Tried out a 34C that I received today in a trade with another member. My past 3 shaves with my post war Tech and a feather blade have been really smooth and close.I think the 34C with a feather blade slightly outdid the old Tech. A little more aggressive but just as smooth and a little closer on my trouble spots around the jawline and middle of the neck.
First shave with a Merkur 34C
- Thread starter robertj298
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One of my favorite razors with that blade.
Excellent and thanks for sharing 
I keep my 34c in my Dopp kit. It has earned its place as old reliable.
I love the 34c/Feather combo. Nice going!
Glad you like the 34C.
Try the Barber Pole; Merkur 38C. Same head and that is the bit that does the work. Great razor and works with any of my blades.
I have been looking at that razor many times actually. I already have Muhle R89 and I am wondering are they similar and does Merkur bring something new to the table from my prespective?
The Merkur 34/38 and R89 are very similar in shave performance. I prefer the 2- piece Merkur design. If you want something different, try the Sledgehammer; Merkur 39C. It is the long handled slant bar version and gives a great shave.
Terrific razor! No question about it IMO!
I own two razors, a Merkur 34c and a Merkur Progress.
Both are excellent shavers.
Both are excellent shavers.
About five months ago I decided to give DE shaving another try (after a very long absence). I just happened to be in a BB&Beyond and noticed that they carried the Van Der Hagen line. So on a lark I bought that razor and, after a little learning curve, got to the stage when I could comfortably get through a shave with no nicks or weepers. I live in two places, so when I needed to visit the second place (in April) I decided to leave the Van Der Hagen at the first place and just buy a 34C for the second one.
Not that my experience is very extensive at this stage but I am tempted to say that for most regular hair types this is probably all the razor that you will ever need. I bought a sample pack of blades when I got the 34C (including the vaunted Feathers) and have never had so much as a weeper in the three months that I have been using it. I guess I could nick myself if I tried, but it might take some effort. The 34C produces a very close shave and is easy on the face. I like it quite a lot and it is a noticeable step up from the Van Der Hagen, which is not a bad razor at all.
(Aside: somewhere on this site there is a ranking of all razors by aggressiveness (I forget the url) and I found it interesting to note that the Van Der Hagen - which is a rebranded Weishi - is listed as being milder than the 34C. I defer to others but all I can say is that the 34C has never drawn blood whereas the VDH has - albeit just a little.)
They are not similar. The Merkur is slightly more aggressive, the Muhle has a much better finish, and the engineering of the razors is quite different. Of the two I prefer the Muhle R89 but my tough whiskers require the help of 2 shims.
Both razors are seminal razors, however.
The Merkur 34C HD was my first DE razor and despite having bought quite a few other razors including vintage gilletes, the 34C is the one i use daily. I use Personna Platinum blades on it.
My first razor was a Parker 76R. Really liked it but seemed to be struggling on some shaves as I learned... some nicks and the occassional rough shave. It even feels like one side has more blade exposure than the other. Reading more here, I learned that the Merkur 34C was a bit more mild so I went for it. I LOVE the weight of the Parker in my hand. It just feels great and I still mix it in here and there. Heavy, solid, balanced... But in comparison, I just LOVE what the 34C does to my face. It can never do wrong. Mild on the skin but very effective.
Like anything YMMV. I'm 6'4" with well above average size hands and it's not to short for me. I hold my razors at the bottom though too, it's most comfortable for me.
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To me the length is just right. I've tried long handled razors and they just seem awkward to handle.
A superb Razor..I introduced myself to Traditional wet shaving with this razor,..one year on and i still add it to my rotation.
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