Safety Razor Review

Parker 22R Review – An Affordable Interceptor Butterfly Razor

The Parker 22R (also known as Parker Interceptor) is one of the oldest models from the Company ‘Parker’ that’s been shaving gents’ faces for over 30 years.

Two pros come to mind straight away with this razor; the first is it has a very affordable price tag, and second is its ease of blade changing because of the butterfly opening mechanism. However, there is more to a safety razor than just these two aspects, which we shall explore more in this Parker 22R Review.

In this review, we will take a look at the features and design of the Parker 22R, tell you all about how it shaved with various days of beard and stubble growth, and I will also give a recommendation of who it’s best suited for.

The Brand – Since 1973 the family-owned business ‘Parker Shaving’ has been making and supplying quality shaving products that are based in India. They compete with some of the best shaving supply companies around the globe with a good range of safety razors, which includes a travel razor, the adjustable, and others.

Parker 22R Description & Features

Over the 30 years that Parker has been making the 22R, it has been through some changes. Parker states ‘better than ever today due to technological improvements’.

• Materials and finish – This is a standard all-brass razor that has a very shiny chrome gun metal finish.
• Handle – The handle is a long and slim type that has its own distinct pattern. This pattern is obviously a design to make the razor look attractive and offer users some hand grip.
• Double edged – The Parker 22R is a double-edged safety razor that enables a user to shave with both sides of the razor head.
• Closed comb – A closed comb razor has a straight bottom safety bar that can help to stretch the skin slightly before the blade hits the hair. Open combs unlike this razor have openings, teeth, or gaps on the bottom plate.
• Single part (butterfly) – Most traditional safety razors are two or three-part razors that come apart for blade replacement and cleaning. The Parker 22R offers a different mechanism, ‘Turn To Open’ (TTO) that is the easiest of all razors to open via twisting the bottom of the handle, which opens the head like a butterfly.
• Blade replacement – With this type of razor it doesn’t get any easier than this when it’s blade replacement time. Once the bottom of the handle is twisted and the butterfly top opens, a user just has to pop a blade of their choice inside and twist close the bottom of the handle again.
• Dimensions & weight – The Parker 22R weighs in at 85 g (3 oz), which is leaning toward the heavy side of razors. Length: 108 mm (4.25 in) total from head to toe.
• Aggressiveness – This razor is at the mid-level of aggressiveness and more aggressive than some of the recommended beginner safety razors like the Merkur 34C, Muhle R89, and others.
• Warranty – Parker Razors have a warranty for one year. After contacting Parker, they informed me that they would also deal with each customer on a case-by-case basis which means they offer flexibility.

How Well Does The Parker 22R Perform And Shave?

The last Parker razors I tested, used for about a month, and reviewed were the Parker Variant (adjustable) and the Parker 98R (heavyweight barberpole), which are both very different razors compared to the 22R in every possible way, although they are all DE’s.

So far, I am pretty much calling Parker razors okay razors, and nothing to shout about apart from the fact that they are affordable in comparison to other brands. However, there are plenty of guys out there that love them, and I’m hoping to buy and use that one that I can say WOW –that’s loads better than I expected………and maybe the 22R could be the one.

First impressions – I like the slick modern look just for appearances, and it’s a good-looking razor for guys that like the gunmetal effect. However, the handle is a bit slim for my liking, and it’s a bit too long (other guys like longer handles, though).

The blade gap is pretty large on the 22R, and I have seen it mentioned that it’s a mild, medium, and aggressive razor. It’s most definitely not a mild razor and leans more beyond medium toward aggressive.

How did the 22R shave with 3+ days of growth? Because the 22R has some aggression it worked pretty well getting through some coarse beard growth.

I couldn’t help feeling that I was doing quite a lot of work while shaving with this razor like it was a lightweight model although it was not. That may be because it’s quite bottom-heavy.

How did the 22R shave daily or every 2 days? Daily is usually no good for me and I didn’t feel this sort of aggressiveness was needed for daily shaving. Shaving every 2 days (my sweet spot) was fine, although I still felt the aggressiveness was not required.

I felt I got more out of the Parker 22R on a 3-day beard growth rather than fewer days.

What blades were best suited? I tested a Feather, which was too much for my easily weeper-attracted face. Tried an Astra and Personna blade and found the Personna was best, although Personna seems to be my go-to balanced blade at the moment which will likely change in the future.

Is it easy to use shaving under the nose and chin area? The head is bulkier than some razors I use with a much lower profile because it has the butterfly opening mechanism. However, it does the job fine with a bit of nose tip pushing over to the left and right.

No issues with the chin area at all.

How about blade overhang? There’s quite a lot of blade overhang on the Parker 22R. It does not affect the shaving experience though, and it is level with the base plate.

Bottom Line: The Parker 22R interceptor is not a bad razor, it’s just not a great one. It’s quite aggressive and has design features that some guys are going to like and others really won’t.

Handle and Grip 7/10

While I am not a big fan of slim and long handles, other blokes are. The same goes for the attractive grooved design –some will love the modern attractiveness while others won’t.

Grip is not going to get close to how well-knurled type razors support grip; however, the grooves do help a user hold the razor well enough.

Weight and Balance – 6.5/10

While the weight of 85g is good for those that like a weightier razor like me, the 22R just does not balance very well, and as mentioned previously, it seems like the razor does not help do the work as others can.

Look & Design – 7/10

If a guy were looking for a modern-looking gunmetal butterfly razor with a slim and long handle, then the look and design would suit them to the ground.

I found the drainage gaps underneath the razor head sufficient, enabling shaving debris to pass through. As always though, a butterfly razor takes more effort to clean up after a shave.

The safety bar (bottom plate) is finely serrated, which can help make shaving more comfortable and guide the hairs.

Ease of Use – 7/10

Cleaning the Parker 22R razor takes a bit more effort. There are more nooks and crannies to clean than with two or three-part razors.

Blade replacement is made easier with the butterfly design. Replace a blade with a few twists of the handle, then slot a blade inside and a few twists to close –job done!

Being bottom-heavy made shaving, as mentioned above less effortless compared to other razors I have used because of the balance issue.

The slim long handle could be a perfect fit for some guys that enables shaving to be easier than a fat shorter handle. We all differ in preference here!

Value for Money – 9/10

If the design of the Parker 22R matches a buyer’s requirements, then the price tag is well worth it. It’s an affordable razor priced up at around $22 USD (£21 GBP – 29,00 € Euros).

Any Common Consumer Issues, Complaints or Positive Reports?

Quite a few guys have mentioned about the butterfly head becoming loose while shaving, although they just have to re-tighten it. This may be caused when it’s not tightened enough to begin with.

Plenty of guys are fans of the modern gunmetal look and longer handle.

Consumers have reported that the Parker 22R razor is more aggressive than they expected, while plenty of others feel its aggressiveness level is perfect and not too much.

Overall the reports are more positive than negative, and I guess the guys buying had a good idea of what they were looking for in terms of design and appearance.

Final Thoughts – and who is the Parker 22R best suited for?

While I am not a fan of the design and style of the Parker 22R I do recognize I got a decent shave on three days of growth, and it’s a very affordable razor.

The balance issue along with being too-slim and a handle that is too long are deal breakers for me.

The 22R is not a safety razor I would recommend for beginners to wet shaving with safety razors because of its aggressiveness. However, for guys that have used safety razors previously and would like to try out or go back to a butterfly-style razor that’s affordable from a well-known brand then this razor could be a very good option.

See you on the next shave down!

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