Weishi Razor???

fisherc · Post by **fisherc** » Sun Mar 05, 2006 4:18 pm

I'd agree. It's also a great travel razor. If it gets lost or stolen no big deal. It's easily replaced and inexpensive.

Chris

ScottS · Post by **ScottS** » Mon Mar 06, 2006 8:11 am

stuff495 wrote:
Also, it would be very nice if the Progress were actually "zeroed" so that when loaded and at the lowest setting it would read exactly "1".

--Vincent

Some of your suggestions are "doable", but this one is not. The width of the blade can seriously effect this "zero" setting because of how it is set, and I find alot of variability between different brand blades. By virtue of its design, I think you'd need a set screw to adjust the knob zero position if you want to absolutely zero the blade, and its just not worth it.

Not that this makes any difference-- you need to figure out what your magic numbers are for each blade, anyway, and then tweak them based on how your face is behaving during any given period.

This can be dramatic. For a US Personna, for example, on pass three I open things up to 4 or 4.5 for the last pass, but I still need to keep the Merkur down to 2.5 or 3. The Personna zeros very near 1, but the Merkur seems to be a thicker blade, and so zeros at about 1.5.

So, it make very little difference whether you can turn things all the way down to 1.

To top it off, how can you guarantee that blade exposure is the same from razor to razor and from blade to blade on a Gillette adjustable. These razors employ stops in the adjustment mechanism so the endpoints are always at exactly the same setting, but that doesn't mean that the blade exposure is actually exactly the same.

Scott

charles · Post by **charles** » Mon Mar 06, 2006 10:14 am

Hi DE friend,

I got my new weishi razor today anticipating it to be better that Parker's I have but I was wrong, it's not as smooth.... Parker's are better razors in this segment, great shave with no irritation & above all it is not a copy, it has a unique long handle design totally different to that same old rough square bar designs offered in short handle. Above all various designs of Parker I have are of different weights, heaviest being at around 2.1 ounce.

I will rate Parker better than Weishi & this new razor of mine will be added to my collection.

Charles

jvan · Post by **jvan** » Mon Mar 06, 2006 1:15 pm

I received my razor today in time for me to use it for my daily shave. Rather than load a new blade into it I used a Personna that had two shaves on it. The results were near perfect. Don't get me wrong, noone is going to confuse this razor with a Gillette Aristocrat as it is a bit lighter in weight but appears to be well made.

That said, it is for sale after one shave ($15.00 and I'll eat the S&H and Pay Pal fee) not based on the results though. I am just too used a longer handled razor with a tad more head weight. The Knack and long handled black Gillette adjustable are the ones I have settled on.

If interested send a PM.

stuff495 · Post by **stuff495** » Mon Mar 06, 2006 2:40 pm

ScottS wrote:
stuff495 wrote:
Also, it would be very nice if the Progress were actually "zeroed" so that when loaded and at the lowest setting it would read exactly "1".

--Vincent
Some of your suggestions are "doable", but this one is not. The width of the blade can seriously effect this "zero" setting because of how it is set, and I find alot of variability between different brand blades. By virtue of its design, I think you'd need a set screw to adjust the knob zero position if you want to absolutely zero the blade, and its just not worth it.

Not that this makes any difference-- you need to figure out what your magic numbers are for each blade, anyway, and then tweak them based on how your face is behaving during any given period.

This can be dramatic. For a US Personna, for example, on pass three I open things up to 4 or 4.5 for the last pass, but I still need to keep the Merkur down to 2.5 or 3. The Personna zeros very near 1, but the Merkur seems to be a thicker blade, and so zeros at about 1.5.

So, it make very little difference whether you can turn things all the way down to 1.

To top it off, how can you guarantee that blade exposure is the same from razor to razor and from blade to blade on a Gillette adjustable. These razors employ stops in the adjustment mechanism so the endpoints are always at exactly the same setting, but that doesn't mean that the blade exposure is actually exactly the same.

Scott

Hello,

It would be a nice touch if the razor was zeroed for Merkur blades. Perhaps no more functional, but a nice touch. It would do wonders for convincing me that there was "German Engineering" involved.

I think you could make the 'band' that has the numbers written on it turnable (sorta like the outside of some wrist-watches), so that you could quickly and easily zero the razor for different blades after tightening it down all the way. But I do agree that this makes things 'dangerously' complicated. The beauty of the Progress to me is it's simplicity, so any dials and knobs, even if they couldn't cause the entire razor to fail if they broke, still don't quite fit. Lastly, I'm not sure if it would add much real value. You might need to memorize different numbers for different brands of blades regardless of if the band was zeroed.

I guess I agree with you that it's (probably) impossible for all brands of blades, and doesn't add much value, beyond aesthetic appeal... but I'd still feel a lot better about shelling out $45 dollars for such a simple razor if they'd taken the time to make everything come together when using Merkur blades with a Merkur razor.

--Vincent

ScottS · Post by **ScottS** » Mon Mar 06, 2006 3:54 pm

stuff495 wrote:
It would be a nice touch if the razor was zeroed for Merkur blades. Perhaps no more functional, but a nice touch. It would do wonders for convincing me that there was "German Engineering" involved.

That would seem to be the way to go. The only reason why they might choose to zero it to the thinnest blade is because it's slightly less confusing if "zero" were at 1.5, instead of 5.5

I really like the idea of some sort of key to prevent putting the cover on backwards, though.

Scott

DavidB · Post by **DavidB** » Sat Mar 11, 2006 10:38 am

I was the beneficiary of John's generous offer and received the Weishi razor yesterday. My take on the Weishi was very much like his. While it's certainly not up to the quality level of Gillette Super Speed it's modeled after, it was well made. The handle is easy to grip, like the 60's Super Speeds. It has a lower profile head than my Aristocrat and '52 Super Speed. I recall seeing a black-handled Super Speed that had a similar low-profile head.

In terms of performance, it shaved great (Feather blade). Blade gap seemed less than the 60's SS and closer to my '52 SS. Unlike John, I do like the short-handled razors, so this one's a keeper. I think it'd be a great gift razor for someone wanting to try out DE shaving, or a travel razor, when you don't want to risk losing your fave vintage DE.

The case is a nice little travel case, for the Weishi or a Gillette Super Speed. More durable than the Merkur case, too.

I had to smile at the English on the package. The front of the box calls out: "Needlessly load and unload shaver" and "Inimitable rotating handle."

On the side of the box, under the heading "Weishi Attend -- Entirely Luster" it offers these details: "Nobleness: Made of noble cuprum metal and apply advanced computer product line proceeding superficies plating displosal" and "Layont: Outfit 5 pieces of stainless steel double-sided blades and a cleaning brush."

Dave

MrDink · Post by **MrDink** » Sun Mar 12, 2006 4:58 pm

I ordered two of these (one as a gift). I have 2 merkurs and I would like to try a gillette knockoff.

It seems like this would be a great "new" starter razor, I am getting one for myself as a travel and one for my brother to see if he would like DE's.

Ryan

DavidB · Post by **DavidB** » Fri Apr 14, 2006 9:23 am

Ryan, did you receive the Weishi razors? If so, what were your impressions?

Dave

Chris Richards · Post by **Chris Richards** » Fri Apr 14, 2006 11:25 am

I received a Weishi razor from Cotton Blossum Crafts last weekend. For $15, I really don't see how this razor could be beat. I have absolutely nothing to compare it to, but so far I love it. Seems to be well built and I haven't had any nicks or cuts yet. I'll probably upgrade sometime to a Gillette adjustable, but this one is a keeper for me.

I will probably end up buying a few of these things (along with the cheaper brushes at Cotton Blossum) and use them as gifts. A great way to get into DE shaving with very little investment. I'm 100% happy.

Chris

MrDink · Post by **MrDink** » Fri Apr 14, 2006 9:55 pm

I like the weishi very much. It isn't as durable and does not have the heft of a merkur or a vintage gilette, but I like it. Its butterfly doors tighten and grip the razor well. I would suggest this to a new guy if based upon the price. If the new guy liked the DE, then he could upgrade to a merkur or a vintage, if not, he is only out a 15 dollars.

Ryan