A Saturday morning shave.

OldRio

It began like most mornings. Up early. Ablutions. Tea. Shower.
Then it should have been, shave. Clumsy OldRio drops his old and trusted Muhle R89 Classic Razor onto the floor. It lands in such a way that the head snaps off the shaft.
'Poo' was the cry.

So digging into the sink cupboard I found an old Gillette razor along with some triple blades unused. I fitted a new blade onto the plastic handle. (It must have been in the cupboard for about 4 years) and then the torture began.

I could hear the blades tearing the whiskers on my face. The pain was awful on the first pass. The worst shave in about 4 years.

So gents I need to buy another proper Razor. One fault with the R89 was the small length of the shaft. Any thoughts?

hitemfrank

There is a version of the R89 with a larger handle then the standard one.

If you look at Muhle razors look for ones called grande. Edwin Jagger have long handled versions of their razors. They will have an L after the product name (eg DE3D14BL). Muhle and EJ are basically sell the same razors. Merkur also have some long handled razors too.

Also if your handle is still okay, you could always just buy a new head for your razor.

beardybrewer

You know when I first got into wet shaving I was shocked at how small the razors generally are. But now I appreciate it's to make them nimble with a twirl of the fingers and so they don't get in the way. Heft is much more important to me.

As no man should only have one razor, order the replacement head and also pick up a classic razor like the Gillette Rocket while you're at it. They're plentiful on eBay, a bit more aggressive (in a good way) and give good feedback compared to the newbie friendly 89. Personally I love the TTO mechanism and think they're one of the best looking razors with their grippy knurled handles. I took the trouble to poke on the bay and found a couple of nice examples:

Lovely 64g: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vintage-c-1950s-Gillette-51-Rocket-Safety-Razor-and-Box-Made-in-England-/122026832841?hash=item1c695db3c9:g:NpgAAOSwNuxXbq5f

Old school 71g: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vintage-Gillette-Rocket-Safety-Razor-Made-in-England-694093-71g-/191893567038?hash=item2cadbf763e:g:0LkAAOSwSclXLJio

OldRio

Thanks lads.

The shaft of the razor had broken at the neck leaving the part that screws into the head in situ. I carefully drilled that out. I will order a new head. Thanks hitemfrank.

Love the idea of buying a vintage. I was born in the 50's so shaving with something older than me is a great idea. Missed the first razor on ebay (It went for £34) I must keep my eye on those rocket razors. Thanks for the idea beardybrewer.

Orion

The r89 rose gold is longer than the classic and the r89 grande is longer again. I have the latter myself

superneat

I've just had a similar situation like yours oldrio, my trusty R89 gave up the ghost as I installed a new blade last week.
The handle just kept spinning and came away from the head, leaving the top of the handle still screwed in.
I was horrified But then it did last me 2 and a half years.
This led me to think about going down the line of an all stainless steel razor for my next DE (have a feather artist's straight razor, but I need to have a DE too for when I need a quick shave).

But they are very expensive, so while I save up the cash I thought I'd replace the R89 in the meantime with a cheap DE that was TTO, my thinking being that there's less chance of it being corroded and falling apart like the R89.

Ordered THIS Parker TTO on ebay and couldn't be happier with it, especially for the price. It's a bit milder than the R89, but after 3 passes I find no discernible difference, apart from less irritation afterards.

OldRio

Just a quick update. Shaving.ie shipped the new head for the Muhle in quick time. Excellent service as normal.

I have taken the advice of a number of posters and purchased another razor. (I fear this could become a habit):D
A Parker 21R is on its way. http://www.ebay.ie/itm/Parker-21R-Buffalo-Horn-One-Piece-Safety-Razor-/140872531785?hash=item20cca83f49:g:XhcAAOSw6dNWSw0Y

I also purchased a new shaving bowl.
http://www.ebay.ie/itm/Copper-Shaving-Bowl-Mug-Cup-with-handle-for-Shaving-Brush-gift-blades-/121823496425?hash=item1c5d3f08e9:g:1hgAAOSwVL1WEtw3

I also found Aliexpress. Stand for my razor and new brush ordered.

No more spending. No more spending. No more spending. no more spending.

Just remembered. I need soap.:eek:

beardybrewer

Give us an update on your thoughts of the Parker once you've had it for a bit. If you love the TTO mechanism you may end up looking at vintage options like I suggested above. TTO is largely out of style on new razors, but they were mainstream for a long time and there's some nice options out there.

hitemfrank

I really like the mechanism of TTO razors. I've had 4 old Gillette TTO razors but sold them on. I'll probably pick one up again some time in the future.

OldRio

The prices for the vintage razors were a little rich for me but I will keep on the lookout.
I will report back on the Parker in due course.

Thanks again lads, its appreciated.