The beautiful 26C Razor from Parker Safety Razor
This morning was my first shave using this beautiful Parker 3 piece safety razor; the 26C. In a nut shell, a splendid shave was had. Considering that there was about 6 days’ worth of growth to shave off, I am impressed at how good of a shave was accomplished. I always tackle these shaves with some apprehension. With so much beard, a number of things can go wrong. For example, the simple mechanics of beard getting stuck between the blade and head assembly resulting in an angle change of the blade leading to unexpected nicks and cuts.
As stated above, this was a splendid shave!
But let’s start the beginning. As always, I shave after having taken my morning shower. Not only does the steam and hot water prepare the skin but it also relaxed the beard. I should mention that I generally use a face wash which also serves as a pre-shave. This washing step essentially removes any dirt or grit from your beard while evening the surface up. The lathering also softens the beard some more in view of the shave.
TEST STAGE:
- State: Out of the shower
- Razor: Parker 26C Safety Razor
- Blade: EUROMAX Platinum Coated
- Pre-Shave: None
- Shaving Gel: Suavecito
- After-Shave: Suavecito Premium
Coming out of the shower I do not dry my face off in order to keep as much moisture as possible. For today’s shave I was short on time so I opted for a long trusted solution, the Suavecito shave gel. It offers excellent coverage, insulation and lubrication. Basically, the next best thing to prepping your mug with a pre-shave oil. Onto the shave!
I have been favoring safety razors for a number of years now but when looking back, I have never used a safety razor whose head had an open comb. This made me pause for a moment. Will the shave be more aggressive? Is this meant for longer beard? Etc…
In the Parker implementation, there is next to no gap between the blade and the base plate. This typically means a very smooth shave ideal for a daily shave. The open comb on the other hand essentially act as a much bigger space between the base plate but at small intervals. This bigger gap is synonymous of a more aggressive or efficient shave. The result is a very close and comfortable razor that is extremely efficient at removing beard hair. In so many words, Parker tackled the problem of effective beard cutting while making it comfortable and risk free. And we would say that they came out on the other side with a winner.
Obviously, the first time you apply a new razor to your face you gauge the blade angle and exposure. After a few passes you adjust accordingly. I will say that a comfort level was achieved nearly instantly with the Parker: the weight, the grip, the blade angle, the blade exposure, the whole thing felt very natural right away.
Rinsing the razor between passes was a breeze as the open comb facilitated this process. Be aware that the resulting gunk of the shave gel and thick beard accumulation is typically harder to rinse out. No issues here!
I felt like I got a great shave. The process was efficient as each pass did an excellent job right away. Considering that I am normally an everyday shaver, the real test will be to see how the Parker does on a 1 day beard. My instinct is telling me that it will do just as well since I did not feel like the base plate was too far nor too close. It was perfectly spaced to address the most common shaving situations.
Confirming that! On my second day shaving with the 26C I got a considerably more intimate experience as the hair to shave was barely a few millimeters. I used the same combination of products and will say that I again got a solid shave. That said, on a daily context my preference is to use a shaving oil and thick cream combo for that royal insulation and lubrication experience.
I hope that the pictures speak for themselves as I am realizing that I haven’t praised the simple beauty of this razor. It is tastefully rendered in chrome and black. A timeless look! The chrome finish is impeccable and each piece has been carefully crafted. I certainly don’t get the impression that this was a rushed job out of the mold and into the shipping box.
Thank to Sarah at Push the Envelope PR for your continued support and for making this review possible.
In closing, the beautiful 26C safety razor from Parker is a very agreeable razor that will suit nearly all wet shavers. The novice will not feel intimidated and the experience shaver will not be disappointed. It is a perfect middle of the line option that will handle all typical shaving situations. A razor worthy of a spot of your toiletry shelf.