Waning Of The Weishi

Another reject from the bucket under my sink, Weishi 9306-H, received the broken-in Personna blade for a face-off with the Super Speed clone I selected for my doomed flea market efforts, Yingjili 8206-M. Actually, the comparison was an afterthought; I just wanted to know how my new technical prowess would reflect on the much too mild Weishi. So the Weishi got fancy IB soap, while the Yingjili got Williams, next day.

You don't want to be going for BBS with a Weishi. It left extra length on every reduction pass, and had to be pushed hard to reach the sweet spot right above the hair root, resulting in a cartridge-like burn (but a much closer shave, at least, for having the freedom to select the correct cutting angle). With better options coming from the same factory in China, and already taking its place in sets like the Dorco Prime, it is high time for the consistently criticized, overly-mild shaver to get out of Dodge.

The Yingjili, you may recall, was never intended for the western market. The name is Chinese (maybe some kind of pidgin, in the last two syllables) for "English." A marketing slogan, "Trust the English," referred to the razor design. The finish is a bit rough, with casting lines, but I think the fewer parts might actually make it more durable, especially for the price. And it has a truly old-school, brushed aluminum handle. It's developing world stuff, for sure, with a fair bit of wavy blade. But how does it shave, in the hands of an expert?

Pretty damn well, I'm proud to say. Where the Weishi excavated skin, the Yingjili gently brushed away, its considerable blade flex making the razor sing loudly. I had to scrub pretty hard for my BBS, but the alum prickled instead of searing, like after the Weishi shave. A splash of Dollar Tree "Fresh," and I was good to go, no dry shaving required.