Merkur Heavy Duty Double Edge Razor (Blade Included)

Just received this razor as a gift and am loving it. I've been wet shaving for a few years now, so this is definitely not my first razor purchase. I had been currently using the very popular Edwin Jagger de89lbl and wanted to give this Merkur razor a try. I am sure glad I did. While the EJ is a fine razor and I had been very happy with it, the shave quality I now get from the Merkur (with the same Astra blades) is even better. Since these two razors often duel head-to-head as options for newbies and experienced wet shavers alike, let me break down a few key differences for you. Keep in mind, there is no "wrong" choice here...both are excellent.

Fit and Finish - Out of the box, both razors look very nice and appear high quality. The Edwin Jagger is a 3-piece design, while the Merkur is a 2-piece design. I think for clean-up purposes I like the 3-piece design a little better since you can separate everything and really get in there with a q-tip to keep everything looking nice. For overall appearance, I have to give the nod to the Edwin Jagger de89lbl. Mine was beautifully chromed and smooth everywhere with no rough spots or imperfections. The Merkur seems to have a tiny bit more "industrial" finish, where the undersides of certain spots seemed a little rougher and unfinished. Nothing that would detract from shave quality or feel on your face, but little things I notice from a manufacturing perspective (save costs?).

Feel in the hand - Both razors seem heavy for their size, which is exactly what I look for. Both are compact and have some heft to them which only helps the shave quality. While the Edwin Jagger is a little bit larger in length, it weight in at 2.6oz (with blade), while the Merkur comes in at 2.8oz. (with blade). The EJ razor have vertical grooves on the handle for grip and can be a little slippery when wet. The Merkur however has very fine knurling machined into it and gives a very positive grip even when wet. Preference here goes to the Merkur for weight/feel in hand and positive grip surface.

Shave quality - While both have been good, the Merkur has elevated my shave game to GREAT!

Great safety razor, and I have a Parker and a "Fat Boy" adjustable (which I can't seem to find on Amazon, by the way...). Anyway, this one's great. Super close shave with no accidents. Though in truth, such accidents are more the fault of the person and not the device (imho).

This razor is amazing! I started of shaving with a safety razor with a cheap butterfly. It was ok with mild blades, but once you put feathers in there, grab a roll of toilet paper. This Merkur can run the feathers with no problems. I would definitely recommend this to anyone new to safety razors or just looking to add to their collection. I can't wait to shave with it again soon!

Review of Multiple Related Products
Products Reviewed:
• Merkur 34C HD double edger safety razor
• Israeli Personna stainless steel double edge razor blades
• Parker silvertip shaving brush
• Simpson’s Wee Scot shaving brush
• Simpson’s Classic 2 (best badger) shaving brush
• Simpson’s Chubby 1 (super badger) shaving brush
• Mitchell’s Wool Fat shaving soap
• Tabac shaving soap in bowl
• Tabac shaving stick
• Proraso green shaving soap
• Taylor of Old Bond Street Traditional shaving soap 57g travel size
• Lucky Tiger aftershave and face tonic
Background:
I switched to an electric razor approximately 35 years ago from a Gillette Atra razor and Edge shaving gel because I got tired of cutting myself. This led to a much less close shave but also saved me from cutting myself. Apparently in the pre-internet era, I had not properly learned how to shave. Being frustrated with the lack of close shave, I decided to give safety razor (“wet shaving”) another try. I am extremely glad that I did. I felt it was necessary to invest in quality but not the most expensive items to start. I began with the Merkur 34C razor, Israeli Personna (Personna Red) blades, the Parker silvertip brush and the Proraso shaving soap. The next step was to provide for a travel kit. This was accomplished with a cheap boar brush (not evaluated here) and Taylor of Old Bond Street Traditional shaving soap along with the Merkur razor. I next upgraded my travel kit to Simpson’s Wee Scot brush and Tabac shaving stick. My home supplies were upgraded to add the Simpson’s Classic 2 and Chubby 1 brushes, Mitchells Wool Fat shaving soap, Tabac shaving soap (after purchasing the stick), and the Lucky Tiger aftershave.

Merkur 34C razor – I find this to be an excellent razor. It fits my hand well, gives great control with the short handle and provides for a clean comfortable close shave that is not too aggressive. The only criticism that I have is the finish is not as nice as certain other brands. When my luggage was temporarily lost, I purchased the same razor at the Art of Shaving for more than twice as much money, I did not feel it necessary to experiment with something else when this razor worked so well.

Israeli Personna (Red) blades – These blades were purchased in a 100 pack at a very reasonable price. I chose them based on the overall reviews and have not been disappointed. I change the blade after four shaves and always get a consistently good shave.

Parker silvertip shaving brush – This is a nice brush and a good value at its price point. It is soft on my skin and lathers Proraso very well. It does not have the backbone of the Simpson’s brushes and as such is now rarely used. I consider this a good starter brush if one is to limit their investment and give wet shaving a chance. With hindsight, I would have saved my money and gone right to the Simpson’s brushes if I were to do it over again. However, there is little to criticize for this brush at this price point.

Simpson’s Wee Scot shaving brush – This brush is really small. It looks like a toy, but don’t be mistaken. It is surprisingly effective with the right soap and is excellent for travel. Be aware that even though this is a best badger brush, it is the scritchiest of all my brushes. Other reviewers have been able to get three passes from loading this brush once. I cannot, and therefore now load for each pass.

Simpson’s Classic 2 shaving brush – This is a superior brush. This best badger brush is not nearly as scritchy as the Wee Scot. It has tremendous backbone and is superb for face lathering. The best badger hair is packed very densely which initially made it tough for the lather to release but with time the lather releases better. Be advised though that unless you live in a very dry climate, this is not an everyday brush as it takes more than 24 hours to dry and therefore must be rotated. Additionally, it will eat tremendous quantities of soap.

Simpson’s Chubby 1 shaving brush (super badger) – This is my best brush. It is similar to the Classic 2 but even more dense with the super badger hair. The handle is slightly wider and bigger all around compared with the Classic 2. Both are good, but you need to like a short handle and be prepared to occasionally get lather on your fingers. Although this is a super badger brush, the degree of softness compared with the best badger Classic 2 is minimal. Compared with the Wee Scot, it is night and day. As with the Classic 2 this brush eats lather due to its density and also takes more than 24 hours to dry.

Mitchell’s Wool Fat shaving soap – This is probably my favorite soap. It is however more difficult to lather. I have found that soaking the puck in tepid water while I shower has vastly improved its latherabilty. Tips for better lathering include not using very hot water, squeezing most of the water out of the brush and then adding only a few drops at a time when needed. The result is the best face feel after the shave of any of the soaps. It provides good cushioning and glide. The scent is minimal and not a factor at all for me.

Tabac shaving soap – I first bought the stick for travel. Unfortunately the Amazon listing showed this as including the case. I only received the refill. Because the Wee Scot brush is so small, I tried lathering directly on the top of the refill stick and was completely satisfied with the results. So satisfied that I then bought the full size puck and bowl. I have since cut the stick into pieces and place it in the travel bowl with a screw down lid that came with the TOBS traditional soap and that is now my travel soap. This soap lather extremely well and is not so sensitive to the water level or have to be rehydrated as does the MWF. The scent is much stronger when lathering but eventually fades. I find the scent to be fine, I don’t have to have it, but don’t object to it at all. My wife likes this scent the best of all of my soaps. It provides good cushioning and glide and is extremely easy to lather. It does not have quite as good a feel after the shave as the MWF, but that is more a statement of how good the MWF is. I do however rotate daily between this and the MWF. They are both that good.

Proraso green shaving soap – I started with this soap and found it good, but nowhere near as good as the MWF or Tabac. It lathers well and is probably the least expensive of any of the soaps that I have used. It provides decent cushioning and glide, but my face feels dryer after shaving than with the MWF and the Tabac.

Taylor of Old Bond Street (“TOBS”) Traditional shaving soap – I was very dissatisfied with this soap. It did not lather with the cheap boar brush, and then I found it did not lather well with any of my other brushes. It did not provide good cushioning or glide and I got the least close shaves with this soap than any other. Given that I can lather MWF, I tend to think it is more the soap than I am the problem. I popped the puck out of the plastic travel case and filled the case with the Tabac stick for my travel needs. The soap was used a bathroom hand soap, because the price was just too high to throw away largely unused.

Lucky Tiger aftershave and face balm – I like this aftershave which is largely witch hazel based with a host of other natural ingredients. There is no alcohol in this product so it does not have the burning bracing effect that some like. It has an orangey citrus scent that goes away after about 30 seconds. This aftershave is very thin and absorbs well. It moisturizes (especially with the MWF) and is a product that feels very clean to me.

Other comments:
After reading comments from others, I have learned that pill bottles that can be obtained for free from most pharmacies make excellent travel cases for brushes. I drill several holes in the cap for ventilation. I have also used a pill bottle to store the Tabac refill pieces not put in the travel bowl

I am pretty used to the old fat boy razors. I always found them to be a little less forgiving than my cartridge razor. However this thing is wonderful. Very forgiving to a mistake. Shaves like a modern cartridge razor with cheaper blades. Love it.