Parker Open Comb Double Edge Safety Razor – Heavyweight Chrome Handle for Closer Shaves – Includes 5 Razor Blades – Ideal for Men with Thick or Coarse Beards (24C-Chrome)

It's been over a month since I received the Parker 26C, but due to a series of snafus, including but not limited to an abscess in my jaw, I haven't been able to review it until now. Before I go into the review itself, I must state that what you're looking at is an OPEN COMB safety razor. By their nature, open comb razors are more aggressive than standard razors like the Weishi butterfly. By 'more aggressive', I mean they give a closer shave, but in the hands of a newbie wet shaver, they can and WILL LIKELY cut and leave razor burn. For this reason, most wet shavers, particularly those who have storefronts will recommend a standard razor to newcomers. If you're looking to buy your first safety razor, I suggest you bookmark the Parker 26C and make a note to purchase it as your SECOND razor, once you've learned how to properly use a safety razor in general, and know what your skin and beard need for a good, close, and smooth shave. As an individual with a thick beard and sensitive skin, I've found that pressing a hot, wet towel to my face for a few minutes and applying a tiny amount of olive oil as a preshave works wonders to prevent irritation and nicks. Alright, with that done, onward to the review! The Parker 26C is absolutely beautiful! Highly polished chrome plating on the two piece head, and on the handle end pieces, and a highly textured black handle surface that may or may not be aesthetically pleasing to some(looks great to me!), but makes it virtually impossible to slip through soapy fingers. Although it is indeed more aggressive than my Weishi butterfly razor, the sheer weight and rough, almost sandpaper-like grip in the hand provides absolute control, while the open comb leaves enough lather behind to allow for a couple extra cleanup passes. Dorco blades, which went so well with my Weishi, are prone to 'skipping' and irritation in this razor, but I was still amazed at the closeness of the shave. Even considering the fact that my first use was somewhat hurried due to both an impending appointment and a back that was trying to spasm, I was completely astonished with the level of control made possible by the weight and exceedingly grippy handle texture. The extremely rough finish borders on uncomfortable when first held in wet fingers, but initial sensations were forgotten the instant my back tried to seize in the middle of a pass. What happened next is something I still have trouble believing. The razor stopped cold and pivoted slightly as if it were part of my hand while I shifted position, and I was able to continue the pass as if nothing happened. For the longest time, I thought it would take me years to get that kind of precision out of a safety razor, and the first time I used this one, it was as if I came out of my mama's belly with it attached to my hand. It's not just experience that saved me from a severe cut yesterday, it was the hardware. Don't get caught up in price or aesthetics, and for the love of God, don't look at the textured handle and think 'that looks uncomfortable'. Parker spent years researching handle finishes and textures looking for the perfect combination that would allow the shaver to stop the blade on a whisker and maneuver the head with surgical precision right out of the gate. Sadly, my Parker 26C is so well made I don't know if I'll ever have to make another purchase from Super Safety Razors, but I keep browsing their store in case I'm wrong. Their razors are excellent(as if I need to repeat myself), and their customer support is equally so. If you're new to wet shaving, they'll gladly answer your emailed questions in around two hours and get you started with the best razor for your needs, regardless of your level of experience with wet shaving. I could go on and on about this razor, and Super Safety Razors in general, but common sense should compel most people to throw one of these lovely Parkers into their cart for immediate purchase. My work here is done.

After a week of shaving with the Parker 24C razor, I couldn't be more pleased. The fit, finish & build quality are on par with my Edwin Jagger. I've been DE shaving for a little over a year, mostly with the EJDE86. I also have a 1966 Gillette Flare Tip Superspeed, and they are both excellent razors. I have also been through nearly every blade available, and although I was getting good shaves regularly, and great shaves occasionally, I just wasn't getting the consistent, irritation-free BBS (or near-BBS) shave I was looking for with my everyday shaves. I have a dense beard that grows in several different directions, so different beards obviously respond differently to different razors/blades/prep. My first shave with the Parker 24C was so-so, as it took me a couple of days to get the angle and grip tuned in (like any new razor). Day 2 was one of the best shaves I have ever experienced. After day 2, the shaves have been getting better, and easier. The biggest difference for me is that I have had no - zero - razor burn with this razor, and as I write this, I can't keep my hand off my face as it is baby smooth. Granted, I respect the "zero pressure" rule, as every wet shaver must, with any DE razor. But for me, it has been a lot easier to get a BBS shave with no pressure and total comfort with the Parker 24C. In this razor I have experimented with 3 blades I already had in the drawer - Gillette Silver Blue, Astra Superior Platinum, and Bic Super Chrome. They all gave me equally good results in this razor. I admit, I have not used any of the Shark blades that came with the razor, as I have used them in the past and they weren't the right fit for my beard - Your mileage may vary, and I didn't buy the razor for the Shark blades. A lot of people use them and love them, so you might too. For me, my beard, and my routine, I have found the daily shaver I have been looking for, and the consistent comfortable, BBS shaves I've been after since I started DE shaving. And at this price, you can't go wrong. I may even pick up a 26C just because I like the 24C so much.

I can be an infrequent shaver, letting my facial hair get a little long. When that happens, I usually mow everything down with an electric trimmer before I shave with my Merkur 34c, a razor I love. I started reading about open-comb razors, so I decided to try three: Merkur 15c, Muhle R41 Grande, and the Parker 26c. The Merkur seemed flimsy and cheap, too light, too skinny, nothing like the 34c I’ve been using for years. I’m a brand loyalist and assumed this would be the one I would keep.But it’s nothing like the 34c at all. The Muhle was phenomenally made, heavy, substantial, beautiful, incredible; however, the aggressiveness of that razor wasn’t a great fit for my skin. Then I got the Parker 26c with the black anodized handle. Phenomenally made, heavy, substantial, beautiful, incredible as well. It felt better in my hand than the Muhle and possibly even my Merkur 34c. Using the Parker for the first time was great. Less aggressive than the Muhle, and better all around than the Merkur 15c. It could very well become my go-to day-to-day razor. It’s a pristine object. Machined beautifully. Just perfect for what I was looking for.

This is a nice razor for under $30. While not built with the highest quality, it's well designed and shaves smoothly. The handle is long (3.75") and reasonably heavy but a bit slim at a hair over 7/16". Most importantly the knurling gives a secure grip, and it's not likely to slip out of your soapy fingers. As I was loading it with a Feather blade I saw the fit was a bit sloppy, and there was play in the blade alignment. When I got it all assembled, I could see that the edges of the blade were not parallel with lines of the razor head. I had some doubts as I started to shave a two-day growth. Dang, the shave was as comfortable and efficient as it gets. I've since shaved twice more with the same blade, after one day and then after two more days. Each time got a great shave. Every time I looked at it I got annoyed at the misaligned blade, but heck the smoothness of the shave made up for it. I'd say the aggressiveness is mid-range, in the same category as the Weber, and it feels very efficient. It does seem to retain water, so I shake it out well and set it on the end of the head for a while to drain before putting it upright in my stand. All in all, if you're an open comb fan, you should check out this razor.

The Parker 24C was my first open comb DE razor. I wanted to see how the open-comb design compared with the closed comb design. I was impressed with the Parker Shaving implementation of this type of razor and with the quality of shave I achieved. The finish on the razor appears to be excellent; it is a beautiful razor. While the fit of the razor itself is also excellent, be aware that you need to exercise care when inserting a new DE blade. Not only do you need to be careful not to be cut by the blade, but you need to be careful when reassembling the razor to insure that the blade is properly seated so the blade exposure is even on both sides of the head. I have heard that this is common with Parker three-piece razors. I loved the handle. It is longer than many handles and has significant texture knurling so it is easy to grip, even with wet hands. The handle is hefty and the overall balance of the razor is excellent. If you want a heavier handle, you can add additional weight down the inside of the hollow handle; just don't damage the threads. The razor head provides a blade exposure that might be described as moderately aggressive. With the enclosed blades, the razor will give a smooth, close shave. However, achieving this does require some technique. I would not suggest this for a novice DE shaver. As a second razor, however, it would be ideal. While many razors work best with the handle placed at an angle of 30 degrees relative to the face, the best results with the Parker 24C occur when the razor is held at approximately 45 degrees. Rather than starting with the handle parallel to the face and then moving the angle outward as many recommend, I suggest that you begin with the head of the razor flush to your face and then move the handle angle inward until you feel the blade contact the skin. This will be the angle that gives the closest, smoothest shave with the 24C. One advantage of the 45 degree angle is that the long handle does not contact my chest when shaving downward on my neck; at 30 degrees, this would be an issue. One disadvantage of the 45 degree angle is that it makes it harder to shave the upper lip immediately beneath the nose. Overall, I highly recommend this razor to anyone who is not a complete novice to DE shaving.

The good: I used this razor nearly every day for a year to shave my head, and it gave me an excellent, smooth, close shave every time. My only other experience was with a Merkur 180, and the performance of this razor blows that one out of the water. The bad: after slightly less than a year of use, the threads that hold the head onto the handle became so corroded that my razor can no longer be assembled. I stored my razor on the side of my sink, in an area that did not accumulate water. The handle is in nearly perfect condition-- I suspect the handle and the head were made from different materials. Overall, given how quickly this razor wore out, I would not purchase it again--I would look for a model with material that is more corrosion resistant. I will likely stick with Parker razors for my next purchase, however, because the performance of this razor was top notch. **Edit: I will not be purchasing another Parker razor. While the shave quality was excellent, all of their products use a cheap "Zamak" for the head, which is extremely fragile and has poor corrosion resistance. They also do not sell replacement head caps. I am very let down by this.

This is an excellent razor. It's very forgiving and yet gives a very close shave. Judging from the many cautions I've read on the many reviews regarding open comb razors, I almost didn't buy one. The way this razor is engineered, it makes it almost impossible for one to cut himself. So all the fears about shredding your face are totally unfounded when it comes to the Parker 26C. I have an EJ ED89bl and a Schmidt R30 Grande and also the R10. I find the Parker 26C to be the least aggressive of the group and yet, it gives a smooth excellent close shave in all directions. I was curious how Parker has achieved this, so I got out my photographer's loupe and took a real close look at the blade clearance on all my razors. The EJ-DE89bl and the two Schmidt, all appear to have about 1mm gap between the blade and the comb. But on the parker 26C the clearance is about 1/2mm, making it virtually impossible for one to cut himself while shaving. It took me about three shaves to get used to the razor, and now I can run my hand in an upward motion on my face and feel absolutely no stubble. I use ASTRA Superior Stainless blades, and I've shaved with both "Proraso", and "Cremo" shaving creams with very similar results. The Parker 26C is so forgiving that I see no reason why a first time DE safety razor user should be afraid to buy one as their first razor. The 4 inch textured non lip handle is excellent even with shaving cream all over my hand. The chroming looks good, and I also like the weight of the razor. I highly recommend it without hesitation. One more thing. I got an email from Howie - Super Safety Razors, wanting to know how I like the razor, and if there were any problems to contact him so he could take care of it. Now that's proactive conscientious service from a supplier!!!

So, for the record, I am a very experienced wet shaver and have used a variety of razors since I started shaving 50 some years ago. I have no use for modern cartridge razors, and prefer a straight razor or double edge. I currently own 3 straight razors and 5 double edge razors, including a Merkur Classic, and a EJ de89. Both are fine razors, but are a bit mild and require multiple passes to get the kind of close shave that I want (and I am old school and subscribe to the addage that "a gentleman shaves everyday"). I have been looking for a DE razor that would shave like a straight razor, but give the convenience (no honing or stropping) and control of a safety razor. To that end, I purchased the Parker 24c as I had read good things about open comb razors in general and wanted to try one. After a week of shaving with the 24c with nary a knick or a weeper, I am pleased to report that my quest is over. For me anyway, it comes very close to a straight razor in terms of smoothness and feel on the face. Despite the scare stories that have been posted about the cut-throat nature and aggressiveness of this open comb razor, I found it to be very easy to use and no more 'cut-throat ' than my other DE razors (closed comb). I shaved normally with no problems (I used my usual Derby blades). With that said, one must use a proper technique including a light touch (let the razor head do the work) and never start moving the razor until it is 'landed' on one's face with the proper angle. These rules apply to any str8 or DE razor. The 24c is very well made with nice fit and finish. The classic three piece head design provides excellent blade alignment, and is easy to assemble and disassemble when changing blades. The head (and overall razor) is somewhat heavy compared to other DEs but I did not mind the extra weight. The handle is nicely knurled for a good trip - even when wet. Overall, the 24c is an excellent value for the $28 I paid for it and it is now part of my daily routine.