Edwin Jagger is a family owned company that has been making a wide range of superb shaving products since 1988. The company is headquartered in England and they are best known for their highly regarded safety razors, shaving brushes and shaving soaps. Edwin Jagger has a well-earned reputation of making high quality, stylish and high-performing shaving products.
Today we are going to take a look at their most popular safety razor: the Edwin Jagger DE89.
I have a soft spot for the DE89 because it was actually my first ever safety razor. And honestly, I can’t even remember why I decided to buy the DE89 over other safety razors. I knew I wanted to give wet shaving a try, but I didn’t do a ton of research before buying. The DE89 looked really nice and had excellent reviews, and that was enough to convince me.
Let’s find out if the Edwin Jagger DE89 is the right razor for you.
Pros
- Moderate aggressiveness is excellent for a wide range of wet shavers
- Good weight with excellent weight distribution and balance point
- Long handle makes it easy to hold in a variety of positions
- Chrome finish gives it a sharp, high-end look
Cons
- Grip is adequate but could be better
Product Overview & Specs
- 3-piece safety razor
- Length: 3.8 inches
- Weight: 2.2 ounces
- Solid brass with chrome plating
- Handle options available: chrome with lined ridges, smooth chrome, faux ivory and faux ebony
Key Features of the DE89
The Chrome Finish Is The Best Out There
The Edwin Jagger DE89 has one of the best finishes you will find on a safety razor. There’s a reason the chrome finish on this thing consistently gets compared to the chrome finish on a Rolls Royce. Now there’s nothing about the chrome finish that improves the performance of the DE89, but it does make it one good looking safety razor.
What is important though is that the chrome finish holds up really well over time. You need to make sure you’re consistently cleaning the razor and performing routine maintenance. But as long as you are doing that, the DE89 will keep that shiny chrome finish for a long, long time.
Lighter Than “Average” -- But Great Weight Distribution
The DE89 weighs in at 2.2 ounces, which is a little lighter than I typically prefer. However, the weight distribution and balance point are so good that the “lightness” doesn’t bother me. It is razorhead heavy and this makes it incredibly easy to shave with good form. The balance point makes it a great safety razor for beginners as it really forces you to let the razorhead do all the work.
The handle must be slightly lighter than average, but it’s not noticeable. The handle still feels very sturdy and solid.
Moderate Aggressiveness
One of the main reasons the Edwin Jagger DE89 is so great for beginner wet shavers is because it’s moderately aggressive. I rate it as a 4/10 on the aggressiveness scale.
I think a lot of beginners make the mistake of getting a razor that is way too mild because they are are intimidated by safety razors. And yes, there is a learning curve and unfortunately you’re probably going to get a few small nicks and cuts when you first start wet shaving. But using an overly mild razor isn’t going to help. Let me explain.
If you have very fine hair or a light beard, then absolutely go with a mild razor. But if your hair is somewhat thick and/or you have a thick beard, you’re going to need something a little more aggressive. When you use a razor that is too mild, it will struggle to shave your beard and you will end up overcompensating and using pressure to apply more force like you would do with a cartridge razor. This is the opposite of how you want to shave with a safety razor: you should always let the weight of the razor do the work without using pressure. Learning this is critical to becoming a good wet shaver.
Multiple Handle Options Available
Edwin Jagger offers the DE89 in a couple of different handles. The most popular is the chrome handle that has lined ridges running down it. This model is called the DE89LBL where the second “L” stands for “lined”.
The other handle options I’ve seen are a smooth chrome finish (DE89BL) as well as a faux ivory option and a faux ebony option. All 3 of these options are actually made from chrome, but the faux ivory/ebony finish gives them a more exotic and elegant look. Price will vary depending on which handle you get.
I think the DE89LBL is the most functional because it offers a little help with grip, but not going to lie when I say I like the look of the smooth chrome finish.
Grip Is Adequate
Speaking of the handle, the grip is adequate but it’s not as good as I usually prefer. The vertical grooves on the DE89LBL offer a little more grip than the smooth chrome handle option, but it’s still substantially less than what you would find on something like a Merkur 23c or Vikings Blade Chieftain. The cross-sectional knurling handles are my favorite.
I’ve never had a problem with the DE89 razor being slippery but if you really place a priority on grip, you may want to look at some other options.
3-Piece Safety Razor: Be Careful When Reassembling
The DE89 is a standard 3-piece safety razor. The 3 parts are the handle and the 2 pieces that make up the razorhead. So to put in a new blade, you do the following: first, unscrew the razorhead from the handle. Then put the blade between the 2 razorhead parts and and reassemble it by screwing the handle back in to the head. It’s really quick and simple and you shouldn’t have any issues with replacing blades.
My one caveat about 3-piece razors is to make sure you are not over-tightening the head when you put the razor back together. Unfortunately, I used to really tighten my DE89 when I replaced the blades and I accidentally stripped the threading.
Who Do We Recommend The Edwin Jagger DE89 For?
The Edwin Jagger DE89 is a fantastic safety razor for a wide range of wet shavers. It is one of the most popular safety razors for beginners, but it definitely shouldn’t just be considered a “beginner” safety razor. In my opinion, it provides one of the closest but still very forgiving and comfortable shaves you will find.
The DE89 has one of the best designs out there. I do wish the handle had a little more grip, but everything else about the design is top quality. And the chrome finish is as good as you’re going to find. Combine all that with the fact that it provides a comfortable but still moderately aggressive shave, and it is easy to see why it’s so popular among wet shavers.
What Are Some Other Safety Razors To Consider?
Merkur 23c
The Merkur 23c, also known as the Merkur "long Handle", might be the only safety razor that is even more popular than the Edwin Jagger DE89. This safety razor sells like hot cakes.
The 23c weighs about the same as the DE89, but it is about ½ an inch longer. I also think it is slightly more aggressive, but it’s not by much. One of my favorite features of the Merkur 23c is the grip on the handle. The combination of the knurling and horizontal grooves on the bottom make it incredibly easy to hold and not worry about it slipping in your hand while shaving.
Overall, the Merkur 23c is one of the best safety razors on the market. So if you want a moderately aggressive razor with a long handle and excellent grip, this is one of the best.
Feather “Popular”
The Feather “Popular” is one of the best budget safety razors on the market. It’s quite a bit lighter than I prefer, but it has a great balance point. So even though it is one of the lightest safety razors, it’s still easy to shave with good form with it.
The handle on the “Popular” is plastic so it’s not as elegant or premium looking, but the razorhead is really high quality and durable.
The one thing I like the most about the Feather “Popular” is that it is moderately aggressive. Most other budget safety razors are extremely mild, but the “Popular” gives a much better shave than those in my opinion. So if you are looking for a budget safety razor that provides a really high quality shave, this is my favorite.
Parker 99R
Looking for something even more aggressive than the DE89? Well then you should check out the Parker 99R.
Parker’s 99R is very popular safety razor as it’s probably in the top 5 of safety razor sales. It’s also very highly regarded by its users. Why? Because it shaves really well for an aggressive razor and has an excellent design. It has good size (4.25 inches) and weight (3.4 ounces) in addition to really good grip and a comfortable balance point.
A word of caution though -- the Parker 99R is quite a bit more aggressive than the DE89 in my opinion. I rate it as like an 8 or 9 out of 10. Because of this, I do not recommend it for beginners. However, if you know how to use a safety razor and have thick, coarse facial hair so you need a well above average aggressive razor, then this is a great option.
Still not sure which safety razor you should buy? Then go read my comprehensive guide on the best safety razors on the market right now. It has everything you need to find the right safety razor for your budget.
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