Thread: E.J Chatsworth Barleycorn DE

In a way I feel like a fish out of water here being primarily a straight user.

A long time ago before I knew about straights and after I had become dissatisfied with my (gasp) electric razor decided to go to a DE. My first razor was a Mercur Vision and I thought it was too big, heavy, bulky,unbalanced and after I tried cleaning it by soaking it in some Clorox and the plating came off and it started to corrode well that was the end of that. Then I tried a Mercur 38c and it worked but wasn't crazy about it and then got a vintage Gillette Fatboy which I though was the ideal razor.

So then I got the EJ Chatsworth Barleycorn. The degree of improvement over the others is legion. It actually comes close to a straight shave. The feel (balance) is great, It has nice heft, the workmanship of the finish is super quality and the new head design works really great. Its not as convenient to change blades as the others since you have to unscrew the entire head but that's a very minor issue. Yes it is on the pricy side but the result justifies the expense (in my opinion).

I don't know if there is any perfect DE and I certainly haven't tried them all so who knows maybe the Pils or the new stainless feather is the ultimate but for my money right now this one is DE nirvana.

I've used a variety of blades in it and they all seem to yield a great result. Now I'm using the Wilkenson though for me I prefer the Feathers.

It is a good razor, but not aggressive enough. I can not compare it to straight razors.

I used many DEs before making the switch to straight razors, and the Chatsworth Barley was my favorite. It has a nice weight and handle length. It has superior finish and quality. The new Edwin Jagger head design is excellent and gives close, comfortable shaves. The only negative is the price, but if you want a very nice DE, both in terms of looks and performance, then this is one to consider.

Hi,

After using about ten different DE razors I bought the EJ Chatsworth Barley. It is a beautiful high-quality razor with a middle of the road aggressiveness. For a daily shaver it is great with a Derby blade. The shave is mild enough that I can use it daily for work without having to take an excess of time to shave, yet, being a DE it still give's a BBS shave to an experienced shaver. Personally, it is like shaving with a work of art.

Joe