Has Anyone Compared Their Expensive Razors with Their Cheap Ones?

[albsat]

I have bought 3 razors under 25 usd. 2 Fatip and a Merkur Futur clone. The clone didn't work that well.

The Fatip razors get used daily. I don't get BBS and I don't aim to honestly. I have a shavette that I like also.

Would I buy an expensive razor? I doubt. Do they shave better than my Fatips? I don't know.

 

[Roy]

I started with EJ, and it gave me very comfortable and good shaves. However, the thread broke and This seems to be common problem with this razor.
I have two razors, Rocca and ATT and they are lovely to shave with . Both well made. I doubt If they actually shave better than cheaper razors in proportion to the cost, but they do feel very nice. Now, in my opinion, the item which I HAVE noticed a difference in shaving experience is a quality brush and soap.

 

[THall]

There are many variables. I can get BBS with my plastic Cooper from the 40s just like I can with my stainless Timeless 95 OC. I prefer the Timeless of course, because the materials will last the rest of my life, it’s well crafted and beautiful.

Some of my lower cost razors like my pre-war Tech and Game Changer will get me to a BBS shave in 2 passes. My Timeless Bronze and Fendrihan Mark II series will get me to BBS in 1 pass.

My best Adjustable is my Super Adjustable 84 which beats out my Rex. The Rex edges out my Variant, Slim and Fatboy, but not by a whole lot.

Again, many variables, depends on what is important to you. You have vintage, modern etc and a multitude of materials to choose from.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

And I am with you 1000% if you say that's too much money to spend for the small bump in quality. You can also fairly insist that you can't feel/see the increased improvement in any of these items. But you lose me when you insist that because you don't perceive a difference none exists.

Well said! I'm slightly off at a tangent here though.

Being a different product, I would absolutely expect there to be some kind of difference, but wouldn't know without trying it, whether that difference would be positive, negative, or essentially neutral for me personally. So fo me, it's not whether the price with worth the difference, but whether the price is worth finding out what exactly the difference is.

Since upgrading to metal DEs from plastic, 5 or 6 years ago, I have only added a birth year razor to the array. That is my only "vintage" DE, and it adds nothing wonderful to the shave experience for me.

I have had a couple PIFed to me, which in turn I gifted/am gifting on to someone else. They too were interesting to try, gave me nothing I didn't already have in relation to shave quality, and I feel justified in not having bought them.

There is one more razor that I am considering, which is a Razorine. I have no idea whether that will give me personally a better or not shave than my Jagger, but the format is sufficiently different for me to try, and at the upper margin of what I would consider paying for a razor. Any razor.

So in terms of the £50+ DEs, I'll never know how they perform, because I don't feel £50 is worth the entrance fee to find out whether or not I'll like it, even if it turned out to give me nicer shaves than any other razor I own. I appreciate that much of that money would be recoverable by reselling, but already getting great shaves as I do, I cannot justify the process.

There's soaps I feel the same way about too, but at least you can get a sample of those. Unfortunately just buying a cap for a razor, won't tell you whether you'll like the rest of it

I'd never try to dissuade others from handing over their hard earned cash to satisfy their curiosity, or to feel they have a more attractive, longer lasting, or hand crafted razor. But those aspects just don't carry the value for me that they do with other people.

As to the shave quality gamble, I just can't bring myself to keep playing the razor lottery, when as far as I'm concerned, I've already got some winning tickets.

 

[Boar Fighter]

I don't have expensive razors. The most expensive is Edwin Jagger DE89, if you can call that expensive. The 2 razors that i really use are the DE89 and a Baili which is a clone of the old Gilette Tech. Recently, i noticed that the chrome plating of the Baili, in the inside part of the cap, has worn off in 6 small parts, which were created by the toothbrush that i use to clean the razors. The DE89 has developed overtime some scrathes, but in the Baili, you can see the copper below. The top cap isn't zamak, but it has the color of copper. And apparently the chrome plating, wasn't up to par with DE89.

Which also leads me to revisit the toothbrush (Colgate soft) method, as it appears to be too scratchy. As far as performance goes, price has nothing to do with it, it is all about how the head is made and whether the angle is suited to your moves and your head.

 

[BigJ]

..we are all saving money.

+1! Repeat after Macfrommichigan!!

 

[Boar Fighter]

+1! Repeat after Macfrommichigan!!

Yes! Maybe this can help everyone feel better! We are all saving money! Yes, we do! We really do! Honest!

 

[Scaramouche]

My vintage Gilletes can give me a good shave, with some attention. My DE89 and R89 can provide a more comfortable shave, with less attention. My iKon and ATTs are comparable. My Feather is milder and more comfortable than these, but not as close. All of my Timeless razors provide a closer and more comfortable shave with less effort than any of these. The cost difference between all of these is considerable. The shave difference less so, but there is a difference. The value to someone else, and their mileage, may indeed vary. If you calculate value per quality shave, the median is probably with the '89s or the iKon/ATTs, discounting the durability, aesthetics or ergonomics of any of them.

 

[Joncr]

My daily driver lately is a EJ DE89, it is very comfortable, gives a BBS or close with little attention or effort or irritation. The Timeless SS, Titanium and Bronze are my 3 most expensive raozrs. they each shave very differently from the EJ and from each other. The Timeless razors will probably last multiple lifetimes, while the EJ DE89 probably won't outlast me. Are those differences in durability and shave experience worth the added cost? That is a highly individual judgment we each should make for ourselves.

 

[Charlie R]

This question is such an individual one, I’m surmising the question is does the cost justify performance? My threshold on razor cost has been around 100 bucks lately, and I can say they are truly great shavers.two that I bought this year, The 6s and Karve are both worth the money in my opinion but keep in mind these are adjustable through changing bases to vary the shave making them easy to Taylor to your taste. Are they better than the 089? Very relative question to the user, since going up in razor guality both in company and design, I haven’t looked at my 089 in years so for me yes they are worth it. Last great one is ATT SE1 wow

 

[njpaddy]

My favorite razors the past 9 years have been $20-30 Gillettes from the 1950s, a $50 Merkur 34G and my current favorite, a $60 Game Changer (.68). The razor I hated the most, and sold at a big loss after 10 shaves, was my most expensive, a $120 EJ Chatsworth Barley that I bought 7-8 years ago. I won't make that mistake again.

 

[Carson West]

Yes! Maybe this can help everyone feel better! We are all saving money! Yes, we do! We really do! Honest!

View attachment 934268

Ha haa! "My car gets 50 miles per gallon. Uh… but the payments are $1500 a month."

 

[BigD]

Can we define our terms of "expensive" and "cheap"? What is expensive for one is cheap for someone else.

 

[Roy]

NJ, I think the handle of the EJ Chatsworth is what made it expensive . All EJ heads atvtge same and you can get a much cheaper one with a different handle .

 

[albsat]

Expensive is over 100 usd.
Relative expensive is 40- 100 usd.
Normal is under 20 - 40 usd.
Cheap is under 20.

My value table.

 

[BigD]

Expensive is over 100 usd.
Relative expensive is 40- 100 usd.
Normal is under 20 - 40 usd.
Cheap is under 20.

My value table.

Okay, I'll go with this.
My Rockwell 6S has been my go to. I find it is extremely worth the cash I bought it for.
My normal run of the mill razor, the Muhle R89 I use for my travel razor. It works, but not as well as my Rockwell 6S.
My cheapos, Concord, Gillette Rubies (Yes, spelled as such), and my Van Der Hagen give okay shaves, but not as good as my Muhle R89 or my Rockwell 6S. I'd use these only if I were in dire straights. Keep in mind I'd rather use these than a cartridge.

With this in mind I'm pretty sure there are great cheap razors that will give a great shave and I'm pretty sure there are some more expensive razors that will give a terrible shave.

I'm finding that 90% of your shave is pairing the right blade with the razor you are using.

 

[StillShaving]

I have never used an expensive DE, like one of those CNC machine masterpieces. I do believe they are worth the sales price if a person can appreciate that they own a well made item that will last.

While I like various Gillette and Merkur DE razors, it is hard to beat the performance of a cheaper feather Popular. Even a plastic clik razor works well enough but they are unrefined.

 

[Charlie R]

I'm finding that 90% of your shave is pairing the right blade with the razor you are using.

Good point, as well as technique and experience.

 

[Scoutk21]

Some days I prefer beer (or 4) a hot summer day may call for a lager. When it gets colder, I'll crave a stout. Friday night I wilk have whisky. Tonight with dinner I'm actactua having a glass of wine. I'll start the day off with orange juice. Every one will quench my thirst and cost different prices bit iit' the time I've spent figuring out my options and enjoying the process it's taken to get here is what's priceless!

 

[BigD]

Good point, as well as technique and experience.

Yes, sir.