Parker 98R Heavyweight 3-Piece Double Edge Safety Razor – Long Handle, Closed Comb Design for Smooth Wet Shaving, Includes 5 Platinum Blades – Iconic Brand in Traditional Shaving

The Parker 98R Ultra Heavy Weight Long Handle razor is the heaviest razor I've owned. I learnt to shave with my Dad's Gillette Gold Tech back in the sixties. I've been using disposables for years, changing from one to another — the last being a Gillette Mach 3 three-blade. I've never had a really decent shave from any of them. My son mentioned he'd found an old safety razor when helping clean out a house and that he was delighted with the shave he had from it, that blades are a tenth the cost of the "system" razors is even better for him. When I saw this on Amazon, I decided to order it and a box of Personna blades, remembering how well they worked in Dad's Gold Tech. Wow. It almost shaves by itself. It's a lot heavier than the Gold Tech, holds the blade far more securely and feels great in the hand. The extra-long handle (about an inch longer than Dad's old Gold Tech) is a delight, the spiral grooves give a secure grip with wet hands and the mirror-polished finish glides over the skin. Forty-plus year old muscle memory worked just fine, I had a couple of nicks because I'd angled the head incorrectly, a touch of styptic pencil and a splash of after-shave solved that; I'll re-learn the angles quickly. In addition, this is the first shave I've had in years where I managed to trim my sideburns squarely with my eyeglass temples and evenly across. The head/blade trimmed between the halves of my moustache and the remainder of my upper lip effortlessly. I can't recommend the combination of the Parker 98R and Personna blades highly enough.

This is one great razor. I have big hands and love the extra long handle and extra weight of this razor. The chrome plating is beautiful on both the head and handle. In spite of the heavy weight, the razor is well balanced. It is not necessary to put any pressure on the razor while shaving; let the weight of the razor do the work. Some have said they had a difficult time getting a comfortable shave with this razor. I suspect they are using the wrong shave angle. While many razors work well at a 30 degree angle, both the Parker 98R and the 24C open comb seem to work best at around 45 degrees. There is a large gap between the blade and the safety bar on the 98R. If the angle is too low, the bar will just wipe the lather off your face without cutting hair. The tendency then is to increase the pressure of the razor on the face. That is sure to lead to an uncomfortable shave. Just get the angle right and let the weight of the razor work for you. I suggest placing the head of the razor flat against your face and then lower the handle slowly until you begin to feel the blade on your skin. The angle will be close to 45 degrees. With the proper technique, this razor will give a wonderful shave. I used a new Feather blade in the razor the first time I used it..no nicks, no cuts, no errors, but I used the right technique.

This is a nice razor but seemed a little "Handle Heavy". I like razors that are more evenly balanced. Instead of selling it I should have just bought a different handle because the head is the same as the 91r which I love. If you like heavy razors, this is the one for you.

If you are looking for a hefty razor, well you came to the right place, lol. This shaves amazing and fast. The Shark blades are smooth and sharp for my face. It takes me less time to shave with this razor than with my Lord L6. Very few nicks and very low irritation. As my technique gets better, as I am a newbie, then these two things will be minimized. Other reviewers have multiple razors and either use this exclusively now or make it part of their permanent rotation of razors. I would love to see what this does with a Derby blade as this is not too sharp a blade. My other thoughts are that the handle is considered long, but it is not too long. It maneuvers well and balances great with a mid handle or low handle grip. The finish of this razor is great and the blade fits in the head with no adjustment needed. As a newbie I would recommend this razor to other newbies. And a veteran of wet shaving will undoubtedly have this in their razor rotation. Thanks!

Too expensive for what one gets. Also, one must shave with ultra care because it is so easy to cut oneself and not because the shave is closer. The structure of the razor is wrong in some way. Moreover, the changing of blades is not fun. The new Bic razor gives comfortable shaves on a par with the fancier Schick and Gillette razors for much less money. There is no reason to idolize the shaving experience. Get it done quickly, efficiently and inexpensively. Don't buy the Parker 98R Ultra Heavyweight. If you already have, retire it and stop brooding.

Bought this after my old razor fell in the shower (not my doing) and the head sheered at the screw. My old one had a smooth chrome handle-edwin jagger. While I never really felt any problem with slippage, this razor has the machined handle and has great grip and is larger than my previous. My hand is not particulary large but the extra size feels nice in my hand and the weight makes for a good shave. Been using the double edged safety razor for 7 years and like many others have said, wish I had found out about it sooner. Can't comment about the longevity, however I would be shocked if I have any issues. Razor is a beast. Blades that came with it are solid too. Normally use feather or astra stainless, but seems like blade preference varies depending on a lot of factors.

I'm new to shaving with a Safety razor. I'm 37, and after years of the Mach III, and then the Fusion, I was tired of pissing away my money on cartridges. A friend of mine told me how he switched to the old school safety razors, shave soaps etc... While initially thinking he lost his mind, I finally came around to realizing that I was the one who needed the thinking re-adjustment. I shopped around and decided on the Parker 98R. When it came, I was actually excited to shave, and for the first time, I didn't do too bad, only a couple of nicks. Now I've used it a few times and I love it, I will never, ever go back. This razor is awesome, it's heavy and feels like a true tool in your hands. And with the blades being only about 17 cents a piece, I no longer feel like I have to get "all I can" out of each blade, the way I did with the Mach III's/fusions. Plus, the quality of shave is superb, I've never felt my skin as smooth as I do now. Now I understand why Grandad wanted to shave every day. I'm a believer now. This is a great razor, would recommend to anyone looking at getting a safety razor.

I have used this razor seven times and each time it gets better. This is a heavy razor, solid build and even blade pressure. I really have nothing bad to say about it, the only thing that I do not like is the twist off top. This is NOT a fault in the design, its just that my past razors have had the butterfly top. I think that the twist top offers a more even pressure across both sides. Just be safe when you are changing the blades in this type of razor, use a towel to cover it while you tighten it down. Like I said, this is a heavy razor and it will take some time getting use to. You do not have to apply any real extra pressure during your shave, just let the razor do the work. I have a really thick beard that grows in every direction and have found that short strokes work much better than long. When you use this razor take your time!!! Make a little extra time to do it right, the weight of this one will get you if you do not take your time. I use shave soap, but have tried just the 2.00 can of the foam and have great results with it as well. Dont be afraid to re-lather and go over the tough spots again. The shark blades that come with it are great blades, I have used better but for 90% of guys these will work just fine. Since this is not a butterfly that you can just turn to loosen up when you need to rinse it out, what I do is just fill the sink up with hot water and slosh it back and forth a few times under water and it comes right out. In closing, I would recommend this razor to anyone that has used a safety razor before, its not a beginners razor in my opinion. Its a more lengthy shave but offers great results. It seems like its going to be a solid razor for years to come!