I got my stuff a day early too, though as you know, I’m not there to enjoy it yet.
I just bought a Hoffritz slant!
- Thread starter LRod
- Start date
- Thread starter
- #42
Just got a notification that my Hoffritz handle has been delivered to my mailbox (2 days early). 5 minutes later I received another notification that my new Merkur 37C slant was also delivered. Pretty cool that they arrived on the same day even though they came from different places.
It will be fun tonight comparing the two!
It will be fun tonight comparing the two!
- Thread starter
- #43
Got home and took it out of it's box. Mated it to the top cap and it's literally 100% brand new!
I've got to say that Chris at Backroads Gold is a master at what he does.
I don't know how he knew but the mirror nickel is the 100% match for this razor.
The handle/base that he replated is the exact tone as the top cap!
I also received my new 37C slant today and those are a brighter chrome finish.
I was afraid that the Hoffritz cap was like the 37C's finish but it isn't. It's precisely mirror nickel.
You can see the difference between the two in the pictures.
I'll be using both and comparing the vintage vs. the modern version!
In case anyone is wondering why I would replate the Hoffritz:
I loved the shave so much that it deserved a replate. I didn't buy it to store it or sell it down the line.
I bought it to use it all the time!
If you look at the pictures (at the beginning of this thread) of when I bought it,
the powder coating on the handle was in dire condition.
But the rest of the razor was 100% mint condition.
And it cost me $20 + the replate. Grand total: $53.45
One heck of a deal for a Hoffritz slant that's now brand new!
Hoffritz:
Merkur 37C:
I've got to say that Chris at Backroads Gold is a master at what he does.
I don't know how he knew but the mirror nickel is the 100% match for this razor.
The handle/base that he replated is the exact tone as the top cap!
I also received my new 37C slant today and those are a brighter chrome finish.
I was afraid that the Hoffritz cap was like the 37C's finish but it isn't. It's precisely mirror nickel.
You can see the difference between the two in the pictures.
I'll be using both and comparing the vintage vs. the modern version!
In case anyone is wondering why I would replate the Hoffritz:
I loved the shave so much that it deserved a replate. I didn't buy it to store it or sell it down the line.
I bought it to use it all the time!
If you look at the pictures (at the beginning of this thread) of when I bought it,
the powder coating on the handle was in dire condition.
But the rest of the razor was 100% mint condition.
And it cost me $20 + the replate. Grand total: $53.45
One heck of a deal for a Hoffritz slant that's now brand new!
Hoffritz:
Merkur 37C:
Congrats, LRod.
We’re 5 days away from me seeing Chris’ work first hand.
We’re 5 days away from me seeing Chris’ work first hand.
- Thread starter
- #45
He's the man!
Can't wait to see your results. I'm sure you're gonna be very happy.
His work is as perfect as it gets!
- Thread starter
- #46
I just shaved with the Hoffritz. Same results as when I first got it. A reminder of
why it got replated. This is the best razor I own. It's that good! (for me)
It's taking the #1 spot. Some that I own are close but the Hoffritz is the clear winner.
My face ends up smooth, shiny & refreshed. I don't know what magic the German's
had back then but they put it all into this thing.
Tomorrow I'll be trying my new 37C to see how it compares. I have a feeling that
it will be good but not to the extent of the Hoffritz. From what I've read, they did some design changes
throughout the years. For example, the Hoffritz top cap is smooth without a scalloped edge. The Merkur
has a scalloped edge on the top cap and base plate. And the Merkur's blade gap is visibly smaller.
The build quality on the Merkur seems as good as the Hoffritz. This is strange since Merkur quality has
gone downhill. Last two Merkur's I owned weren't perfect. Maybe they give more attention to detail
on certain razors, who knows!
I'll post my results with the 37C tomorrow night!
LRod
why it got replated. This is the best razor I own. It's that good! (for me)
It's taking the #1 spot. Some that I own are close but the Hoffritz is the clear winner.
My face ends up smooth, shiny & refreshed. I don't know what magic the German's
had back then but they put it all into this thing.
Tomorrow I'll be trying my new 37C to see how it compares. I have a feeling that
it will be good but not to the extent of the Hoffritz. From what I've read, they did some design changes
throughout the years. For example, the Hoffritz top cap is smooth without a scalloped edge. The Merkur
has a scalloped edge on the top cap and base plate. And the Merkur's blade gap is visibly smaller.
The build quality on the Merkur seems as good as the Hoffritz. This is strange since Merkur quality has
gone downhill. Last two Merkur's I owned weren't perfect. Maybe they give more attention to detail
on certain razors, who knows!
I'll post my results with the 37C tomorrow night!
LRod
Last edited:
Any idea what the differences are between the Merkur 37C and the RR 37 Slant?
- Thread starter
- #48
I've owned some Razorock's but never really looked into their slant. From what I've read though, the head is a copy of the Merkur but more aggressive. I just saw a picture of it and the gap looks much larger than on the 37C.
Thx
That looks nice!Well my friends, my Hoffritz has been replated. Chris from Backroads Gold emailed me a picture of my finished handle/baseplate. It was done in Mirror Nickel in order to match the perfect condition top cap that didn't require replating. It will be shipped to me today.
Looks pretty awesome:
- Thread starter
- #51
Shave report with the Merkur 37C slant!
Well, this should be quick:
It's almost identical to the Hoffritz.
Differences are: It's got a tad less aggressiveness,
it's got less gap & the top cap also has lather channels.
Because of this the Hoffritz does a slightly better job of acting as a squeegee in every pass.
But it gives an excellent, close, smooth & refreshing feeling after the shave.
The results are exactly the same as the Hoffritz.
Shame that it took this long to discover these.
Luckily my accidental find of the Hoffritz brought awareness of their existence to me.
I tried slants before: Yaqi aggressive, Fatip OC & SB. The Fatip's are good but none wowed me
enough to take a slant seriously. The Hoffritz/Merkur has done it! Hoffritz #1 & Merkur 37C #2!
I can't emphasize how well these work as compared to everything else I've tried.
These will be my most used razors for daily use!
I've never used the term "Holy Grail" when it comes to a razor but if I had to,
these deserve it.
As always though, YMMV!
LRod
Well, this should be quick:
It's almost identical to the Hoffritz.
Differences are: It's got a tad less aggressiveness,
it's got less gap & the top cap also has lather channels.
Because of this the Hoffritz does a slightly better job of acting as a squeegee in every pass.
But it gives an excellent, close, smooth & refreshing feeling after the shave.
The results are exactly the same as the Hoffritz.
Shame that it took this long to discover these.
Luckily my accidental find of the Hoffritz brought awareness of their existence to me.
I tried slants before: Yaqi aggressive, Fatip OC & SB. The Fatip's are good but none wowed me
enough to take a slant seriously. The Hoffritz/Merkur has done it! Hoffritz #1 & Merkur 37C #2!
I can't emphasize how well these work as compared to everything else I've tried.
These will be my most used razors for daily use!
I've never used the term "Holy Grail" when it comes to a razor but if I had to,
these deserve it.
As always though, YMMV!
LRod
- Thread starter
- #52
Something else I forgot to mention:
On the Hoffritz, you drop in the blade and it's perfectly aligned.
On the 37C, the posts seem to be a tad smaller in diameter so the blade has a miniscule amount of play.
So it needs to be aligned (or you might get lucky dropping it in). But it takes no more than 2 seconds. Way easier & faster to align than a Fatip!
The Hoffritz quality is undoubtedly better since they were made in the 60's and built to a higher standard by Merkur for Hoffritz. It's evident by the fact that the the Zamak top cap on my Hoffritz is 50+ years old and it literally looks like it just came out of the factory (my top cap didn't get replated).
So will my new 37C last as long?
Probably not but I don't care. It was $35 and I'm sure it will still look & work great for at least 20 years.
And the alignment thing is no big deal for me!
My longevity expectation for modern stuff is nowhere near what I see as compared to vintage stuff anyways.
@LRod thanks for the comparisons and review. It's nice to see when a shaver clicks with a certain razor since we usually try a lot.
Did you have any experience with the Wunderbar?
That's the only slant I've had, but I dig the twist clamp action on a blade, really adds a rigid effect to the blade.
Did you have any experience with the Wunderbar?
That's the only slant I've had, but I dig the twist clamp action on a blade, really adds a rigid effect to the blade.
- Thread starter
- #54
Never tried the Wunderbar. I had other Razorock's but not that one. Slants I've tried are the Yaqi, Fatip OC & SB, Hoffritz & 37C.
Now that you mentioned it I did try the Yaqi, I'd forget about. that one
- Thread starter
- #56
I forgot about the Yaqi really fast. I couldn't sell it fast enough, Lol!!
Lol. That's funny and I agree.
- Thread starter
- #58
I tried a German made Merkur super blade in my Hoffritz tonight. It came with the 37C and I had never tried one.
I thought it would be cool to match that German blade (same manufacturer as the razor) with the Hoffritz.
What a mistake!
The worst blade I've ever used!
Voskhod was the worst I've tried and the Merkur beat it by a long mile.
Pure tugging and rough as asphalt. Did half my face and tossed it for one of my Wilkinson's (German)!
What a difference!
Never again!
For German blades, I'll stick to my Wilkinson's which are fantastic!
I did order some German Dovo's though a couple days ago. Hopefully they're as good as I've heard!
I thought it would be cool to match that German blade (same manufacturer as the razor) with the Hoffritz.
What a mistake!
The worst blade I've ever used!
Voskhod was the worst I've tried and the Merkur beat it by a long mile.
Pure tugging and rough as asphalt. Did half my face and tossed it for one of my Wilkinson's (German)!
What a difference!
Never again!
For German blades, I'll stick to my Wilkinson's which are fantastic!
I did order some German Dovo's though a couple days ago. Hopefully they're as good as I've heard!
Blasphemy!I think that you should not visit auction sites before coffee or after alcohol.
Kidding, I hope you enjoy your new collectors razor. I like that it’s not just another old Gillette.
Congratulations on the find. That is a very cool razor!
Similar threads
