Merkur Heavy Duty Double Edge Razor #34C + 5 Free DE Razor Blades
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List Price: Our Price: $37.88 You Save: $2.12 (5%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Health Care See more product details |
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Customer Reviews of Merkur Heavy Duty Double Edge Razor #34C + 5 Free DE Razor Blades
Customer Review: High Quality, High Value
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm a relatively new convert to shaving with a double-edge razor, having been brought up on disposable cartridges. My new razor of choice? The Merkur Heavy Duty #34C. This is going to be the last razor I own, and I'll be passing it along to my younger generations. The quality is that good. Not so much a disposable personal care item, as I've always viewed razors before, this is more of a premium quality tool. The details based on my experience:
Size: The dimensions of this razor are altogether different from your typical Mach X: The handle is short, the working end (you know, the sharp part) is large in proportion to the handle, and it weighs about as much as a decent size wrench. The dimensions and weight of it complement proper double-edge razor shaving technique as, unlike a Mach X which you rather drag across your face, the weight of the razor provides the oomph behind the actual blade, rather than the force of your stroke. I prefer the shorter handle of this one to longer ones because it allows me to concentrate on proper technique and helps to removes the urge to use a longer handle to lever my way through the shave.
Quality: All parts are heavy, all metal, and finely machined. The top of the shaving head that comes off to accommodate the razor blade fits perfectly in its receiver so that the blade maintains the desired profile each and every time you change blades. There is nothing to go wrong here, nothing to break, nothing to fail, unless you really whack it with a hammer or drop it repeatedly from a height onto a hard surface. I can reasonably expect my razor to outlast me...
Design: I like that the design is simple and straightforward, and I appreciate its perfect balance. It may not be as cool to load as a 'butterfly' DE razor, and it is not adjustable as some DE razors are. Fewer moving parts should add to durability.
Price: For something that may well shave multiple generations of faces, I'd say this is a fair ripper of a value. It's also a nice bonus that, in addition to coming with a Merkur blade, it's also packed with a box of Dorco blades to try. Yours may or may not have this specific brand of blade packed with it, but it is nice to start off with a couple different brands of blades for you to try on your skin; blades do matter, and I would recommend trying several.
Lasting Impression: Is this the razor for you? I can say with confidence that this razor is perfect for me, but shaving is such an individual thing: There are so, so many types of skin and beards and preferences. I've heard from many that this is an excellent 'starter' razor for those who make the jump from cartridges and I'd have to agree with that. However, while I think it is a good idea to try various products (and certainly with various brands of replacement blades) I don't feel that this razor is necessarily one you leave behind simply because you started with it. The shave it provides strikes me as middle-of-the-road with regard to aggressiveness, with some being more and some less. It gives me a perfect shave and actually makes me enjoy the task - a first since I began shaving decades ago. No other razor I have found works better for me. Easy, then, to recommend this.
Customer Review: Like a virgin, shaved for the very first time
Summary: 5 Stars
Unfortunately, I've spent the last 17 years of my life shaving with whatever the local supermarket had to offer. After becoming increasingly frustrated with the cost of the name-brand "Super Ultra 16-Blade" razor cartridges, the speed with which said razors seem to dull, and the questionable shave quality that even those new razors provide, I decided to do some serious research into finding a "proper" shaving tool. Most educated opinions pointed to a Merkur safety razor as one of the finest razors money can buy, so I took a chance and ordered the 34C.
I purposely didn't shave for a week and a half and sported the "bum" look while awaiting my new razor. When it finally arrived I promptly fired up a scalding hot shower while visions of the perfect shave danced in my head. The first thing I noticed about the Merkur is how solid it is. This is a professional instrument and makes my 16-blade plastic-clad supermarket razor look like a toy (although it most certainly is not a toy; kids, don't play with razors!). The Merkur's double-edged razors are extremely sharp and the 34C clamps them firmly in place. After shaving the 10-day old wild growth off of my face I can assuredly say that this is the razor I've been looking my entire life.
Here's the great thing about this razor: When you you run it over your face (without much pressure applied due to the comfortable weight of the razor) the hair that was once on your face is no longer on your face(!). In addition, it doesn't leave your face a bloody, burned mess. What it does leave behind is ultra-smooth, unmolested skin. I think that is just about everything you could ever want from a razor. It didn't wash my car or make me a batch of Julienne fries, so I was sort-of disappointed about that, but what are you going to do.
They really should issue a Merkur razor to young men as they enter puberty. This is an excellent product that is worth every penny. If your current shaving situation leaves you feeling less-than-satisfied as mine did, then you absolutely won't regret picking one of these up.
Customer Review: Great for a first timer
Summary: 5 Stars
After getting sick and tired of buying razors at the grocery store and paying $8 for 4 blades, I opted to go old school. I had done my research, which showed Merkur products were supposed to be great. So, I took the risk and purchased. This razor combined with Merkur's double edged platinum blades is an excellent shave that is far closer and superior to anything I have ever pulled off before. I have switched to the wet shave (shave soap, oil, and badger hair brush) and this blade really does let you get things done right.
For new people who are wanting to try this: I shave once a day, every day. I have what I would consider above average facial hair thickness (in terms of actually hair thickness, density, and in growth speed). I, personally, have to use the lubricant oil or this gets to be a bit much for me. Things to remember: the first few shaves you will cut yourself. Get a styptic pencil (which stings like a son of a gun but stops the bleeding on contact) and build in some extra time in your routine until you get this down. It took me a full week to really figure out my face and neck shape/contours, as well as the best angle of attack of the blade itself, to get the best shave. I can get so close that at 4 in the afternoon (after having shaved at 7 in the morning) I still have a damn smooth face and neck. I NEVER had that from the old razors.
If you are going back and forth, I would suggest you give this a try. I do not regret this purchase at all. Or the fact that I purchased 50 blades (which seem to last me a little over a week i.e. the same as any major brand blade) for all of $32.50 + S&H. For me, not only is this a financially awesome change up, but the quality is far superior as well.
Excellent product.
Customer Review: safety razors versus disposables
Summary: 4 Stars
I have this razor and like it. But since it s the first safety razor I ve used in 25 years, i can t tell you how it compares to others. Since I was hesitant about buying a safety razor after years of using modern razors with multi blade disposables, I am commenting on that aspect. I was driven by the need to spend less on blades, and contribute less into the waste stream, but I didn t know if I d find shaving with it equivalent to my Mach 3.
My attitude on shaving is that you need to shave both with and against the grain in a hot, steamy environment, because the goal is a shave so close that you have completely smooth skin. A safety razor will do that, and with much less expense in blades.
But since it is somewhat larger and clumsier than a disposable, I still keep my disposable at hand to clean up in and around my lips, nose, ears, and adam s apple. used this way, the Mach 3 s blade will last a very long time, since they are only doing final touch up.
I see it in the same way that a groundskeeper might handle a big area: you use the tractor mower to do the large acreages, the little riding mower to do the intermediate work, and the hand-held weed whip to do the detail work: no one machine is perfect for the entire job, but in combination you get the job done quickly and cheaply.
I found Wilkinson blades to be sharper than the Merkur blades offered with this razor, and I d like a way to have a friction lock on the knurled know so that I could OPEN up the blade angle slightly without the loosened knob then moving to a completely loose position. Otherwise, the razor seems to work fine.
Customer Review: Just as advertised
Summary: 4 Stars
3 months ago I made the leap from cartridge shaving (Gillette Fusion) to shaving with a safety razor. Having no experience with a safety razor my research led me to several options (most by Merkur) and I selected the 34C. The razor comes just as advertised and I couldn't be more pleased with the quality of shave and the reduced cost of the blades vs the Fusion cartridges. If I had to do it all over again, I would opt for the long handled version simply as a personal preference though after several weeks of using the short handled model I have become comfortable with it and plan to stick with the 34C for the foreseeable future.
If you're considering making the switch to a safety razor:
1. Smart move
2. Consider the longer handle if that's what you're used too, I estimate the 34C to be approximately the length of a typical disposable
3. Consider a model such as the 34C that has a fixed safety bar. There are more advanced safety razors that have the ability to be adjusted but the advice I was given was that a novice should stay away from those as you'll spend more time fidgeting with the adjustments then learning how to shave properly with the new tool. Having just made the switch I can say that I'm glad I didn't have an added variable in adjust-ability. It's amazing how much you can do by simply changing the angle of the blade against your face and allowing the weight of the razor to do the work.