I received an EJ DE89L last night (purchased from qedusa) and thought I'd share my first impressions. There has been a lot of talk and excitement about this razor in the past few months, and I couldn't take the itch anymore. I've been using a Tech with feather blades for the past few months, so I'll use that to compare.
Out of the box
It came in the blue box. Not sure why this has been important to people, but the box was nothing special. My first thought was, "This is big!" Having used a ball end Tech for months, it felt mega-big. The finish is, as many others have stated, quite nice.
The next thing I noticed was that it wasn't as heavy and solid as I had expected. Previous posts had all talked about how solid it was, and how the heft felt. I clicked my fingernail on the handle and heard a "dink" instead of a "dunk". I thought it would've been a solid handle, but it seems to be semi-hollow. I checked the weight (2.5 oz.) and it is only a few more more than the Tech (2.1 oz.). I was surprised. I was worried. "Was there too much hype on this razor? Were my expectations too high? Did I make a mistake?"
The shave
I began the day with a shave, and a bit of trepidation. Loaded up a new feather blade, lathered up the Moos and had at it. Wow! That finish really makes for a smooth stroke. Kinda like a hot knife through butter. My first WTG pass went well, but something was different and I couldn't put my finger on it. I re-lathered and went in for an ATG pass. AH HA! It hits me...there is NO pulling going on! It just slices right through everything like a hot knife through butter.
Pass #3 ATG coming right up! Again, it seems to be slicing through the beard with little effort. No nicks yet, and I don't feel any irritation. After that pass, I go in for the touch ups on the problem spots. The jawline always needs help at this stage, and I end up kind of buffing, and going in all angles with the tech to get this final stubble - and it rarely gets it all. The EJ got the trouble spot touch ups easily, with out many strokes at different angles.
Conclusion
I know that one needs a few shaves with a tool to get a good idea on how it's going to work for them. That's why I titled this "First impressions". However, I think this razor is going to be around for the long haul. The DE89L really does have a nice finish to it. Obviously, this razor is a bit more aggressive than the Tech, which allowed me to get a very DFS with fewer touch-ups, probably giving me less irritation. I'll know for sure in 2 days, as that's when the red spots show up on my sensitive neck if I've gone a step too far. We know that a Tech is a mild shaver, and this was a nice change for me. While the heavens didn't open up and bathe me in golden light, I look forward to more shaves with this razor. Thumbs up for now!
Out of the box
It came in the blue box. Not sure why this has been important to people, but the box was nothing special. My first thought was, "This is big!" Having used a ball end Tech for months, it felt mega-big. The finish is, as many others have stated, quite nice.
The next thing I noticed was that it wasn't as heavy and solid as I had expected. Previous posts had all talked about how solid it was, and how the heft felt. I clicked my fingernail on the handle and heard a "dink" instead of a "dunk". I thought it would've been a solid handle, but it seems to be semi-hollow. I checked the weight (2.5 oz.) and it is only a few more more than the Tech (2.1 oz.). I was surprised. I was worried. "Was there too much hype on this razor? Were my expectations too high? Did I make a mistake?"
The shave
I began the day with a shave, and a bit of trepidation. Loaded up a new feather blade, lathered up the Moos and had at it. Wow! That finish really makes for a smooth stroke. Kinda like a hot knife through butter. My first WTG pass went well, but something was different and I couldn't put my finger on it. I re-lathered and went in for an ATG pass. AH HA! It hits me...there is NO pulling going on! It just slices right through everything like a hot knife through butter.
Pass #3 ATG coming right up! Again, it seems to be slicing through the beard with little effort. No nicks yet, and I don't feel any irritation. After that pass, I go in for the touch ups on the problem spots. The jawline always needs help at this stage, and I end up kind of buffing, and going in all angles with the tech to get this final stubble - and it rarely gets it all. The EJ got the trouble spot touch ups easily, with out many strokes at different angles.
Conclusion
I know that one needs a few shaves with a tool to get a good idea on how it's going to work for them. That's why I titled this "First impressions". However, I think this razor is going to be around for the long haul. The DE89L really does have a nice finish to it. Obviously, this razor is a bit more aggressive than the Tech, which allowed me to get a very DFS with fewer touch-ups, probably giving me less irritation. I'll know for sure in 2 days, as that's when the red spots show up on my sensitive neck if I've gone a step too far. We know that a Tech is a mild shaver, and this was a nice change for me. While the heavens didn't open up and bathe me in golden light, I look forward to more shaves with this razor. Thumbs up for now!
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I think they say weight 3.88gr. The Handle also has a functional shape, as the narrow point is a well balanced place to grip. The sell the Chatsworth metal handles in three variations: Smooth chrome, Lined chrome, and barley textured. The texture is functional with a slippery hand. I have been using the barley version, and really like the way it looks and performs.
