This is the third safety razor I have used. I have had a Merkur 47C and a Parker 71R. I really liked my Merkur, but I gave it to a brother-in-law when I got the Parker for Christmas. I didn't realize at the time there would be such a drastic difference between the two. I didn't like the Parker at all. Thus I began a quest for a new DE safety razor. After a couple weeks of serious research (this is also how I discovered B&B), I settled on this EJ DE89. I love this razor. I got it from leesrazors.com. It looked beautiful right out of the box, and it gives me the perfect balance between "not too aggressive" and "I still need to respect this razor before I create a bloody mess all over my bathroom". I have been using this guy for about two months now and I haven't had any problems with the grip, although I can see how it could be a problem potentially. Its lighter than my other two razors. I enjoyed the weight of the Merkur, but the Parker unnecessarily heavy to me. The DE89 is lighter than both of those. The blade placement is somewhat of a pain compared to others, but its not like its a 30 minute ordeal that leaves my fingers nicked up and needing to restock my bandaid supply weekly. Further, if this is the only complaint I have with this razor, then I think I found a pretty excellent product. Definitely worth the $40 I paid. Great value, as I may not buy another one for as long as I live.