What's new

Razors that surprised you?

Hannah's Dad

I Can See Better Than Bigfoot.
Muhle R41: from what i read it I thought it was going to be a blood bath, but had to try it.. found it to be reasonably smooth but with plenty of blade feel

DE89: my first razor and i thought it served its purpose then and only didnt get rid of it due to sentimental value of 'my first time'. Got it out couple of weeks ago in search of a mild shave and found that now along with better technique etc it actually shaved quite well and much better than it used to for me

WR2 1.25: i was expecting this to be good but never actually shaved with it.. what suprised me was how good the razor actually was, the king in my den for sure and the best combo of efficiency and smoothness i have experienced to date
WR2 1.25 SB ... long live the King!
1594952515558.gif
 

Space_Cadet

I don't have a funny description.
When I bought a Barbasol (which was quite expensive), I loved the overall design but I had a distinct feeling that for some reason it won't work for me. Well, it did. It's a wonderful razor.

When I bought the Muhle Rocca, I thought it would be the perfect razor for me. In reality it turned out much too aggressive and harsh, and I couldn't even finish one shave with it.
 
YINTAL razor positive surprise, YAQI Mellon and old Polish LUX also positive ... 😆 and I was disappointed with Muhle 89 and EJ have the same head, which means that for me personally not effective ..and Parker CC wery good effect
 
Schick Krona is the one that surprised me (plastic handle, and lets face it not the prettiest girl at the dance), but she is mild+efficient enough to shave my face+head bbs without fear of getting some weepers.
My Schick Krona would shout "Boo" that always surprised me...
 
Razorock Eco. It actually shaves a lot better than most of my chi chi razors. But it's cheap and weird so nobody likes it.
This is surprising. I read a lot about it after it came out and almost all the reviews were fairly negative. I'm glad it works for you.
 
This is surprising. I read a lot about it after it came out and almost all the reviews were fairly negative. I'm glad it works for you.
I am baffled by those posts. It may be the giant box of crappy blades that come with it, I didn't like them at all. I use cut Nacets.
 
Two that really surprised me in a good way:

Gillette ball end tech. I paid $10 for my first one and it blew me away. Best razor i had used to that point and still as good as any i own.

Lord L6. Wonderful shaves close to the equal of any i own for about 5 bucks brand new.
 
Muhle R41: from what i read it I thought it was going to be a blood bath, but had to try it.. found it to be reasonably smooth but with plenty of blade feel

DE89: my first razor and i thought it served its purpose then and only didnt get rid of it due to sentimental value of 'my first time'. Got it out couple of weeks ago in search of a mild shave and found that now along with better technique etc it actually shaved quite well and much better than it used to for me

WR2 1.25: i was expecting this to be good but never actually shaved with it.. what suprised me was how good the razor actually was, the king in my den for sure and the best combo of efficiency and smoothness i have experienced to date
+1s for both R41 and DE89.
 
Two razors have really surprised me:
  1. The black plastic Wilkinson Sword Classic. I've owned two of these (stripped the threads on the first one after several years, second one still going strong) and I am constantly amazed ad how smooth and effective this razor is. It's not terrible aggressive, but it will get the job done with just about any blade you care to load in it.
  2. The Gillette Tech. As simple as it gets, yet it's another razor that never lets me down no matter what blade is loaded.
I've tried a lot of other razors and I'm not sure that any of them delivered on a day-to-day basis like these have. If you want überrazors handcrafted with artisanal precision from the rarest of materials, have at it and enjoy. For myself, I'm sticking with the basics.
 
The black plastic Wilkinson Sword Classic
It's not my face shaver of choice, but unless you want to use a cartridge razor to go ATG on your neck (which I have done), then it can be very useful.

It's as tame as a Rockwell R2, and unlike the Rockwell, it has covered blade tabs, so your ears won't get nicked en passant.
 
Razorock MJ90-A.
Razorock Eco. It actually shaves a lot better than most of my chi chi razors. But it's cheap and weird so nobody likes it.

My surprise “sleeper” razor is a Razorock MJ90-A on a 100m Ti handle. I received it via a trade. Like the Eco I saw the B&B reviews for the MJ90-A were mostly middling, so I didn’t expect much. But that head on that handle has become one of my favorite shavers. The aluminum head with a Nacet shaves smoothly, has a nice “sing” to it, and can get my face BBS in two passes with no fear of nicks or weepers. With the Ti handle it has a extremely nice balance that I love. The only con is that the head is too bulky for me to really get a clean swipe under the schnoz.

I have a Game Changer, Fatip Slant and Gillette Super Speed in my regular DE rotation. The MJ90-A might not technically give the absolute “best” shave (that’s probably the GC), it’s probably the most pleasurable to use.
 
Pulled out my Brazilian Monotech Z-1 last week and was very surprised at the comfort and efficiency. Rocket HD and Toggle were my previous favs but the Monotech is now top dog. At least for a while.
 
Gold NDC Gillette BET: My first vintage razor. Best. $7.00. Purchase. Ever.

Muhle R41 (2013): Reputed to be a tiger, turned out to be a pussycat.

Assured DE: For $1.00 I expected total garbage, turned out to be merely mediocre. With the low ecpectations I had going in, that was a pleasant surprise.

Gem Damaskeene: My first SE. Incredibly easy to shave with.
 
Last edited:
I still don't understand why, but my '53 SuperSpeed just is not a favorite. I expected it to be a champion for me; my birth year razor, it garners applause from almost everybody here. It shaves beautifully, looks fine -- but I overlook it in the rotation more than I do any other of my 7 razors. "Nah, don't feel like the SS today."

Maybe it's that skinny short handle that makes it seem like a toy or a boy's beginner razor. I like thicker handles.
 
Top Bottom