Happy SLANTember! Over in the 2020 Slantember thread it seems like better than half of the slants being plied are either some version of Merkur slant (37, 39, Pomco, Hoffritz, Coles) or else the RazoRock "German 37." I've got a vintage Merkur 37 (pre "-C" model, before 1970). I've been curious about the RR G37 but until now not curious enough to actually drop the coin to get one.
Mostly that's down to believing that if I had the razor the G37 was supposedly copying I had the "real deal" and didn't need to mess around with cheap imitations. But, as Jerry Jeff Walker reminds us, sometimes messing around with a cheap imitation can be a lotta fun. First of all, what exactly are we looking at here?
I'm gonna start by unloading a pet peeve. I totally understand why the guys at RazoRock would name this razor the "German 37." Everybody who's interested in slants knows that Merkur 37/37C/37G is one of the grandaddies of the type. So giving this thing a name that is supposed to immediately key with the customer is good business. But it's WRONG.
The Merkur 37 is a two-piece razor, the G37 is a three-piece. Merkur used to make a three-piece slant, the 36. So technically since it's a three-piece razor this should be the "German 36." Can't get out in front of it, so might as well just accept it. [shrug]
I had a RR HD handle from an earlier purchase, so when I bought the razor I decided to get it with the UFO handle, which I did not have. After it arrived, I had the thought that putting the HD handle on the G37 would mimic the ergonomics of the Merkur 37. I was kinda right; kinda wrong. More on that in a bit.
I dug out my trusty scale and recorded the following:
Merkur 37: 74g
G37/HD: 100.5g
G37/UFO: 91.5g
G37/Bulldog: 100g
From this we see that the Merkur's two-piece design with a nice hollow handle and a drilled-out nut gives a somewhat light razor that appears to be slightly head-heavy. The Merkur's handle is the shortest in this group at around 76mm.
Putting the HD handle on the G37 turned out to be a bad idea. Where Merkur's short little handle is made of brass and is basically hollow, the RR HD handle is a solid chunk of stainless. You can see that it's the heaviest handle in the batch, and at 80mm it is only slightly longer than the Merkur's handle. The balance changes dramatically between the two razors. The G37/HD feels a lot heavier than it actually is (I've got heavier razors), the handle feels short to me and the balance is far down the handle. It just didn't feel right.
I also have a RR Bulldog handle, 85mm of heavily-knurled stainless. I thought it would probably look kinda stilty and make the razor handle-heavy and I was right.
The RR UFO handle just seems to be right for this razor, for me. You can see the all-up mass of the razor is a little lower, and because of the handle design the razor and head feel neutral in my hands. Here's a look at the HD and the UFO side by side:
Same length, same diameter. That great heavy glob of stainless on the end of the HD really moves the centre of mass down. By contrast the somewhat reduced end on the UFO leaves the razor feeling neutrally balanced.
The other thing I checked was how the heads clamp the blade. The Merkur seems to have a little more clamping area than the G37, but in the "sensories" (to jump ahead) the shave seemed better with the G37, albeit only slightly.
It's a little hard to tell. Might be a trick of the light.
This is not my first RazoRock razor. I have a Wunderbar which is also getting some play during SLANTember. I also have both the Hawk V3 SB and OC. I often say that in terms of the value you receive for the price you pay, RazoRock tends to punch 'way above their weight. Excellent, well-made razors (with some compromises) that shave as well as, and in some cases better than other more expensive razors.
Comparing the Merkur and the G37 on price, a brand-new 37C will tap your wallet for about $75.00 while a G37 will only touch you for about $40.00. Prices vary depending on supplier, sales, and currency exchange rates. It's reasonable to look for areas where some "strategic economic decisions" were made. I found one. It's not a deal-breaker, but I may be motivated to address it with the company.
It's a little hard to pick out in the picture, but if you look at the upper surface of the threaded stud, toward the end, you may see that the threads aren't deeply cut in that spot. I'm assuming this was good enough to get over RazoRock's quality control bar, but I'm also assuming that since you can buy a new head for $12.50 on sale, that the bar is already set rather low. It requires a little care when threading on the handle, but once it's on the handle is solid.
As I say, not a dealbreaker but it was my money and I'd like to have a well-made product for it instead of a "Friday" piece.
As you might expect from the fidelity of the reproduction, the shave is substantially similar. Most of the similarity is in the heads, with the handles and overall design confounding the matter a little.
I find the shave with the Merkur 37 to be, as I've said elsewhere, "calm, cool and collected." With an Astra SP it gives a good shave. Not, for me, as close as the Wunderbar or the S2 but a shave that goes well and is good enough for a day in the office or classroom and still in good shape if I want to go out to the pub and pick up a case of Covid. [grin] I notice that the Merkur is a bit finicky about shave angle, but finding and keeping the angle is simple. Unlike some other razors, if the Merkur isn't cutting it isn't making noise.
The downside of the Merkur, for me, is that short light handle. The razor being slightly head-heavy keeps me from absent-mindedly starting to press in, but the shortness of the handle is not a good fit to my hands and the light weight (although heavier than a bakelite razor) is JUST light enough to annoy me. The problem is that I prefer a razor that does the work rather than one I have to pull WTG. It's not a huge deal but it's one of those things that I have to explicitly acknowledge and negotiate before I can let it go and enjoy the shave.
The fidelity of the reproduction is evident in the G37/UFO also being a little finicky about shave angle. Not quite as much, though, which is serendipitously encouraging. I had thought that the blade clamping might not be as good as the Merkur, but it wasn't a problem. The shave I got was qualitatively dramatically different than the Merkur. I think that's mainly because of the difference in handles. The UFO handle, as I've said, makes the G37 feel neutrally balanced in my hand. The shave was wonderful. Even better than the Merkur.
One more thing, of a more philosophical nature. I play with blades: knives, swords, axes, scythes, razors. I still have all my fingers (though I have a couple of impressive scars). When you're starting out you have to accommodate yourself to the tool. You have to learn how to hold it, how to move it, how to reflexively put it where it will do what you want. You have to build muscle memory and hand-eye coordination, strength and flexibility, and ingrain the moves until they're automatic.
Once you've hit that level, though, then it's time to start making the tool fit the user. Once you know what you're doing you can start to fine-tune the tool. They say a master can do fine work with any tool. This is true. But if you look at a master's tools, you will see that they only fit that master's hands. There is a two-way, symbiotic relationship between user and tool.
I'm not claiming to be a master. But I can look at this experience and say that this particular tool lets me do pretty good work.
O.H.
Mostly that's down to believing that if I had the razor the G37 was supposedly copying I had the "real deal" and didn't need to mess around with cheap imitations. But, as Jerry Jeff Walker reminds us, sometimes messing around with a cheap imitation can be a lotta fun. First of all, what exactly are we looking at here?
I'm gonna start by unloading a pet peeve. I totally understand why the guys at RazoRock would name this razor the "German 37." Everybody who's interested in slants knows that Merkur 37/37C/37G is one of the grandaddies of the type. So giving this thing a name that is supposed to immediately key with the customer is good business. But it's WRONG.
The Merkur 37 is a two-piece razor, the G37 is a three-piece. Merkur used to make a three-piece slant, the 36. So technically since it's a three-piece razor this should be the "German 36." Can't get out in front of it, so might as well just accept it. [shrug]
I had a RR HD handle from an earlier purchase, so when I bought the razor I decided to get it with the UFO handle, which I did not have. After it arrived, I had the thought that putting the HD handle on the G37 would mimic the ergonomics of the Merkur 37. I was kinda right; kinda wrong. More on that in a bit.
I dug out my trusty scale and recorded the following:
Merkur 37: 74g
G37/HD: 100.5g
G37/UFO: 91.5g
G37/Bulldog: 100g
From this we see that the Merkur's two-piece design with a nice hollow handle and a drilled-out nut gives a somewhat light razor that appears to be slightly head-heavy. The Merkur's handle is the shortest in this group at around 76mm.
Putting the HD handle on the G37 turned out to be a bad idea. Where Merkur's short little handle is made of brass and is basically hollow, the RR HD handle is a solid chunk of stainless. You can see that it's the heaviest handle in the batch, and at 80mm it is only slightly longer than the Merkur's handle. The balance changes dramatically between the two razors. The G37/HD feels a lot heavier than it actually is (I've got heavier razors), the handle feels short to me and the balance is far down the handle. It just didn't feel right.
I also have a RR Bulldog handle, 85mm of heavily-knurled stainless. I thought it would probably look kinda stilty and make the razor handle-heavy and I was right.
The RR UFO handle just seems to be right for this razor, for me. You can see the all-up mass of the razor is a little lower, and because of the handle design the razor and head feel neutral in my hands. Here's a look at the HD and the UFO side by side:
Same length, same diameter. That great heavy glob of stainless on the end of the HD really moves the centre of mass down. By contrast the somewhat reduced end on the UFO leaves the razor feeling neutrally balanced.
The other thing I checked was how the heads clamp the blade. The Merkur seems to have a little more clamping area than the G37, but in the "sensories" (to jump ahead) the shave seemed better with the G37, albeit only slightly.
It's a little hard to tell. Might be a trick of the light.
This is not my first RazoRock razor. I have a Wunderbar which is also getting some play during SLANTember. I also have both the Hawk V3 SB and OC. I often say that in terms of the value you receive for the price you pay, RazoRock tends to punch 'way above their weight. Excellent, well-made razors (with some compromises) that shave as well as, and in some cases better than other more expensive razors.
Comparing the Merkur and the G37 on price, a brand-new 37C will tap your wallet for about $75.00 while a G37 will only touch you for about $40.00. Prices vary depending on supplier, sales, and currency exchange rates. It's reasonable to look for areas where some "strategic economic decisions" were made. I found one. It's not a deal-breaker, but I may be motivated to address it with the company.
It's a little hard to pick out in the picture, but if you look at the upper surface of the threaded stud, toward the end, you may see that the threads aren't deeply cut in that spot. I'm assuming this was good enough to get over RazoRock's quality control bar, but I'm also assuming that since you can buy a new head for $12.50 on sale, that the bar is already set rather low. It requires a little care when threading on the handle, but once it's on the handle is solid.
As I say, not a dealbreaker but it was my money and I'd like to have a well-made product for it instead of a "Friday" piece.
As you might expect from the fidelity of the reproduction, the shave is substantially similar. Most of the similarity is in the heads, with the handles and overall design confounding the matter a little.
I find the shave with the Merkur 37 to be, as I've said elsewhere, "calm, cool and collected." With an Astra SP it gives a good shave. Not, for me, as close as the Wunderbar or the S2 but a shave that goes well and is good enough for a day in the office or classroom and still in good shape if I want to go out to the pub and pick up a case of Covid. [grin] I notice that the Merkur is a bit finicky about shave angle, but finding and keeping the angle is simple. Unlike some other razors, if the Merkur isn't cutting it isn't making noise.
The downside of the Merkur, for me, is that short light handle. The razor being slightly head-heavy keeps me from absent-mindedly starting to press in, but the shortness of the handle is not a good fit to my hands and the light weight (although heavier than a bakelite razor) is JUST light enough to annoy me. The problem is that I prefer a razor that does the work rather than one I have to pull WTG. It's not a huge deal but it's one of those things that I have to explicitly acknowledge and negotiate before I can let it go and enjoy the shave.
The fidelity of the reproduction is evident in the G37/UFO also being a little finicky about shave angle. Not quite as much, though, which is serendipitously encouraging. I had thought that the blade clamping might not be as good as the Merkur, but it wasn't a problem. The shave I got was qualitatively dramatically different than the Merkur. I think that's mainly because of the difference in handles. The UFO handle, as I've said, makes the G37 feel neutrally balanced in my hand. The shave was wonderful. Even better than the Merkur.
One more thing, of a more philosophical nature. I play with blades: knives, swords, axes, scythes, razors. I still have all my fingers (though I have a couple of impressive scars). When you're starting out you have to accommodate yourself to the tool. You have to learn how to hold it, how to move it, how to reflexively put it where it will do what you want. You have to build muscle memory and hand-eye coordination, strength and flexibility, and ingrain the moves until they're automatic.
Once you've hit that level, though, then it's time to start making the tool fit the user. Once you know what you're doing you can start to fine-tune the tool. They say a master can do fine work with any tool. This is true. But if you look at a master's tools, you will see that they only fit that master's hands. There is a two-way, symbiotic relationship between user and tool.
I'm not claiming to be a master. But I can look at this experience and say that this particular tool lets me do pretty good work.
O.H.