What are the worst DE razor(s) you've ever tried and why?

[LRod]

I read a lot about bad blades but don't read much about bad razors!
So it can be more than one and the reason(s) can be anything: Bad design, shaves bad, too big, too heavy etc..
For me so far have been:

Merkur Futur:
I had a Flexi and Variant and wanted to try this futuristic looking adjustable from Merkur. What I discovered was that (although I like aggressive razors), this one was to the point of dangerous to use. I guess the head design is the culprit. I had an uneasy feeling every time I used it and never got any stellar shaves from this razor. It also felt like it would slip at any moment as well because of the slick handle. Another issue which I completely disliked was that the head was huge and cumbersome (biggest one I've ever shaved with). I do give credit to the snap on head that makes blade loading a snap. That's the only positive I saw in this razor. I couldn't sell it fast enough!

Feather Popular:
I wanted to try a plastic butterfly razor since I had never owned one. I figured the Feather would be the one. It's cheap, well built and the one I got is Made in Japan!
Loaded a blade and had my first (and last) shave with it. Zero and I mean zero efficiency! It felt and performed like I was running a butter knife across my face.
That was a bummer!
I didn't sell it since it was cheap and it seems like a cool piece to keep. After the one shave, I put it back in it's case and in storage it went.

Mandatory disclaimer for my two choices: YMMV!

Those are my only two!
Which one(s) have been the worst for you?

 

[Kix]

The absolute worst razor I've used was a razor head from Maggard. It is called the "V3 mild". Mild? With a blade gap of .155mm??? And positive blade exposure? MILD??!!

I got the worst cuts I've ever had from that "mild" razor head. Bear in mind I was relatively new at DE shaving, but even today, being more experienced, I'm in no hurry to try it again.

 

[StewB]

The V3M is modeled after the Gillette Tech design. It's a decent razor but it does require good technique. Their "medium" head is more like a DE89/R89 and is also pretty good but also needs good technique. I haven't tried their "aggressive" razor yet. I like their handles, too.

 

[ERS4]

Merkur Futur gets my vote again.

Due to the design of this razor, no matter how hard I try to shake out/tilt the water out of it after rinsing... the water will still pop out when I shaved my head, making the lather on my head possible drip into my eyes.

 

[Kix]

The V3M is modeled after the Gillette Tech design. It's a decent razor but it does require good technique. Their "medium" head is more like a DE89/R89 and is also pretty good but also needs good technique. I haven't tried their "aggressive" razor yet. I like their handles, too.

The base plate looks similar to the Tech, with the diamond shaped impression around the center. But that's where their designs diverge.

I just compared a Tech to the V3m. It looks like the blade gap of the V3m is more than twice as big as the Tech's blade gap.
I've used them both, they are not very similar.

 

[Iridian]

DSCosmetic X1
Rex Envoy
Rockwell 6S
Mühle R89
Merkur Futur & clones

Not necessarily total garbage, but I would recommend neither.

 

[Dave himself]

Futur clone tried every tip to try and get the blade alignment right nothing worked. Tried it with different blades on different settings still no good. I guess it's my fault for buying a clone and not the real thing. Maybe one day I'll try the real thing but I've enough razors that shave like a dream for me so I'm in no rush to purchase the Merkur.

 

[slim6596]

Vikings Blade Emperor. Nothing I tried worked and it left me feeling like a lacerated grape. (I was going to say ‘peeled’ but it was worse than that.)

Same with the Rex Ambassador, but to a lessor extent.

I loved the looks of both razors (and the Rex was built like a tank), but they didn’t shave my face worth a hoot. After the Rex, I gave up on adjustables and TTOs and started acquiring razors with baseplate options to customize the shave.

 

[Iridian]

I gave up on adjustables and TTOs and started acquiring razors with baseplate options to customize the shave.

I am in the same boat. Had no luck with adjustables so far.

I am particularly wary of adjustables based on the venerable "Gibbs" head that supposedly is also the template for the Rex razors, they seem to work for others, but not me. In general my adjustable experience was not good. Multiple baseplates usually confuse me, I usually go with the most aggressive one. It seems if I like a razor, I like most of its plates, including the most aggressive. The Rockwell e.g. is too mild and not efficient enough for me, even on the R6 plate.

There is also that thing with cleaning the razor, I like the 3-piece-construction a lot. No springs, small parts or problems to disassemble and clean everything.

 

[Medivh]

I put the razor's I don't like or hate in 3 different categories.


Absolutely worst:

Yaqi Katana V1
Yaqi Mellon
Ming Shi 2000S

Very disappointing:

Rockwell 6S
Pretty much every Tech I've used

Not terrible, but nothing impressive either:

ATT Windsor Pro SB90 stainless steel



The good thing about those razors is that I've learned what I like and what I should look for and what I hate and what to avoid. I used to check Aliexpress for any new razors, but after trying a couple I quickly realised that the Chinese razors are more like crude clones of already existing models and that they didn't shave very good. I doubt that the Chinese put much of an effort to test their products and for me they are more like razor imitations than anything and having blade misalignments and blade chatter is something very common with the such razors.

I'm pretty much done with the Chinese razors and I wish good luck to the poor souls who would even consider getting one given the fact that there are tons of inexpensive stainless steel razors on the market that are proven and loved by hundreds around the world.

I've also learned to avoid crude finished razors like the Rockwell 6S, because the feeling for me was terrible and I still have flashbacks from when I used that razor. I also learned to avoid razors with negative or neutral blade exposure, since most of those razors just don't work for me and they fall into the very mild to moderately mild category, which just isn't for me.

Bottom line is that finding what works for you might take some time and if you're lucky, you might find it right away and spend as little money as possible, but I guess not everyone has that luck and some have to go above and beyond for that to happen.

 

[Captain O]

I bought an "Assured" razor from Dollar Tree. It literally broke before I could use it. Right into the hopper! (It wasn't even worth throwing into the recycling bin).

True story.

 

[slim6596]

I forgot to mention the Van der Hagen I bought from Walmart. Used it once, took the blade out, wiped everything down, put it away. Next time I went to shave with it, I smelled rust when I went to take that first stroke.

I rinsed off my face, threw the razor away. Poor shave AND rusts that quick? Nope.

 

[shave/brush]

Muhle R41. It always felt like it was plucking my beard rather than cutting it. I tried it more than once but no good.

 

[LRod]

Very interesting (and shocking) reading results so far. Muhle, Rex & Rockwell. Three brands I've never owned but praised by many others. Goes to show how YMMV works!
The Chinese results are by no means shocking. No reason to own one considering the good stuff made elsewhere!
When it comes to adjustables I had the Futur, Flexi and Variant. The Flexi was the best out of the three but in the end I still ended up liking non adjustables more.

 

[BradWorld]

I put my worst razors into two categories…

First category…. Razors that shave badly, give irritation, nicks, etc:

- The Fatip Grande wears this crown proudly. Could not get an irritation free or bloodless shave with this razor no matter what. Terrible blade alignment. Just not a razor that worked for me at all. And given the amount of undying love for that razor, it was very disappointing.

Second category… Razors so mild that I couldn’t get an acceptable shave result:

- The winner in this category is the PAA DOC. The original standard version. I could do 10 passes with that razor and barely get to CCS.

- Runner up: Razorock MJ-90. At the time this razor was released, I was a huge DE89 fan, and also a big Razorock fan. I was super stoked to get a black anodized aluminum DE89 that was reportedly more efficient than the original. Ordered it the minute if was released. Couldn’t get the thing to shave anywhere near the efficiency of a real DE89. It was super disappointing. When they quickly released the A “aggressive” plate, I felt vindicated, and reached out to Joe with my story. He told me that he would toss in a free A plate with my next order, which he did. That A plate still fell very short of reaching the efficiency of a real DE89. I tried a bunch of shaves with it, but couldn’t get any decent results. I sent it to the BST. I know lots of people like the MJ-90. Italian Barber did come through with awesome customer service. But at the end of the day, that razor just wasn’t for me.

 

[StewB]

The base plate looks similar to the Tech, with the diamond shaped impression around the center. But that's where their designs diverge.

I just compared a Tech to the V3m. It looks like the blade gap of the V3m is more than twice as big as the Tech's blade gap.
I've used them both, they are not very similar.

Thanks for the info! FWIW I don't think the Maggard V3M is that bad but I also wouldn't recommend it for a beginner.

 

[StewB]

Gillette Slim (I believe 1964). The razor seemed to be in proper working order, but I just could not get a decent shave with it, even turned all the way up to 9. It left patches of stubble and I had irritation. Very underwhelmed by the quality of shaves I got from it. I was surprised because of all the love lavished on this razor. Not for me, I guess.

 

[sneefy]

- The Fatip Grande wears this crown proudly. Could not get an irritation free or bloodless shave with this razor no matter what. Terrible blade alignment. Just not a razor that worked for me at all. And given the amount of undying love for that razor, it was very disappointing.

This. Awful razor for me. I won a Fatip Grande in a PIF here. I used it once, found out how aggressive, inconsistent, harsh, and uncomfortable it is, and promptly gave it to a friend of mine.

On the other side of the coin, I got a Henson and first time I used it I knew I had found my forever razor. Haven't touched another razor since.

 

[Juanmosey]

The V3M is modeled after the Gillette Tech design. It's a decent razor but it does require good technique. Their "medium" head is more like a DE89/R89 and is also pretty good but also needs good technique. I haven't tried their "aggressive" razor yet. I like their handles, too.

I'm returning their aggressive head because it's too mild. Seems they've got their heads reversed.

 

[Frinstance]

The Wilkinson 'Classic' chrome plated that's become a Walmart staple. The gates were so lopsided it looked as though someone gave up on making a slant half way through the process.
I had trouble with the Muhle 100 series black handle as well, but that's operator error - ride the cap is too much for my puny brain.