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DE razor in Tesco!

It looks like it may be just a rebrand of whatever Van Der Hagen is slapping their name on. I'm kind of wondering if that isn't the case.
 
Saved me the trouble of uploading pics, thanks! :)

I put a blade in it this evening and, judging by the blade exposure, I'm guessing it will be quite mild.

Hoping to try it out tomorrow morning so will report back...
No problem. Looking forward to your report
 
I see that the back of the package has the notice "NOT FOR SALE TO UNDER 18'S".
Say what?
I guess they're worried about kids making shivs out of the blades. Or cutting the crap out of themselves using after whatever coddling little cart razors they've used from Tesco's. Who knows?
 
Ok, the review.....

In the hand it seems nicely weighted, not flimsy. The TTO action works nicely and aligns and holds the blade firmly. The plating is very nice and the long diagonally grooved handle provides a good grip. Balance point is about 2/3 of the way up from the base.

For the blade I decided to go with the pack of Sainsbury’s branded blades (Dorco ST301) I’d just started trying. Wanted to use a fool proof soap so reached for the Tabac.

There is very little blade exposure on this razor so I was expecting it to be mild and that was certainly the case right from the off. Coming from a Fatip Piccolo MK1 as my regular razor it took some getting used to and felt even milder in fact than my DE89 clone.

In terms of angle I quickly determined that shallow was the way to go. It wasn’t just that it was better, it was necessary – this razor does not do steep at all.

Another thing I became aware of was a need to rinse razor more often due to it having a safety bar rather than a comb.

First pass, WTG, was completed with no issues. Took a bit more work than the Piccolo but that is only to be expected really. Rinsing face revealed more stubble remaining than usual but also to be expected.

On to 2nd pass, XTG, and I was reminded of one other reason I like the Piccolo – the blade does not protrude from the sides of the head as it does here. Found it a little awkward under my nose. That said there are a good many razors for which this is the case so not really fair to single out this one.

Another rinse, again a little more stubble than my usual and it’s on to the 3rd, ATG, pass. Cheeks & chin no problem, sails through it with ease. Maintaining the correct angle on my neck and jaw line was a bit challenging but probably just unfamiliarity with the razor. My top lip always needs buffing to get it smooth and so it was the case again, just a little more than usual, but no problems here at all.

Rinsing off after third pass I could feel that my neck and jaw line would need a 2nd ATG tidy up pass, something I well recall from back when I was using a DE89 clone as my only razor. I had told myself I wouldn’t chase BBS on a first use but I actually felt confident enough to go for it and so went ahead with the tidy up pass, which all went fine.

Final rinse, cold water splash and, cue dramatic music, it’s alum block time...........
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.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
All good, no irritation at all! :)

Quick splash of Tabac A/S to finish and we’re done.

Ultimately I didn’t quite get to BBS this time, DFS+, but see no reason why it wouldn’t be achievable.

I can’t see it replacing my Fatip as my daily choice (let’s face it, unless I get rich enough to employ a professional barber full time in my home not much is likely to...) but as a razor to introduce someone to the delights of traditional wet shaving it would be ideal. Especially as it is being sold in a major retailer – ripe for inclusion on a few Christmas gift idea lists I would think!
 
Ok, the review.....

In the hand it seems nicely weighted, not flimsy. The TTO action works nicely and aligns and holds the blade firmly. The plating is very nice and the long diagonally grooved handle provides a good grip. Balance point is about 2/3 of the way up from the base.

For the blade I decided to go with the pack of Sainsbury’s branded blades (Dorco ST301) I’d just started trying. Wanted to use a fool proof soap so reached for the Tabac.

There is very little blade exposure on this razor so I was expecting it to be mild and that was certainly the case right from the off. Coming from a Fatip Piccolo MK1 as my regular razor it took some getting used to and felt even milder in fact than my DE89 clone.

In terms of angle I quickly determined that shallow was the way to go. It wasn’t just that it was better, it was necessary – this razor does not do steep at all.

Another thing I became aware of was a need to rinse razor more often due to it having a safety bar rather than a comb.

First pass, WTG, was completed with no issues. Took a bit more work than the Piccolo but that is only to be expected really. Rinsing face revealed more stubble remaining than usual but also to be expected.

On to 2nd pass, XTG, and I was reminded of one other reason I like the Piccolo – the blade does not protrude from the sides of the head as it does here. Found it a little awkward under my nose. That said there are a good many razors for which this is the case so not really fair to single out this one.

Another rinse, again a little more stubble than my usual and it’s on to the 3rd, ATG, pass. Cheeks & chin no problem, sails through it with ease. Maintaining the correct angle on my neck and jaw line was a bit challenging but probably just unfamiliarity with the razor. My top lip always needs buffing to get it smooth and so it was the case again, just a little more than usual, but no problems here at all.

Rinsing off after third pass I could feel that my neck and jaw line would need a 2nd ATG tidy up pass, something I well recall from back when I was using a DE89 clone as my only razor. I had told myself I wouldn’t chase BBS on a first use but I actually felt confident enough to go for it and so went ahead with the tidy up pass, which all went fine.

Final rinse, cold water splash and, cue dramatic music, it’s alum block time...........
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
All good, no irritation at all! :)

Quick splash of Tabac A/S to finish and we’re done.

Ultimately I didn’t quite get to BBS this time, DFS+, but see no reason why it wouldn’t be achievable.

I can’t see it replacing my Fatip as my daily choice (let’s face it, unless I get rich enough to employ a professional barber full time in my home not much is likely to...) but as a razor to introduce someone to the delights of traditional wet shaving it would be ideal. Especially as it is being sold in a major retailer – ripe for inclusion on a few Christmas gift idea lists I would think!
Great report. I'll be trying mine at the weekend. I'll know to give it a bit of extra time
 
Can’t believe Tesco have brought a DE into their assortment. I’ve got to see if I can find one. Are they currently just in larger stores?
 
Can’t believe Tesco have brought a DE into their assortment. I’ve got to see if I can find one. Are they currently just in larger stores?
Must be a trial in selected stores to see what sales they can generate. That will be followed up by expensive DE blade packs.
 
I suppose they already do their own brand DE blades but given Wilkinson DE blades had disappeared from shelves, I’m just surprised they have reintroduced something like this. I’m definitely going to look for one.
 
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