Review Request: Monsieur Charles Razor Disposable

[James1983]

Hello,

I am currently trying to find a decent razor for barbering. I own feather ac however alot of barbers in my area say they are too sharp and heavy and that a Simpler Lighter razor would be far better for getting technique down.

I found this razor on bestgroomingtools.com and would like to hear feed back on it before I buy it. Anyone use one of these before? Or any other recommendation?

http://bestgroomingtools.com/straight-razor-with-disposable-blade-monsieur-charles-p-70.html

 

[StillShaving]

You may want to post this question in the straight razor forum. The picture is a little small to tell what it really is, so you may not get many comments without providing more information.
IMO the Feather AC is the top of the line disposable blade system giving good shaves, but the blades are expensive, especially for barbering if you have to change after each usage.

 

[dpmtherrien]

I've never used this razor, but as one who only uses disposable blade straights, I find the Parker straights to be very good. I find the Parker SRW to be excellent, but the SRB, and the chrome model are also very good. The Parker's use half of a DE blade, so they should fit right in for what you're doing.

 

[michiganlover]

I owned a Monsieur Charles briefly. It uses a standard Schick Injector blade.

The biggest issue I have with it, is that the blade only occupies the front half of the holder; the blade is also flush with the rest of the holder, rather than sticking down below it as is standard with most designs. When you thus place the razor to the face only the first couple of inches of the razor actually cuts, but an amount of lather equal to the entire length of the holder is scraped off.

To avoid this, you have to hold the razor at a strange angle so only the front part of the holder touches the face.

I would consider this to be a pretty horrific design.

I also owned the Mr C Razor, and found it to be vastly superior. It can use either a Schick Injector blade (aka a Personna mini-shaper blade) or the slightly longer Feather blade (that are used in the Feather Artist Club line of razors).

Also, it is a little known fact, but the Feather Artist Club can also use a Schick Injector blade, as the mechanism simply clamps onto the blade rather thus utilizing any of the cutouts in the blade.

By the way, I don't agree with your barber friends stance that less weight is a good thing. No weight in a straight razor means you will probably apply excessive pressure (leading to razor burn/ cuts) to get it to shave properly.

Here are few more shots of the Mr. C.

 

[michiganlover]

I've never used this razor, but as one who only uses disposable blade straights, I find the Parker straights to be very good. I find the Parker SRW to be excellent, but the SRB, and the chrome model are also very good. The Parker's use half of a DE blade, so they should fit right in for what you're doing.

For a barber (who is supposed to change the blade out after every shave/ customer) a disposable blade straight using a 1/2 DE blade is probably most economical. I agree with you, that of the 1/2 DE blade straights the Parker is one of the best.

 

[kingbarber]

Yep, Monsieur Charles and the Personna disposable blades. Used 'em a lot, like 'em a lot. There's one of the barber supply shops that sells a pack of 20 blades for $5, so it's economical.
Its design provides an intangible benefit for a barber -- you can show your customer that you're changing the blade. That's a little something that will stick in his mind the next time he sits in another chair where the barber doesn't do that, and he'll make a mental note to come see you next time.

Anyway, it's primary fault is that the plastic is a bit brittle, and tends to crack & break right at the pivot. But most scales will serve as suitable replacements. I found an inexpensive supply of razors that use half of a DE blade, and those plastic handles are much more durable. Trek down to the hardware shop for a skinny screw to hold the works together, and you're back in business.
I found a set of metal scales somewhere, but they didn't work too well; it's been a while since I tried 'em, but don't remember exactly why they didn't fit.

I do recall watching another barber trying to break DE blades in half to use them in some other holder, and she cut her finger pretty bad. Went home for the rest of the day to heal up; the lost business didn't make the DE blades a very economical choice. Plus, the spectacle left a lasting impression on everyone . . .

But for the best shaves, I've not found anything better than the Feather Artist razor with the $1 each blades. Gotta have 'em for the heavy thick beards. The M. Charles is fine for hot lather neck shaves, but if you can charge an extra $1 to cover the price of the Feather blade, yep, it's worth it.

I always used the Lucky Tiger Molle (brushless) shaving cream. Compared to the stuff that comes out of the latherizer machine, it's like the difference between night and day. It's harder to clean up, but it works a lot better.

Hope this helps . . .

 

[bmharold]

I know this is an old post, but I just wanted to say I prefer the Hess Ezy Shave, the scales have a tendancy to break, but only if you drop them. They take both hair shaper blades and the injector blades via an adaptor (you get two) I do not change blades after every neck shave. The soak time in the hydrocide is sufficient, but I have considered going to a glass bead sterilizer to belay everyone's fears. For the record I have consulted surgeons who feel that the likelyhood of disease transmission with a blade that has had adequate soak time is nill.