Parker 99R Chrome Long Handle Heavyweight Butterfly Open Double Edge Safety Razor for Men, 5 Parker Premium Platinum Double Edge Razor Blades Included

I started shaving with one of these when I was a kid... not a good experience for a young guy, cut myself a few times.. And it was about that time that my dad bought a Schick injector.. Later I bought an Atra.. I loved that Atra razor and took such good care of it, and used that very same Atra from the early to mid 70's until about two years ago when blades started to be hard to find... bought a knock-off Schick on Amazon produced in India, and it used Schick blades which were also hard to find. I used it for two years, then decided to try a doubled edged again.. After careful research, I landed on this Parker 99. What an amazingly good choice... I absolutely love this thing. The nice part is, blades for this bad boy are dirt cheap, plentiful and have been around since the 1920's and no end in sight... so I boxed up my old stuff and have this.. My advice is, just wash your face well, soap up good with your brush and shave slow and deliberate and there will be no nicks, no razor burn... I took my time because I remembered getting sliced up way back then... A slow approach is best till you get your own technique, actually makes shaving a pleasurable ritual in the morning... It's a substantial piece, heavy and solid... just let the weight of it work as you glide across your face, it's a nice thing, glad I bought it. I'm now considering a few more double edged razors like a Parker 98 and an Edwin Jagger just to switch up... but this Parker 99 is a nice change... really close shave, one pass down and two passes up, shaves very close. Once you shave with this razor a few times and find that youre relaxed and get comfortable, then you see how nice and close of a shave you get... Suddenly you come to the realization that for all those many years, those companies pushing the triple and quadruple blade razors, simply sold you a bill of goods and you fell for it.. They created a market by convincing men that their product did a better job than single blade and that more blades in the head were better, remember the line... "the first blade lifts the whisker and the second blade cuts it, before it has time to snap back"... yea right...! In my humble opinion, this single blade shave is much more superior....Try it.. you will be rewarded...UPDATE: Best choice in razors that I have ever made... I have since purchased a Parker 66R and a Parker 82R.. The Parker 82 is in my travel kit, because I'm not too keen on the feel of the twist knob.. and the Parker 66 I have been using recently because the handle is perfect for in the shower shaving. I've tried to convince my son just to try one, but he sees a double edge razor as archaic and dangerous. Sadly, they've convince him that in order to get the best shave, he needs to change to a new blade every couple of days, and my poor boy, he uses a razor that you almost have to take out a bank loan for the blades.. ha ha ha... young guy's... he'll come around one day... Check out these Parkers, I kid you not, these are really good razors, I actually look forward to shaving in the morning nowadays..P.S: I have read some reviews of inconsistencies in the blade head, my advice would be (before you ever use it) to place a blade in the head and close the head and see if the blade is evenly placed one both sides. If not, send it back for a new razor. I have purchased three, all have been perfect right out of the box.... I hope that I have helped you in your purchase.. good luck.

I'm a "newbie" when it comes to DE wet shaving. It has been less than a year since I gave up on the $35 a pack cartridge razor, so I don't have a lot of experience to base my evaluation on. Nonetheless, here are my observations...My only previous DE razor was a grocery store no-name brand that I bought to see what DE shaving was like. After about 6 months, during which I tried a variety of blades, I decided that DE wet shaving was the way to go for me. It was time to start investing in some quality equipment.I chose the Parker 99R for several reasons. First, my grocery store razor had a short handle and I found it difficult at times to control. A longer handle was #1 on my criteria for a new razor. Second, several reviews I saw on other sites said it was a good razor choice for beginners. Third, the price was right; I didn’t want to spend a lot of money until I had more experience with DE shaving.I’ve been using my Parker 99R daily for a little over a month now and I am very pleased with it. It is a bit more aggressive than my first razor and I did nick myself a couple of times the first week I was using it. Now that I am used to the longer handle and the more aggressive angle of attack, I have no problems. The longer handle is excellent for me; the thickness, knurling, and knob at the bottom make for a sure grip no matter what angle or direction I am shaving in. The overall weight and heft of the razor also contribute to better control.I saw here on Amazon some of the negative reviews regarding the construction, quality, and durability of the Parker 99R. However, the positive reviews outweighed the negative and I decided to take a chance anyway. I’m happy to report that I have experienced none of the mechanical failings that the negative reviews reported. The butterfly mechanism works smoothly and reliably (and I open/close my razor every day to rinse my blade), the finish is smooth and the plating flawless.My only negative comment is that I’m not fond of the Shark blades that come with it, I prefer Astra Platinum. However I’m reviewing the razor itself, not the “freebies” that came with it, so that is really irrelevant.I would definitely recommend the Parker 99R to anyone looking for a good quality DE razor at a good price.