When I started wet shaving a few months ago, the Edwin Jagger de89 was recommended as a good starter razor for a beginner. Which I bought and is all I've used. When the day comes to move up to a more aggressive razor, what would you recommend as a good 2nd ?
If you like modern I suggest a Parker Variant. It's adjustable and smooth as silk. If you would like to try a vintage razor I suggest either a Gillette NEW or a Super Speed. If you'd like to try a single edge I suggest a Gem 1912. Can't go wrong with ant of these. Just dive in and grab one. Herm
Merkur 34C if you want double edge. Although, I am not confident that one would need to change razor as much as finding a blade/ Razor combo that works. I shaves with Personna lab blue and DE89 for a long while and got fantastic shaves, which is the reason I'm hesitant to suggest going to a different razor. Also, you may hop over to the 30 day crew. Lots of good folks there that are a wealth of knowledge about it all, and can really help.
As mentioned above the Parker Variant, adjustable is a great razor. My personal suggestion is the Merkur Progress, which is also an adjustable, very much like the Variant. They both give great shaves and you can set them from very mild to wild, with respect to aggressiveness. It's a lot of fun, using one of these razor and testing them, from setting to setting, using different blades. You will soon learn, what works best for you!
I started DE shaving with a Muhle, which I believe has the same head as your Edwin Jaeger. Here is my experience with other razors. My second Razor was an Aluminum Tech (1980), which was milder than the Muhle, but is a more comfortable shave. The head is much thinner, and it is easier to reach those little nooks and crannies on my face that where I struggled a bit with the Muhle. This is my go to razor if for any reason my skin is feeling tender or raw. Since it weighs very little, I can easily achieve a passable shave and not further irritate my skin. I find a Post War Tech is a tad more aggressive than the aluminum one due to its extra weight, and it is easier to reach a DFS shave than the aluminum one. Though the difference is small, neither is as aggressive as the Muhle. At a setting of about 4 or more, the Gillette Slim is more efficient, but has a harsher feel than the Muhle 89. My sample size is small (just three) but all the Gillette TTO's I have tried have more blade feel than the Muhle. I gave my non adjustable TTO's away, as I did not enjoy them. With a C plate, my Karve has a little less blade feel than the Muhle, but is a tad more efficient. The Karve is a very heavy razor, and combined with the light blade feel, I found it to be deceptive, and I found myself adding too much pressure on the head as I shaved. Although the Slim can be more aggressive,because it has a harsher feel, I find the Karve to be the best combination of comfort versus aggressiveness so far.
There are many good choices for a first razor but I think everyone's second razor should be the Merkur Futur.
Every beginner shaver wants a more aggressive razor after DE89 / R89 . I wanted, too. I tried razors more aggressive than my EJ razor but i still shave with it regularly. DE89 is a great balanced razor. Shortly my recommendations are: Merkur Progress: One of the best adjustable razor. Effective and versatile. Muhle Rocca: It is an expensive one. Nice and elegant. On the middle of DE89 and R41. Yaqi Closed Comb razor : It is more aggressive than DE89. Good quality Chinese one. Merkur 37C Slant: Very effective and smooth. Some like slants, some dont. Now i have Razorock German 37, clone of 37c. I think Razorock is more aggressive than 37c. Merkur Futur: Another German adjustable. If you have a goatee, i can recommend it. Because it has some disadvantages of big head. Baili BT131: Chinese Tech clone. It is a cheap razor. But i think it is a good value. My personal favourite is Progress.
Muhle R41, the 2011 version if you can find one. The Merkur Progress is also a good recommendation if you are looking for an adjustable.
Fatip Grande. A quality razor at a low price! Solid brass (will last a lifetime), extremely efficient and extremely smooth. Sent from my EML-L09 using Tapatalk
The experience of wet shaving doesn't begin until you've at least tried a Gillette 1940s SuperSpeed, preferably '46 - '47 NN.
I started with an EJ DE8911, then used a Tech and Superspeed. My current favorites are a Gillette Slim and Black Beauty, both set on 5, with Gillette Nacet, Astra SP, or Personna Blue Lab. I seldom shave with thee EJ now, it,seems to irritate my face with any blade compared to the Gillette adjustables.
I'd say go with a more aggressive but still mild razor. My pick would be either the Merkur 37c/39c Slant (same head, different handle length) as mentioned above or the open comb Parker 24c/26c (same head, slightly different handle). Both more aggressive than the EJ89 but they give a very sweet shave