Merkur 180/23C - Aggresiveness?

[dduck]

I have seen the Merkur 180/23C described as everything from mild to aggressive. I do have it and it remains my favorite razor among the ones I tried (Gillette SS 1940s NDC, Gillette SS blue tip, Gillette Slim Adjustable, Ri-Mei razor). To me it does feel more aggressive than the Gillette razors except for the adjustable when set to 7-9. It does however provide smooth and gentle shaves and is a pleasure to use. My experience however is still limited. I usually use Astra SP or Feather blades and have also tried Derby.

So how do you compare the aggressiveness or otherwise of the Merkur 23C? What is your shaving experience with it?

 

[CharlieFoxtrot]

IMO it's more aggressive than the Tech's and SS's. I find it to be about a 5 on the adjustable and less aggressive than the old types. It's a great razor and with the right blade, it's probably my favorite de razor.

 

[Renato1]

The 23C has the same shaving head as the 33C which I have, but has a longer handle. There are plenty of more aggressive razors around, like most anything made in China, of which I have 5 or 6, and the Merkur Bakelite in particular.

My Gillette Superspeed from 1948-50 is slightly more aggressive than the 33C.
My Gillette Tech from 1956 is less aggressive.
My Gillette Super Adjustable with metal pole is about as aggressive as the 33C at around setting 3 or 4.
My Lord L6 has pretty much the same aggressiveness, as would be expected, since it is a more light weight copy of the 23C.
And I can't see much difference between the aggressiveness of the Feather Popular and 33C.
Regards,
Renato

 

[cfender]

The 23c was my first DE. I opted for the model because it was relatively inexpensive and I thought the long handle would feel more like the cart systems I was previously using.

It isn't the mildest razor I've used but now that I exclusively use the Muhle R41 the 23c would not be satisfying. Thinking the 23c was too mild I purchased a Red Tip SS because I read that the Red Tip version was the most aggressive of the SS's but I found it was actually MILDER than the 23c. My next purchase was the 37c Slant and that was significantly more aggressive and I stuck with that until the R41 was recommended. After I finally got comfortable with the R41 (it took a month) I tried the Slant again and was not satisfied with the efficiency. I remember thinking "this sucks".