age old question, merkur 34c vs de89

[pokey]

Yes they both shave the same as the heads are virtually identical, but the difference in plating and quality it remarkable.
Kudos to Edwin Jagger for charging less for more.
Am I alone for seeing a clear difference in manufacture???

 

[Ron Scott]

ToMAYto ToMAto

Different look, same quality, same shave.

 

[pokey]

I think they're both great razors Ron
You're right both give great shave
But when you look closely, the Germans dropped the ball
There are mant other threads on Merkurs plating being substandard

 

[KodiakAttack]

ToMAYto ToMAto

This^
You really can't go wrong with either.
The 89 has a longer handle, and may be slightly heavier (minuscule if at all).
The 89 is a 3 piece design, and the 34c is a 2 piece. Two piece razors are very simple and somewhat safer to change the blade in.

 

[Christian_V]

DE89L no question. The chrome plating is exquisite and consistently perfect, it transcends razordom into being a piece of art!

 

[aihpcfl]

By all accounts the plating job on Edwin Jagger razors is first rate. I take everyone's word on the shave. But I do prefer three piece design. Don't know why, just do.

 

[TacticalPanda]

The Edwin Jagger is built, or at least plated, to a far higher standard. It's also cheaper I believe. Easy decision in my opinion.

 

[FL shaver]

The 34C is on my countertop. The 89L is in its box in the drawer. I like the simplicity of the 2 piece razor and the more aggressive shave of the Merkur. And the plating of both razors is flawless.

 

[Cumberland Sausage]

I started with an EJ 89L and the plaing is flawless; the shave is pretty good, too. I've looked at Merkurs in a local shop and the plating doesn't look quite as good on a few of them, even at a cursory glance. For that reason alone I'd hesitate to buy one, even though the 34c probably gives a great shave.

 

[Marco]

The chrome plating on the EJ is superior, more shiny and accurate. But to me Merkur razors simply shave better and that's what really counts. Of course IMHO.

 

[Niles]

The chrome plating on the EJ is superior, more shiny and accurate. But to me Merkur razors simply shave better and that's what really counts. Of course IMHO.

This is close to my experience, too. I love the look of my DE89, but my Merkur Classic and HD give perfect, effortless shaves.

 

[RobAtSGH]

I really like the fit & finish of the Jaggers, and the overall feel of the handle. That being said, I use both the Merkurs and EJ89BL with about the same frequency - they're all great razors.

 

[Jarick]

Here's a good comparison at Shaving 101

 

[VerbaVolant]

Yes they both shave the same as the heads are virtually identical...

In my opinion 34C and DE89 do not shave the same as DE89 is milder than 34C. The heads are different in every aspect, design and execution.
Since 34C, 23C, 33C are more aggressive than DE89 the former will cut closer. That is not to say that DE89 is less effective. In my experience DE89 shaves well with all blades I tried so far and it does that with maximum comfort. If you want to shave daily DE89 is much better option, in my opinion.

...but the difference in plating and quality it remarkable...

In my experience it is not just the plating but also the finish of the head under the plating that is rough and shoddy on several Merkur razors I had. One can search this forum and still find many examples of such poor quality.

...Kudos to Edwin Jagger for charging less for more...

+1
They show respect for their customers through manufacturing, sale and post-sale attitude.

..Am I alone for seeing a clear difference in manufacture???

You are certainly not alone. The difference is evident not only in manufacture quality but also clear difference in post-sale, customer service attitude.

 

[takeshi]

Am I alone for seeing a clear difference in manufacture???

Not at all. That's a common comment.

In my opinion 34C and DE89 do not shave the same as DE89 is milder than 34C.

Same here. FWIW I prefer the DE89. YMMV as with any matter of DE preference.

But when you look closely, the Germans dropped the ball

Muhle (manufacturer of the EJ heads) is German.

 

[jedimojeaux]

Thanks for this thread guys! I was torn between the two actually, and now have an idea what to do!

 

[AirForceMX]

The EJ is too fancy for me. I want a rugged, easy to grip tool....not a show piece.....sorry to all you EJ lovers! No harm intended.

 

[mistercitizen]

The EJ DE89 and the Merkur 34C are different enough to me to say it's not "apples to apples"..... but I prefer the EJ DE89. I also prefer the EJ to the Muhle R89. I agree with the OP that the EJ offers better quality for less money. I like the heavier handle of the EJ too compared to the Muhle R89 handle.

Ben

 

[Vivasanti]

they don't shave the same at all!

34c shaved much better for me, heavier, slightly more aggressive - EJ just feels like a noob razor to me now.

 

[Invicta]

I get a better shave from the 34C. However, the grip on the Merkur handle is leagues above the EJ89. Having said that, I make sure my hand is dry when handling the EJ89 so the issue can be overcome. The EJ89 is 2/3 the price of the 34C which is why I keep it in the Dopp bag.