Parker A1-R Travel Safety Razor Review – Worth Packing or Not?
Parker A1-R Travel Safety Razor
The Parker A1-R is a travel-style 4-part safety razor that comes with a leather case. It’s made from brass with chrome plating and looks like the ideal shaving tool for packing away before traveling.
Pros
Compact for travel
Comes with a useful leather travel pouch
Knurled handle for good grip
Affordable – Good price
Cons
Dislike the bottom safety plate
Not great when shaving under the nose area
Many of us try to pack small and light when taking a vacation, especially when taking a short trip. So any kit, objects, and any other stuff designed for travel, including our shaving kits we can find designed for travel, are worth checking out.
One item that can be useful for travel packing and is a must for many of us guys to pack is a safety razor. You’ll find a few designated razors, including the Parker A1-R Travel Safety Razor.
The Parker A1-R is a very popular razor among the travel razors available on the market, and much like most other Parker shaving supplies and products, it’s affordable.
While we are happy to have a nice compact razor in a small leather pouch, it also needs to be able to chop away sufficiently at our stubble or beard growth; otherwise, it’s just a kind of gimmick, really.
Let’s look closely at the Parker A1-R Travel Safety Razor and see if it shaves just as well as it can pack away nicely in a suitcase or travel bag.
The Brand – Since 1973, the family-owned business ‘Parker Shaving’ has made and supplied quality shaving products based in India. They compete with some of the best shaving supply companies around the globe with a good range of safety razors, including a travel razor, the adjustable, and others.
Parker A1-R Travel Safety Razor Features
The Parker A1-R Travel Safety Razor comes with a leather case and two packs of Parker razor blades. This a good opportunity to test out Parker blades while reviewing the razor.
- Materials and finish – This is a standard all-brass razor with a shiny chrome finish.
- Handle – The handle is quite slim and unscrews apart to allow users to pack the razor into its leather pouch. Its design is knurled to offer maximum grip.
- Double-edged – The Parker travel razor 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 this bottom plate.
- Four parts – A razor like this would usually be a three-part razor with a handle and two head parts that all screw together. This has an extra section in the center of the handle that unscrews and screws back together.
- Blade replacement – The head is a two-piece unit that must be taken apart to insert the blade. This type of razor is easy enough when changing blades, although it does require handling it well and making sure the blade is aligned correctly before tightening the handle back on the head.
- Dimensions & weight – Length: 3.3 in – 83 mm (when assembled). Weight: 2.7oz (76g) .
- Aggressiveness – I would say it leans more toward medium. It’s most definitely not aggressive or mild, either.
- Warranty – Parker Razors offer a warranty for 1 year. After contacting Parker they informed me that they will also deal with each customer on a case by case basis, which means they offer flexibility.
How Well Does The Parker Travel Razor Perform And Shave?
The first impression, I was pleasantly surprised at the small leather pouch and how cool the 4 parts looked tucked away inside. Perfect for packing and any type of travel.
Once the middle two sections of the handle are put together, this razor is much like any other. The bottom half of the handle is slightly thicker than the upper, for some reason.
I have shaved with heavy growth of 3 or so days, then with a couple of days of growth, and then a few consecutive days with this Parker.
How well did the razor shave on heavy growth?
With three days of growth and one pass, there was definitely a need for another pass or two. A lot of patches were leftover. After the second pass the shave was feeling much better, and then I just needed to do some clearing up.
Not quite what I would get from an open-comb razor or something like a Muhle R41, but that is to be expected.
How well did the razor perform with 1 or 2 days of growth?
Like many safety razors, 2 days is when it shaves at its best. In addition, the medium aggressiveness makes it very suitable for daily shaving if you are a daily shaver.
Is it easy to use shaving under the nose and chin area?
Under the chin area was fine. However, I found that under the nose area is quite tricky to reach, and I have to go over the area more often than I like.
I could only pinpoint this issue I had toward the bottom section of the head. It curves underneath and makes it quite bulky.
This may not be a deal-breaker for most guys, and they may not have the same difficulty as me. However, I use some great razors that work great under my hooter, but the Parker A1-R is not one of them (I am always looking closely at this aspect – who knows, maybe too close).
Which blades did you try in the Parker Travel razor?
The razor came with two packs of Parker razor blades, which was a bonus, and they seemed to be a razor similar to a derby blade in sharpness. I also used a Derby, and Feather and found the Derby to be a better choice for me.
I had run out of Personna blades which I really like at the moment that I’m sure would make this razor a slightly better shave.
Start with something a bit mild and work your way up are my thoughts.
Overall shave experience?
I have found the Parker A1-R was more aggressive than I expected, which is a positive in my case.
I can get a good shave from this razor. Not as good as others I have used; however, they have a higher price tag.
My only gripe is with the bottom safety bar being shaped underneath the way it is. This, as mentioned, is why I think it struggles with shaving under the nose.
Handle and Grip 9/10
Splitting the handle to enable it to be packed away in its little pouch is a great feature.
The handle is deeply engraved and offers all the non-slip grip a guy could need. Its pattern or design also looks cool.
Do make sure you tighten the middle section properly. We don’t want that loose while in mid-shave.
The handle thickness or width feels about right. It’s not too slim or fat, feels typical for a knurled DE safety razor, and has a standard average length.
Weight and Balance – 9/10
The Parker Travel Razor weighs about 2.7oz (76g). This weight leans toward the heavy side for this type of razor, which is suitable for most of us and within a standard weight range for safety razors.
Razors require some sort of balance between the head and handle. This balances out well and leans the head toward the face when held gently.
Look & Design – 7/10
A great-looking razor.
An aspect of this razor I don’t get is the top section of the handle being smaller than the bottom. A bit of a mystery that I guess Parker could answer. I should point out that this doesn’t affect shaving.
I have mentioned the bottom safety plate being rounded previously, and I wondered if this is why shaving under the nose area isn’t great.
Ease of Use – 8/10
While the Parker A1-R Travel Safety Razor has an extra section to screw and unscrew and has to be stowed inside the small pouch, it’s a regular razor once it’s put together.
Blade replacement is easy enough but takes a little more effort than a butterfly or 2 part razor. However, I never seemed to have any issue with the blade aligning without me trying to align it correctly.
Value for Money – 9/10
Parker does value for money very well with most of their products, and the A1-R is no different.
These are for sale at around $30 – $35. That’s a reasonable price.
The Leather Pouch – It’s useful and compact and perfect for travel. A couple of blades in the wrappers can be put inside behind the razor head within the middle section of the brown leather pouch. No complaints there!
Any Common Consumer Issues, Complaints, or Positive Reports?
A common complaint or mention, if you like, is several buyers found the razor to be more aggressive than expected. I also found that, but I was pleased it was medium on the aggressiveness scale. I guess Parker could state this to potential buyers, but then some gents might find they expected it to be more aggressive (can’t please them all –springs to mind).
Most gents give this razor praise, especially on its quality based on its price. A perfect travel companion for many!
Final Thoughts: And who is the Parker A1-R Travel Safety Razor best suited for?
The Parker A1-R is definitely an excellent option for those buying a travel safety razor that’s not too expensive.
The medium aggressiveness will be a bonus for many guys, while others who shave on the mild side may not be too happy. It could also be slightly aggressive for those new to wet shaving with traditional razors.
Anyone who needs to pack light for any reason and might not want to take out their best safety razor should add this to a list of travel razors to check out.
I’m off to see if I can switch the head on this thing and use the cool handle and pouch alongside it.
See you at the next lather up and shave down!
About the Author
Jason
I’m the chief shaverer over here at ShavingAdvisor and when I am not shaving off any hair I have left, or writing about what I have shaved off – I do a load of other life stuff and enjoy a good cup of tea between doing stuff!
