Merkur Platinum Double Edge Blades

i have a moderate beard and am an experienced shaver w/ a smooth hand.

i like the merkurs the best, equal to derby's. i think the merkur's last a shave or two more than the derby's, though.

they're sharp, smooth, and lasted me about 5 solid shaves.

these merkurs are far better than the feathers, which are vey over-rated and poor quality b/c of too many nicks due to poor consistency in the feather's blade.

I received a Merkur as part of a West Coast sample. I tried it and really liked the result. So I purchased two packages of 5. That was two years ago and I still have 8 blades left. I just don't understand the change. I used the same razors, same creams but I find the Merkur's to be harsh, dull and a threat to my faces well being

The dealer I bought my Merkur HD from told me these were his favorite blades, so I bought a package of them. I got through the first three blades as they gave me the worst shave of my life. First the positives; they are very sharp, I think the quality from blade to blade was excellent and I liked that the package had a slit to get rid of the used blades on the back of it. Now - the negatives are that this blade found places to cut my face that I did not know I had and they were so rough and abrasive on my face that after a shave I felt like I had used sandpaper on my skin. It is odd that they can be so sharp yet so abrasive all at the same time. These blades are a product of the devils workshop - for me. They must work for some folks but for me and my skin they were the worst I have ever tried.

My Weishi came with Dorco ST300 which I did not care for. These are sharper and I have less irritation with them. I am still learning the art, but these have provided the closest, most comfortable shaves yet. They are readily available at "The Art of Shaving" store which is close to my house so that is convenient too. I paid $13 for ten which is a bit overpriced I think but still not bad. So far so good. I would give them B+.

Bought blades on ebay at 60 cents per blade ,I know not cheap but found them to be a good blade for a newbie .Cannot fault blades in any department especialy after trying Wilkinson Classics, sometimes you get what you pay for,happy with my Merkurs but will try others because of price.

I got my Merkur 11C on Tuesday and shaved with the included complimentary Merkur blade (it was my first DE shave, after almost a decade of cartridge suffering). What a disappointment! The blade pulled on my skin and I felt like I was shaving with sandpaper or crushed glass. I found the sharpness to be subpar as well. After this disappointing experience, I dumped the Merkur blade into the garbage and switched to the Red Pack Israeli's that I ordered along with my razor (100 for $10)

These are the worst blades I have used.

Too expensive for the low performance.

The Merkurs were my second blade, and actually resulted in a pretty good shave for me. Shaves were not as smooth as Derby's, but I had better results overall. Didn't work to well ATG with cream, but did with soap. I had tried three of these blades, each with similar results, and all of them lasting at least three shaves with three passes each. Could have been a little cheaper given the overall quality, but still happy.

A very good known standard for any razor blade to be compared to.

I ve started to use this Blade cause I ve used Wilkinson before which blade was irritate my skin and therfore I hate it. I ve tried Gilette as well but the Merkur Blade is the best for me. Maybe its not cheap but I dont care about the price if its good for my skin.

Price - Expensive, for what you get.

Quality - Looks great, blade-to-blade consistency is good.

Sharpness - Not too sharp. I've tried Bic, Derby, Crystal and they're all sharper than these.

Longevity - Pretty good. I get around 5 shaves with these.

Smoothess of Shave - Again, not too good. Useable if nothing else is available.

Packaging - Standard plastic box with a compartment for used blades. Works ok of course, but I prefer the cardboard boxes.

Overall - Useable, but especially for the price, not too good of a deal.

(Merkur 34C, Col Conk soap)

I do not like these razor blades. They are not sharp and they do not last more than 2 shaves. After 2 shaves they will tear up your face. I have been very disappointed with these blades.

Only used for half a shave. Had to replace and finish with a Derby. OUCH.

I am a month in to my new "hobby" of shaving without all the unpleasantness of the cartridges. I can't complain about the price of ANY DE blade if I compare it to the Gilette and Schick cartridge skin vampires. I have only tried the Merkur blades and the Israeli ones and some VERY cheap ones with USA stamped on them. The American made no-names just hacked me up, and that was after getting consistenly bloodless, reasonably close shaves Israeli-style. Going back then to the Merkur (the ones I cut my wetshaving teeth on) I still find them "nicky".

To qualify that statement, though, I have been having fun using different creams (the usual suspects: T&H, Em's, Proraso, Musgo) with my Merkur HD, and different prep products (Skin Food and some thick Anthony pre-shave oil that seems to thick), so there are lots of variables, not to mention my own razor-handling learning curve. I am also cursed with tough whiskers, wimpy skin and a cleft chin with lots of contour - the classic triple-threat...

I envy those of my friends who can shave with anything and get a close comfortable shave. I really believe not every guy needs to do it old-style, like us.

I am new here, and am looking forward to communicating with you guys on something that is now a pleasure but used to be a "drag".

Like many other I had my first DE experience with a Merkur Platinum blade - and like many other the nics and burn I experienced from these first few shaves made me believe that the Merkur Platinum was bad blade.

After having used Gillette Swedes for a while, and finding them to sharp and unforgiving for my newbie technique, I decided to revisit the Merkur Platinums. And guess what? They worked great for me:

Price
Not the cheapest blades out there, but some of the cheaper blades available here in Denmark actually

Quality
Nice and consistent. Only gripe is that I always experiece a slight irritation when using a new blade the first time

Sharpness
Not the sharpest, but sharp enough

Longevity
I get three shaves from them - the same as with the Gillette Swedes

Smoothness of shave
I get smoother and closer shaves with a Gillette Swede, but at the price of razorburn on my neck

Packaging
Works perfectly well for me


Regards.

Jakob

The first time I used a Merker blade it was the one that came with my razor. Since I had read the forums stating these were terrible but the blade that were bought in a package were ok I wrote off the terrible experience I had to it being a sample blade.

Last night I was shaving and needed a change of blade, perfect time to try those Merkurs sitting on the shelf.

For the first time since I took up DE shaving again I have needed to bring out the styptic. Numerous nicks, razor burn, and constant tugging on my beard instead of just slicing it away.

This was undoubtedly the worst shave I have had in my life, even though I was using my most forgiving razor, a Gillette Tech.

I may be able to use the rest of these blades in the scraper that removes the city sticker from your windshield. In my opinion that is about all they are good for.

My first blade, since it came with my 34c. In the last 6 months I've been experimenting a lot with blades & I came across much better stuff: Dorco (blue), Personna (red), Feather, even Gillette (black). I'm not basing this review not on one blade, I've used several from different packages. I would put it in the same category as Derby, which didn't work for me either, but which is much cheaper.

The Merkur is not as sharp as a Derby or Feather, hence even fresh out of the box there is comparatively more tugging. However the resultant shave is every bit as smooth.

To me their downfall is the price esp when compared to Derbys.

I've had no problems with Merkur blades, I got a smooth shave and did not experience any skipping, tugging or dragging. I can only get them in packs of 10 for $10, so they are pricier than others. A great blade, that delivered a good quality shave.

- Aaron