I read this as Edwin Jagger being particular that they are not to be seen as a Muhle rebrand. Methinks the respective companies might be splitting hairs here ... as in yes, it's true that Edwin Jagger is not supplied by Muhle, but still true that it was a joint venture and BOTH are supplied by the SAME producer.
According to Neil Jagger, the DE89 and Muhle R89 heads were jointly designed so they "are the same head" in that respect, but Jagger manufactures their own heads on their own machinery in their own factory. Below is part of an interview from April 2012 where he is specifically asked about this.
Obie: The story going around is that the German Muhle makes the Edwin Jagger razor shave head. Is this correct or is it just fallacy?
Neil: Actually we hear this a lot. This is
not correct at all. It was Andreas Muller — new to the Muhle Company at the time — and myself who teamed up to search for potential contract manufacturers before we started to design a two-part head that suited both company’s needs. It was a very exciting time as we exchanged numerous sketches and CAD drawings with alteration after alteration. Ultimately my determination to keep improving the underside of the DE base plate — clean and uncluttered — allowed us to agree on a new design that was really quite different from anything else we had seen already on the market. Once we had approved the drawings we both committed to prototyping costs and shared the complicated tooling costs, which were at that time considerable.
Obie: This then, once and for all, erases the currently held belief that Muhle designs and produces the Edwin Jagger shave head.
Neil: Having actively been involved in the design, trialing and final prototyping, just like Andreas, I view the DE head as part Edwin Jagger design. We do not rely on Muhle for supplies to fulfill our growing sales. Our components come direct from our tools and we determine availability, our own production runs and Edwin Jagger quality control.
Obie: And the Merkur shave head of the early Edwin Jagger days?
Neil: Merkur has never been involved in any part of the Edwin Jagger DE razor head design process or requirements. Originally we simply bought what Merkur had to offer, a sort of
off-the-shelf agreement. Now Edwin Jagger has designed its own DE two-part head systems and owns its own tools, producing exclusively manufactured components to our exacting specifications. Edwin Jagger no longer uses any other DE head.
Hi, I'm sure that I have seen it mentioned before but is the Muhle R89 head and the Edwin Jagger DE89 head exactly the same. The Muhle R89 handle seems to have a better grip. Do the same company make both?
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