I ordered a DE89Lbl from Amazon Warehouse Deals that was described as being in Like New condition. I figured maybe it was a return and that at the very worst it would have water spots and one of the 5 included Derby blades might be missing. But there were no water spots and all the blades were there, but I immediately noticed that the bottom of the screw on the part of the head that screws into the handle was shorn off. This was obvious because unlike the rest of the razor, it was not shiny chrome but dull, jagged metal. I shook the handle and heard rattling. It looked as if the broken off piece of screw was in the handle, and sure enough I was able to spin it out of the threads in the handle with the tip of a toothpick.
I took a photo of the shorn off screw under an illuminated magnifier so you can see what I'm talking about.
A number of reviewers have had bad luck with this razor because of this screw. In some cases this screw sustained damaged as a result of the razor being dropped. It's possible that the razor I received was dropped by a previous buyer, who then returned it. Of course there are certain objects one should avoid dropping at all costs, such as fountain pens and expensive double edge razors. But a tool designed to hold a blade used for shaving shouldn't be that delicate or fragile, should it?
I've also read on Amazon and elsewhere about DE89 owners who say that the screw eventually rusted.
And, it's possible the screw on the razor I received broke due to the handle being over tightened. If you visit Edwin Jagger, then go to safety razors, then follow the link to order online, you are taken to The English Shaving Company of Sheffield, where this warning appears in the listing for this razor: "Warning: Do not overtighten the DE head. Cast metal is fragile if dropped."
I own three one-piece design double edge butterfly type safety razors that I inherited from my late father. All are Gillettes, and all were manufactured in the US in the sixties or seventies. They are solid tools built to last a lifetime or longer. I don't know if my dad ever dropped any (knowing him, he probably did), but I doubt a single drop would suffice to damage one to the point of rendering it unusable. Because I have those, I don't really need a new DE razor, but I'm eager to try a good quality safety razor of a type that is being manufactured today. The DE89 comes very highly recommended and I don't doubt that it deserves the many 5-star reviews it receives, but the fact that it is built with a cast metal screw that apparently breaks pretty easily is for me a real deal breaker. The one I purchased from Amazon Warehouse Deals that was listed in Like New condition was marked down to nearly twenty bucks, and I can't imagine paying over thirty for something so fragile.
Why buy a razor that you may have to baby and that, unlike the aforementioned older Gillettes, does not seem built to last a lifetime or more? To protect the cast metal screw from rust, you might have to disassemble the razor after every use and dry it. You will have to be careful to never ever overtighten the handle. And of course you must never drop the razor. I don't see the latter as a terribly significant problem because as I say, you don't want to ever drop a fountain pen either, not to mention glassware, cellphones, babies, etc. But that cast metal screw is clearly a problem with this razor (and maybe three-piece* safety razors in general) and although I'm disappointed that I received a DE89 with a broken screw, I think I may actually be lucky, because it would be worse if it arrived undamaged only to break in after the return grace period was past. I contacted Amazon about the problem with the DE89 I received and they sent me a prepaid return label and are giving me a full refund. *(Butterfly safety razors, which are sometimes called TTO razors for twist-to-open, are one-piece, the DE89 razors are three-piece, and there are two-piece safety razors that are similar to the three-piece except that the bottom part of the head doesn't separate from the handle.
I took a photo of the shorn off screw under an illuminated magnifier so you can see what I'm talking about.
A number of reviewers have had bad luck with this razor because of this screw. In some cases this screw sustained damaged as a result of the razor being dropped. It's possible that the razor I received was dropped by a previous buyer, who then returned it. Of course there are certain objects one should avoid dropping at all costs, such as fountain pens and expensive double edge razors. But a tool designed to hold a blade used for shaving shouldn't be that delicate or fragile, should it?
I've also read on Amazon and elsewhere about DE89 owners who say that the screw eventually rusted.
And, it's possible the screw on the razor I received broke due to the handle being over tightened. If you visit Edwin Jagger, then go to safety razors, then follow the link to order online, you are taken to The English Shaving Company of Sheffield, where this warning appears in the listing for this razor: "Warning: Do not overtighten the DE head. Cast metal is fragile if dropped."
I own three one-piece design double edge butterfly type safety razors that I inherited from my late father. All are Gillettes, and all were manufactured in the US in the sixties or seventies. They are solid tools built to last a lifetime or longer. I don't know if my dad ever dropped any (knowing him, he probably did), but I doubt a single drop would suffice to damage one to the point of rendering it unusable. Because I have those, I don't really need a new DE razor, but I'm eager to try a good quality safety razor of a type that is being manufactured today. The DE89 comes very highly recommended and I don't doubt that it deserves the many 5-star reviews it receives, but the fact that it is built with a cast metal screw that apparently breaks pretty easily is for me a real deal breaker. The one I purchased from Amazon Warehouse Deals that was listed in Like New condition was marked down to nearly twenty bucks, and I can't imagine paying over thirty for something so fragile.
Why buy a razor that you may have to baby and that, unlike the aforementioned older Gillettes, does not seem built to last a lifetime or more? To protect the cast metal screw from rust, you might have to disassemble the razor after every use and dry it. You will have to be careful to never ever overtighten the handle. And of course you must never drop the razor. I don't see the latter as a terribly significant problem because as I say, you don't want to ever drop a fountain pen either, not to mention glassware, cellphones, babies, etc. But that cast metal screw is clearly a problem with this razor (and maybe three-piece* safety razors in general) and although I'm disappointed that I received a DE89 with a broken screw, I think I may actually be lucky, because it would be worse if it arrived undamaged only to break in after the return grace period was past. I contacted Amazon about the problem with the DE89 I received and they sent me a prepaid return label and are giving me a full refund. *(Butterfly safety razors, which are sometimes called TTO razors for twist-to-open, are one-piece, the DE89 razors are three-piece, and there are two-piece safety razors that are similar to the three-piece except that the bottom part of the head doesn't separate from the handle.
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