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The various 'grip' designs on razor handles.

Good evening all.

Just wanted to ask this question out of curiosity. Is there a particular kind of 'grip' that is preferred on razor handles? Such as barber pole, knurled or smooth? Obviously my 39c Sledgehammer has the barber pole grip and to me it does the job well enough.

Also I wonder why there is no standardised grip design on razors. So why should one razor have a knurled grip while another one (such as the Merkur Futur) have a smooth grip? And why do some razors have the barber pole grip? Bit of an oddball question I know but just came to mind while browsing different razors.

Jason.
 
Would you prefer we all wear the gray space suit with V stripe? Sorry that’s a Seinfeld reference. All kidding aside, for me variety is the spice of life. I love the looks of a classic barber pole like early Gillette Aristocrats but, I also like the grippy knurling of the RazoRock handles.

I have a question for you @JasonJT

Do you live in London? Any interest in doing a report/review on some of the shaving/men’s shops there? I’d be interested in that.
Cheers! Shave on!
 
Would you prefer we all wear the gray space suit with V stripe? Sorry that’s a Seinfeld reference. All kidding aside, for me variety is the spice of life. I love the looks of a classic barber pole like early Gillette Aristocrats but, I also like the grippy knurling of the RazoRock handles.

I have a question for you @JasonJT

Do you live in London? Any interest in doing a report/review on some of the shaving/men’s shops there? I’d be interested in that.
Cheers! Shave on!
Thank you for that very kind question! Yes I do live in London. I live near the Piccadilly Line so I only need one train to get to the shaving shops!

So far the creams I have tried from Geo F Trumper in London are the Sandalwood and Coconut shaving cream.

These are not detailed reviews; just a brief summary of the said creams I have tried:

The GFT Sandalwood cream was a bit lumpy and the smell a bit overpowering for my liking. Shave quality was good though.
The GFT Coconut cream was much better; had a nicer smell and I found it a lot slicker than the Sandalwood cream. I asked my wife to get me a bowl of it for Christmas!

If I do accrue more creams/soaps then I'll let you know.

Jason.
 
Thanks for the summary but, I meant the shops themselves. Do they have everything under the sun or just a couple of things or rows and rows of brushes and razors etc. There really isn’t anything like that here so I’m intrigued, and might visit London in the next few years. Anyway, I’ve totally hijacked your thread. Feel free to start a new thread telling us about all the great shops you have to choose from LOL!!
🍻
Thank you for that very kind question! Yes I do live in London. I live near the Piccadilly Line so I only need one train to get to the shaving shops!

So far the creams I have tried from Geo F Trumper in London are the Sandalwood and Coconut shaving cream.

These are not detailed reviews; just a brief summary of the said creams I have tried:

The GFT Sandalwood cream was a bit lumpy and the smell a bit overpowering for my liking. Shave quality was good though.
The GFT Coconut cream was much better; had a nicer smell and I found it a lot slicker than the Sandalwood cream. I asked my wife to get me a bowl of it for Christmas!

If I do accrue more creams/soaps then I'll let you know.

Jason.
 
Thanks for the summary but, I meant the shops themselves. Do they have everything under the sun or just a couple of things or rows and rows of brushes and razors etc. There really isn’t anything like that here so I’m intrigued, and might visit London in the next few years. Anyway, I’ve totally hijacked your thread. Feel free to start a new thread telling us about all the great shops you have to choose from LOL!!
🍻
My humble apologies Beefdrippings! I totally misread your question!

Anyway to answer your question I have visited Taylor Of Old Bond Street and Geo F Trumper.

Both shops have a huge variety of razors, blades, brushes and everything neatly laid out. I can't really say which shop is better than the other as both of them have very helpful staff, a huge selection of shaving equipment and a warm welcoming atmosphere. I think you will be really impressed with both shops! My wife even said I can book a cut-throat shave as a treat for myself one day! She won't allow me to buy a cut-throat razor; she said if I want such a shave leave it to the professionals!

Any more questions please feel free to ask.

Jason.
 
I guess it depends on the manufacturer. Some may focus on an aesthetically pleasing handle whereas some others focus on a grippy ergonomic handle. I've tried many handles but I've yet to find one which is uncomfortable to the hand or slippery. Well actually that's a lie, the Fatip Piccolo is pretty uncomfortable between my sausage fingers due to its short length.
 

Old Hippie

Somewhere between 61 and dead
Lots of different styles of handle, "because YMMV" I guess. :)

I prefer diamond knurling. I won't say I "hate" barberpole handles but I will say I don't like them very much. In my hands, they tend to screw down unless my hands and the razor are absolutely dry, which ain't gonna happen. So diamond knurling for me, thanks.

That's why I passed my Merkur 38 on to my son, and why I don't want a 39. Now if they'd put a proper handle on it...

I also don't do smooth handles, short handles, handles that are too long -- I'm picky and don't mind being so when I can get what I want. :)

O.H.
 

garyg

B&B membership has its percs
There are some folks who just can't hang onto smooth razor handles, but it probably depends on how neat they shave - I don't let my hands get or rather stay wet during the shave and have long used alum on my fingers as a non-slip. Haven't dropped a razor since the Age of Aquarius .. I prefer the aesthetics of the barber pole style but have no problem with smoother handles. My only real disliked type are the long handles which I find clumsy with my grip style ..
 

Tirvine

ancient grey sweatophile
Others have covered it well: variety, aesthetics, choice, preference, balance, etc. I have two handles for my razor, a shorter and lighter (but not light) barber pole and a longer and slightly heavier knurled. I have two plates as well. The short barber pole seems to pair better with the medium plate and the knurled with the mild plate. Of course it may all be in my head. Another major variable on handles is weight. Some folks like titanium's lightness, and others like the heft of stainless. I find that one's technique can impact handle selection as much as aesthetic preferences. As to smooth handles, they can grip surprisingly well, but they typically have flat sides. I have yet to encounter smooth and round. For me the grip is more about avoiding twisting than about hanging onto the razor.
 
... Bit of an oddball question I know but just came to mind while browsing different razors.
Like shaving in general (for us hobbyists), we all have different tastes and preferences.

I'm a Lightweight Handle Fanboy (LHF). Here's my current favorite GT Handle, designed by me and made by my good friend Doug (@Rosseforp):
SOTD-WR2GT-Y_2021-09-08.jpg


It's aluminum, completely hollow, and has shallow (but extremely grippy) knurling (a towel wrecker :wink2:).

MEASUREMENTS
Length: 75mm
Diameter: 14mm
Weight: 14g

My first "light DE razor" experience was with the PBOCS (Phoenix Bakelite Open Comb Slant) when it came out 5+ years ago, the complete unit weighing in at 16g. That took some getting used to... but as soon as I moved back to "normal" weight razors I noticed that my technique had improved exponentially.

Now, light (and short) handles give me the best in shaving accuracy and maneuverability. My favorite (above) definitely passes my ultimate handle test: I don't notice it while I'm shaving. YMMV :wink2:
 

Iridian

Cool and slimy
A razor you like can become even better with a grip with you deem perfect in length, weight, diameter and your favorite type of grip enhancing texture.

For instance I much improved my Wunderbar with an Alpha Shaving handle that was knurled and long plus quite fancy.

For my Lupo the RazoRock barber pole handle somehow didn't do it for me; I replaced it with a Yaqi double spiral handle.

My Timeless came with a pineapple handle. This one was a trap: it looks very fancy on photos, but in practice I didn't like its design overly much. But the Timeless barber pole I got as replacement, that's a nice and fancy handle.

I also have a "rocket" handle which I screwed on my... Rockwell 6S, ofc. 😄

It's still wandering, the right head for it has not yet been bought by me.

I like heavy handles: steel it is for me.
I don't like aluminum, haptically.
I just got my first titanium razor with a fancy herringbone handle, stay tuned for my shave of the day in a few hours! 😎
 
I prefer diamond knurling because its not slippery even with wet hands. Weirdly enough the best handle i have is a "Lemonwald" handle from Aliexpress which was about 3,5€ shipped to Belgium. It has the EXACT same size and knurling as my Rockwell 6C, only the 6C's knurling is less grippy (maybe due to the gunmetal finish layer?).

A knurling like a King C Gillette is a bit too slippery to use with wet soapy hands. The Lemonwald handle knurling is PERFECT for me (silver matt color), i use it now with the Rockwell 6C head, perfect combination.

Another razor i have is the french Gentleman Barbier (short stainless steel version). This razor has a handle that is super unslippery but this has a scratchy uncomfortable feel to it in my hands. Its almost like sandpaper :concern:.
 
It's not often I've had problems with slippery handles. But in my experience, it's the rolling movement of the razor which is more frequent, the razors don't often slip up and down.

The best handles I've used are the lined ones from Edwin Jagger which make it impossible for the razor to roll in your hands. I've also got handles with tortoiseshell, horn, diamond, halo and barberpole knurling and its very rare that the razor slips out of my hand with any of these. The lined handle on my 3ONE6 is easiest to control.
 

ERS4

My exploding razor knows secrets
It's all about branding and personal preference. And the advantage of the three-piece DE is that we can easily match our preferences by swapping handles.
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The most slip-resistant knurling I've ever encountered in my life is the rex ambassador, which seems to stick to my fingers even when full of foam.
img_1_1644333086893.jpg

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But for me, the real magic comes from the "Darwin type handle"; a design that doesn't rely on knurling, but simply uses a multi-faceted geometric bump, and the razor will sit firmly in the hand without slipping at all. Exactly to my liking, just maybe too slender for people with big hands.
img_3_1644333169369.jpg

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In the end, my eyes were still drawn to "PILS" without any knurling and bump geometry, proving that everything is pure YMMV.
img_2_1644333131280.jpg
 
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