Proper DE Weight for Newbie

Discussion in 'Safety Razors' started by Phillip'sHeadw/aFlattop, Jun 8, 2011.

  1. Hey Guys!! Newb here, just need a little help trying to find my first safety razor. I know you are told to get something forgiving for your first razor, however, I don't want to get a really light razor that I'll feel disappointed with after I get a hang out the technique.
    What do you guys think is a good weight? We all know geofatboy, and he's pretty confident in the EJ89. The weight on that is 76 g. How does that range in terms of aggressiveness? And is that how you rate the aggressiveness of a razor, by its weight?
    Any other advice you guys may have on a maiden voyage? Maybe a good place that will provide free/promo items with a purchase. Look forward to making this my everyday way of shaving.
    Also, it's good to learn from others. If you guys have something that yall would have done differently, or wish you would have done when you started, please feel free to share.
    Thanks.
     
  2. swarden43

    swarden43 "It's your shave. Enjoy it your way."©

    I don't believe there is a proper weight for a newbie. I do believe there is a desired weight for each individual. That you're going to have to find out for yourself.

    I do like the weight of the Merkur Futur and HD. I also like the weight of the Gillette Fatboy. That being said, the only razor I found I did not like the weight of was a Gem Featherweight. Go figure.

    Have you seen this yet?
     
  3. Thanks for the redirect with the link to the page with all the razors, I hadn't seen that yet. I mean I do a lot of looking around and research, I'm just not sure in which direction to go. But thanks for your help nonetheless, glad to see my first ever post didn't go unnoticed haha:D
     
  4. swarden43

    swarden43 "It's your shave. Enjoy it your way."©

    My pleasure. Hope you find something that suits you. Happy hunting! :happy088
     
  5. jcwit

    jcwit Member

    I believe its an individual choice, myself I like a med. to heavy razor, whatever that is. My daily razor is 2 to 3 oz.
     
  6. Williams Warrior

    Williams Warrior Well-Known Member

    You just got to pull the trigger on one, and go from there. Myself I like medium weight, with medium aggression.
     
  7. ok you say medium weight and medium aggression. Are the two correlated? Or could you have a light razor that was very aggressive? I guess how do you gauge aggression?
     
  8. Williams Warrior

    Williams Warrior Well-Known Member

    You judge aggression by blade gap/exposure, not by how heavy the razor is. My EJ89L has a blade gap of .79? and weighs 76grams. Not exactly sure that is the exact exposure but I'm close, anyway there you have it.
     
  9. Dridecker

    Dridecker Sherlock

    I'll just say that when picking out your first razor, error on the safe side of aggressiveness.

    Nothing can ruin your venture into this hobby faster than getting a too aggressive razor, suffering from constant razor burn, then deciding to give up.

    Chances are good that the first razor you own won't be your last either.

    An EJ89 would be a good choice, and if you find it doesn't suit your face, you will have no trouble recouping some of the purchase price by selling it off.
     
  10. Hanzo

    Hanzo Well-Known Member

    I am not a razor expert just showing you some random razors I use that are not light weight. Some days I like a heavy razor some days a light razor. Blade gap determines aggressiveness but my particularity is the heaviness of the razor means a heavy hand so the heavy razors give me an aggressive shave my light razors the opposite, shave quality just depends on how skillfully I use them on the day.

    Left to right from the lightest to the heaviest.

    Merkur Heavy Duty-This for the old heads of wetshaving was THE starter razor the young pups all now just love the EJ to pieces. EJ's have a good rep for quality. I think HD are heavier though.

    Fatboy- Feels heavier than the Hd, don't use mine much but is nice to look at.

    Merkur Barberpole- A heavy razor, nice solid feel to it, standard Merkur head, nice razor to use, don't know its weight relative to the Futur.

    Sabi Three Piece- From Pakistan. The head on this razor is not well made IMHO its a imprecise replica of the Merkur head. I switched the head and replaced with a Gillette " New" head I had replated. The handle on this one is heavy and accomodates a bunch of different heads Merkur, EJ? Ikon. Shaveabuck the vendor sells them for $14 . In terms of weight by feel this seems the heaviest razor I have. If the EJ fits you could put the head on a Sabi handle and have a heavy razor.
     

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  11. I appreciate all the help guys, and I'm sure this may be getting alittle annoying, but thats why I came to this forum, to learn. But I've never seen any specs on blade gap
     
  12. Regan

    Regan Well-Known Member

    It is ok we all knew nothing at some point. I still think i know nothing... haha.

    I don't know if there anything about blade gap here but it also matters upon blade angle as well as blade exposure. There is so much that matters, just try to find what works for you haha.
     
  13. jcwit

    jcwit Member

    [QUOTEThere is so much that matters, just try to find what works for you haha.
    ][/QUOTE]

    How true, how true. I get excellent shaves with a Weishi and the super inexpensive YUMA.
     
  14. Hanzo

    Hanzo Well-Known Member

    At Badger and Blade ,now down for maintenance, there is a chart in there Wiki section that lists all the razors according to blade gap and aggressiveness, the specs are there.
     
  15. Thanks Hanzo, I'll take a look.
     
  16. Regan

    Regan Well-Known Member

    I found that chart useful. But then again it also matters upon you. You might prefer one aggressive over another aggressive. or one mild over a different mild razor. Just have to buy one of every razor and find which works the best for your shave combo.
     
  17. JoeMal

    JoeMal Member

    I started with a nice and heavy Merkur 38c Barberpole and haven't looked back! Still my only razor and I love it
     
  18. newb

    newb Resident Newb

    I would have bought just one adjustable. Set it on the lower settings and learned to master it before trying different razors. (BTW, it would have been a Merkur Vision)

    IMHO measuring aggression in a razor is more than just blade gap. I think weight, blade gap and the blade angle all combine to make the aggressiveness in most razors. But it's not true with all razors or users. (i.e. I can open a Merkur vision wide open, super heavy razor with a wide blade gap when compared to a gillette old style, lighter razor, smaller gap. The old style when I use it feels way more aggressive than the Vision ? So it still comes down to YMMV on all things shave related)

    So the best advice I can offer to a new shaver is to buy what you think you would like to use. Then take you time and learn to master it.
     
  19. Shaver X

    Shaver X Well-Known Member

    I started in traditional wetshaving using a Merkur 34C. To me it seemed moderately aggressive and was a fine razor with which to learn. The Edwin Jagger DE89L is less aggressive but gives a closer shave. Of the two, I think the DE89L is the better one to start with, and also for general use thereafter. But that is just my take on things. Both the DE89 and 34C are widely sold and recommended, and there is a reason for that.

    A light razor is not necessarily a bad thing. My Gillette adjustable "Slim" is lighter than the DE89 and 34C, yet gives great shaves. To determine the aggressiveness of the different razor types, I relied on descriptions in the forums, rather than weight or blade gap measurements.

    Of equal importance is the blade. Maybe try two or three blade types to see which is the best, and then use that one to refine your technique? Once you get your technique down then it is time to try lots of different blades. Writing down your thoughts on each blade type can be a helpful reference later on.
     
  20. Daxom

    Daxom New Member

    One other thing to consider when deciding on the size and weight of a razor is your own physical stature and features. For example, I am a smaller statured male. 5'6 150 pounds. I also have small hands, but very light hand and finger dexterity.

    I find razors such as the Merkur Classic (33c), 40's style superspeed to be plenty heavy for the average type of skin on my face. My dexterity and fine motor gross skills allows me plenty of agility and detailed performance with light or medium weight razors.

    Not that I can or cannot use a heavy razor, only that there are many things one should consider about 'themselves' when choosing the weight of a razor and not just reading somewhere that 'heavy is best'.
     

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