What's new

Parker 87R

I am curious after several years, what are the current opinions of the 87R? Likes, dislikes, durability?
 
I am curious after several years, what are the current opinions of the 87R? Likes, dislikes, durability?
I've had my 99R TTO since 2013. Still as good as new, and blades sit evenly and securely in the head. I find it to be medium on the aggressive scale. I prefer something a bit more aggressive at this point of my shaving journey, but I'll pull it out occasionally and always get a great shave.
 
Got an 87R two weeks ago, tried it for a few shaves, with Bolzano and Gillette Rubie blades, for now I feel that it is difficult to maintain the correct shave angle, the "window" is narrow and if you fall out of the correct angle it scrapes your skin or does not cut well.
The other two razors I normally use are a EJ Barley and a Rockwell 2C with plate 3, in either one it is easier to find and maintain a good shaving angle.
Having said that when I find and maintain the correct angle with the Parker 87R I get a good close shave with no irritation.
The fit and finish on mine is good, just dislike the too white/bright plating, but no visible imperfections or defects.
Will try it with a few more blades, Astras, GSB´s and see how it performs. Overall and for the price, 20€, it is a very nice razor.
 
I had avoided parkers for years because of the bad reviews i read about qc. I picked up a 24c not to long ago and it became a favorite, i will have to give this one a shot. I enjoy trying new razors, but the tazor box is getting full, may have to give some away sometime soon.
 
...it is difficult to maintain the correct shave angle, the "window" is narrow and if you fall out of the correct angle it scrapes your skin or does not cut well.

I agree. The window for the correct angle is narrow. I am more likely to nick myself with the 87R than I am with any of my 15 other DE razors. The 87R is my least favorite razor for this reason.
 
I was looking for a first razor for my sons ( Twin boys) for a Christmas gift and ordered 2 of them, haven't received them yet but just ordered one for me too lol. For 29$ Ill take a shot.
 
To those who have this razor, How's it working out for u? Any tips on it?

Where's the pics??
Here you go sir.

The Parker 87R is built solid like a tank. It's heavy and feels substantial in the hand. This is not a mild weishi or baili or vintage Gillette superspeed type razors. If you see the blade gap , angle of bend and the exposure - you'll realise this razor demands respect.

It's aggressive and not in a smooth way. I find that using it with a angle closee to riding the cap works best for me with slow short strokes. It doesn't reduce stubble - it annihilates it.

You'll get a BBS short of two full passes and the facial hair follicles will take some time to recover from the attack. It's not nasty in any way - but care needs to be taken like all razors which have such high blade gap allowing multiple angles of attack.

On the build quality. The razor has nice knurling but it is not deep and the razor can feel a bit slippery, but I haven't dropped it yet. The butterfly mechanism operates flawlessly and clamps down the blade down tight in place without any blade wiggle. My copy has perfect blade exposure on both sides and I get an awesome shave from it every single time

As with most Parkers, if you get a good copy like mine, it will serve you well for a long time.
proxy.php
proxy.php
proxy.php
proxy.php


Sent from my MI MAX using Tapatalk
 
I guess YMMV, but I find the 87R to be the mildest razor I own. You can try to get razor burn with it, but you will fail.
 
M

Member 113878

Mine was too mild on one side and too agressive on the other...
 
I had the 87r earlier this year. It had beautiful knurling and a good build quality. The shave however left a lot to be desired. There was a lot of blade feel, but it wasn't smooth. I would get a couple nicks unless I used a light touch on my neck. The end result was close, but I get the same result with razors that are smoother. I sold it after a couple months and got a Gillette red tip which worked much better for me.
 
Just received the razor today. Like many others, I was deceived by the quality. Mine, the doors don't close evenly, there's some plating defects and rough finish. It maybe only aesthetic or not but I doubt that the razor will last a hundred years like the similar Gillette Aristocrat.

Despite this, I tried the razor this morning and it performed pretty well. The feeling is less agressive than my Merkur 34C which is my daily shaving razor but the result was the same: BBS in 3 passes. I feel a small sensation of razor burn because it was so smooth that maybe I gave too many strokes. I will have to make some adjustment on my technic.

It's a good razor for the price. Those who received theirs without any defect are lucky. It's a shame that you have to gamble on purshase with high probability of defects or malfunction because of bad quality control.

In all, I'm pretty satisfied with the performance but when it will break, I'll return to Merkur.
 
I picked one up a couple of years ago because it bears a similarity to an Aristocrat, which I really like.
I must've gotten a good one. I really enjoy it when it comes out to play.
 
I've got one, found it fairly mild on both sides, but a decent razor for the price. It's not up to real Aristocrat standards, nor would it be, but I've only ever had one Parker that lacked quality control, and that was the first Variant release. I sent it back and received a new one which is a joy to use.
 
I saw comments that people thought Parker heads are Zamek -- I checked a while ago, and was told that Parker's 3-piece razors have brass handles (the "frame") and Zamek heads, but that their TTOs are all-brass. At that time, I was tempted by an 87R based on looks, but I read reviews that it was milder/less efficient than I wanted, so I passed. It's a looker though. My daily driver is an open comb (Fatip Piccolo SE).
 
Just received the razor today. Like many others, I was deceived by the quality. Mine, the doors don't close evenly, there's some plating defects and rough finish. It maybe only aesthetic or not but I doubt that the razor will last a hundred years like the similar Gillette Aristocrat.

Despite this, I tried the razor this morning and it performed pretty well. The feeling is less agressive than my Merkur 34C which is my daily shaving razor but the result was the same: BBS in 3 passes. I feel a small sensation of razor burn because it was so smooth that maybe I gave too many strokes. I will have to make some adjustment on my technic.

It's a good razor for the price. Those who received theirs without any defect are lucky. It's a shame that you have to gamble on purshase with high probability of defects or malfunction because of bad quality control.

In all, I'm pretty satisfied with the performance but when it will break, I'll return to Merkur.
Update: I give up on this razor. After a while, I still feel razor burn and have redness and bumps while I don't encounter any of this with Merkur 34c.

It's strange because the Parker is much more smoother than 34c. I almost feel nothing but after each pass, even when I pay attention to apply no pressure and not giving more strokes than with the Merkur, I feel some irritation. The Merkur is much more aggressive and I feel every stroke but at the end, no irritation. I finish my routine and everything is fine for the rest of the day unlike with the Parker, which I feel razor burn and can see redness and bumps until later at the end of the day.

Also, the head of the razor is narrower than the blade and I scratch myself pretty often with the sides of the blade. Not enough to bleed but enough to pay extra attention which I don't need in my daily shaving routine.
 
I had a gift card so I decided to order the 87r. I always liked the look of it and the gift card made it an easy decision. I guess it will be my modern Crat clone.
 
Top Bottom