China made DE's...what's worth a second look?

Mhhh, they look similar to old Gillette Super Speed Razors (?). May be an alternative, cheap and GILLETTE-smooth. In Germany you can buy them in some drugstores and parfumerys. But i never asked about the prices. I think it´s a big maximization of profit for some stores. In one parfumery i saw them declared "ERBE Solingen".
But ERBE is not a manufacturer like DovoMERKUR Solingen. ERBE is just a reseller. It´s really a sad story...

 

Copper, relative to aluminum, has a much higher shear modulus, better thermal conductivity, and a much smaller amount of thermal expansion. In short, it is tougher, transfers warmth (like that of shave rinse water) better, and will not expand or contract as much as aluminum will due to varying temperatures.

But mainly, I'd go with it because its heavier.

 

one thing to note is that I had the two tone model. it did have a copper head but the rest was some other kind of metal. I know cuz after a week of using it the gold pating started to come off. then I got mad and broke it. :mad:

 

I think Bill's already answered the copper vs aluminum question....So for sure it sounds like the copper is the way to go on the Weishi...Also Stefan said he tried the more expensive model and the cheap one and the more expensive one was much nicer...I didn't know about that, so maybe the ones I tried were the aluminum ones. I do remember them being almost air-weight...Bill and both Jeffs have owned and used both the M-S's and the Weish's, so their opinions you can take to the bank.

 

Weishi Aluminum! These are super popular, though they are very light and do have different case than the standard WEISHI A-F Series.

From my experience, this is a nice portable razor. Though it must be taken care of very well. Reason is because it is aluminun and weight. If using heavy (strong) cleaning products, it could damage the aluminum. The weight, if you have a heavy hand, you are most likely to damage the razor.

Any questions, I hope I can help.

 

I just got one of those for my nephew. I didn't get to try it, but it seemed fairly well made. I might just have to get one for myself sometime to have as a travel razor.

 

The blade gap of ming-shi is looking too wide. It may not worth bothering.

I found a forwarding company in China for taobao.com but it seems a bit dubious:
http://www.taobaoturkiye.com/

 

Praise for the Greatness of Communist China!

From your appropriately color-coded signature... you seem to be anti-Chinese products. Sigh. If someone was looking to spend very little money yet get a good product and didn't want a vintage Gillette, but something new.. they may be very well served by a new Weishi. Forums like these can warn people of the bad Weishi and point them towards the good ones. I know my Weishi (stainless? chrome?) is a very good razor and was a grand entrance into DE safety razors. Twenty bucks. A good deal at twenty.

I've got a number of knives, Germain stainless and VG1 ("carbon" steel that doesn't stain, go figure..) that were mass produced in Chinese manufacturing facilities. The modern facilities are spitting out a ton of quality product, at low prices. Hard competition but apparently producing some quality, so...

It's a complex issue. Unfortunately, the quality-to-price ratio is also a very simple issue for the economically minded.

 

Googling "taobao agent" yields many results.

I am not sure where to start..

 

+1
Shaving is the one area I feel confident that I'm not supporting the Chinese regime and their economic, human rights, and trade policies. No offense to any Weishi-loving forum members. It's just a personal choice I feel very strongly about. But, I digress...

 

Unless you own a European white Plisson or Vie Long brush, you're supporting the Chinese :happy102

 

to see them look good razors, then you have to try ....

 

I guess I'm gonna have to break down and try a Weishi.

 

none bought a new one from ebay it got very rusty had to toss it stay a way from made in china!!!:mad:

 

China DE's...

A few days ago, I ordered 3 razors from a seller in Brooklyn. He or she were selling Chinese made DE razors called "Tycoon" razors. When I received them a couple of days ago, I put one together (they were the 3-piece design which is what I like), the middle of the top piece began to bend downward as I screwed the handle on. I noticed there was a perfect circle shape right in the middle of the top piece beginning to form as the top piece bent further downward the further I attached the handle. I then disassembled the razor to see what was going on. The top piece was actually bending in half. I tried to bend it upward but it just made more bends. I put the razor back together thinking the top piece might straighten out a bit. The actual bolt mechanism which holds the guard and handle broke off. It was like the bolt was welded to the top piece and not one with the whole piece. I was dumbfounded. I thought about trying to superglue the bolt back into the top, but I broke the top piece trying to straighten it out further. Well, since I had two more I went home and put a blade in very carefully and tightened it just to the point it was secure and even then the top piece began to bend. Everything was very uneven when put together. But despite all of this, it actually gave a very decent shave, especially considering that I did not take a shower beforehand and just prepped my face with hot water and a washcloth. Also, not even one nick. Last night I attempted to straighten out the top piece but just managed to make things worse, I got it to the point that I might be able to shave with it again, but only another shave will tell. I contacted the seller and told him/her that the razor did give a great shave but that the top piece was very flimsy, and would they be willing to sell me individual top caps to replace any that may (probably will) go bad in the future. I went ahead and ordered another one to replace the one I accidentally broke. I'm hoping this person will work with me on this considering I gave them positive feedback and five stars on everything (got it off of ebay) despite the bad top caps. I guess I'll know if I get a message back. My suggestion is if anybody decides to buy one of these put a razor blade on first and tighten it very slowly and stop right at the point that it feels secure. Otherwise, avoid this one, even if it is $4.99 and I'm a sucker for deals. I hear the concord razor is okay, and also read that the Lord 3-piece tech clone from Egypt is solidly made. Has anybody used these two and achieve good results?

 

Some of the asian made razors are sold with the ability to finger adjust the guard to achieve the shave you want. In other words, they are made with thin metal that bends easily. I have avoided any razor with that claim.

On the other hand, the Lord tech you mention from Egypt is a good razor. I have also used some 3 piece razors from other countries that were good razors. The only 3 piece razors I would be worried about are those finger adjustable ones.

I have had three Weishi. All three shaved well, however, I didn't like the cheaper model with Weishi stamped on the doors and put that in the grab box once upon a time. Overall, they are fairly good razors for a Superspeed clone.

 

I just ran across a picture of the Gun Metal finish Weishi and fell in love with the finish. I did a search and found this thread...guess I'm going to have to give that Gun Metal a try, even if it is made in China! Then again, what isn't made in China today??

 

The model 9306 is a well built razor.

 

Well, I had some eBay bucks I needed to use, so I just bought this:
http://cgi.ebay.com/WEISHI-GUNMETAL...ps=63&clkid=8207181043307285025#ht_1721wt_905

Got FREE shipping and it should be here Friday.

 

"Tycoon" Razors...

It looks like the individual who sold me these razors is going to work with me. I am going to receive 2 free razors in addition to the one I ordered. It will be seven in all, 5 I ordered minus the two that broke plus the two free ones bring it back to five. So I will have five of these. I must admit, the cap was, shall I say, economically made. Etoyoc said that there are some razors that are made so you could bend the guard (in this case, the cap) to adjust the closeness of the shave. This might be one of them. Since I don't want to bend them at all, not even accidentally, I put the blade in first and tighten the razor just enough so it won't come loose. Works pretty well. I store them put together I just screw the razor just to the point of becoming secure but not all the way and it seems fine. The shave? Some of the best shaves I have ever received in my life, using Wilkinson Swords from Wally-World, and blades bought from Dollar General. Go figure.