Drat

Last night I dropped the no-name butterfly DE razor my wife gave me some time back and one of the butterfly wings came off.

I tried for quite a while but I couldn't get it back on, so I threw the thing away.

Having liked the Baili I bought a while back, today I ordered a 3 piece Long Feng from ebay.

And also a 3 piece, long-handled Merkur 180 (23C).

Of course, at $2.19 the Chinese razor was considerably cheaper than the $22.99 German one.

Internet comment indicates the Long Feng is aluminum.

The Merkur is chrome finished steel.

Free shipping, of course.

Not buying from Amazon if I can help it.

Update.

The Merkur came today, 3/26.

That's one heavy razor. 

Update, 3/27.

Heavy razor, beautiful balance, beautiful shave.

The heft makes it a bit easier to control for my arthritic, sometimes shaky hands than the lighter Feather.

A shorter handle does that, too, like the one on the Baili.

Update 042316.

I used a Shark Chrome blade for a week with the Feather, my mildest razor, and then for a week with the Merkur, a little less mild and notably heavier.

Worked out better in the Merkur.

Today I began a week using a Shark Chrome in the Long Feng, which turns out to be much more aggressive than the German or Japanese razor.

Fewer strokes and passes to get an equally close shave, but a little bit more dangerous.

I have an old scar on my upper lip where I took a punch in a childhood fight, below the bottom edge of the mustache and where the lip covers an eye tooth.

That's a vulnerable spot and I did indeed nick it pretty well.

Used the styptic pencil for only the second or third time since I bought it.

Update 042416.

Benched!

On its second day with that Shark blade the Long Feng nicked me on the cheek and on the throat at the Adam's apple.

It will not be in the regular rotation.

Update, 042516.

The wife got a much better look at my neck and the edges of my cheeks than I can in a mirror.

Trifocals, you know.

She said it was nasty and urged me to throw away the offending razor.

So the Long Feng went into the recycle waste.

Update 9/22/16.

Having had more experience I now think a longer handle is safer for my shaky, arthritic hands.

And I find the pain and associated jumpiness are at their worst right away when I get up.

So I am shaving a little later, when possible - half an hour or so seems enough - and changing blades at my bureau, sitting on the bed, in the afternoon or evening.