Merkur 25c , long handle & open comb\Tooth

A bit on the light side for me. That affects overall balance too. Handle is nice and long and there's a lot of blade out there for a good shave.

This is my favorite razor out of all of mine.

my fave merkur, i have long barber pole...better than my vision and futur

This razor feels too light and shaves too mild for me. I prefer 11C or Slant to this one.

the gap between the blade and razor edge\tooth is so tiny (as a paper thickness) . I think this balance the all "ship" , comparing to the agressivness of the open tooth , and gives a gentle shaving .
but I don't think you'll get the effect (very close shave) , unless you'll shave against the hair growth . because the open tooth suppose to stand up the hairs before they meet the blade .

This is the nicest Merkur out there (ok, ok IMO & YMMV) and the only one I would buy again with the knowledge I have today. The 25C was my second DE, after using an Astra TTO for 15 years and one (of two) that was instantly perfect.
The shave is not the closest but very, very comfortable and was perfect from the first shave on.
Marking it down for quality is all about the just above mediocre plating and the just below mediocre blade allignment. Merkur really should do something about their QC.
But the shave is so easygoing and comfortable, so userfriendly and so good in difficult areas (in my neck with a couple of spots were my beard is growing in every direction) that it is outperforming the straight bars (with ease) and even the slant for me.
The 9 on aggressiveness is not because the 25C is so aggressive but because it is near perfect.