I am digging it. It's heavy but balanced, and the finish on mine is pretty nice. It's a keeper for me.
I've never used a Weber and couldn't make a direct comparison. Please interpret my commentary as ymmv, and only expressing my experience as info.
catchin' up on some threadin' from the last week or so ... i've only been doin' this DE wet shaving thing for a few months. so, having only shaved with a EJ89 and a 60's SS flair tip and a slim adjustable (only a couple of times) , take this with a grain of salt ... right along with others' comments already: it's a good lookin razor, nice finish, really nice weight to the handle, knurling was certainly adequate. i also tried several 'loads' of the blade. each time the blade seemed to be evenly exposed ... at least from my naked eyes + readers. i popped in a crystal about a week ago and then a couple of days after ... for two shaves. with the weight of the handle and the relative lightness of the head, it did take a bit to find the right balance point. that was a pretty quick adjustment, though. both shaves were pretty smooth, overall. interestingly, i did manage to scrape enough skin - kind of on the upper chin area - both shaves, only on the first pass, and a new spot for me to have any issues. anyway, a quick hit of the styptic, and the problem was solved ... not even to surface again on the 2nd pass. compared to my EJ89, i do feel like either: the blade is exposed a bit more or the gap is slightly larger. i'm not sure i know the difference as far as 'feel' goes. plus, that's just a gut-feel thing ... i haven't loaded a blade in both and done a magnified compare yet. i'd like to, though, just to see if my 'shave feel' is accurate or not. given all that, i'd say this is a bit higher on the mild/aggressive scale than the EJ89 but probably not much. overall and especially compared to other razors in the price range (that i've at least held in my hands) ... this is a really nice value. it's well made, and it gives me a fine shave. i could confidently recommend this razor to others.
Nice review! I've been driving mine daily since Thanksgiving. I am really liking this razor. DFS to BBS every shave.
I spent a week using the DF91 every day. It is a great razor. I got excellent shaves. I agree with gmaugie007 that the blade is a bit more exposed. One observation that resulted from this is that it doesn't handle "dud" blades as well. My standard (inexpensive) razor blade is a supermax platinum. They work very well in general and though sometimes inconsistent, the price to "dud" ratio is good enough for me at this point in my financial life. I put in a new blade in on my last day of shaving with the DF91. It was a rough one. I got multiple cuts and just felt irritated all over. The next day, I switched back to my EJ89 with a different blade (still a supermax platinum). Smooth as silk and a great shave (I love that razor). So the next day I swapped that "dud" blade from the DF91 into the EJ89 as an experiment. It is still a rough blade and felt that way with some tugging. But with my usual daily shave routine (quick 3 pass shave mostly by feel in the shower) I did not get any nicks or weepers and no irritation. It was not the most close or most comfortable shave but it was better than when using the same blade in the DeFitch razor. That said, I still believe the DF91 is an excellent value (and when you get a "dud" hopefully you can recognize it early and toss the blade).
Love these more extensive-use reviews as they give a deeper understanding of how the razor performs for someone. Great write-up.
I continue using mine daily. The last blade was a 7 0'clock super platinum (black) which generally works well in my other razors. The DF91 didn't like it, nor did my face. I got a pretty good razor burn, which I'm not used to at all Changed out to an Astra and all is well again. I've had great shaves with Astra and Feathers. I'll keep trying out a different blade on occasion, but I really do like the razor so far. We'll keep going for at least 30 days.
Ok, I got the DeFitch 91 from @pvtbanks Thanks so much!!! Here is my review: Aesthetics: The razor looks really nice. The knurling is very well done and it looks on par with razors 2x its price. I'm pretty impressed. I thought this would be a great starter DE razor, but I really like it. The plating on the outside is almost flawless. On the inside of the head, there is some imperfections, but nothing bad especially at this price. 8/10 Handle: The handle is where this razor impressed me the most. It is 3.5inches and has a fantastic weight to it. I really like shorter handled razors with good weight to them, and though this is a little longer than I prefer, it still works well. The knurling adds good grip so it is not slippery on the handle like my Muhle razor. For this price, the handle was worth the money alone. I may even put this on my R89 Muhle head and use it daily. 10/10 Head: I have mixed feelings about this razor head. Upon first inspection, there is a significant blade gap, and like other members are saying, the blade is more exposed. Also, the handle does not tighten completely down on the head. Not sure if this is just mine, but I consistently need to keep re-tightening it. The blade does not line up perfectly either. Every blade I have tried in it had to be adjusted significantly. Moving on to the shaves, however, the head performed great. Great shaves with no irritation. As for aggressiveness, this is definitely above my Muhle R89. On my scale I'd rate it a 5 or 6. It is definitely usable for daily shaves, I just prefer a milder razor. 7/10 Here is the blade gap: Overall: Overall, I am very impressed. For this price point, it really is hard to be beat. It gives fantastic shaves with a good balance between bite and smoothness. It works great and this price-point is a huge plus. Even though the price point is for entry level wet shavers, I would not recommend it to a complete beginner because the blade is more exposed and requires some adjusting of the blade. I may just put this handle on my R89 head and use it for daily shaves because it is more well rounded and works better for my skin, or I may keep the DF91 by itself and use it. It works well and I do recommend it. 8.5/10 Thanks again to @pvtbanks for letting me test this out. I am very happy and impressed with the shaves this gives for the price point.
Great write-up @m54daboll. Out of curiosity, did @pvtbanks PIF the DeFitch to you or did you trade or what? The reason I ask is I'm trying to figure out what to do with mine. Maybe keep it for the tour box? I like it -- really like it actually, but I'm kinda OCD and kinda want to stick with vintage razors... Eventually vintage brushes too probably.
Amazon shipping wouldn't send to a PO box and I did a PIF to him earlier, so he asked if I wanted it. Basically traded PIF lol
I agree. I have purchased a number of inexpensive 3 piece razors where the blade does not align well. I consider them a nice handle, and use a different head usually purchased from Pearl or Scotch & Stowe or others. Now, if I look at one for sale and a review even hints at a blade alignment issue, I pass, that is unless I like the handle and consider it worth the purchase price. I've purchased several different Utopia's for $7.99 knowing the heads don't align the blade correctly, just because they had a nice handle.
