Need New DE razor recommendation.

[daverojo77]

OK, I currently shave with a EJ 89de. I like it a lot but notice that I find myself pressing down trying to find a more aggressive angle when shaving. I shave everyday and consider my skin sensitive. I don't have one of these thick beards. My favorite blades with the the EJ is the feather. My 3 favorite creams and soaps are AOS Kelp Cream, Bigelow and Mike's.

I also have a Gillette Tuckaway that I like but took my awhile to get used to because I felt that if I didn't go with a lighter touch I would get weepers. Now I shave with it just fine but don't go against the grain unless I have a least 3 days growth.

I'll go 3 passes or 2 depending on how I feel.

I'm thinking I can graduate to something more aggressive, I have shaved with straights before but could never go ATG with pure success.

Did I leave anything out? What can you pros recommend?

 

[Triad]

Merkur progress or any adjustable you can dial it down for your atg pass

 

[Rawskin]

Get yourself a Gillette Toggle, you won't regret

 

[dfoulk]

Please share your price range. Do you want a modern or vintage razor?

 

[JerseyBoy]

Go Vintage and get a Slim Adjustable...indestructible, and you are able to set the aggressiveness...there's a reason these babies are still around after 50+ years!

 

[daverojo77]

I prefer Modern price range under 75

 

[daverojo77]

I did get a fatboy adjustable at a flea market. It's clean and in great condition but the flap on the head is slanted so I haven't used it.

 

[Copierguy]

If you are thinking vintage, you may enjoy a 46-47 Aristocrat or a Fat Boy. New, you may want a Merkur 34c. All of these are solid razors with some heft that are not afraid to show you some blade but less than the Tuckaway unless you dialed up the Fat Boy.

 

[Doc Bugg]

Have you considered a Merkur Futur? It is hefty and can be either tame or super aggressive depending on the setting.

 

[dfoulk]

For modern under $75 a Weber all stainless steel razor would be a really good choice at $70. It's an excellent razor that is very well thought of here and is a bit more aggressive than the EJ that you have now. Maybe read some reviews about it on this site. A Merkur 39c slant is a nice improvement as well in the $45 to $50 dollar range. However it is not a stainless steel razor. If you're interested in an adjustible the Merkur Progress is an excellent choice in the $60 range for the long handle version. It is not stainless either.

 

[Jeff_H]

I have a Tuckaway as well and it is a good shaver but as you have found does have a bit of a smoothness issue. For vintage, I strongly suggest you find a Gillette NEW short comb. It is much smoother than the Tuckaway and is a very efficient, effortless shave. More aggressive than your EJ but ultimately still just as smooth, to me.

For Modern, the Weber Polished Head is the bargain among bargains. $70 for a solid stainless steel razor that shaves very well. Shave similar to the EJ (I have a Muhle R89 which is almost identical) but much more efficient. Aggressive isn't the right word because it doesn't feel that way...you can feel aggressive. This is just smoother with more efficiency. I think the design combined with the weight is what makes the difference. It is a very heavy razor that just mows through your stubble, short or long.

I have a Fat Boy, a Slim, an Aristocrat, Old Type, Super Speed, R89 and R41 in addition to 5 variations of the NEW. I prefer the NEW SC, NEW LC and Weber above all else...so far. I have yet to try several of the English NEW's, which are rumored to be even smoother and sprinkled with remains of Merlin's staff.

Anyhow, those are my recommendations. A NEW SC should set you back $20. But the Weber is still a hell of a value.

 

[Stampede]

I strongly suggest you find a Gillette NEW short comb. It is much smoother than the Tuckaway and is a very efficient, effortless shave.

Correct me if I am wrong but the Tuckaway is a SC New Deluxe head. I thought the only difference between the Tuckaway and the Standard SC New is the flat bottom on the base plate and the handle. The flat bottom base plate makes the head a little bit heavier so I guess that could add to a more aggressive feel to it. I have a Tuckaway, a Standard SC New and a New Deluxe Red & Black Set. I have shaved with all 3 of these with the same Weber Bulldog Handle and I cannot tell any difference. I also have a Standard LC New Red & Black and a British LC New #77 and both of the LC models shave just a little smoother for me than the SC models. But I love them all. As always YMMV.

 

[daverojo77]

I went ahead and purchased a Progress . I don't know what got into me but i hope I like it. another one i was looking at was the R41 but I figure with the Progress I can adjust if I really want. Can't wait to try it.

 

[rocky555]

If EJ89 is not enough for you then you should consider trying something like Muhle R41 2013.
Although I am unsure how it will be at everyday shaving.

Don't try Fatip if you want aggressive shaving. To me Fatip gave similar result as EJ89, but with less comfortable shaving process.

 

[Tarheelboy]

I know this has been stated already, but, the old Gillette Fat Boys are very versatile, in terms of adjusting the aggressiveness of a shave. Some of the adjustables don't seem as good as this one. I always find myself going back to my Fat Boy. I use a 2 or 3 for everyday shaves, but when I am hitting the town with the wife I will make it more aggressive for a closer shave.

 

[wscottb7862]

Slant, is what I would go with, why do 3 passes and touch ups when you can get it done with a slant in 2 and touch ups?? It can do the job of a daily shaver or it can efficiently take care of a weeks worth of whisker growth, no problem. I figure the less time I have a blade on my face the better off my face is gonna feel. I wish someone had told me this when I first started, after the first week with a slant, I thought geesh I've been screwing around with all those other razors. These are it, meaning Slants.... WARNING...there are more than Merkurs out there!!!!

 

[Jeff_H]

Stampede....If my information is correct, and I got it from Krona Kruiser, the head I bought was a NEW Standard Tuckaway and there is a NEW Deluxe Tuckaway as well. He told me there is a definite difference in the way each shaves and said the New Deluxe was a little more aggressive. I still want to try a NEW Deluxe someday.

To me, I could feel a difference in the smoothness of the standard NEW SC vs the Tuckaway. It may just be the Tuckaway I have, but I feel a difference in the way the blade is presented to my face. As you mentioned, the Tuckaway has a flat base plate, so the cap bends the blade over that sharp corner of the base plate towards the comb. The NEW has a radius base plate, so the cap bends the blade in the continued radius of the base plate. To me, this presents the blade to my face at a slightly different angle than the Tuckaway.

While not completely so, the Tuckaway felt slightly more like an Old Type to me, which is a slightly stiffer blade feel in the way the blade presents to my face. This sensation is not nearly as pronounced as in the Old Type, but to me it is much more so than on the NEW SC. The NEW SC just felt smoother and more effortless and the shaving angle felt slightly more intuitive.

Now, I am not an engineer or anything of the sort. Just a guy who happens to be obsessed with the NEW's currently and is trying to try at least one of every type...to find the best to keep for myself. Perhaps I just want to find a difference? Perhaps there is something wrong with one or the other of the models I have? I can't say for sure as I only have one Tuckaway currently. What I can tell you is that I have 2 NEW SC's. One of them gives a slightly smoother shave than the other....slightly. Why? I can't answer that now. Each NEW was machined by hand on a machine if I understand correctly....they weren't stamped out of sheet metal by the millions. Perhaps this has something to do with it.

I really do think that the manner in which a base plate is shaped and then subsequently effects how the blade is bent over an edge or how the blade continues on a radius effects the angle of the blade as it is presented to the face. It's just my experience and my methodology and observations may be flawed.

 

[Triad]

I went ahead and purchased a Progress . I don't know what got into me but i hope I like it. another one i was looking at was the R41 but I figure with the Progress I can adjust if I really want. Can't wait to try it.

I think you did good you will be amazed at the heft and versatility of the progress. Enjoy!!

 

[JerseyBoy]

Congrats on the purchase of the Progress! I borrowed one from a friend for a trial shave and it was great- I considered it as well, but something about that knob didn't seem right to me!! I wished it was steel as well...purely a visual thing for me...

 

[Mike H]

Phil at Bullgoose has the Fatip Grand on sale for $25.