1st shave with Merkur 34C was inefficient. What am I doing wrong?

[Mike Williams]

I tend to do everything backwards. I've owned 15-20 razors, but today was my first time to shave with the Merkur 34C. I used a Gillette Platinum blade, and I was surprised with what an inefficient shave it was, even after 2-3 passes. I've used vintage Gillette Techs, Gillette adjustables, Edwin Jagger DE 89, and lately I've been shaving with the Henson mild and the Winning Razor. I love both of these.
So, the Merkur 34C is the workhorse of the industry, right? I must be doing something wrong. Is my angle incorrect? Should I try another blade? Any suggestions are appreciated.
Thank you.

 

[StewB]

My assessment is that the 34C has a fairly narrow efficient angle "window". With a razor like the Winning, the angle is more or less automatic and built into the head's design, which is not so with the more traditional 34C design. You might have to practice a bit more to determine the 34C's most efficient shave angle.

 

[gpjoe]

I tend to do everything backwards. I've owned 15-20 razors, but today was my first time to shave with the Merkur 34C. I used a Gillette Platinum blade, and I was surprised with what an inefficient shave it was, even after 2-3 passes. I've used vintage Gillette Techs, Gillette adjustables, Edwin Jagger DE 89, and lately I've been shaving with the Henson mild and the Winning Razor. I love both of these.
So, the Merkur 34C is the workhorse of the industry, right? I must be doing something wrong. Is my angle incorrect? Should I try another blade? Any suggestions are appreciated.
Thank you.

Don't sweat it.

Much like you, I get fantastic shaves from my Gillette Techs and my Henson AL13+ (among others) but for the life of me I cannot get a good shave from either my Merkur 34c or my EJ DE89. I always blame my technique and put them away to try again at a later time, but the magic still hasn't happened for me.

 

[RollingStop]

For me, I've found two things make my 34c give a wonderful shave:

• Thinner, rather than thicker lather. I've been moving this direction for a bit now.
• A sharp blade. I find my 34c to be very mild, I don't think I've ever nicked myself with one. So it needs a sharper blade. I've started only using a Feather with mine.

If I follow my own rules above, I walk away with a close shave free of blood and irritation. Having said this, I find myself using my 34c about twenty percent of the time.

 

[Filudo]

I just think that both the 34C and DE89 are 3 pass razors....(at least for me), after the 3rd they usually give me a decent shave; 2 passes-not close enough. And yes the 34C has a bit of a different angle....keep trying and do 3 passes....in different directions, they give good irritation free shaves (and NO cuts).

 

[LRod]

I tend to do everything backwards. I've owned 15-20 razors, but today was my first time to shave with the Merkur 34C. I used a Gillette Platinum blade, and I was surprised with what an inefficient shave it was, even after 2-3 passes. I've used vintage Gillette Techs, Gillette adjustables, Edwin Jagger DE 89, and lately I've been shaving with the Henson mild and the Winning Razor. I love both of these.
So, the Merkur 34C is the workhorse of the industry, right? I must be doing something wrong. Is my angle incorrect? Should I try another blade? Any suggestions are appreciated.
Thank you.

I don't think you're doing anything wrong!
The 34C, 23C & 33C (same heads) are the most inefficient razors I've ever used. The 34C was my first DE razor and I believe that since I didn't know any better, I stopped wet shaving because of that. Fast forward 10 years, I went back to wet shaving by experimenting and finding the right tools (efficient/agressive razors).
B&B helped me with that!
I do 2 pass WTG/XTG daily shaves with near BBS results. And they're irritation free because of less passes and more efficiency.
I've since sold all 3 and any non efficient & mild razors that I owned.
Of course YMMV but that was my experience!

Note: The only Zamak razor that I've kept has been the Parker 97R. It's Parker's version of the 34C! It's built better, shaves better and has slightly more agressiveness (but much more efficiency) that the 34C is missing. It's basically what the 34C should be!

 

[Mike Williams]

I don't think you're doing anything wrong!
The 34C, 23C & 33C (same heads) are the most inefficient razors I've ever used. The 34C was my first DE razor and I believe that since I didn't know any better, I stopped wet shaving because of that. Fast forward 10 years, I went back to wet shaving by experimenting and finding the right tools (efficient/agressive razors).
B&B helped me with that!
I do 2 pass WTG/XTG daily shaves with near BBS results. And they're irritation free because of less passes and more efficiency.
I've since sold all 3 and any non efficient & mild razors that I owned.
Of course YMMV but that was my experience!

Note: The only Zamak razor that I've kept has been the Parker 97R. It's Parker's version of the 34C! It's built better, shaves better and has slightly more agressiveness (but much more efficiency) that the 34C is missing. It's basically what the 34C should be!

So, which razors are you liking now?

 

[LRod]

So, which razors are you liking now?

I've tried so many, Lol!
My preference (right now) are Above the Tie razors and Fatip.
Seems like you've been on here way longer than me so you've probably read everything that I've read. My first mid tier razors were Razorock. I don't know if you have any but that's where I'd be looking to go beyond a 34C.
Or maybe something like the "Winning" razor.
But of course, I don't know what you have or have already used before.

 

[gpjoe]

I've tried so many, Lol!
My preference (right now) are Above the Tie razors and Fatip.
Seems like you've been on here way longer than me so you've probably read everything that I've read. My first mid tier razors were Razorock. I don't know if you have any but that's where I'd be looking to go beyond a 34C.
Or maybe something like the "Winning" razor.
But of course, I don't know what you have or have already used before.

So far, my Razorock GC 68P is one of my my favorite razors. It is definitely more efficient that my 34c and DE89 and still gives me a close and comfortable shave.

 

[Invicta]

So, the Merkur 34C is the workhorse of the industry, right? I must be doing something wrong. Is my angle incorrect? Should I try another blade? Any suggestions are appreciated.

I would not make a decision on one shave but a number of shaves. There are other parameters to consider but blade angle would certainly be one of those. From what I hear, the blade is good.

 

[Inverted]

The 34c is a safe shaver. You will never get a close and efficient shave with a razor head like a 34c. As I gain more experience and learn my face better, I find that I like a 2-pass shave over a 3-pass shave. My face feels raw if I need to do a 3 pass shave to get a BBS (at least on the face, the neck is another story).

I thought that because I have sensitive skin, a milder razor and more passes would be better but I think that might be a misconception. The 34c is inefficient and very mild so it takes more passes to achieve the same result as a more efficient razor. More efficient razors aren't necessarily more aggressive which is another common misconception that I think a lot of us carried as noobies.

Do I use my 34c? Not anymore. Does it have its place? Yes. It is a good razor and a good beginner razor but as gain experience, you want a better shave with less irritation, it really isn't a terrific tool for that. At least for me and my testing...

 

[Mike Williams]

I've tried so many, Lol!
My preference (right now) are Above the Tie razors and Fatip.
Seems like you've been on here way longer than me so you've probably read everything that I've read. My first mid tier razors were Razorock. I don't know if you have any but that's where I'd be looking to go beyond a 34C.
Or maybe something like the "Winning" razor.
But of course, I don't know what you have or have already used before.

I have the WR, and I love it!

 

[Flintstone65]

Looks like several of us have had the same experience with the 34c. It was my very first DE razor, and while the shaves improved over time, they never really seemed terribly close. It's a perfectly fine razor, and there are some who are real fans, but I moved on years ago and I keep the razor as a "medicine cabinet queen" as it was my entry into this fabulous world.

 

[LRod]

I have the WR, and I love it!

That's great! That one gives way better results than the 34C!
I previously had it and it did a good job!

 

[Mike Williams]

That's great! That one gives way better results than the 34C!
I previously had it and it did a good job!

It gets worse (or better depending on your point of view) I also caved and ordered the Merica razor! Love that industrial look!

 

[BigJ]

For me the ideal combination is a ’mild/moderate’ razor (like the 34C) plus a sharp blade. So my first suggestion is that you work your way through your blade options to see which works best for you.

 

[Mike Williams]

Looks like several of us have had the same experience with the 34c. It was my very first DE razor, and while the shaves improved over time, they never really seemed terribly close. It's a perfectly fine razor, and there are some who are real fans, but I moved on years ago and I keep the razor as a "medicine cabinet queen" as it was my entry into this fabulous world.

Yeah, I just couldn't imagine using the Merkur 34C again. My Winning Razor, My Henson mild, even my hybrid Gillette Tech all give better shaves. Jeeze, I had a $7 plastic Wilkinson safety razor that shaved better than Merkur 34C. Fortunately, it was an Amazon purchase that I was able to return.

 

[nemo]

I generally don't make sweeping judgements on products after only one use but others may vary from my opinion.

While the Merkur 34C isn't one of my favorites, when I use it with a good blade I can easily get a close and comfortable shave.

 

[Mike Williams]

I generally don't make sweeping judgements on products after only one use but others may vary from my opinion.

While the Merkur 34C isn't one of my favorites, when I use it with a good blade I can easily get a close and comfortable shave.

I'm sure you're right about needing more than one shave to make a good judgment, but so many people seem to be in line with my initial impression that I might give it up anyway. Thanks for the input.

 

[dfs]

34c is for me somewhat more than a mild shaver and with a decent blade I get a happy 2 pass close shave. Not my daily driver for sure, but I do like it when I need a real quick mindless shave. It is also my go to razor if I have nicked myself the day before and don't want a re-bleed.