want a stainless steel DE razor

[dirtdog]

But hesitant of the 160.00 price tag ?

Try this Country Uncle 22.00

http://www.shaveshop.com/cu180.html

Just got mine it looks like a Meker solid bar and they claim it is all stainless steel

 

[apino]

Not a bad price tag. How about build quality, weight, and most importantly the shave?

 

[dirtdog]

Just got it

it looks almost identical to my 23 c Merker except that is an open tooth design. The Country Uncle has a closed bar design.

Blade fits in tight and snug and looks even on both sides.
As to shave / Just got it but I expect it to shave just as the Merker .

I will post a review of the shave after a shave with it / and a few pics of it also .

 

[Shavely Manden]

Just got it

it looks almost identical to my 23 c Merker except that is an open tooth design. The Country Uncle has a closed bar design.

Blade fits in tight and snug and looks even on both sides.
As to shave / Just got it but I expect it to shave just as the Merker .

I will post a review of the shave after a shave with it / and a few pics of it also .

Is it, in fact, stainless steel?

 

[Eclectic]

A country uncle search of google comes up with 4 models including a TTO, from a number of vendors.

Looks Chinese to me.

 

[dirtdog]

Is it, in fact, stainless steel?

It is non magnetic .
The razor is a three piece similiar to Merkers in many ways.

The top piece suspiciously looks like a Merker top and even has markings similar to another Merker I used as a comparison / the bottom plate looks like a Merker also.

And again the handle is similar .
It may be Chinese - this does not matter to me if it is indeed all stainless .
Chinese / Japanese / German / India I really have no idea.

All stainless steel and way under 160.00 if it shaves good it will have been worth the risk of the 22.00 purchase .

 

[craig87c]

What about a LUX DE? All stainless steel, Cold War Polish Tech clones.

 

[dirtdog]

Merker on the left Country Uncle on the right

I used one of my solid bar Merkers for the comparison not the open comb

 

[dirtdog]

Merker on top

Country Uncle on bottom

 

[cooncatbob]

Looks like a Merkur clone to me, so I doubt if the cast head is Stainless Steel.
Zamak melts at around 800 degrees F, SS around 2500 degrees F.
One way to tell is to weigh the caps, the Merkur Zamak cap weighs 12.25 grams, a SS cap should weigh 15 grams or more.

 

[dirtdog]

I have read comments that some folks do not like Merker quality control , I have never had a bad one and thought that they were quality razors.

The Country Uncle looks to be as good as the Merker as far as quality .

I will use a Derby blade and give a shave report tomorrow sometime

 

[bluefoxicy]

Zamak melts at around 800 degrees F, SS around 2500 degrees F.

Oh, that would be helpful. I've had trouble with my razor melting when I shave in the shower, so I always shave before or after a shower now.

 

[LouieGrandie]

Looks to come from the fine folks who bring you $25.00 Rolex watches and $10 Mont Blanc pens.

 

[dirtdog]

Looks like a Merkur clone to me, so I doubt if the cast head is Stainless Steel.
Zamak melts at around 800 degrees F, SS around 2500 degrees F.
One way to tell is to weigh the caps, the Merkur Zamak cap weighs 12.25 grams, a SS cap should weigh 15 grams or more.

All I have to weigh this is a Dillon reloading scale
the Merker head weighs 410.xx grains

The Country Uncle weighs 310.xx grains

So if you are correct then it isn't stainless steel/ lot of variables though / thickness of parts / I have no idea of weight differences between chromed brass and stainless steels .

 

[dcrosso]

I phoned the vender to ask about the razor in question. He stated that the razor was all stainless. When I asked him if he had shaved with it, he said that he shaved with it for several days and found it satisfactory. He said, "It's just a razor." I explained to him that I had tried many razors and not all of them work well. The man I talked with, upon questioning him further, did not reply with answers that indicated he was a knowledgable wet shaver.

I do not intend any criticism of him or the razor.

I shave with a Merkur 23C in rotation and it's a very good razor. If we can get an exact copy of the 23C in stainless steel, then it would be a great deal.

I find it interesting that a vender trying to sell their products would not spend the time to throughly know their products. I will be looking forward to hearing more about the SS razor.

They have a flat rate shiping fee of $8.95. The cost of the razor with shipping would be approx. $31.00. They are probably making as much on the shipping as they do the razor.

 

[dirtdog]

I phoned the vender to ask about the razor in question. He stated that the razor was all stainless. When I asked him if he had shaved with it, he said that he shaved with it for several days and found it satisfactory. He said, "It's just a razor." I explained to him that I had tried many razors and not all of them work well. The man I talked with, upon questioning him further, did not reply with answers that indicated he was a knowledgable wet shaver.

I do not intend any criticism of him or the razor.

I shave with a Merkur 23C in rotation and it's a very good razor. If we can get an exact copy of the 23C in stainless steel, then it would be a great deal.

I find it interesting that a vender trying to sell their products would not spend the time to throughly know their products. I will be looking forward to hearing more about the SS razor.

It is sold at several places , they all claim it is stainless steel in the product description

 

[DE Shaver]

For a $22 razor, it could be far worse in terms of qualitiy. If it shaves well, it is worth the price IMO.

 

[cooncatbob]

Oh, that would be helpful. I've had trouble with my razor melting when I shave in the shower, so I always shave before or after a shower now.

No it shows that SS having a higher melting temperature is much more costly to cast then Zamak (zinc alloy)
Zinc can be cast using cast iron molds at relatively low temperatures.
Cast iron molds can't be used with Stainless Steel as they'd melt, so you'd need molds made out of a material that wouldn't melt at 2500 degrees F.

 

[cooncatbob]

All I have to weigh this is a Dillon reloading scale
the Merker head weighs 410.xx grains

The Country Uncle weighs 310.xx grains

So if you are correct then it isn't stainless steel/ lot of variables though / thickness of parts / I have no idea of weight differences between chromed brass and stainless steels .

Stainless Steel and brass weigh about the same, zinc is about 2/3rds the weight of brass.
I get these figures by weighing Gillette Caps that are made from Copper. Brass and Zinc.

 

[dirtdog]

410 grains = 27 grams approx