Edwin Jagger DE89L

Edwin Jagger DE89L 3-piece razor with Muhle-Pinsel R89 head.













Price At less than $40 CDN this razor is a steal.

Quality The fit and finish of the razor are outstanding. The chrome plating is flawless and the parts fit perfectly. The head is a Muhle-Pinsel head that is nearly identical to the Merkur HD but with a better finish and feel.

Grip The razor I have has a chrome handle that is a bit slippery but not as bad as my Merkur Progress. It is also available with a faux ivory or ebony handle that might offer a slightly better grip.

Blade Changes This razor is a basic 3-piece design and blade changes are simple.

Aggressiveness I found this razor to be a mild shaver compared to my Merkur 38c and very similar to my Gillette Tech making it a great entry level razor.

Adjustability This is not an adjustable razor.

Balance The razor has good balance. It could do with a slightly heavier handle but all in all it is well balanced.

Overall This is a great razor at a very attractive price from many online retailers. I've yet to find any brick-and-mortar retailers of this razor. The shaves I get from this razor are enjoyable and nearly always nick free. I have tried numerous blades with this handle and have not had a bad shave. I prefer to use it with a Feather blade as the aggressiveness is a bit mild for me. This razor was acquired from rasagepoulin.com


Discussion thread HERE

I will echo the comments about this razor being very high quality. The plating is very thick and the fit and finish appear to be superb. Better than the old Gillettes and new Merkurs I've handled. Contrary to some rumors, this razor and head is NOT made by Parker. It's a proprietary Jagger/Muehle design.

See this thread here:

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=70509

Now down to performance. Although I've bought and sold a few different razors since I started to shave with a DE a few months ago, the only one I've actually shaved with is a U2 Super Adjustable. When I use it, I tend to keep the settings on 1-3, depending on my beard growth and what pass of the shaving process I'm on. Basically, I tend to prefer mild razors, not the more aggro razors that many B&B members like. So when I saw this razor described as relatively mild, I thought it would be a no brainer. Wrong.

After using the Super Adjustable consistently (again, on a mild setting) I got very accustomed to it and could do long strokes, freehand my blade angle, etc. all with very little care and no razor burn or nicks 98% of the time. After using this razor this morning, I can safely say the switch is essentially like starting over from scratch.

This razor requires a different blade angle from the Super and is noticeably more aggressive. I doubt it's more aggro than a Merkur HD (often recommended to newbies) though. I ended up with some tenderness, a little razor burn and a couple of small nicks. That was my fault because I wasn't careful and I also decided to lather up with a brand new brush and a cream I've only tried once before. Big mistake. Next time I'll stick with a cream and brush I'm more used to and be a little more careful.

If you've stuck with one razor for a few months and are making the switch or introducing this or any other razor into your shaving rotation, be careful.

Now, please don't take this to mean I think this is a bad razor or a poor choice for a newby. It's not. In fact, I think this is a superior alternative to the Merkur HD (in terms of looks and workmanship) and it only costs a few bucks more.

I got mine from Rasage Poulin (prices are in Canadian dollars), which I believe is the only North American vendor selling these razors.

Also the razor head in the picture (from completeman) is clearly a Merkur head, not the new Muehle / EJ head. Don't know what razor head the actual razor you would receive from them would have, you'd have to ask.

UPDATE: tried this razor again for the third time this morning with much, much better results. They key is the proper blade angle is noticeably shallower than a Gillette. Like any razor, if you have the wrong angle, you might scrape the hell out of your face!

This razor is hard to find in the USA, but if you do, it's worth it. I bought mine for $34 from Fendrihan in Canada, and alas shipping was ~$10, though I tried to offset that by including other stuff in the order.

If I could use 3 words to describe this razor: quality, quality and quality! The fit and finish is outstanding and a beautiful razor to admire. There is no doubt this is a serious quality razor with some heavy duty plating.

Shaving is less aggressive than I thought it would be, though head angle is vital. What's wrong with this razor? Well my only quibble would be that the grip is not quite "grippy" enough (I have the DE89L with ribs on the handle too). Still, it's something I'm very willing to overlook. For me, the balance is perfect, but of course, I think this can be very subjective. Since it's a 3 piece, blade replacement is a little more fiddly, but the good news is that the head alignment appears perfect to me. Put the blade in, tighten up, and you are ready to go.

Since some vintage Gillettes are going for close to this price on Ebay, I'd say this 3 piece is very well worth a look. I think for the price you pay, this is a bargain. I definitely recommend it.