MERKUR 37C Double Edge Safety Razor | Slant Bar Design - Standard Handle | Made in Germany | Plastic-Free | Two Piece Design

This is a high quality DE razor. It is a slant-type razor from Merkur, very well made and quite heavy (I have used many different DE razors over time and this is, by far, the heaviest). I had read online reviews that seemed to indicate that it is an aggressive razor, i.e., one which can be quite unforgiving. However, in my experience, this has not been the case at all. It does a very effective job in shaving and I have barely nicked myself once or twice over two weeks of shaving. I have used two brands of blades in it so far, the Merkur one that came with the razor and the blue (US-made) Personna. Both work well, but I prefer the Personnas slightly - blade choice is quite personal, so YMMV. It is best to let the razor glide due to its own weight and not apply downward pressure on it. I have found that three passes (with-,across-, and against-the-grain) with small strokes produces a very smooth (BBS) shave. One thing I have also noticed is that it does not pay to be too aggressive in ATG strokes - this seems to leave behind some post-shaving burn. A lighter hand seems to work very well - holding the blade around the balance point works well for this. The razor handle is very grippy and there is little danger of it slipping even with wet or soapy fingers. Loading the blade is a little bit more cumbersome than "butterfly-style" razors, but not really an issue. The slant head bends the blade quite significantly along a helical path and also varies blade exposure from one end to another. I don't know whether the slant made a huge difference since I haven't used straight Merkur razors, but, at the same time, I found no issues due to the slant itself. Overall, I am very happy with the buy. I have bought a "sampler set" of razor blades to figure out what works best with the 39c... More on that later. Update on 7/22/2017 Some additional feedback based on a few weeks' usage... I am extremely impressed by this razor. The biggest take-away is that it works very well with pretty much every blade I have tried. I very rarely nick or cut myself, even if I am not very mindful while shaving. I am quite puzzled by reviews that seem to indicate that this is an aggressive razor; while it may not be as "mild" as a Feather razor, I don't think it is aggressive at all. Instead, it is extremely efficient and produces super-smooth (near-BBS) shaves with just two passes - one with the grain and another against/across the grain. This is a brief synopsis of how it has paired up with different blades: - Merkur blade that came with razor: Good performance. No nicks or irritation. After trying other blades, this does not seem like the best best option, however. - Personna Blue: This blade works beautifully in a Feather, but somehow doesn't work well with the 39c. Performance was acceptable, but I needed to do a lot more work to get a smooth shave - the blade felt somewhat "blunt" compared to others. I need to test it a bit more. - Wilkinson Sword: Excellent performance. I rank this blade as #2 in terms of how well it works in the 39c. - Dorco ST-301: Nearly as good as the Wilkinson. I felt that it was a little less smooth and lost its sharpness a bit quicker than the Wilkinson. - Feather: Fair performance. In my opinion, it is a bit aggressive with the 39c. I did get a cut over a bumpy area in my face even while paying attention. Others have reported that the Feathers work very well in the 39c - for me, it ranked on par with the Personna Blue in terms of preference. - Astra SP: Great performance. I was shocked at how well it worked with the 39c. I have not had a better shave with a DE razor/blade combo than with the Astra and 39c. I need only two passes for an absolutely smooth, irritation-free shave. It is definitely my #1 choice for the razor so far. The blade is made in Russia (by Gillette); one minor nit is that the blade has a couple of glue spots to stick the wrapper to the blade. This does not wipe off the blade easily at all. I am sure it has no effect, but it is a bit annoying. Update on 8/4/2017 I thought I will add a quick update... As a test, I took the blade that worked the best on the 39c, the Astra SP, and swapped it into my old Feather razor to see how well the Feather does vs. the 39c. Wow, what a difference - the shaving experience with the Feather was nowhere near as nice as the Merkur. The heft of the razor and, I think, the slant head make a huge difference in producing a smoother shave with fewer passes. With the Feather, I needed to do one more pass to achieve the same close shave I could get with the 39c. Also, it did not feel as smooth as the 39c and also felt a lot less efficient in removing my stubble. Switching the blade back to the 39c, I could verify that the razor was making the difference since the shave experience with the same blade in the 39c got a lot better. I also have my routine nailed down to 2 passes, 1 WTG and 1 ATG, with slight touch-ups in hard to get to areas. So, 39c with Astra SP FTW so far!

TL;DR version: The 37c gives me the most comfortable, closest shaves I've *ever* had. *BUT* 4 years ago when I first got the 37c and tried shaving with it - as someone relatively new to double-edge shaving - it was terrible. The shaves I got resulted in a lot of cuts, razor burn, etc. What changed in those four years? My skills and technique shaving with a double edge razor. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Longer version: I recently decided to try to up my double-edge shaving game. I ran across a recommendation that *experienced* double-edge shavers should give slant razors a try. I already owned a slant razor - a Merkur 37c I had purchased four years earlier. I wasn't using it because when I originally tried it four years ago (admittedly as someone relatively new to double-edge shaving) it did not go well. I don't remember exactly what happened, but I do remember getting lots of shaving nicks and razor burn. I put the razor aside and didn't touch it for four years. With a bit of trepidation, I decided to try the 37c again. I put my current blade of choice - Personna Lab Blue - into my 37c and gave it a try. *And got the best shave of my life* - by far! The shave I got was *extremely comfortable*, and *extremely close*. And there were no nicks, no weepers, no razor burn - no nothing! And every shave since then it's been the same. There is *no* going back to my old razor for me... I then tried some other blades in the 37c: I put in my previous blade of choice - Astra - and shaved with that. I got a good shave, but not as good as I got with the Personna. The Astra felt coarse, a bit rough. I had a couple of small 'weepers', and I noticed a bit of razor burn when I was done (a bit of razor burn used to be normal for me). To be sure, the Astra shaved better in the 37c than it did in my old razor, but it wasn't as good in the 37c as the Personna. I then tried the blade I originally used in the 37c when I first tried it four years previously - Feather. In the 37c the Feather shaved comfortably, but I did get a shaving nick with the Feather (the only nick I've had with any blade in the 37c this go around), and the slightest feeling of razor burn. In my testing I preferred the Personna over the Feather and liked the Feather much more than the Astra. Or course, your mileage may vary. One other thing -- my face tends to be very oily. Always has been. After I started using the 37c the oiliness of my face got a lot better. I had originally chalked it up to some changes I had made in my after-shave care, but when I decided to try another non-slant razor the oiliness was back - even with my new after-shave care. For some reason, it appears that the 37c isn't causing my face to get oily - which is GREAT. Maybe the shaving comfort I've noticed is responsible for the change. No matter - my 37c is here to stay! So, what is my beard like? One thing for sure - it grows every which way and usually NOT in the 'classic' directions. It's pretty coarse in spots, and less so in others. Some areas seem to grow faster than others. I've had to learn which direction to shave on each part of my face. When I shave, I do the recommended 3-pass shave - with the grain, across the grain, and finally against the grain. Again, because of how my beard grows, the 'correct' direction I need to shave varies depending on what part of my face I'm shaving. I shave every day, mostly because I've found I enjoy shaving with a double edge razor. Summary: I *really* like my Merkur 37c - even though my original experience with it four years ago with it wasn't so good.

Ich bin vor ca. eineinhalb Jahren auf die klassische Nassrasur mit Rasierhobel, -pinsel und 'seife umgestiegen, da ich es satt war den beiden großen Marken, die ich nicht namentlich benennen möchte und dennoch jeder weiß wer gemeint ist ;-), mein hart verdientes Geld für teure Ersatzklingen in den Rachen zu werfen. Meine ersten Gehversuche in Bezug auf die klassische Nassrasur habe ich mit einem Merkur 34c gemacht, da mir dieser als guter Einsteigerhobel empfohlen wurde. Um sich mit solchen Dingen wie Hobelführung vertraut zu machen, ist das sicherlich eine gute Sache. Des Weiteren muss man auch zunächst erlernen, in welchem Winkel man den Hobel ansetzen kann damit man eine sanfte und dennoch gründliche Rasur hinbekommt. Irgendwann wollte ich etwas Neues ausprobieren und bin in den gängigen Nassrasur-Foren auf den Merkur 39c und seinen kleinen Bruder mit dem kurzen Griff 37c gestoßen. In den Foren wurde dann geschrieben, wie blutrünstig dieser Hobel doch sei und das dieser mit absoluter Vorsicht zu genießen ist. Einige haben davon berichtet, dass sie sich von diesem Hobel wieder trennen wollen, weil dieser zu aggressiv sei. Lange Rede, kurzer Sinn! Ich habe mich von diesen Berichten nicht abschrecken lassen, und wollte den Hobel unbedingt austesten. Und im Nachhinein bin ich auch sehr froh, dass ich diesen Hobel nun mein Eigen nennen kann. Alle Rasierhobel der Marke Merkur sind spitzenmäßig verarbeitet und verfügen über eine sehr gute Qualität. Dieser Rasierhobel ist definitiv für die Ewigkeit gemacht! Wenn man den 39c Slant Bar in den Händen hält, wird man sehr schnell feststellen, dass dieser ein ordentliches Gewicht hat, was bei der Rasur durchaus positiv ist. Ich möchte nochmal darauf hinweisen, dass dieser Rasierhobel kein klassicher Hobel ist, sondern ein Slant Bar oder Torsions-Hobel. Was für viele wie ein Produktionsfehler aussieht ist durchaus gewollt. Die Torsion im Hobelkopf sorgt nämlich dafür, dass die Klinge leicht verdreht wird, wenn man sie in den Hobel einspannt. Dadurch wird gewährleistet, dass die Klinge das Barthaar mehr schneidet, anstatt es abzuschaben. Hinweis: Dieser Rasierer ist eher für erfahrene Nassrasierer mit starkem Bartwuchs geeignet! Sofern Hobel-Neulinge ihn dennoch ausprobieren möchten, sollten sie sich zunächst über die Handhabung genauestens informieren. Ansonsten hat man wenig bis gar keinen Spaß mit diesem Hobel. Nützliche Hinweise dazu finden sich im WWW. Wer sich auf diesen Rasierhobel einlässt, muss sich im Klaren darüber sein, dass dieser eine gewisse Lernphase voraussetzt. Dem entsprechend ist auch meine erste Rasur etwas rabiat zu Ende gegangen. Ich hatte zwar nur sehr kleine Cuts, allerdings war meine Haut danach etwas gerötet. Wer sich mit diesem Hobel rasieren möchte, sollte sein Barthaar gut auf die Rasur vorbereiten und eine qualitativ hochwertige Rasierklinge verwenden. Wenn man vorsichtig mit dem 39c umgeht, dann bekommt man absolut gründliche und hautschonende Rasuren hin, da das Barthaar ohne große Mühe sauber abgeschnitten wird. Es gibt eine goldene Regel, die man dringend beachten sollte! Man darf während der Rasur kein Druck auf den Hobel ausüben.Der 39c bringt ein ordentliches Gewicht auf die Waage. Daher ist es auch nicht nötig, den Hobel aufzudrücken. Dieser muss lediglich sanft geführt werden. Die zu rasierenden Hautpartien sollten während der Rasur natürlich auch leicht gestrafft werden. Ich hoffe, dass ich niemanden mit meiner Rezension Angst gemacht habe, allerdings sollten ein paar Punkte beachtet werden, damit man mit diesem Hobel Spaß hat. Wenn man gefrustet ist, weil die Rasur vielleicht nicht so gut verlaufen ist, dann nimmt man den Hobel nie wieder in die Hand. Man sollte sich keinesfalls davon abschrecken lassen. Um euch zu ermutigen, diesen Hobel einmal auszuprobieren findet ihr nützliche Tipps und Product Reviews bei YouTube.

I've been shaving with safety razors for a while now, but after my last cheap $20 one broke after a couple years of usage, I decided to splash out for something a bit pricier. This thing really lives up to the reviews, if you have heavy, thick, fast growing facial hair like I do this thing will give you a very smooth with-the-grain shave. Just be a little careful with it! It's very heavy compared to other safety razor's i've used, which means that its even easier to cut yourself.

6 Stars!!! (Not 5). I usually don’t write reviews but this one is a MUST. I have been wet, safety razor shaving for the last 30 years. Therefore I consider myself an expert. I have an ugly, European face with a heavy coarse whiskers and a sensitive skin (I am not German). It is difficult for me to shave avoiding skin irritation. My go to razor is Muhle R89, (same as Edwin Jagger R89) nice and smooth shaver. I shave every day except for Saturdays. On Sunday my whiskers are pretty heavy. This is why I need something like a slant razor for Sunday. I tried previously Merkur 39C and the fake German 37C RazoRock from Italian Barber. Although I have pretty big hands, the Merkur 39C felt too heavy for me, difficult to maneuver and gave me some irritation. The fake German 37C RazoRock is so cheaply made that it is a shame to call it German. It is an insult to German engineering. The holes on the head aren’t round but oval and the blade slides sidewise. Its bulldog handle has unfinished edges that cut into your fingers. Shaving with it ends with an uneven shaving, and irritated skin. I asked the Italian Barber where this razor is made. Their answer is: the head is made in China and the handle in Pakistan. (A true “German” razor indeed). Just a few days ago I ordered the Merkur 37C Slant from Amazon. It arrived quickly on Thursday. Today, on Sunday I took it for a “test drive”. All I can say is: WOW! Two passes of a pleasurable shaving with the Shark Chrome blade and my face is irritation free BBS! An excellent weight and balance resulting in a smooth and wonderful shave. Finally I found my go to slant razor for Sunday shavings. Everything is perfect about this razor. The precision of finishing is remarkable. The price at Amazon is about $10.00 cheaper than anywhere else. The delivery was quick. I am a happy camper.

Rase plus près encore que le Muhle à peigne ouvert. Sa lame hélicoïdale est merveilleuse et ce Merkur 37c, quand il est utilisé avec prudence, se rapproche de l'efficacité du coupe-choux. Il est aussi très beau, d'allure moderniste avec sa tête de guingois.

para mi gusto muy buena maquinilla con peso y solo necesito pasarla una vez en cada sentido con clama y pulso y la suavidad que tiene te hace pensar porque no se utilizan este tipo de maquinillas en vez de las de plástico no reutilizables que salen mas cara a la larga. Utilizo la hoja de afeitar Astra superior platinium y entre las dos cosas hacen buen trabajo.