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34C?

Which razor is more smooth

  • Muhle R89

  • Merkur 34C


Results are only viewable after voting.
Hello Gentlemen,

I own a Muhle R89 which is a fabulous fantastic razor. Super mild yet very effective and bbs machine. Now that Christmas is coming up i thought of treating myself with one of the famous 34C by Merkur. My question is if its comparable with the R89 in terms of blade feel, because i use sharp blades like nacet. I heard that its a little more aggressive then the R89. If anyone of you owns both, please share your thoughts on it!
 
I do not have an R89, but I understand the Gillette Heritage is a Muhle head and very similar to R89. The 34C is comparable in mildness to the Gillette Heritage; I do not feel much difference between the two.
 

lasta

Blade Biter
Mr. Marston haha,

Muhle is smoother, Merkur is better.

The Merkur is an excellent razor, smooth, mild, yet just barely enough blade feel to make it a worthy daily driver.

The R89 is definitely smoother yet. But so mild that I find it a hassle to shave with.
 
I have had both, now I only still own the R89. Both are great daily shavers, but the R89 has a better finish, with more attention to detail. Maybe a bit smoother than the 34c, but that's maybe. I think both are equally effective. If you are happy with your R89, I wouldn't opt for a 34c, but more a 37c if you fancy Merkur. Very solid razor, very effective and still very smooth. Just my 2 cents
 
I think the *89 style head is easier to use due to a wider variety of acceptable shaving angles; the Merkur is fussier about getting the angle just right to get that perfect BBS finish. That said, I think the Merkur has less blade feel and is more smooth- and gentle-feeling against the skin, so I prefer using it over the 89 heads.
 
I have the R89, it is too mild for me. The above mentioned 37C is much more efficient yet even smoother for me.
I read many times that these 2 (the 89 and the 34) are very similar in performance to each other. Why not get something a bit different? I.e. something from Razorock...
The handle of the merkur (37 and 34) is small, much smaller than the r89,.
 
Interested in comparisons myself. I'm coming at this from the opposite angle. Have been shaving with a 34C for the last several months, and just acquired an R89 that I haven't shaved with yet.

I have processed to the point where the Merkur is predictably great, every shave.
 
Hello Gentlemen,

I own a Muhle R89 which is a fabulous fantastic razor. Super mild yet very effective and bbs machine. Now that Christmas is coming up i thought of treating myself with one of the famous 34C by Merkur. My question is if its comparable with the R89 in terms of blade feel, because i use sharp blades like nacet. I heard that its a little more aggressive then the R89. If anyone of you owns both, please share your thoughts on it!
You wouldn't be getting a much different experience from what you already have. The 34c and R89 are pretty comparable. Maybe think about something like the Merkur Progress (adjustable) or Merkur 37c (slant bar). Razorock has a three piece slant razor that shaves about the same as the older 37c (called German 37). The advantage there is it is a three-piece razor so you could swap in a different handle, and it costs less.
 
The Merkur was my first DE razor and for 9 years the only one I owned. I got a Muhle 89 a few months ago and tbh barely notice a difference in shave quality. The main difference is how they feel in my hand. The Muhle has a bigger handle and is less “top heavy” than the Merkur. I also think the Muhle is a little less picky about loading blades precisely to get proper alignment. I suspect your hand size will determine which one you like better.
 
They're extremely similar. I'm not sure I could detect any difference in "smoothness" between the two examples I have. The R89 gives me a very slightly closer shave so that's my preference but they're both good.
 
Hello Gentlemen,

I own a Muhle R89 which is a fabulous fantastic razor. Super mild yet very effective and bbs machine. Now that Christmas is coming up i thought of treating myself with one of the famous 34C by Merkur. My question is if its comparable with the R89 in terms of blade feel, because i use sharp blades like nacet. I heard that its a little more aggressive then the R89. If anyone of you owns both, please share your thoughts on it!
 
Both are fairly similar. I had the EJ DE89 as my first razor and never developed a liking towards it. I purchased the 34c and liked it much better (efficient and smooth....mild razor with decent overall performance). Since they are similar razors (as in mild) I might recommend looking at the Muhle Rocca. The Rocca dials up the efficiency while still remaining smooth. The R94 is my favorite version after owning all of them. Nothing at all wrong with the 34c, but if you want something a bit different check out the Rocca.
 
We really need a view results without voting button. I haven't used either but voted Merkur to see the poll results (3 Muhle 6 Merkur excluding my vote right now).
 
So I have both of them, even though I stopped using them in favor of another razor let me describe it this way since they are both German. The 34 is like a VW and the Muhle is like a Porsche, that's just my opinion.
 
M

Member 113878

The shave is very similar from both of them.
My choice would be the 34c if I had to keep one.
 

ERS4

My exploding razor knows secrets
What is certain is that muhle usually has better plating finish, and the screw is not zamak.
My first razor was merkur, and I didn’t know what real electroplating was until later I bought another brand.

The efficiency of R89 and 34C is indeed not exactly the same, but not apples and oranges, I think it is enough to choose one of them.
 
I heard that its a little more aggressive then the R89.
Just a tad more but they deliver a similar result. The handle of the 34C is easier to hold but a little shorter and I like the 2-piece construction. There is not a lot of difference between the two but I prefer the Merkur. I think you would be better of looking at the 37C (slant bar) or the Fatip Piccolo open comb as alternatives.
Just to clarify, I have the EJ DE89 which is the same design as the Muhle R89; so it shaves the same. Both great razors for a daily shaver.
 
If I had to choose one in its factory configuration it would be the 34c. I find it to be a bit more efficient than the R89. The real advantage of the 89 is you can put a different handle on it.

If you’re a razor nerd, you should have both in your collection. They are close enough that there’s no practical reason to own both.
 
Thank you all for the amazing answers so far, and for sharing your experiences. Truth be told, im not really looking for a more aggressive or different behaving razor, because i like to use sharp blades, and they pair beautifully in a milder shaver like the R89. I just search for another mild razor that performs along the lines of the R89, so that i can change things up, and not be using the same razor over and over again. From what i’ve read here now i think that the 34C will also give me great smooth and mild shaves! The user above is right, i have to own both! After all the time here on the forum i heard too much about the 34C and just have to get one. :)
 

ajkel64

Check Out Chick
Staff member
Your thread has enticed me to pull my Merkur 34C out of the cupboard to give it a spin this coming week. I don't have to other razor mentioned as the Merkur 34C is a fantastic razor. Especially when paired with a sharp Blade like a Feather of Nacet.
 

lasta

Blade Biter
Thank you all for the amazing answers so far, and for sharing your experiences. Truth be told, im not really looking for a more aggressive or different behaving razor, because i like to use sharp blades, and they pair beautifully in a milder shaver like the R89. I just search for another mild razor that performs along the lines of the R89, so that i can change things up, and not be using the same razor over and over again. From what i’ve read here now i think that the 34C will also give me great smooth and mild shaves! The user above is right, i have to own both! After all the time here on the forum i heard too much about the 34C and just have to get one. :)

Another one down the rabbit hole.

I have a few other hobbies, and unanimously notice that hear acquisition is cyclical. Curiousity bites and bills stack up. But it won't take long until you realize that there isn't that much difference. Then you are left with making the hard choice of what to use this morning.
 

Legion

Staff member
Had both, and I recall preferring the 34c. The 89 was nice, but a little too mild for me.

But the difference was subtle. If you have one, the only reason to buy the other is you want a present.
 
The 34C is a great little razor but there is nothing special about it. And the finish is not that great. Chances are you will be disappointed. I would go for something like the Rockwell 6C.
 
Hi all, I was about to start a new thread but thought I may as well resurrect this one. I've been using a Merkur 34C for 8 or 9 years with excellent results. I'm comfortable doing 3 passes with no nicks or cuts etc. I use Derby Tokai Premium blades and Old Bond Street cream.

I've recently purchased a Muhle R89 & badger brush set and had my first shave earlier with terrible results. Firstly I couldn't get anywhere near a good lather with the brush. Does this sometimes happen with new brushes?

Then the shave itself was a disaster. After 2 passes I'd made no impact at all on my 3 day stubble! I had to go and get the 34C to finish. I could 'hear' the blade cutting, but obviously not to the same extent as with the 34C. Is the optimum angle for the Muhle that much different to the Merkur? Maybe I was being subconsciously cautious as it was a new razor. Do I just need to get used to handling the Muhle?
 
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