Merkur HD 34C Double-Edge Safety Razor

I sent away for this from Amazon and got it Christmas Eve morning. Naturally, I couldn't wait to use it, so I immediately took it upstairs to the bathroom, applied some castor oil to my face, lathered up my brush and applied my shaving cream, and began my shave.

Now, I have two Van der Hagen-Weishi 9306es, one short and one long handle. The weight of the Merkur 34c is comparable to the Weishi 9306CL, making it a more aggressive razor than the short-handle 9306. Like the Weishis, it is constructed from brass and plated in chrome, making for a razor with a fair amount of weight. It's also well balanced. You really don't need to use any pressure when shaving with this. Gravity will work with the weight of the razor to do the work for you. If you're looking for a more aggressive shave, the Merkur 34c is about middle of the scale, so it is ideal for beginners and advanced users alike.

The Merkur blade that came with the razor gave me a bit closer shave than my Astra Superior Platinums, and like the Astras was sharp yet forgiving on my face. As I understand it, the Merkur 34c does wonders with Astras, Gillette Silver Blues, and of course, the very nearly unsurpassable Feather blades. I have a sampler pack, so I'll try out different blades to find out which works best in the Merkur.

Definitely my daily go to razor. At times, wish it was a bit more aggressive, like my Merkur open comb 25C. But the heft, balance, short handle and overall feel of the 34C keep me reaching for it time and again. I would give one of my big toes if Merkur offered this same razor in an open comb. That would put me in DE Razor heaven. I wonder why they don't offer the same razor with an open comb option........

Overall a quality razor, I wish the handle could be longer. I purchased this used and am very surprised by the price of this new. I am not sure I''d buy this at full price. I had a little difficulty getting the right angle, but once it was there, this little fellow did a solid job.

I bought Merkur 34C HD after i used for a wile an DE89 type of razor, more specific Muhle R106. Now, the problems i had with Muhle, was the consistency of shaving. One shave might have been great, next one might have been bad. I can't really put my finger on the problem. Tried more blade combinations, it just seems a luck draw when i choose to use it.
Now, from the first shave with Merkur 34C HD, had only great shave. Not a single nick, no irritation, no matter what blade i used. First thing that i feel different is the razor handle dimension. It's smaller and bulkier on Merkur. I don't see it as a bad thing. Just different, but did not need adjustments.
Then, the overall weight of the razor differ from R106. Merkur is heavier, but it's better balanced than R106. The balance point it's closed to the middle of the handle and not right under the razor head, like R106.
As aggressiveness goes, it is more aggressive than DE89, but in a good way. You get to feel the blade on your face. That is a problem i had with R106. Often, i don't feel the blade, and just the bar, so i might not be sure if i'm keeping the correct angle. Merkur is much more intuitive from this point of view. You get to feel the blade, it's easier to lock your angle.

The heads does not look too different between the two, but from some reason, it's easier for me to get the hairs under my nose with Merkur.

One thing that made me choose R106 as my first razor, instead Merkur HD, was the chrome quality. I saw pictures of Merkurs online, where chrome looked pretty bad. Also, users were stating the much better quality in DE89 razors. Now, Merkur might have improved their chrome. The razor that i own is very close of R106 from this point. There are few areas, under the top plate, where the chrome is not flawless, but in rest, it's perfect.

Honestly, i don't see myself using R106 again too soon. Merkur HD just works better.

I am new to DE shaving, but not new to wet shaving, I actually now prefer a cold water shaving technique (similar to one discussed on the Badger and Brush website) before I shower. I recently was doing some research for some blades for my father in-law who uses a DE razor and so I discovered the old way of shaving which is more economical and fun.

I first tried a Parker 96R TTO razor (because it looked like my dads old razor), shaved OK a bit aggressive and I found the long handle and the big head of TTO hard to manoeuvre around my short neck and lip areas without nicks (I could not keep the correct angle). I have old sensitive skin (I'm in my mid 60s) with a medium beard that grows way down my neck. So after some more research I purchased the Merkur 34c (from MensBiz in Australia) and I have not looked back. I now get great no nick shaves from my first shave with the 34c, I find the shorter handle, smaller head and milder aggression of the 34c easy to manoeuvre around my problem neck and lip areas without nicks.

I also own a "shiny" new Muhle R89 which gives a good shave as well, but I find the 34c has a better safer grip on the handle and has a bit small lighter head which is easier for me to manoeuvre around my face. So I now shave daily (mostly) with my Merkur 34c and keep the Muhle in cupboard as a backup. I gave the Parker and Proglide away to my father in-law (he wanted to try out multiblade shaving?).

I have been using the HD exclusively for a month now and I highly recommend the Merkur 34c to anyone wanting to try out DE wet shaving, for the about the price of a couple packs of Proglide blades you can set yourself up with a Merkur 34c razor, sampler blades, brush and shaving soap/cream (and bring the fun into shaving) and watch the "how to shave" Youtube videos by Mantic59 and others. I also recommend this well made razor for someone looking for a more manoeuvrable razor.

Every time a poll asks experienced shavers what their recommended starter razor is, it always comes to the 34C and EJ89, and without having used the EJ89, I can easily see why the 34C is always up there. If you have seen a video of Border Collie shepherding sheep around, you can see why it always comes up in the top two of the 'smartest dog' category.

Make no bones about it, the 34C is a heavy dreadnought of a razor. It is easy to find the ideal shaving angle with, and unless you have bananas for fingers it is easy to manipulate. The knurling is deep and fairly aggressive, and easy to grip whether your fingers are wet or dry, and rest assured there is no danger of this razor slipping out of your hands unless you actually have butter for fingers.

This is a two-piece razor, and the knob on the end is twisted to release the head and change the blade. My first razor was a three-piece design, which turned out to be a horrible idea because I was so terrified of slicing my fingers open on a razor-blade.

I marked the "adjustability" as a "10" with the beginner in mind. As a beginner, the last thing you would want is an adjustable razor. But this is a nearly-ideal razor for an experienced shaver, and any adjustablity would ruin this nearly-flawless razor.

I paid right around $35 for mine, and while not the cheapest razor in the history of the universe, it is not anywhere near the most expensive. To be sure, there are much pricier razors out there, but this is what you could easily and reasonably expect to pay for a quality razor that will most likely outlast the user if he takes care of it.

This is a great item for the price. The balance is very neutral and it feels very sturdy in the hand.

The blade loading was a nice surprise, as you twist the bottom and the head detaches, insert blade, slide the head back into position and twist again to lock it down.

This a slightly more aggressive razor compared to the Edwin Jaeger DE89L, however its absolutely fine to use as a daily shaver and on sensitive skin. I use this as well as the DE89L as my daily shaver. I have sensitive skin, with thick and fast asian hair growth. Whilst the DE89L is marginally smoother, this merkur 34c give me a tiny bit closer shave.

To gauge an idea of the shaving products I use, I have pictured it below;

I started with this razor as my research indicated it was the ideal "beginner" razor and I think it's just that. It is small and hefty, requiring minimal effort to move it across your face because of the weight. The safety bar provides adequate protection from potentially cutting yourself too much. If your lather is good then this shaver works well with a variety of blades. However, it wasn't until a friend sent me a Gillette Super Speed that I realized I needed a razor that was slightly more aggressive for my thick facial hair and so I am moving on, but this was a great shaver for learning and trying out razors and I likely will go back to it again (for nostalgia's sake).

To me, Merkur's 34C is the perfect beginner's razor. Well balanced, and with enough weight to feel more than comfortable, this razor yields a consistent, gentle shave.While there are many other razors out there, I would suggest this one to anyone who is starting out, and wants a forgiving razor.For me, it is my razor of reference whenever I try out new brushes, soaps and blades.I heartily recommend this razor.

Excellent razor for the beginner to the advanced user. Handle takes a week to get used to, but is well balanced.

God bless you if you can get away with it safely, but not tightening the head down fully is asking for trouble.

This is my first DE (fendrihan.com) it's perfect razor for starters Just don't use any pressure , let the weight of razor do the work and u will be having perfect shaves . A little secret about this razor i found is that it can be used as a semi adjustable razor. just don't tighten the blade too much and this will change the angle of the blade for a more closer shave (don't make too much loose). I love it's sturdy build quality and shine. So far i can get 3-4 shaves with any kind of blade.