I ordered the Edwin Jagger short knurled handle razor. I recently decided to try a de razor and did some reading and yt reviews. Everyone suggest to start with one of two razors and this was one of them. I decided to save some money and tried a couple of knock-offs. One was torturous and the other was too mild.

I finally came to my senses and ordered this razor. I should have listened to those with experience and bought this one to start with. With very little effort I got one of the smoothest mildest shaves of my life (paired with an Asta SP blade).

I have very sensitive skin and shaving has never been a good experience. I had used every Gillette razor from the Sensor on. Some Schick varieties. And recently Dorco. Shaving with these had become a necessary evil. Never enjoyable, but quick. Never smooth.

A co-worker of mine recently began DE shaving. I looked into it but was too scared to try. But the idea of DE shaving brought back a few lost memories of my grandfather and watching him shave with a DE and how his face would be so smooth afterward. The nostalgia finally got the best of me and gave me the courage to try a DE. And now, with the EJ razor I finally came close to that smoothness.

When it comes to short handled safety razors, there's only been one game in town. Namely, the Merkur HD 34C. So, I was delighted to have discovered Edwin Jagger's short handled safety razor!

Coming in four different handle configurations (Chrome, Lined Chrome, Ivory, and Ebony), I opted for the Ebony model which features a black rubberized handle with chrome capped accents.

The weight is perfect. The razor is neither too heavy nor too light. The balance point is closer towards the razor head. This allows for nice control. I found myself easily flipping the razor in my hand, changing my grip, etc without missing a beat or accidentally dropping the razor. The rubberized handle also give the user a very sure grip, even when wet. Speaking of the handle, it is quite hard and robust. It feels as firm as any chrome plated metal handle.

Being a three-piece razor, the Ebony comes with Edwin Jagger's well-known DE89 series razor head. The precision of these razor heads is outstanding. The blade aligns perfectly. The blade sits evenly with balanced blade exposure on each side. Once loaded and tightened down, there's no need to double-check alignment. The blade is always straight. There's no need to shift or manually align the blade as you would with other safety razors at this price point.

The shave is very smooth. Closeness will depend on your skin and beard type, but I found it to be outstandingly closer than the Merkur. I also found it to be closer than my standard Edwin Jagger DE89L. After some consideration, I surmised the reason for this uptick in closeness is due to the shorter handle. The shorter handle gives one better control, thus allowing the user to hit the exact, proper 30 degree angle for shaving.

From an efficiency standpoint, the Ebony is simply a better razor than the Merkur HD 34C. On a scale of one to ten (1 being very mild and 10 being very aggressive), I'd rate the 34C at a 2. The Ebony gets a solid 6. In comparison, My EJ DE89L comes in at a close 5 to 5.5.

The Ebony is worlds better than the 34C and just a notch more efficient than my standard Edwin Jagger. But that single notch makes a big difference.

This is not to say that the 34C is bad razor. If you need an extremely mild, short-handled razor, then the 34C might be just what you need (especially if you are a beginner wet shaver with sensitive skin). If you need smoothness AND efficiency, then the Ebony is your choice. In fact, I'd recommend the Ebony over the standard EJ DE89 with the only caveat being the user's hand size. If you have large hands, you may want to try the standard Edwin Jagger razors.

However, both EJ's still require strict technique to achieve a close shave. It's just that the Ebony allows the user to reach that level quicker and more easily. I'm sure with practice, the standard EJ will give as close a result. (and I've found that, as my technique impoves, my standard Edwin Jagger razor does shave closer and closer). But practice makes perfect. Out of the box, the Ebony delivers the desired result more easily.

If you already have a favorite razor (as do I, VIKINGS BLADE The Chieftain Safety Razor + 5 Swedish Platinum Super Blades + Travel Case and VIKINGS BLADE The Godfather Safety Razor + 5 Swedish Platinum Super Blades + Gift Box), you may want to pick up this little gem as its diminutive size and big performance make it perfect for travel.

At under 25 bucks, this is a great price for an Edwin Jagger safety razor. I paid $22.52 and received free Prime two-day shipping.

My hunch is, you'd better get this safety razor before Edwin Jagger finds out how effective it is and raises the price accordingly!

This is my first DE razor, and it is great. The razor has a nice finish and fits in my hand well (I wear size XL gloves for reference). I like the short textured handle. The weight and balance works perfectly for me--all I have to remember is let to the weight of the razor do the work; don't press down and I get a great two or three pass shave (depending on my mood and time available). A simple wipe with the washcloth after use returns it to a beautiful shine. I read several reviews that described the center screw post breaking, so I am careful not to "bang" it in the sink while rising or knock it on the counter--based on the photos I saw, I suspect stress fractures formed from repeated striking of the head on sinks or over tightening. I haven't had a break yet, and I hope my caution prevents one.

This is a fine Razor. Properly weighted and well balanced. Build quality, Fit, and Finish are all superb. You will not be disappointed with this Razor. The blade reveal or exposure is not aggressive, and in my opinion it not necessary in any razor. . . more blade reveal simply means more opportunity for cuts and nicks. Take a minute or two to read my thoughts below on the Safety Razor methodology and related products.
I'd like to give a small summery of my experience with shaving the past 40 years or so. Like most guys, I am always in a hurry, We have alot to do a just not enough time in a 24 hr. day to get it done.
If there were 36 or 48 hours in a day we would work all of those too. Right?
The world is full of work and we have allowed it to rule our lives, its just never going to change. Here's a good quote to keep in mind "If Nothing changes, then Nothing Changes."
Alright then, how about letting go of the Throttle for a few minutes and treat yourself to change in your daily Grind? Our shaving experience can and should be enjoyable and the little bit of additional time it takes to engage the Safety Razor experience will allow you to clear your head, gather your thoughts, and think about the day ahead as you shave instead of throwing on some propane propelled Edge Gel or other bottom of the barrel shave cream product. Yep, just look at the ingredients on the can, most of them contain propane. Keep the propane for the BBQ grill out in the back yard, not on our Face. We are all aware that that the well known companies of our day have done a great job of advertising and convincing us that their razors are the only thing on the market. They started with two blades - the old Trac Two, then three blades, and now they are up to five. Crazy isn't it? And cost of their blades has risen right along with the blade count. A Safety Razor has one blade with two edges, that's all that is necessary to get the job done, and done well. Not only that, each blade is much less money than multiple blade cartridges on the market that are so popular today. I have listed the items below that you'll need to engage in the Wonderful, Relaxing, safety razor shaving experience. First all, ditch your Edge or similar shaving gel's and other canned products. All of them are weak and dry out your skin - Forget about ALL of those. Purchase these quality items below, and believe me, you will never go back to what you were doing before. So you'll need to buy shaving cream, I really like "Taylor of Old Bond Street - Sandlewood" There are several other shave creams like this on the market, but the aroma of this product is simply remarkable. You will also need a bowl to mix the shaving cream, I like wooden bowels; the metal one's get cold but wooden one's do not. You'll also need a Quality Badger Hair (or similar) Shaving Brush, there are many of them on the market at all price points, but it really pays big dividends to get a quality one. Buy yourself a quality safety razor like the Edwin Jagger DE89bl Chrome Plated Razor I have reviewed. Also a pre-shave oil is highly recommended so look into those as well. So now with your Edwin Jagger safety razor, a Badger Brush, Wooden mixing Bowl, Pre-Shave oil or Oil soap, and Shaving cream you now have likely been set back $100.00, but its all going to be well worth it. Lastly, when you are done shaving, finish the job by applying Neutrogena Razor Defense to your face and then your favorite cologne. Neutrogena Razor Defense is a very, very soothing & comforting lotion - why apply something to your face that stings and burns the Hell out of you?? Bad idea! All of these items are going to last you a long time. So spend some time familiarizing yourself and become SKILLED with your new gear, watch a couple of YouTube Videos on the subject and get ready to be pampered and very impressed. Why hurry? Work will always be there waiting no matter when you arrive. You'll never go back to what you were doing before.

I hadn't seen a lot of females posting reviews so I thought I would add my 2 cents. I use this to shave legs and underarms. At first it was a bit scary because the razor is so sharp. But you just hold it at the correct angle, don't press down, and it should be ok. There are even videos on Youtube to teach you how to do it. I did cut myself a little bit the first few times. It gets less scary the more times you use each razor blade because it becomes less sharp. I don't even use the fancy shave creams, just some soap in the shower, just as I previously did with the disposable cartridges, but my hair tends to be sparse and thin, so I'm not sure if thicker hair requires a cream. I have completely switched over to this system and use my leftover Venus cartridge system for travel only. Once you use this you will wonder why the cartridges even became popular - they seem like children's toys compared to the safety razor. I realized that increasing the number of blades on the cartridge system is just a gimmick. 5 blades are not necessary for a good shave - you only need 1. I purchased a razor variety pack with multiple brands containing 30 razors so I could figure out which brand I liked. This safety razor plus the the razor multi-pack probably cost the same as a new Venus shaver and 8 replacement cartridges. And this safety razor is much better quality and gives a better shave, not to mention much better looking - it is made of shiny metal and doesn't rust (the replacement razor blades might rust, though). The only drawback is that the handle on this safety razor short, and I would prefer a longer one. That said, I have kept this one and haven't tried another one because the short handle doesn't bother me that much.