My first razor I purchased was the Edwin Jagger DE89L because of all of the reviews it was getting at the time of my purchase... I'm not going to lie, it's a decent razor but since then I've ordered two Merkur's being the Merkur HD, and the Merkur Futur....these two razors bar none kill this razor...again this is my opinion and I'm sure others have had different experiences....This post is in no way to make someone lean one way, but I know as a user myself I love looking at other peoples experience and AAR (after action reviews)....so in my opinion go with Merkur...must smoother shave and IMO a better made product!!!
IMO- Edwin Jagger DE89L vs ALL MERKUR
- Thread starter AndrewLyons4
- Start date
Don't know about better made, but I do get a better shave with my Progress than I ever got with a DE89.
Ej is the son of Merkur..didn't you know that?
Yuk, yuk, yuk.
Yuk, yuk, yuk.
I think my DE89 is a better made razor--better plating mainly. But I get consistently better shaves with my Merkur 38C barber pole.
Help me understand- I have a DE89 and a Muhle41 Grande. I love the simplicity of the 89, and the sheer and absolute closeness of the 41Gr. How does the Merkur compare? Blade angle, aggressiveness, closeness, smooth-ness. Fully understand this is a YMMV, however, my RAD is going crazy, so all information most welcome!
Jeff
Jeff
They used to be made in the same factory if I remember correctly. Generally quality wise both brands are top-notch. That being said I have tried Gillette Red Tips, SS, Fat Boys, Aristocrats, and when I feel myself reaching for a DE instead of a straight... it is always the DE89. Absolute killer of a razor 
However YMMV.
However YMMV.- Thread starter
- #7
Jeff....it depends on the Merkur you are talking about.. If you are talking about the Futur.....it doesn't compare...yes the Muhle 41 is a very aggressive razor but with the Merkur Futur you can make it just as aggressive with 6 different settings on the futur...I"ve shaved with quite a few razors and Merkur has beat MOST if not ALL of the other razors in smoothness of shave....My Merkur HD and my Merkur Futur I wouldn't trade in for the world...Now I've only shaved with the 41 a few times but in my opinion the Futur is just a better quality shave from the two you named in your post... and I even own the Jagger DE89L...
I get a better shave out of my DE89 than I do my 23C. But if I had to choose between my
34C and DE89 I'd probably pick the 34C. It seems much more durable, despite not being as pretty. I think the shaves are about equal though.
34C and DE89 I'd probably pick the 34C. It seems much more durable, despite not being as pretty. I think the shaves are about equal though.
Merkur heads are definitely great shavers, in my opinion, a tad more aggressive than EJ. I too enjoy both open comb and solid bar (15C and 23C). I once had a 34C and discovered that the threaded post is too short making the length of the thread engagement ridiculously short.
Glad you like your Merkurs but in my opinion they are not that much better than EJ. Comparing Futur (an adjustable razor) to EH De89 (a three piece razor) is a bit like comparing apples and oranges. Don't you think? Not to mention the price difference, with Futur being twice as expensive as EJ DE89.
You cannot go wrong with any of the razors you bough so enjoy them all.
Glad you like your Merkurs but in my opinion they are not that much better than EJ. Comparing Futur (an adjustable razor) to EH De89 (a three piece razor) is a bit like comparing apples and oranges. Don't you think? Not to mention the price difference, with Futur being twice as expensive as EJ DE89.
You cannot go wrong with any of the razors you bough so enjoy them all.
I'm going to have to agree. I have the Merkur 38 and haven't had a bad shave with it yet. A few weeks ago, I bought the EJ DE89 and despite trying different blades, I wasn't happy with it. I ended up selling it. I love my vintage Gillettes but I really love the Merkur.
Darn, throughout most of my reading of reviews I have chosen between the Merkur HD and the EJ89 as those seem to be around the very top of the list at frequency of this communities' favorites. Either one pretty much equally. So I still don't know which one to choose. LOL. I guess bottom line is this....I can't really go wrong with choosing either one, so I guess I can choose the one that looks the prettiest? 
Darn, throughout most of my reading of reviews I have chosen between the Merkur HD and the EJ89 as those seem to be around the very top of the list at frequency of this communities' favorites. Either one pretty much equally. So I still don't know which one to choose. LOL. I guess bottom line is this....I can't really go wrong with choosing either one, so I guess I can choose the one that looks the prettiest?
Or you can be bold and get the R41
Darn, throughout most of my reading of reviews I have chosen between the Merkur HD and the EJ89 as those seem to be around the very top of the list at frequency of this communities' favorites. Either one pretty much equally. So I still don't know which one to choose. LOL. I guess bottom line is this....I can't really go wrong with choosing either one, so I guess I can choose the one that looks the prettiest?
I've only used the EJ DE89, and think its very well made. i think any razor in this price point will do just fine. i went back and forth between the merkur and EJ as well.
I know this is likely to be controversial, however, what is the Merkur equivalent to a close-ish but very smooth EJ DE89? I would be very interested to look into one of these as a comparison to my 89... The sound of an adjustable, if smoother than an 89, and going all the way to closer than a 41 Gr, I would be very, very interested in trying out...
J
J
Darn, throughout most of my reading of reviews I have chosen between the Merkur HD and the EJ89 as those seem to be around the very top of the list at frequency of this communities' favorites. Either one pretty much equally. So I still don't know which one to choose. LOL. I guess bottom line is this....I can't really go wrong with choosing either one, so I guess I can choose the one that looks the prettiest?
Easy solution to this dilemma: get the Progress!
As to the OP, putting the EJ into the ring against the Futur was a mismatch from the get go. Come to think of it, pitting just about any razor against the Futur is a mismatch
- Thread starter
- #16
This is true.....Not too many can hold up against the Futur....but I was answering Jeff's question cause he wanted a comparison...which you can't really do...but then again I'm a hugh Merkur fan.... when I find a good product trust me I will give due credit but I haven't found a smoother, well built razor yet...maybe someone can lead me into a direction to try and challenge the Futur??
Holy ellipsis Batman 
The direction you are looking for is a straight razor.
The direction you are looking for is a straight razor.
89 heads are fine razors, but Merkur heads (34, Progress, and a bunch of other handles) work much much better for me. The latter are my favourite modern razors.
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