Yet Another DE89L Thread: Question for the Experienced

[fishops]

I'm curious about the 89L considering the somewhat massive level of praise around here. I own around 10 DEs and I love them all, but RAD is RAD.

For those of you with modest (or immodest) collections, where would you put the 89L on the aggressive scale? My ideal exposure is somewhere between a USA New and a UK New if that makes any sense. I set my Progress to 3.5, and my Krona is just about right, if maybe a little on the mild side. Is the 89L right for me?

 

[Darjeeling Express]

Absolutely! It is not overly aggressive at all. You will really enjoy it. It is also stunningly beautiful.

 

[Futur]

There was another thread about this recently. Everyone agreed that the DE89 is between 3 and 4 on the Progress scale (not a very accurate scale though). The DE89 is a beautiful razor, but for me, the Progress and Futur are significantly better shavers.

 

[johnmrson]

Definitely. It's quite a deceptive razor. I think it shaves a fair bit more aggressively than you think. It feels very smooth but combined with a sharp blade it gives a wonderful shave. I rate mine very highly and it has never been out of my rotation and I doubt it ever will.

 

[LinuxMintyFresh]

You might be okay with the feel. I got rid of my DE89L, because I needed something a bit more aggressive. I'd place it around a 3.5 on the Gillette Slim scale. Sorry, but I have no experience with the Progress or Krona.

 

[Uncle Erik]

I'd also agree that it's roughly between 3 and 4 on a Fatboy. The DE89L is a deliciously smooth shaver and is one of my favorites. I'll switch to another razor for a few shaves and then go right back to the DE89L for awhile. It has just abou killed my RAD, though I've been eyeing the EJ Chatsworth and Bulbous lately.

 

[curtis909]

I'd also agree that it's roughly between 3 and 4 on a Fatboy. The DE89L is a deliciously smooth shaver and is one of my favorites. I'll switch to another razor for a few shaves and then go right back to the DE89L for awhile. It has just abou killed my RAD, though I've been eyeing the EJ Chatsworth and Bulbous lately.

It did kill any RAD i might have had. Only now I have two DE89L's one with new head one with old head.

 

[michiganlover]

I measured the blade gap on my Muhle R89 (which has the same head as the EJ DE89), and it measured .76mm, so slightly more aggressive than a Slim/Fatboy @ 4 (which measures .74mm).

Blade gap is just a part of what determines overall aggressiveness, however, and using a Slim/Fatboy as the baseline is a little iffy to start with, as the assumption is that all Slim/Fatboys are equally aggressive, which doesn't take into account wear, and tear on a 50 year old razor, and the potential that it has been dropped in it's lifetime.

 

[fishops]

Sounds perfect, thanks for your help!

 

[mr_pacman]

It did kill any RAD i might have had. Only now I have two DE89L's one with new head one with old head.

Do you notice any difference in the heads, besides aesthetics and once being easier to clean?

I've got 2 89L's with the older head (I have one stashed away as a backup) but would be interested in trying a new one if there is a difference.

 

[Uncle Erik]

It did kill any RAD i might have had. Only now I have two DE89L's one with new head one with old head.

Yep. Actually, I've been eyeing the Bulbous and Chatsworth models. One (or both?) might just put down the RAD.

 

[DerFly]

Gave my DE89L it's first run today. I'm impressed with he smoothness and handling of this razor using a Super Iridium. The result was short of DFS, which I can usually easily obtain with an adjustable on 5 - 7.

Room for a little practice and improvement, methinks!

 

[curtis909]

Do you notice any difference in the heads, besides aesthetics and once being easier to clean?

I've got 2 89L's with the older head (I have one stashed away as a backup) but would be interested in trying a new one if there is a difference.

For me they shave exactly the same... I just had to have a backup....