The DE23 is our idea of the perfect razor that will appeal to the largest number of users. It is a TTO (twist-to-open) razor that opens and loads a blade easily by simply turning the bottom dail anti-clockwise, the blade is then loaded on the base, and the dail turned anti clockwise to close up the doors and it is good to go. By pure co-incidence the numbering of the DE23 has numerical relevance to Merkur's 23c model, and they also share similar physical attributes!
We have opted for a slighty longer handle resulting in a razor length of 108 mm, and we have changed out the brass barrel and knob for stainless steel, this results in a very durable handle with a bit more bite on the knurling, but also a bit less weight than the brass option, we made the dail slightly larger in diameter for both functional and aestetic reasons. The head section of the razor is made from alloy that is a corrosion resistent metal in raw form, and then also coated for additional durability and enhanced appearance. The razor is offered in a durable white metal or matte black PVD finish.
This is probably the cheapest option around when looking at razors with an all stainless steel handle, we still consider it an entry level razor, only more durable and pretty than most others in this class, but it also has a cool quirk to it!
The razor is one of the most user friendly razors we have used in terms of safety, when in 'fully locked' mode the blade sits very snugly right in between two thin bars cast into the ends of safety bar on either side, this means those sharp 90 degree corners are tucked away safely, one can literally run your finger over the corners without getting snagged on the sharp edge of the blade.
So what is the 'quirk'? The razor dail is supposed to be tightened quite firmly when closing the doors, it 'locks' on a quarter turn much like a Gillette slim, this will give you a mild, very user friendly shave and you can really speed things up shaving this way when in a hurry, now turn the dail a bit back and the blade angle, exposure and gap will increase offering a very close shave in a single pass. Razors that do a very efficient job in a single pass are amongst our favorites, and this one does that for sure! This 'quirk' can be found in many razors with a similar TTO mechanism, even some three piece razors could do this by slightly loostening the handle, but in most cases the looser adjustments feels a bit unsecure, loose, or jerky, with this razor the action feels tight, controlled and secure. I am pretty sure the stainless steel handle and dail is the reason (or at least part of it) for this 'feature', any user should definately experiment a bit with this razor, it will be worth their while to know the difference a slight adjustment can make in terms of final results.
We added our 'Bundu' mark to give it an additional zap of identity, and to enable it to pair nicely with other items to follow that we will also offer in a kit format.
The razor weighs 80 grams.