Can anyone compare a 11C vs DE89?

U

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Yes, I know that this is coming from someone who said that a man only needs one razor... but I'm vaguely tempted to add the Merkur 11C to my EJ DE89 (as a travel razor, you understand!)

Has anyone here shaved with both? I'm pretty happy with my DE89 (provided I use any blade that I've tried other than the Derbies that came with it!) and would be interested to know whether the 11C is significantly more/less aggressive before taking the plunge...

Thanks,

_
 
Apples and oranges, that'll be a hugely different shave. I've not tried the 11C but I'm a multi-Merkur man with a Jagger in the closet, even the closed comb / bar Merkurs are a more aggresive shave than a Jagger head. With an open comb it'll feel very different to your 89 and it'll possibly nip if you don't respect it and take a wee while to learn it.

I say go for it, it looks and awesome little razor, but it's very, very different to a Jagger.
 
Despite its reputation, I found the 11c considerably less aggressive than the Edwin Jagger heads, which are in turn less aggressive than the 34c.

The gap between the 'teeth' and the blade in the 11c is actually quite narrow.

There has been some posts on other forums from people who have made a kind of 'spacer' using cut-down blades to make the 11c the kind razor they were originally looking for.

Of course, if you want aggressive AND open-comb, the way forward would probably be those R41s.
 
I've got a Merkur 11G and it is a far milder razor than I expected. I would probably rather use my EJ 87, but don't use either of them much at the moment.

Add had been said, if you're after an ultra aggressive razor then the R41 is the way to go. If you want the skin left on your face, but want more bite than the EJ then I would look at a Gillette adjustable.
 
I've used both, although I had to give up on the 11C as open combs irritate my often problematic skin. That shouldn't be any prob to someone without skin probs & I really liked the Merkur. It's the usual heavy duty, built like a tank, Merkur quality, compact and will last not only your lifetime but your children & grandchildrens' long lives.
The 89 is a lovely head but shaves completely differently to the Merkur. I found it way smoother and lighter. If you have a heavy growth or only bother shaving every couple of days I'd scratch that itch with the Merkur. There's good reason it's been on the market with that basic design so long.

& whilst we may not "need" more than one razor, it's always nice to have a wee affordable treat once in a while .............. even if it were only a slice of cherry pie or a really good cup of coffee.

JohnnyO. \:icon_razz:
 
If you're looking for the original 'kit' razor I'd try the Gillette '04. Good with-almost any blade, small., and easy to use and clean. All of the OC's are a take off on them, so I'd say go back to the original rather than a cc.
 
Hmm. Thanks for all the feedback, although it has given me pause.

I like the DE89 as it has the balance between mildness and aggression that allows me to do a 2 pass shave every morning in 5 minutes without more than the very occasional weeper.

I don't think that I'm ready for the R41 yet but was hoping that the 11C would be a touch more aggressive, if anything, whereas it sounds like it might be a bit more mild. Perhaps a 34C might be a better option for me but I do quite like the idea of an OC...

Thanks again,

_
 
There's a 34C (brand new) on BST for £20 just now which for me is bargain of the month, I think they knock spots off a Jagger in that they are the perfect shave, but that's me. You could sell it on again used for that price.
 
The nearest comparison I can tell you about is the Merkur 25C against the EJ Chatsworth Barley with the Jagger head.

The Merkur 25C is also an open comb razor but with a lighter longer handle. I don't find it aggressive at all, even with a Feather blade. In fact, it works well with pretty much any blade, except perhaps the dreadful Lazer which no one's going to touch anyway.

I do find the Chatsworth quite aggressive though, but that might be because it is a heavy razor and I wouldn't want to put a sharp Feather in it. It works better with the Gillette 365 blade.

So it depends on blade choice as well.
 
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