I've tried fancier muhle razors and while I like the stainless steel on them, I still tend to prefer the Merkur 34 C HD with an aggressive blade like bic chromium platinum. Are there any razors that are stainless steel with almost the same head and weight distribution?
I really like pairing the Merkur 34c HD with a Bic Chromium Platinum Blade, any similar SS razors?
- Thread starter thethingboarblade
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Not that a stainless razor is a bad idea, but just wanted to point out spare parts for the Merkur razors are fairly inexpensive. You could buy quite a few $8.95 34c caps for the cost of a new stainless steel razor.
Another idea is you could make your own version of the 3-piece 33c with an aftermarket stainless handle, new Merkur cap and base plate, with $8.95 replacements for the foreseeable future.
Another idea is you could make your own version of the 3-piece 33c with an aftermarket stainless handle, new Merkur cap and base plate, with $8.95 replacements for the foreseeable future.
Muhle Rocca is a stainless steel razor with similar design, but not identical, it is supposed to be a little more aggressive razor due to small differences in head geometry.
It is more agressive but not bad. Still it is a completely different animal than the 34c. The 34c is mild, the Rocca is not.
I would recommend trying some other blades in the 34c. I have a 34c and the BIC CP is a good blade for it, as is the Nacet and Russian Gillette Perma-Sharp.
ShavingPrimate, I have found those 3 blades mentioned by you are a good fit for pretty much all the time, (at least for my razors).
Feather AS-D2, presumably a bit milder.
I don't own one, but it is a similar type of mild razor that goes nicely with sharp blades like Feather/BIC.
I am afraid people cannot offer more Ti/SS alternatives for you. The general trend is rather more aggressive razors and the two piece design hasn't been used on any SS razor I can remember yet.
But let me make an educated guess, you might like the Game Changer .68 or .84 SB perhaps even better than the Merkur 34C.
Henson is also an option, but not my personal favorite.
I don't own one, but it is a similar type of mild razor that goes nicely with sharp blades like Feather/BIC.
I am afraid people cannot offer more Ti/SS alternatives for you. The general trend is rather more aggressive razors and the two piece design hasn't been used on any SS razor I can remember yet.
But let me make an educated guess, you might like the Game Changer .68 or .84 SB perhaps even better than the Merkur 34C.
Henson is also an option, but not my personal favorite.
If you are looking for a stainless steel razor, take a peek at Razorock's line. The Lupo or Game Changer are good options for traditional designs. BBS or Mamba if you like a lot of blade bend. Most of their razors come in varying levels of aggression. You can also choose your handle to further customize it to your preferences.
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Yours is a great question and I, for one, would love for there to be an answer. The 34 is my favorite razor of all time and the only feature I wish that it had was more "bling," ie SS or Ti or similar.
When I started looking at options, I thought that it might be easy finding something to fit the bill. But not necessarily. For example, the DE89 head geometry is very similar to the 34 but, to me, the 34 shaves better (and the DE89 is not SS -- I'm just using it as an example). The Feather ASD2 has been mentioned in this thread, but I own it (and like it a lot) and for me it does not shave like the 34.
The RR Game Changer .68 to my eye looks like a contender, but someone on B&B who owns both said that it and the 34 shave differently.
So I keep watching for someone to say, "I have and love the 34, and I also have the _________ SS razor and it shaves very, very similarly."
I have the trusty 34C and it's a very classic design. To me it shaves very similarly to the DE89/R89. I don't have one, but it looks like the Edwin Jagger 3ONE6 has a similar (but not the same) head and is stainless steel. Many seem to like it.
The 3one6 is a very good razor, but brings higher blade feel to the shave. I found the Rocca to be similar in efficiency (a step up from 34C) but smoother. (I personally prefer the 3one6, sold the Rocca).
If efficiency, comfort, and smoothness are what you seek, the Tatara Masamune is a superior razor.
If efficiency, comfort, and smoothness are what you seek, the Tatara Masamune is a superior razor.
GC .84 IMO. I went from R89 and it's night and day.. Very efficient and safe. The non scalped bar is also nice subjectively speaking.
It helps my sensitive skin even though it's more aggressive (thick hairs). Hits my hard spots with only 1-2 passes.. Shaving under nose is also MUCH easier.
R89 variants required more time and touch up... I end up with irritation if I have to hurry. Doesn't happen on GC .84
Quality and tolerances seem better than the Rockwell 6S/6C I tried.. Both my copies had blade alignment issues with Indian Gillette blades. Both my R89 or GC .84 are perfect.
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This thread is 6 months old and the OP hasn't been on B&B for like 4 months!
But I'll share my opinion as to what the OP was asking. Maybe it will help someone:
The most similar razor to the 34C that I know of is the Parker 97R. It's Parkers "improved" version of the 34C.
And it most definitely is!
I've had the 23c/33c/34c (same heads) and the Parker 97R and the Parker is superior. It's one of those under the radar razors that nobody talks about. And it's cheap to buy! ($25)
It has better build quality since Merkur's quality has gone downhill in their lower tier razors. It has "slightly more" aggressiveness which the 34C lacks. That gives it the edge in efficiency while maintaining the smoothness of the 34c. It feels better in the hand and more balanced as well. It's a really good upgrade for anyone that likes the 34C!
And then their is the Merkur 37C. It's essentially a slant version of the 34C but more aggressive and with much more efficiency. It is the natural "step up" from the 34C for those who want to stick with Merkur. Strangely though, it's relatively inexpensive in Merkur's line-up but the quality seems A-1!
It's as if they maintain better QC on the 37C vs. all the other lower priced razors. Maybe it's because of the 37C's excellent reputation, history, etc.. Who knows!
Anyways, that's my take,
LRod
But I'll share my opinion as to what the OP was asking. Maybe it will help someone:
The most similar razor to the 34C that I know of is the Parker 97R. It's Parkers "improved" version of the 34C.
And it most definitely is!
I've had the 23c/33c/34c (same heads) and the Parker 97R and the Parker is superior. It's one of those under the radar razors that nobody talks about. And it's cheap to buy! ($25)
It has better build quality since Merkur's quality has gone downhill in their lower tier razors. It has "slightly more" aggressiveness which the 34C lacks. That gives it the edge in efficiency while maintaining the smoothness of the 34c. It feels better in the hand and more balanced as well. It's a really good upgrade for anyone that likes the 34C!
And then their is the Merkur 37C. It's essentially a slant version of the 34C but more aggressive and with much more efficiency. It is the natural "step up" from the 34C for those who want to stick with Merkur. Strangely though, it's relatively inexpensive in Merkur's line-up but the quality seems A-1!
It's as if they maintain better QC on the 37C vs. all the other lower priced razors. Maybe it's because of the 37C's excellent reputation, history, etc.. Who knows!
Anyways, that's my take,
LRod
Sure looks similar to the 34. I wish it was SS ......
It is a step and a half up the ladder from the 34c. I don't have this model but I have the one with the dual heads, the OC and the SB. According to Parker, all of their three head SB heads are the same across their different models, the differences are in the handles.
It is indeed more aggressive. I first tried the OC and it was about what I expected. What did surprise me was that the SB was very close in aggressiveness to the OC. As a note, I shave with the R41 head.
My rating system places the EJ at a "5", out of a 1-10 scale. As far as aggressiveness goes, it is dead on average. The 34c would be 0.5 steps behind it, at 4.5.
By comparison, I would rate the Parker a solid "6". It is quite a bit noticeable in aggressiveness over the 34c. It has way more blade feel. This is not a bad thing and it shaves closer and is still comfortable shaving with.
But you can not shave in the more relaxed manner as you can with the 34c. It's pretty hard to nick yourself with the 34c. It's not so hard with the Parker. Take your time and you will be rewarded with a very close shave.
I shaved with the Parker SB, two days ago and the shave was very close to the shave with the Rocca or the R41.
The build quality of the Parker as well as the fit and finish is very good. That's a lot for a sub $30 razor.
Incidentally, Amazon is offering their Graphite handle version of this razor, the 56R Heavyweight for 30% off at $22.36.
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Great info. Takes it off my list, even if it were SS which of course it is not.
It's still a good razor. But I was surprised at the step-up in aggressiveness over the average DE89 type head that seems to work for the largest segment of the population.
Razors/blades are kind of funny things. I find that I tend to gravitate more toward some and away from others without any real specific reasons that I can pin down. Its not that one is any better or worse than the other.
Since I have a few razors that are the R89 type, I wouldn't be first in line to buy a SS version for $125. At $75, a definite yes, because I really like SS.
The Edwin Jagger DE89 is not Stainless but it is the perfect step up from the 34c. I bought the Kelvin on Amazon for about $28. It us the same head as the regular DE89, just a different handle.
It still looks like and shaves like the 34c, but I end up with a slightly closer shave. Moving to a three piece head does allow you the flexibility of being able to use other heads.
When I want to shave with a shorter handle, I use the Kelvin's handle with another head. I did this shaving with the Parker head and I use the Kevin's handle with the R41 head and the Rocca head.
I am wondering if you might like the stainless steel 'Merica razor from Wet Shaving Club (manufactured by Yates). Not the same as a 34C of course, but it's well made and delivers a shave in a similar mild-to-medium aggression range as the 34C.
Now that's a new one to me! I'm kind of splitting hairs here (but hey, that's what B&B is about, right?) but could you elaborate a little more on how the Merica shaves differently from the 34 and from the DE89, two razors that I find very similar but I prefer the 34.
The 'Merica is different than both the 34C and DE89/R89 but is stainless steel and is under $100 US. Might be an option if you prefer milder razors.
