What's new

Parker 71R

I have used three different brands/types of DE razors now, and this one is my least favorite. The weight of this razor was nice, and the grip was nice. Compared to my Merkur and my Edwin Jagger though, this blade was really aggressive and I nicked myself quite a bit. I think I have an average beard and about normal, not sensitive, skin. I was using Astra and Merkur blades so maybe a different blade might get better results. I don't necessarily consider myself a beginner; I've been using safety razors for about two years now. However, this razor gave me a real challenge. When I switched to the Edwin Jagger (I had a Merkur for my first one) the quality of my shave went way up. I still use the Merkur blades (which I don't care for, but I don't want to waste them).
I would definitely not recommend this razor for someone who is just learning how to use the DE razors. I would only suggest it for someone who knows they want and is looking for an aggressive shave. Compared to the other two I own, there is considerably more blade exposed and at a more shallow angle to the head.
Grip
5.00 star(s)
Price
4.00 star(s)
Balance
4.00 star(s)
Quality
3.00 star(s)
Adjustability
0.00 star(s)
User Friendly
3.00 star(s)
Aggressiveness
4.00 star(s)
Ease of Blade Replacement
4.00 star(s)
This is my first DE razor. The shave is very pleasant. I expected it to be a bit more agressive than it was. I have shaved with it 3 times since I recieved it and have had no irritation. I would really suggest this to anyone who wants to venture into wet-shaving.:001_smile
Grip
4.00 star(s)
Price
5.00 star(s)
Balance
3.00 star(s)
Quality
5.00 star(s)
User Friendly
4.00 star(s)
Aggressiveness
2.00 star(s)
Ease of Blade Replacement
3.00 star(s)
The Parker 71R is a fairly basic 3 piece razor. You can get it either from bestgroomingtools.com (where I got mine) or from classicshaving.com (they call it a Vintage Style Black Safety Razor). It is made in the far off land of India.

Price

I think the price for this razor is great. Less then $25 for a brand new one. I think its a good deal for 2 reasons. One, for someone who was just starting out a few months ago in the world of double-edge razors the price was right. I didn't really want to spend about $35 for a new Merkur razor. Second reason: I didn't want a used razors. I'm sure most are fine but it grosses me out just a little that the razor might have been used by some hobo on Broad St. in Newark, NJ.

Quality

I was actually surprised at how great this razor feels. It actually weights, accroding to bestgroomingtools.com, more then the Merkur HD Hefty (2.8oz vs 2.75oz). Now, obviously, this difference is really non-existent in a person's hand, but still. The weight is there. It feels like you're hold a real razor not some plastic junk made to be tossed. I've opened it, closed it, dropped it, left it in the car in 90+ degree heat, got it wet, got it dry and everything in between and its fine. It is also all metal; always a plus when finding a cheap razor.

User Friendly

Well it is a double edge razor. There's a learning curve. At first my major problem -being a newbie when I got this- was that it took me a bit to get the blade location and angle correct. Unlike a Fusion or whatever you don't just push this against your cheek and pull. It took me at least 5 or so shaves to get an idea where the blade was and how it would hit my face. And it took me another two weeks of shaving to get the blade angle correct.

Grip

I really like the grip. There is a bit of a criss-croos (will make you jump, jump) pattern to the handle. If you're hand is covered with soap it won't matter but I've had no problem with it. My only problem with the grip is that it is a bit a hard to clean. I think I'm wearing off a bit of the black or maybe its just a bit dirty I can't tell.

Blade Replacement

Its fine for this. Its a three part razor so you have to be a bit careful opening it up and closing it. It seems to take a few more turns then you would think to close it. So far no stripping on the screw top.

Here's my quick two cents on blades. I've only used two blades since I started DE shaving. Merkur blades and Wilkinson Swords black classic. I found that in this razor the Merkur blades were "eh". I put in the Wilkinsons. Wow, what a huge difference. I'm guessing that the Wilkinsons were a bit sharper and more aggresive. Which is good for me cause I have a heavy, corase beard. Blades are like girls everyone is hot for something you think isn't. So there you go.

Aggresiveness

I rated this a 6. Some of its the razor and some of its the blade you put in. As I said above the Merkurs were OK but the Wilkinsons were great. I think overall the razor is pretty mild. Not much of the blade is exposed. Which is good for a newbie like me since I don't really nick myself and bleeding is minimal. I think for me since I've got a tough beard a sharper blade works best. Now if you've got a lighter beard this will probably be even better as the amount of blade exposed is tame enough that you won't do damage.

Last word on agressiveness. With the right blade and skill you can get BBS shaves no problem.

Adjustiblity

Not adjustible. So n/a here.

Balance

The balance was night. I felt that most of the weight is in the head. Which is what you want with the razor. The handle is long enough to provide good control.

Conclusion

For the price, I think, I got a great razor. There's not a lot of info or reviews on this razor so I kinda bit the bullet and survived I guess. While its not the all star of the razor world (Merkur HD) it is having a very nice year coming off the beach. I think for a newbie its great because its cheap, of good quality, had a nice balance and feel and is a pretty mild shave, depending on the blade.

The only problem I have is that it kind of gets a soap build up pretty quick. But a good cleaning sloves that problem.

Seeing some of the other revies of the Parker razor I can safely say the 71R beats them all! If you want an inexpensive razor to start off with or just to try something new you can go wrong with this!

PS. I'll try and post some pictures later.
Grip
4.00 star(s)
Price
5.00 star(s)
Balance
4.00 star(s)
Quality
4.00 star(s)
Adjustability
1.00 star(s)
User Friendly
4.00 star(s)
Aggressiveness
3.00 star(s)
Ease of Blade Replacement
3.00 star(s)
Top Bottom