see any differences?

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Originally Posted by Obie

All these new Edwin Jaggers use the same Muhle shave head, to my knowledge, and are superb shavers. Perhaps your second razor was defective, or the shave head did not close tightly enough, thus making the blade a bit wobbly.

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Thanks for posting that. My very first safety razor was defective and I kept using it and blaming myself for the poor results. Finally I described the problem to one of our vendors and he was able to determine that in fact it was the razor's fault.

The problem I had was that the razor blade didn't seat right. I tried other blades in case that was the problem and placing them in the razor ever so careful, then finally gave up and threw in the towel after two weeks.

I had the nerve to ask the vendor what razor HE used and got a fantastic shave right out of the box after I bought it.

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Originally Posted by AFDavis11

You can't see any differences?

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I don't think I would have been able to see a difference. I started shaving right after the disposables and cartridges came into vogue and had never used anything but a fixed blade before I got a safety razor.

I can tell you, people I know are afraid of handling a DE blade and think I'm insane shaving with a straight because they have never seen anyone do it unless they watched an old movie.

Hey Obie,
I don't think it's defective. It's just a little more agressive that it doesn't glide as well as the other one. It's like when I switched from my Merkur to the EJ. The razor by itself seems fine I just experience the shave differently. Not the mild gentle shave that I was expecting.

Ryan,
You have a point. I may pair it with a feather to see how that does. The yellow 7 O'clocks are great in the original razor but maybe a sharper blade will compensate for it's difference in angle.

Davis, well there is a difference. It's not what I was expecting. I hoped there wasn't a difference but quite regrettably found there was.

Cajun, how wobbly was your razor? the blade doesn't move in mine and I'm guessing it's just a difference in machining. One day I may switch to straights but for now doubles are quick and comfortable for the most part.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Obie

All these new Edwin Jaggers use the same Muhle shave head, to my knowledge, and are superb shavers. Perhaps your second razor was defective, or the shave head did not close tightly enough, thus making the blade a bit wobbly.

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Or maybe one razor has the old design and the other has the new?

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Originally Posted by thebigspendur

Or maybe one razor has the old design and the other has the new?

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Yes, thebigspendur, that is a possibility, too.

Forgive me for going off topic, but I remember one of my older Edwin Jagger "Chatsworth" barley razors had the Merkur shave head. The vendor had sent me the older version, which did not make all that jolly. I don't particularly care for Merkur razors, and this one shaved like a Merkur. I examine everything I buy carefully. This one I had not for some reason — and the Edwin Jagger (Muhle) shave head is easily distinguished from the Merkur. Eventually I switched the shave head to one from the EJ 89 (Muhle) — and kept on smiling. I have also switched the shave head on my little Merkur travel razor to an Edwin Jagger (Muhle). Now it's a sweet little razor.

thanks guys,
Yeah the razor heads look identical. I can't fathom there being any difference in design. The only difference was the good one was bought directly from the english shaving company as the second was from amazon. There was no noticible damage besides the razor arriving in somewhat of a logo-ed edwin jagger retail box instead of the textured fabric one with the diffusion series written on it.

get a micrometer or caliper out and find out the differences. could be interesting to see just how 'different' they are. amazon has very cheap micrometers that are still very capable .0001". i would be curious to hear of any differences as I too have a EJ89 and a Muhle.

wow that's actually an awesome idea on the micrometer. I have some old really precise tools from past relatives in the basement. I'll give it a shot and let you guys know. I just hope I can figure out how to use it.

drat, there are a ton of tools in there but none of which that I know the name and the only thing resembling a micrometer doesn't have any numbers on it. I can only imagine what they were used for. the newspaper lining the drawers are from the 50's