Hi wet shave dudes,
I’ve been shaving my head with a DE razor for a few years now. I’ve had a few cheap £20 razors, but they don’t seem to last me very long.
On one the butterfly mecanism broke. My next was a 3 piece, which I dropped and the chrome chipped off. They were both Parker razors.
After some research, seems the way to go for durability is steel, but steel razors (e.g. rockwell 6s) tend to be above £100.
I’m not sure I’d be OK dropping that kind of money, so I wanted to ask: is there a good durable DE around £50?
Some razors are marketed as “tripple chromed”. Are they any better?
Cheers
I have a hard time believing steel razor handles are more expensive. It is more that luxury brands have luxury prices.
I was thinking this too.
A set of stainless steel cutlery isn’t super expensive for example.
Are you looking for another butterfly mechanism or are you open to any type?
I actually prefer 3 piece.
I can’t attest to the quality but this is one of the razors that shows up when I search “3 piece stainless steel safety razor”
Brass might be a viable alternative as well. It will bend rather than chip.
It’s just the missing economy of scale, I reckon.
First: the damage of your razor is probably for the moment only cosmetic, but it will start to corode more easily. But you can wait before you buy something else.
Most razors in this price range will be mostly zamac alloy, which you won’t hand down to your great grand-children, but will last for years, if properly taken care of.
Some razors are marketed as “tripple chromed”. Are they any better?
I’m not aware of any difference in chroming; I would take this as marketing speech (It’s toasted!). Which are these?
For good DE razors in the 50£ range, check:
- Edwin Jagger
- Mühle
- Merkur
All of these also have stainless steel razors.
Anyway: if you have a tendency to drop things, more expensive stainless steel or brass razors will also tend to be heavier. They won’t break, but they can deform on impact. And they can chip your sink.
I was looking at EJ. They sell the heads separately, so I could easily replace if I drop.
stainless steel or brass razors will also tend to be heavier
You think a Gillette tech would chip your sink any more than a zamac parker? They’re not that heavy…
That’s true - on the other hand, it would not go beyond 50£ either 😊
Has anyone tried the edwin jagger 3one6 series of steel razors?
Haven’t tried it, but only heard good things about it.
I haven’t tried the 3one6, but it has supposedly the same geometry as the Mühle Rocca, which is a great razor.
I really like the Fatip Gentile. It’s on the medium side of mild, so I assume it might be good for head shaving? I still get very close shaves from it despite not having a lot of blade feel. Nice efficiency.
As @[email protected] mentioned, Fatip razors are made from brass, so even if the chrome chips off (I do suggest chrome as it’s more durable than nickle or gold) it won’t be bothered by water.
The only downside to Fatip is the blade might need to be manually aligned before you tighten everything down. It doesn’t bother me at all, but might bother you.
Another option is a RazoRock Game Changer, which actually seems to be in stock right now. Hmmm, I might actually grab one.
I’m starting to think that a brass chromed razor is the way to go. Edwin Jagger DE89 is cheap and replacement heads can be bought cheaply in the UK too.
Maybe later in life, a stainless razor.
You might also consider vintage razors, a lot of them are brass and they’ve stood the test of time to get this far.
Alternatively, if what you really want is machined stainless you can probably get it for that price from dscosmetic or yaqi on AliExpress. They have many models so it’d be worth searching out some reviews.
I can swear the RazoRock Game Changer .76-P is like 55usd on Italian barber think that’s around 50£ idk the exact exchange rate. But guess something that comes in anodized aluminum might be another alternative like a lupo or something similar. Think there was also a de89 clone that was made with sturdier materials but for the life of me can’t recall the name
It’s hard to find in the UK. Amazon has a razorock GC, but it’s over £100.
Oof amazon has the worst prices tbh but dang i assumed Italian barber shipped to the UK. Look around and see if maggard ships there and there’s also razoremporium which states they accept international customers. If not you might just have to go on eBay and see what you can get. Amazon is just a wasteland of zamak razors unless you want to go for the Wilkinson sword which is plastic and should survive a fall
The game changer is quite popular, but razorock/Italian Barber has a history of shitty business practices which makes me reluctant to throw money their way. Even if the hawk and the gc are great razors.
If you want a razor that can survive a drop, then you’ll want to stay away from from the previous two recommendations. They are also chrome plated zamac and won’t fare better than what you’ve tried.
You’re right that stainless steel razors tend to lean expensive. The closest to your budget I can think of is the mühle Rocca , which is a great value IMO, but still pricey.
Brass is another great choice that’s much more durable than chrome plated zamac. You can get brass razors with it without chrome plating and it’s mainly a question of esthetics: chrome plating is shiny (but can chip), unplated brass develops a patina if it isn’t polished which some people like, others don’t.
In brass, you can choose between myriad vintage Gillette Tech razors on eBay (cheap, great razors that will outlive you) or modern brass razors like Fatip which will likewise outlive you and cost you under 20£.
I personally enjoy the Lo Storto Fatip a lot.
Some razors are marketed as “tripple chromed”. Are they any better?
No. The only thing that matters is under the chrome plating. Even if you never drop your razor, at some point you’ll wear through the playing at the threads of the screw post, and the underlying metal will be exposed. If it’s brass, nothing happens. If it’s zamac (potmetal), it’ll corrode and break quickly.
Thank you for the detailed response.
I don’t care much about tarnishing, so maybe brass is the way to go!
I don’t see any unplated fatip razors on their site btw.
Oh yeah, Fatip has chrome or gold plating, I think. But the advantage is that if you drop it and the plating chips, the underlying brass won’t be bothered by it. For unplated brass, you can look at vintage Gillette razors, for instance
https://www.muehle-shaving.com/en/RYTMO-Razor/R-226-SR
This one’s 40€ + 9,95€ shipping. It’s short and heavy, which imho makes it easy to handle. Also it has a kind of oldschool look I like.
No idea how much €s are a £, but maybe it’s inside of your price range.
Same problem as op, though: a chrome plated zamac head.
I started with a kit from maggard razor and it’s been going great so far, can recommend
Same problem as op, though: a chrome plated zamac head.
Oh :( rip
You can get used Gillette DE for cheap. It may take a bit of labor to get it cleaned up.
the king gillette isn’t bad for the price if a bit shallow on the attack.
remember when gillette tried to kill safety blades?
KCG blades are my favorite! I don’t have any experience with the razor though.
It’s a fine starter razor.
Same problem as op, though: a chrome plated zamac head.
Seems to be durable enough - I’ve been using mine for 10+ years and it still has all of the plating
Goin on 20 years for me and still in perfect condition for me
I take it you didn’t drop it like op did, then 🙂
