Hi, I have been shaving on and off with a safety razor for about 7 years and I am looking for a new razor. Price = $100.00 give or take. Thinking about an adjustable as I have sensitive skin. I'm thinking an adjustable might help at the second or third pass depending upon the day. Still not sure on the adjustable, but I am open to thoughts. Thanks
With good technique, a (properly functioning) non-adjustable DE razor should provide a good shave. What safety razor do you have now, and why are you looking to replace it? Have you tried using it exclusively for an extended period of time to work on your technique? Maybe we can help you better if we had more details.
Appreciate the welcome. EJ89 is the razor. Not necessarily replacing as much as adding. Ya know, variety is the spice etc......I have used it for a few years at a time then I grow a beard and then shave it off. I am getting ready to shave it again and thought it would be nice to try a new razor. I have a good idea which blades I like and would like options for razors. Thanks!
Sounds good. The EJ89 is fine razor, for sure. You'll find lots of options for vintage Gillettes on eBay and in your local antique shops. (My last antique shop purchase set me back a whopping $5.) I enjoy using the Gillette Long Comb and the Short Comb. Fatboy or Slim adjustables are good too. You can get multiple vintage Gillettes and remain under your $100 budget. If I was looking for new, I'd get one that catches my eye. In my experience, any razor will provide a good shave once I use it for awhile. So for me, it would be one of the Karve razors. I've gifted them to friends (both brass and SS), and they look to be very well-made. I think you'll find a lot of guys here that like the way they shave. Good luck in your search, and keep us posted.
Welcome aboard. For a well-performing adjustable razor under $100 I would recommend the Parker Variant or Merkur Progress. I have been a big fan of the Progress, and just acquired a Parker Varian Open Comb, but have not used it yet. The Progress and Variant are essentially the same razor, the Variant being a copy of the Progress when Merkur let the copyright expire. The Variant costs a little less, and has better knurling on the handle providing a more secure grip.
The Muhle R89 and Edwin Jagger DE89 are both pretty mild and widely used/recommended razors for posts like this one. I personally find most Adjustable razors are over-rated because so few people actually "adjust" them once they are dialed in. It is a feature that just isn't used by most people. I would suggest getting a more aggressive, also referred as more efficient, razor. The Muhle R94 Rocca series out of the EU is ~$75 and the Edwin Jagger 3one6 is ~$65. Both are all Stainless Steel so, will have a bit more weight than your EJ DE89. I find both to be a reasonable step up in terms of aggressiveness and/or efficiency. The Muhle R41 is a much bigger step up in aggressiveness and is a bit much for most people. Unless you know you like a lot of blade feel and want something very aggressive, I would say it is a bit too much for you.
Therein lies the beauty and advantage of an adjustable over a fixed head - you can dial it in to what works for you. With a fixed head, either it works for you, or it doesn't. If it doesn't, you're out the cost.
Or, you can buy a GENTLY used razor to 'test drive'. Here to a limited degree and over on Badger and Blade, I bought a handful of different options for modest money that let me try them for a few weeks to figure out if they worked well for me. If not, a post along the lines of "XYZ razor causes a lot of razor burn" or "gives me a lot of weepers without cleaning up the whiskers as well as I want". Then I'm off for my next acquisition on the used forum and flip the one that didn't work out. Overall, not that expensive, only losing $5 or $10 per razor mainly on shipping expenses. So, for the price of a Starbucks coffee (or half of one ), I get an extended 'test drive' to figure out if the current razor is the one! I have also been fortunate to deal with some really good forum members on these transactions that really helped me dial in the 'best' razor for what I wanted at the time.
My theory is that adjustables were invented more to be "one size fits all" as opposed to "many sizes will fit you". In others words, if you find the one setting that works, then that's what we intended. Do people complain that they can only use one hole in their belt? "The 6th hole is way to loose -- the 1st hole is way too tight. I want more flexibility in my belt." Many people complain that their adjustable only works for them at one setting. Then what's the problem, I ask? Or how about a belt with just one hole? Then you have to keep buying belts til one fits. What happens when you lose or gain weight? You need to buy a new belt. Just like a fixed gap razor. What happens when your shaving skills increase? You can increase the setting on your adjustable razor, rather than buying a new razor. Adjustables seem like a win-win to me, unless you're crazy and feel you need to own more than one razor.
Most (all? not 100% sure) adjustable razors' "adjustment" has to do with blade gap (i.e., the gap between the baseplate and blade--higher setting, bigger gap). Blade gap doesn't tell the whole story, though, for how a razor actually shaves because there are numerous factors that influence a razor's performance.
True, but at least you can change some of the performance by the settings, something you can't do on a non-adjustable, although some people claim (like eBay sellers!) that all razors are "adjustable". Granted, your angle of attack, as well as blade choice, can change the performance of a razor, too. To the OP: you will get at least as many recommendations as the # of people who respond to this thread. For an adjustable, are you really thinking of adjusting mid-shave? If so, do you want a quick adjustment, or are you willing to change plates? If the latter, try a Rockwell 6S. On sale or pre-owned, it will be around $100. Are you open to vintage? Then try a Gillette Black Beauty -- the most plentiful and least expensive vintage Gillette option for an adjustable. Ever tried an SE? Try a vintage Schick Type M adustable. So you mind zamak? If not, try a Yaqi TFC. They have ones in brass and I think stainless steel now, but they might break your budget -- I haven't checked prices recently. Also zamak, is the highly recommended Merkur Progress. I really would go for the Rockwell 6S if I were you.
I have been looking at the Goodfellas Smile Syntesi Stainless razor. I like the low profile. Any thoughts on this razor? Also, I would like to purchase my next razor, shaving cream etc. from one source if possible to simplify things. Any recommendations on where t purchase?........Thanks!
