Lux DE

I was quite lucky to get a hand on one of those Lux razor, thanks to a guy at TSD
Before i tried it i read a lot of mixed comment on that razor , some said it was very aggressive, some said it was not enough.
The only way to know was to give it a try, what i done this morning.
The shave was great.
Yes it's an aggressive razor but when handle whit care it will reward you whit a smooth BBS shave.
I used it whit a new Feather and i had no problem.
For the price i give a 10 because i haven't paid for it.
The handle is very good , it won't slip in your hands for sure.
The balance is top notch also.
Ease of blade replacement, well it's a 3 piece razor.
I like the Lux more than the Portable, he's more aggressive but smoother on the shave and the handle is bigger.
The blade gap is quite big , a bit like a Progress at 3.5 so be careful and apply the no pressure method.
I highly recommend it.

I bought a Lux as well as 5 blades via Ebay from a seller in Poland, total cost including shipping was about $10US.

When I first saw the razor, I was pretty impressed; for $10 not a bad purchase! However, upon closer inspection, all was not what it appeared:

When I first put a razor in, I "bunged" it in place, and tightened it up. Oh oh.... the blade was showing more on one side than the other, and the blade was not parallel with the top piece sides. After fiddling around screwing and unscrewing with this for quite a time (this is why I gave 4 for "user friendly" as I have to do this every time I change blades), though I could get both sides approximately even, I realized the top cover piece was not perfectly rectangular -not by much mind you -but enough for my eye to pick up on it. As noted in previous reviews, the corners of the base plate are a little sharp, but if necessary these can be smoothed off.

Though it is a nice stainless steel and not cheap and nasty, perhaps the boys in the factory in 1960's Poland might have made the one I received the day after May Day celebrations......?

So I found I had to take a little more care in installing a blade, though the 3 piece design is well, what it is, which is fine. Perhaps my previous paragraph is a little harsh as for shaving, I found it more than adequate, and very similar to a '66 Gillette Super Speed flare tip I have. As I said, though the top cover isn't perfectly rectangular, I honestly couldn't tell. This razor is perfectly functional.

I found the balance a little too handle heavy; and the knurling on the handle was adequate and gave a very nice grip, but certainly not top quality and I think it's true to say it's reflective of the price I paid.

If you are looking for a quality razor, this is not it (and of course, for the price, you can't realistically expect it to be so either!). However, this razor is perfect for a travel, introductory or backup razor -the kind of razor that still has a nice metal quality to it -but also if you lost it, it wouldn't be a big loss either. There's also a certain amount of interest in knowing you have a piece of the old Cold War, and of course you don't see too many around in the USA!

This one's going in my downstairs bathroom.

Not that the LUX is bad...it just isn't good. This is going to be my travel razor until I can upgrade- after that, I think I will either PIF it or just retire it. Horrible razor to give to a newbie, however. Nearly impossible to cut yourself with it! The angle I have to use to get it to shave is odd; the razor is nearly perpendicular to my face.

Price: $11 shipped. Can't beat that.
Quality: 1960's Poland. It works, but that's about it. Kinda cool to have a razor made to be used after a nuclear war though.
User Friendly: Like I said, I couldn't nick myself if I tried.
Grip: Awesome grip. Best thing about this razor. Maybe I could find a new head and use the handle from the LUX.
Ease of blade replacement: 3 piece design- not hard to load a new blade, but a bit annoying.
Aggressiveness: Not at all, but gives me a lot of ingrowns. That's the main reason that it will be benched once I get a better travel razor. It'll take a week or two of using my HD to clear up those ingrowns.
Balance: Pretty bad. Even though it is Stainless Steel, it is kind of light, and all of the weight is in the bottom of the razor which I don't like.