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Remembered why I stopped using my DE89.

Just for kicks, I pulled out my very first DE razor: my Edwin Jagger DE89BA11 Barley. It's a beautiful razor, to be sure! I love the chrome plating, and how it has a very nice heft to it. I popped in a brand new Astra blade, whipped up some TGR Baker St. and went to town.

My first WTG pass on 2 days of growth went very well. However, the XTG and ATG passes weren't that great. I think it may have to do with blade exposure, but I find that the razor just doesn't glide across my skin after the first pass. It's like the upper and lower portions of the head are touching my face, instead of the blade (or in addition to the blade). The extra friction just means the razor doesn't glide like it should. Other razors I have glide just fine. My 40's-style SS, my cheap Ming Shi, and my Merkur slant all slide nicely across my skin. But not this DE89. Don't get me wrong, the shave was still very nice, when all was said and done. Not much irritation and only a small weeper on my upper lip area. It was nice. I just don't like the feel of the razor, after the first pass.

I'm pretty sure it's not my lather or my blades, as I've noticed this several times in the past, using multiple creams and soaps and different brands of blades.

Anyone else have this type of experience? Am I doing something wrong? Or is it just the style of razor?
 
I agree, I also use the DE89. The WTG passes are excellent but the ATG is a bit more difficult. I started using my pre-shave oil on the 3rd pass instead of the 1st makes for a much nicer DFS. This is why I want a shorter Merkur 15C or 34C that are much easier to hold inverted.
 

oc_in_fw

Fridays are Fishtastic!
My ER1912 has replaced my EJ89L, but I never had the problem you describe. If you arent getting good glide, I would suspect your lather. Do not be too proud to revisit the puck when necessary- I still occasionally have to because I didnt load up properly the first time.
 
I'm not avoiding going back to the puck, as usually I bowl lather with cream. So the cream in the bowl that I use for passes 2 and 3 should be the same as pass 1. There's certainly no fear of going back for more product when I need it. But my bowl-lathering is why I was ruling out lather as an issue. As I mentioned earlier, this is something I've had happen with multiple creams and soaps, so I can't imagine that it's my lather when it happens pretty much every time. I've had good luck with other razors gliding smoothly. There's just something about the DE89...

I'll give it another go tomorrow, just to double-check on the lather. But I don't anticipate it'll be any different.
 
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oc_in_fw

Fridays are Fishtastic!
I'm not avoiding going back to the puck, as usually I bowl lather with cream. So the cream in the bowl that I use for passes 2 and 3 should be the same as pass 1. There's certainly no fear of going back for more product when I need it. But my bowl-lathering is why I was ruling out lather as an issue. As I mentioned earlier, this is something I've had happen with multiple creams and soaps, so I can't imagine that it's my lather when it happens pretty much every time. I've had good luck with other razors gliding smoothly. There's just something about the DE89...

I'll give it another go tomorrow, just to double-check on the lather. But I don't anticipate it'll be any different.
Okay, that info helps. It comes down, IMO, to either incorrect angle or the blade. What are you using? Have you tried others? I know Feathers and Gillette 7o'clock yellows are fantastic in the 89 head
 
I've tried Astra, Feather, Gillette 7 o'clock yellow, Derby, Shark (ouch!), and a couple others that I can't remember off-hand. My go-to blades are usually Feathers, which I have used in the DE89 numerous times. That's why I figured I would try and Astra, to see if it would act differently.
 
I'm new to this whole DE shaving lark, so the validity of my comments can be questioned, I suppose. I own the Muhle R89 Grande, which I am told is the same as the DE89. It was the first DE I purchased and I can say, honestly that I have had no issues that even distantly match yours. I really hope that you manage to work it out. I love mine and I really enjoy the results. Obviously YMMV. Just my 10 cents.
 
Hmm... sounds like I need to experiment a bit more... I started out wet shaving with my DE89, so I've used it for several months before getting another razor. Maybe something's changed about my routine, or I need to tweak something. I'm not sure what it could be, though. I'll try a few more shaves and see how it goes.

Maybe it's just something to do with my skin type..? The only thing that I can think of that has changed in the past few months is that I no longer use soap on my face when I shower. I wipe with a washcloth, but no soap. It tends to dry my face, and it ends up making my skin overcompensate with oil by the end of the day. My skin has been happy about it, which is nice. But I wonder if the bit of natural oil left on my skin after a shower is preventing the razor from sliding smoothly.
 
Try shimming the 89, Spiffy. Completely diffo razor with one or even two (standard for me) shims. Really opens the gap up enough to get some bite on subsequent passes...
 
Try shimming the 89, Spiffy. Completely diffo razor with one or even two (standard for me) shims. Really opens the gap up enough to get some bite on subsequent passes...

Interesting... I hadn't considered doing this. It's not something I've really seen around the forums. Mind my asking what material you use for shimming?
 
I just happened to use my R89 this morning for the first time in a while and had no problem. However, my suggestion is that when you reverse the direction of the razor that you make sure that you've got your blade angle in the correct range. It sounds to me like maybe you are getting too much razor head and not enough of the edge where the blade is.
 
I just happened to use my R89 this morning for the first time in a while and had no problem. However, my suggestion is that when you reverse the direction of the razor that you make sure that you've got your blade angle in the correct range. It sounds to me like maybe you are getting too much razor head and not enough of the edge where the blade is.

It's easy enough to tell when the razor isn't cutting anything, so I try to keep the blade at the right angle or go back over an area where I didn't catch everything. But, I'll give it another try tomorrow morning, and I'll use a different cream or soap and try to ensure I keep proper blade angle. We'll see how it goes. I'll report results again tomorrow.
 
Shims are usually made by carefully trimmimg the two sharp edges off a used DE blade using scissors. They are installed under the blade doing the shaving and each one raises it by the thickness of one blade to achieve a wider gap.
 
Spiffy,

From what I have been told it is actually a blade with the edges cut off that is used for a shim in some cases. I can't swear that this is correct and I have never tried it. Perhaps someone will confirm this for us?

Brew
 
Thanks! I'll investigate the shims, depending on how my shave goes tomorrow morning. If it's the same as it was today, I'll see if shims help me achieve a better result. :thumbup1:
 
Personally I wouldn't go down that route.

The razor and blade are precision manufactured to some pretty tight tolerances. Surely, if you have to change the dynamics of the setup by adding a shim, it just proves that it's not for you. I would try and get it right in its intended configuration first.

Again, YMMV. Just another 10 cents from me.
 
Personally I wouldn't go down that route.

The razor and blade are precision manufactured to some pretty tight tolerances. Surely, if you have to change the dynamics of the setup by adding a shim, it just proves that it's not for you. I would try and get it right in its intended configuration first.

Again, YMMV. Just another 10 cents from me.

Your thinking is understandable. But not every product is perfect, nor is a product perfect for every user. So, sometimes experimenting with things can open up some new doors or completely change the characteristics of a product. Sure, they're not always better than they were originally, but sometimes they can be. What happens if you just can't find the "perfect" razor? A little tweak here or there and voila! It might just be better than anything else you've tried.

All a shim is really doing is opening the blade gap a bit, so it makes the razor a bit more aggressive. Worst case, if it doesn't work, I just won't do it again. I can't imagine it'll do much more than a bit of razor burn. If it's that bad, one small stroke of the razor and you stop. I could just get a more aggressive razor, but hey... why not give it a try? :001_smile I haven't tried one, but I can't imagine a shim or two would make it harder to use an an R41 seems to be.
 

oc_in_fw

Fridays are Fishtastic!
I've tried Astra, Feather, Gillette 7 o'clock yellow, Derby, Shark (ouch!), and a couple others that I can't remember off-hand. My go-to blades are usually Feathers, which I have used in the DE89 numerous times. That's why I figured I would try and Astra, to see if it would act differently.

Every blade mentioned, with the exception to Derbys, are excellent blades in the 89 IMO. With the blade in, do you have equal exposure along all edges? Unless there is a manufacturing defect, it is pretty hard to put a blade in an 89 wrong.
 
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