This was the very first safety razor I bought on my own for my own use. It was 2017, after seeing it at Target for months and it capturing my attention. I ended up getting the Merkur 34c in December of that year, but I first learned to love safeties with this. I don't like that the Weishi 9306, rebranded here under the Van der Hagen label, is dismissed as a beginner's or travelers' razor and therefore easily replaced once something "better" s discovered. It's actually quite a nice tool and surprisingly efficient for its class.
I'm not going to knock the VDH - I've got 2, one each of the long and short handle versions. It's an unpretentious workhorse, doing its job with a minimum of fuss. Having said that, I do see it as a great travel razor. Mild enough to leave your face intact even if you're rushed, widely available, and cheap enough that you won't scream in frustration if the luggage handlers lose the bag you packed it in. Do I have razors I like better? Sure. But they stay safe at home, and I don't feel bad about that. After all, how many VDHs could I buy for the current collector's price of my Blackland Era? 10? 20? 30?
That VanDerHagen looks like the Chinese razor they sell at the dollar stores. They work, but are more in the realm of travel razor. If it get lost, damaged, or confiscated, no biggie.
My sentiments exactly! In my opinion, the reason for its popularity is that it IS so affordable as to be easily replaced, but because of that many dismiss it as being primarily, if not only, a travel piece. That is a real shame, because as a daily shaver it's really good for what it is. Well, it IS a Chinese razor, ha ha! And while it's true that their price makes them easily replaceable if lost, stolen, or damaged, I don't think that gives it the credit it deserves for being as efficient as it is for its particular weight and design.
Having used both, I can say there is no comparison between the VDH/Weishi and the Dollar Tree Assured! The VDH is by far the better of the two.
I'm just going by looks. I've used some Chinese clone razors, Ming Shi(Q-Shave) Futur clone, and they were very well made.
The Assured I have hasn't (quite) disintegrated yet, but I notice the chrome colored coating has peeled in a couple of spots like the knob revealing plastic underneath. At a price point of $1.25, that's to be expected, but by contrast my VDH shows no signs of distress after 5+ years.
I used for years a Micro Touch One or the Weishi short handle model that was a pre Rick Harris endorsed model from 2017. My dad took for his 1945--1948 Aristocrat he is still using is using, the cheap bar of metal bent into a shaving holder for mainly short handle shavers no longer than the Aristocrat model he got about a month before I got my shaver. I got my shaver in late 2017 when I got my shaver but immediately replaced the Dorco 300 blades hidden under a Micro One package. Only reason I had to replace was the package was all dented up being so old it was Pre Rick Harris endorsement as this company, so the shaver slowly died over time only getting worse in 2024 but really bad in 2025. Now I have an old Gillette adjustable 1--9 slim handle and a better backup with original case to also hold my Micro Touch when the cover was lightly modified. Reason my dad switched from an old Twin Trac II/Astera II Dorco he had since the army in 1984 was that Personna as the time stopped the clones and Dorco version became hard to find or in very small packs a 6 despite the packaging having 12 slots but was still paying the price of the older 10--12 slot, My dad was not happy so he looked in the one good, since closed antiques store for an old shaver finding a Gillette Aristocrat from 1945 to 1948 model with the maroon case/maroon fabric.My dad assumed wrongly the modern Safe-T-Shavers double edge were all a 2 or 3 piece shaver from the one model he saw in Walgreens a Harry's 3 pice and another that was a 3 piece at the time or one butterfly Rick Harris endorsed Micro Touch One, my dad did not like Rick Harris even back before his politics came out, appearing dumb/always acting stoned for TV Chumley was why. My dad he forces to use the old Dorco 300 I gave him finally finding the last 4 pack because he used Dorco for his Twin Trac II, but he does touch up sharpening of the blades on his whetstone he uses oil to do sharpening with until they would need a reprofile, so he gets about 6 moths to a year from the blades depending on when they rust. His Walgreens model from 2017, those rusted as soon as his moved to the house 1 year later and he has lived in since 2020. My dad lost the 2017 Persona USA 100 pack I got him for birthday 2017 that were lost during the 2020 move where I would not be surprised if one of the young adult men doing a crappy moving company when back home from university if they took them for their own use, this is how a cheap indoor outdoor that is actually indoor mostly unless used for extension lights extension cord the thin 2 prong type a more modern all white version with the dust prevention plugs for 3 of the 2 prong female end that went missing they swiped it, I saw the person looking like an accident but on purpose walked off with the cord into his car when done on day one that was for the entertainment system downstairs having to get a new indoor outdoor extension cord for the TV in the basement of new house, getting those type because the indoor only can despite 3 of the female 2 prong outlets, only have 1 item plugged in at a time.
This is why I kept my Micro Touch One for flying should I need to fly but not in my on board luggage more for the main luggage so if it is damaged, I can just buy a temporary disposable single edge Bic for the entire trip and replace my slowly dying Micro Touch One or if luggage is lost until after the trip no big deal I go and buy a Disposable single Edge Bic. A disposable Yellow Bic is really close to some more enclosed single edge shavers like the Parker Solo Edge. If I did have to replace my Micro Touch One, I would look for a version of the Weishi short handle that comes with a Baili style all plastic case with the molded slots that one can buy new so it can survive travel better.
