Parker Razors

[santamariasteve]

I am fairly knowledgeable about safety razors and the art of shaving; however, I do not know much about the Parker brand of razors.

Is there a general view about their reputation?

What country are they made? How many years have they been around?

Are they durable?

And specifically how does the Parker Variant adjustable razor compare to other popular adjustable razors such as the Fat Boy, the Slim, and so forth, as to build quality, user friendliness and performance?

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

 

[GearNoir]

I believe Parker is based in India. They have had many QC issues in the past, but I believe they have been working to fix those (the Variant in particular). There are a number of folks here that thoroughly enjoy their Parker razors.

The Variant is mostly brass I believe, plated over of course; the only part that is not is the upper head/cap, which is zamac that is plated over.

 

[kluber]

Parkers are generally considered a nice entry level razor. Most TTOs are pretty mild IIRC. I’ve owned two with no QC issues. However QC has been a problem well reported about on forums with this brand. My Parker TTOs were not used much and I gave them away.

I also own a Parker Variant. They had some problems with the coating on a first batch but believe that is all worked out.

The Variant is a really nice modern adjustable. It’s my second favorite de outside of a SS razor.

Very affordable and a good range of aggression. (Much more than a slim in my experience). Pretty smooth shaver. Suppose to be modeled after the popular merkur progress.

 

[Mlee]

Yes, they are made in India or at least that's what is stamped on the base plate. My very first and only new razor was a R99, long handle TTO. I used it once before I found 5 Gillettes at a flea market. It was too mild for me so I gave it away. Since then, I've found 4 used like new 3 piece Parkers at flea markets. I don't know when they were made but they're all top notch and shave very nice. I don't know anything about the Variant but if that's what I wanted I wouldn't hesitate to get one.

 

[ShavePastor]

@santamariasteve, you will LOVE it just like you do all your adjustables! It is very well made, feels more substantial & heavier and has a longer handle than a Slim or Fatboy, the knurling is most excellent, adjusting is smoother & doesn't have clicks like the Gillette's (so you have settings like 3.5 or 3.75 which is nice), it is a pretty audible razor with plenty of feedback, the company stands behind product with the US distributor taking good care of any customer service, QC issues have been worked out (always a possibility for a lemon though), but IMO most importantly the Parker Variant is so SMOOTH!!! It is a fantastic shaver!

 

[Cphobes]

To add to what's already been shared, I love the variant. It's smoother than my super 109 black beauty adjustable .

With the Gillette I tend to have issues in one area on my neck, never with the variant go figure.

Newest batches appear to have no QC issues, I bought mine via Amazon.

 

[StuMcB]

IMHO the three piece razors are better than the TTO.

 

[rbilly]

I own the 24 open comb, i use it most of the time, i enjoy the razor, its more aggressive then the de89 but no where near as aggressive as the r41 or fattip. I have owned it for about 3 months. I have read reviews claiming blade alignment issues and the head breaking off but have not experienced any of these issues, i have nothing but good things to say about it, ill probably buy there adjustable next pay day, i have been trying to get a gillette super adjustable for a month now off the bay but have had 3 duds so far, so im going to go with a new razor.

 

[BigJ]

Parker makes solid products these days, especially for the $. Quality has been improved consistently.

 

[santamariasteve]

@santamariasteve, you will LOVE it just like you do all your adjustables! It is very well made, feels more substantial & heavier and has a longer handle than a Slim or Fatboy, the knurling is most excellent, adjusting is smoother & doesn't have clicks like the Gillette's (so you have settings like 3.5 or 3.75 which is nice), it is a pretty audible razor with plenty of feedback, the company stands behind product with the US distributor taking good care of any customer service, QC issues have been worked out (always a possibility for a lemon though), but IMO most importantly the Parker Variant is so SMOOTH!!! It is a fantastic shaver!
View attachment 876413

Brother Preacher,

Based upon your quality comments and recommendation, I ordered a Parker Variant last night.

 

[ShavePastor]

Brother Preacher,

Based upon your quality comments and recommendation, I ordered a Parker Variant last night.

Glad I could enable......er, I mean, help! In all seriousness, hope you like it as much or better than your others. If by chance you get one that somehow slipped through the cracks of QC, I'd encourage you to return it, & then get ANOTHER one! It's that good! And you won't want to be without one in your den! At least not me.

One other thing I learned about this razor is that the higher up in setting I would go, the smoother it was. Initially I started on 1.5, then slowly each use went up a half increment. And it got smoother each time. My perfect setting is 3.5 for a 3 pass shave, easy & smooth BBS! Hope that helps. I like as much as my Rockwell!

 

[emwolf]

I have 3 Parkers and I'm very satisfied with them. The 26C was my first open comb razor. It's very mild and efficient all at the same time. The 82R I got in a larger used razor lot and it's a nice long handle TTO razor. The Variant is a nicely balanced adjustable razor. Out of the three, the 82R sees the least action from me. The 26C and Variant I purchased new and, other than a plating problem on the Variant which they quickly replaced, I've had no issues with them whatsoever.

 

[Member 113878]

I have a 26C too and it’s a great smooth open comb.

 

[szekelya]

24C / 26C is really a super mild and very effective razor, I had the 24C version for long. What I didn't like about it was the rough knurling on the handle, felt cheap to me. As I generally don't like mixing handles and heads, I lived with it until "upgraded" to Muhle R41 Grande which pushed out any other razors from the rotation. I nearly don't rotate now unless I take a Gillette old type for a round.
I also had a Parker 98R, which looked like a Muhle R89 / EJx89 on a heavy handle, but in fact it has a rather agressive closed comb head with definite blade feel.
If I wanted more razors, a 26C and a Variant would definitely be a part of my den.

 

[Badgerstate36]

Parkers are made in India. Their quality used to be so-so but theyve gotten better in recent years and are now pretty decent.

 

[Jopete]

I have the 24c open comb and I really like the grip on the handle. I would have preferred a shorter handle thou.

The head is mild and efficient and also feels substantial. I think the QC issues are mostly from their tto razors but the variant has lots of good reviews.

They also have great reviews on their brushes and priced reasonably.

 

[dotKomo]

You'll love the Variant. It's my favorite adjustable, with my Gillette Slim a close second. It's very smooth and a tad more aggressive than the Slim. The weight, balance and knurling are top notch!

It also can be adjusted on the fly, unlike the Slim or Fatboy, where you should partially open the silo doors to release the tension before moving the base plate to another setting.

Make sure you line up the notches right when you load a blade - the instructions will go over that part.

Enjoy! We'll be looking forward to your report!

 

[silvertipped]

I have 3 Parkers. One was my very first DE razor and my most recent is the Variant, which I like a lot. I haven't had any quality control issues that others have mentioned.

 

[StuMcB]

Anyone use the aristocrat look a like the 87R?

 

[AimlessWanderer]

I have the Parker 22 Interceptor which is supposedly one of the ones that suffers quality issues, but I've not found any on mine. It's well built, aligns well, but it's a slightly more aggressive shave than I tend to prefer, so it doesn't get as much use. Not a "fault" of the razor, just my preference.