An updated 37C?

[VolpeVerde]

I've been shaving with a borrowed Merkur 37c for a while now and I really enjoy it, so I ordered a new one for myself from Amazon, at a really good price. On my first shave with it, I noticed it wasn't as aggressive as the borrowed slant, which is about two years old. Others here have used the term "efficient" when referring to the 37c shave, this new razor is efficient, but not as efficient and I had to work a little more to get the same excellent shave. Upon inspection I saw that the teeth on the guard are wider and flatter, the divots in the razor's cap are smaller and when the blade is installed in the razor, it seems flatter and the slant of the edge is not as pronounced as in the older 37c. here are a few pics:

This is my new 37c. The teeth are wider and flatter and there is no flashing between them. the plating on the entire razor is very good.

This is the older 37c. The teeth are smaller and the divots in the cap are larger. There is lots of flashing and the chrome is good but not as nice as the newer razor.

Here are the razors side by side, the newest on the left.

I just found this interesting that there is a difference and that the quality is improved in both the casting and plating. The handle and twist knob are identical in design. Unfortunately I have no idea when the newer razor was manufactured because there are no dates or other markings on the box.

 

[Haiku]

What great news! Merkur finally fixed up their casting and finishing and it looks like a design change too! Great!!

 

[Stubble Daddy]

I can definitely see how the older one could be more aggressive. The new one does have nicer plating though.

Thanks for the pics.... very interesting indeed!

 

[Squirrel]

After you get some shaves on it let us know how it works out.

 

[shawnsel]

Thanks for sharing this!

It sounds like this will affect the Merkur slant's Aggressiveness Ranking ... so I'd like to pin down some details....

1. When was the new version released? What should I call the old version? Can I safely call the old version 2014 (and the new version 2015)? Or was it still being distributed to retailers in early/mid 2015?

2. Could you possibly take blade exposure photos of both of them with:

• blade loaded (and with the blade aligned straight)
• head turned on its side
• lighting behind the razor works well (I've used an iPad with a thin sheet of paper protecting the screen)
• the edge of the blade in the center of the photo, with the camera's focus being on the blade's edge
• example: RiMei blade angles (note: only the hi-res photo is needed, I'm happy to mark up photos with the angles)
• note: getting the camera steady and focused in the exact spot can take some doing ... it's likely a good 30 minute project ... and it requires a camera that focuses well on objects that are only a few inches away....

Thanks!

Shawn

 

[Teppanyaki]

Following

 

[VolpeVerde]

Thanks for sharing this!

It sounds like this will affect the Merkur slant's Aggressiveness Ranking ... so I'd like to pin down some details....

1. When was the new version released? What should I call the old version? Can I safely call the old version 2014 (and the new version 2015)? Or was it still being distributed to retailers in early/mid 2015?

2. Could you possibly take blade exposure photos of both of them with:

• blade loaded (and with the blade aligned straight)
• head turned on its side
• lighting behind the razor works well (I've used an iPad with a thin sheet of paper protecting the screen)
• the edge of the blade in the center of the photo, with the camera's focus being on the blade's edge
• example: RiMei blade angles (note: only the hi-res photo is needed, I'm happy to mark up photos with the angles)
• note: getting the camera steady and focused in the exact spot can take some doing ... it's likely a good 30 minute project ... and it requires a camera that focuses well on objects that are only a few inches away....

Thanks!

Shawn

As for when my razor was manufactured, I can't tell, there is no dating information on the box, but I did receive this razor on July 17th of this year.

I'll try to work on some photographs, but I may be limited by my camera. The photos above were taken with a pocket sized Kodak Easyshare C913 digital camera, which takes excellent photos, but can be difficult when taking closeups. I'll work on it and post the photos as soon as I can!

 

[shawnsel]

As for when my razor was manufactured, I can't tell, there is no dating information on the box, but I did receive this razor on July 17th of this year.

I'll try to work on some photographs, but I may be limited by my camera. The photos above were taken with a pocket sized Kodak Easyshare C913 digital camera, which takes excellent photos, but can be difficult when taking closeups. I'll work on it and post the photos as soon as I can!

Thank you! Your information that the Merkur slant head design has changed is completely new to me. I really appreciate you help in figuring out how to update the razor comparison chart.

Hopefully someone else might also be able to chime in on information with their recent purchase.


Cheers!
Shawn

 

[merkur59]

subscribed...

 

[luv2shave]

I too received a Merkur 37c in late July from Amazon.com. After reading this thread I compared my copy to my gold 37G slant and found that they were the same. No improved slant here. Perhaps old stock?

 

[VolpeVerde]

Here are more photographs, they're pretty decent considering the limitations of my pocket camera.

This is the newest razor with a Gillette 7 o'clock yellow blade:








Here is the older 37c with a Gillette 7 o'clock yellow blade:







At this moment, I can't post any more photos, I may have too many attachments so I'll have to try and delete some before I can post more.

 

[shawnsel]

Here are more photographs, they're pretty decent considering the limitations of my pocket camera.

...

Your 100_1332.jpg seems like it might indicate less blade exposure (which would indicate a milder razor head design), but the angle of the photograph is too far off to reliably tell.

Blade exposure photos need to have the foremost and backmost edge of the blade lined up. Ideally you shouldn't be able to see the backmost portion of the blade (as it would be covered by the foremost portion of the blade). This might be especially tricky with a blade-twisting (torqued) slant though ... I'm not sure.

These are good photos though!


Thanks!
Shawn

 

[VolpeVerde]

Your 100_1332.jpg seems like it might indicate less blade exposure (which would indicate a milder razor head design), but the angle of the photograph is too far off to reliably tell.

Blade exposure photos need to have the foremost and backmost edge of the blade lined up. Ideally you shouldn't be able to see the backmost portion of the blade (as it would be covered by the foremost portion of the blade). This might be especially tricky with a blade-twisting (torqued) slant though ... I'm not sure.

These are good photos though!


Thanks!
Shawn

Thank you. I took 20 photos, unfortunately these are the best. I tried to take blade exposure photos but the camera has a narrow field of focus and no way to override the autofocus system, it can't pick up the edge of the blade and just looks fuzzy whereas the rest of the razor looks fairly clear.
Yes this razor is considerably milder, I can even shave against the grain on my upper lip but it also takes more work in areas like the jaw line and neck.

 

[Haiku]

Well from what I can see, we now have a new slant on the market. Thanks for taking the time to try to get pictures especially when you're limited by your camera. That's a great deal of work and it's appreciated by all of us.

 

[wishbone]

Interesting ......... I wonder if Merkur have other 'improvements' lined up for their range........ Just going on the images above, it wouldn't be beyond imagination to wonder if they'll produce a 34c in the near future, with the same safety bar design. It would end up very much like the old Golf, Asan / Schlussler, Henckels razor designs

 

[stoof2010]

Thanks for the post!!
I have the older one and don't have any issues with the alignment, but now of course I have to get the new model too!!! Lol.
If it is a bit more mild, then maybe I can use it more often with less growth.
Thanks again!!

 

[luv2shave]

I am curious to know if the mild nature results in equally efficient shave quality as is known of the slant.

 

[Nolimit]

I haven't received a reply from Merkur as of yet asking if they have updated the 37C. I sent the question to Merkurs general email and Anne Rothstein. I have exchanged emails in the past with her and she has always been helpful with questions concerning Merkur or Dovo products.

Let's hope you get an answer to share soon! Thanks for the effort and update.

 

[Riyame]

I would be interested in hearing how well the new vs old compares. I just received an older version and love the way it shaves.

 

[PCFiend138]

I agree about the new model looking milder, I've got a 37g and it looks exactly like the older model. I honestly wasn't sure the new razor was a slant by the first few photos.