Parker 98R Heavyweight 3-Piece Double Edge Safety Razor – Long Handle, Closed...

The Quick Verdict: The Parker 98R completely changes the daily shaving game if you struggle with razor burn or irritation. Its heavy, solid handle does all the heavy lifting for you, allowing for maximum control and an incredibly close shave without needing to apply pressure.Key Takeaways for a Quick Read:Substantial Heavyweight Build: The weight is dense and front-loaded, providing incredible stability. You simply let the mass of the razor glide across your face—no pulling or pressing required, which heavily minimizes nicks, cuts, and abrasions.Sensitive Skin Savior: The design of the 3-piece head locks the blade at an optimal, uniform angle. Even with daily shaving on highly sensitive skin, irritation is practically non-existent.3-Piece Assembly vs. Butterfly: Unlike twist-to-open butterfly models, this is a traditional 3-piece design. While blade changes take longer, the structural rigidity and superior shave quality far outweigh the extra steps.Pro-Tip Maintenance: To keep the threads from binding up with soap scum and hard water deposit buildup, clean it about once every two months. An hour-long soak in white vinegar followed by a wipe down with a microfiber cloth makes quick work of the residue and keeps the threading spinning like new.Pros: Elite weight and balance, highly precise blade angle, simple routine maintenance.Cons: Traditional 3-piece loading is slightly slower than a butterfly open, but provides a tighter, more secure blade alignment.

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.

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!

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.

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!

Handle is heavy brass. No issues. Head, zamac (pot metal). This wouldn't be an issue if they chromed it right, like Merkur does. The chrome of the head on this is subpar, and will flake away. Ended up giving it away as a gift. Avoid.

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.

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 had one before I damaged the chrome cleaning it with a chemical I shouldn’t have. It took a while to find another, but for the price it surpasses lots of higher priced names like jagger and muhle etc.

Feels great in hand. The weight adds to the ease of use, while the same heavy weight may put off some users. Huge plus is that it's Easy to clean while using. Aggressiveness Rating... somewhere around mildy aggressive (maybe 6-7 on a scale of 10). Had a slight scratch mark on the top of razor head ..could fault it to QC in manufacturing..just a slight blemish on the aesthetics...can't fault the razor otherwise at all :P scores 99/100 for me ... happy customer :)

Solid build, heavy & balanced! Sharp blade!I am an experienced DE user and this is the heaviest razor in my collection. A bit sceptical but not anymore after first use.The razor felt good in my grip even with wet hands. It was evenly balanced and the provided blade did a great job taking care of a 10-day beard, multiple runs, but clean. Just two nicks, but mostly my mistake for doing the third run without a cream.It is more on the milder side in the aggressive scale (4/10). That is not a rating of the quality, it is thr rating of its aggressiveness, which means beginners will like it too!I would suggest this more for someone with bigger hands than smaller ones.I would highly recommend this for beginners and experts alike.

This razor is well made and pretty large and heavy. Still, I got used to the size and weight pretty quickly. Looks like it is built to last. When used along with Feather blades, I have been able to achieve the classic single stroke shave for up to 3 day stubble. Performs better than Gillette MACH 3 in my case.

Not really good because it's not clear beard completely. It's little bit harsh on the face.