Okay, so I'm about a month in to wet shaving, and I've been looking at other options for DE razors. I guess my question is, what am I getting with the razors from these companies that want double or more than I paid for my merkur barber pole? I see some have interchangeable guards, but $200+ seems like a lot of money. I'm not knocking it, I love expensive things, especially if they are better than everyone else's things. Let my pile of Benchmade pocketknives attest to the excess I define my life by, as they sit abandoned because I found a Chris Reeve that was truly better. I'm just wondering why people choose these over other, cheaper models. I see that they are generally made of solid stainless, which is better than chromed brass as a material, but 10 times better? Do they shave better? Any insight anyone can offer would maybe make it easier for me to put down the cash.
Feather, ATT, Ikon, Weber, Muhle
- Thread starter jmak642
- Start date
Okay, short answer is NO, they are not 10 times better, nor is the shave that much superior to what you may be using now. As a matter of fact, it boils down to a beauty contest. You may like the looks of one more than another, but at the end of the day, they all perform the same function...shaving your beard. Now having said that, regardless of cost, some razors will suit you better than others. And the only way to know what works well for you, will be to try it.
The cost/benefit curve is rarely linear in my experience -- no matter what the topic.
As with all other DE's, better depends on a number of factors. Price is just price and it really doesn't tell you anything else. No DE, no matter what the make/model/price/etc, will not be best for everyone. There's quite a bit of discussion on most of these. Have you looked at the existing discussions to see if any of them sound suited to you? Here's an active thread on Webers in this very same subforum that I stumbled across:
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/347318-Why-Weber
Like any other DE's, better is a matter of finding what suits you best. Is the Merkur the only DE that you've used? If not, what else have you used? What have you liked any why? What have you not liked and why?
Material
Build quality
Design
Shave experience
Prestige/exclusivity/bragging rights/etc
Appreciation of fine tools
Because one can afford one
...and so on
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The Webers are nothing like 10x the cost of anything remotely comparable. Since I much preferred my DE89 with a a Weber handle, the cost difference started approaching nil. Of course other Stainless razors cost more. But still not 10x as much.
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You get value.
Like everything else in life, many can read the price tag but few can see the value.
Then, how come you ended up buying a merkur?
It seems you are getting closer.
Brass you said? You wish.
why do we choose them? because we can.
I think this answer solves all of the above questions.
I'm not a man of many razors, however I have shaved with a few. I notice in terms of performance 90% comes down to technique. However, there are certain things about some razors that are more appealing to others that I would say, can be stretched to say they make the performance of the razor, such as weight.
These are very good questions. I can only tell you what made my decisions quite easy.
I started DE shaving about 8 years ago with a Merkur. Unfortunately the plating did not last a year (this qc issue is a known fact now!) so I switched to Mühle. My cat dinged my Mühles plating and the pot metal started corroding badly. By this time I was on the interwebs and managed to buy vintage Gillettes from the US. The quality of these razors was evident at once, they had already lasted one lifetime. Very beaten up razors can be replated and brought back to at least one more lifetime of usage.
No pot metal razor can be expected to last more than a few years and they cannot be replated by normal methods.
I was happily shaving along with my vintage Gillettes when I on a whim bought a Feather AS-D1 in the summer of 2010. This was the first contemporary razor in years for me. The prizes were not crazy at that time when compared to a replated vintage. The razor impressed me with its weight and sheer feeling of craftmanship. I used it in my rotation with several vintage Gillettes.
After a while (18 months, slow thinking ...
) I noticed that I was reaching for the Feather almost constantly. The Feather demands a concentration and mindfulness while shaving unlike any other razor including kamisori copies that I have tried. After I switched the handle to a 3 inch Weber Bulldog (same length as the vintage Gillettes!) I used my FrankenFeather almost exclusively. I then bought the Ikon baseplates to replace the Gillettes I used at the end of bladelife for more closeness. The FrankenFeather and the baseplates are now in replating to get a uniform look and feel. There is no doubt in my mind that this razor combo is my holy grail!As you can see the answer to your question of why anybody would want to buy a very expensive stainless razor is dependent on your attitude towards the tools you use. I would never buy or use a razor made of inferior materials. I never thought that anybody would build a better razor for me than the vintage Gillettes I used for so many years. After using the Feather for 18 months I was proven wrong.
For me the step from a potmetal razor to a stainless one is a question of development. When your concentration and technique develops you demand more of your equipment. Life is too short to shave with inferior products!
Enjoy your shaves!
- Thread starter
- #11
Thanks to everyone for your comments and insight.
So if I buy an ATT or a Feather, I can expect it to outlast me. I bought the Merkur initially, mostly because I wasn't sure DE shaving was for me, but at this point I have the same addiction that many of you share. I have 20 soaps, between full pucks and samples, and I keep looking at more. After a year of this, I'll look into getting a higher end model to see me through old age.
So if I buy an ATT or a Feather, I can expect it to outlast me. I bought the Merkur initially, mostly because I wasn't sure DE shaving was for me, but at this point I have the same addiction that many of you share. I have 20 soaps, between full pucks and samples, and I keep looking at more. After a year of this, I'll look into getting a higher end model to see me through old age.
I tried many razors and in the end use a Cobra Classic most of the time...but I also own two (2) iKon Bulldog Moderns.
Are they "better"? construction-wise. Heck yes. Is it worth the extra money? For me, yes. I just ate a lot of Ramen for a while to cover the cost.
These three razors are all I will ever need for the rest of my life. I am proud to own them. They are definately (too me) art.
If I owned 3 basic model Merkurs (and such) ... I would use them, but the would just be tools and nothing more.
Are they "better"? construction-wise. Heck yes. Is it worth the extra money? For me, yes. I just ate a lot of Ramen for a while to cover the cost.
These three razors are all I will ever need for the rest of my life. I am proud to own them. They are definately (too me) art.
If I owned 3 basic model Merkurs (and such) ... I would use them, but the would just be tools and nothing more.
I am looking for one really good razor. Right now I use the EJ89BA11, and love it. That said, I also love Feather blades. From some reviews, it seems that the Feather razor and the Feather blade are a match made in heaven. I am thinking heavily about it before I make the plunge, but I have a feeling the Feather/Feather match might be just what I want. My other expensive desire is the Cobra. I really enjoy injector razors, and the idea of having a modern injector and using a Feather blade in it is incredibly seductive. So I hesitate on both, waiting for the glamour to wear off.
