I shaved with many Gillettes (non-vintage when I began) and waited until 2010 before trying a 34C Merkur. Actually, I tried slants long before the 34C model. But I think the chrome Merkur HD does very well and they all hold their own in terms of closeness, ease of use, and smoothness. It's a tough call which is "better" and one reason why I use many different razors to shave my face.