Merkur Aggression?

[sinik]

Hiya..

so once I stopped cartridge razor shaving a few years ago I bought a Merkur 34C and tried using it with the supplied Merkur blades. I tore my face up. Every time I tried. It was bad and painful and I was thoroughly discouraged. I stopped using it for a while and just carried on with the cartridge razor shaving (though I downgraded from the Fusion to the Mach3 because I hated the extra blades). Then I came back on here one day and one thing lead to another and Firewalker sent me a sampler pack (so awesome) . EYES WIDE OPEN. I settled on the Personna Blues and was re-born into the world of DEs. It became clear then that not all blades are alike.

Now along the way before I got the sampler pack I bought a Sight Unseen Straight from Whipped Dog and loved it (though the maintenance process was too much for me which is why I have a Feather Artist Club which I enjoy using) and I think it gave me a new understanding of blade pressure, angle, etc. because even despite the change in DE blades I felt much more comfortable and steady with the DE in my hand.

I'm now looking to replace it and am looking at an AS-D2 and everywhere says that it is a very, very mild razor so that got me thinking about my Merkur 34C. It's like the go-to for new DE shavers, but how does it actually rank in aggression as far as other closed comb razors? Is it much more aggressive than the AS-D2 or only negligibly so.

Thanks!

 

[Icebear]

The Feather is even milder than the Merkur. It only shaves with Feather blades and with a very finiky angle. Otherwise you are just scraping the foam off you face. It's a perfect piece of precision machinery but if you want a lasting shave look for something else. Don't by it new. From time to time they show up in the B/S/T exactly for this reason. People can't get a close enough shave with it.

 

[Joe_Karp]

Practice and patience my friend. I switched from the Sensor Excel a year or more ago and the adjustment wasn't easy. The 34C is a great razor, many of us like it and have one as part of the rotation. I am in convinced that the supplied Merkur blade is not a good choice for guys that start out. I am glad to read you've tried Personnas, I use the Israeli made red version with great success. I've never tried the Feather razor, but have read concerns about the mildness - which can be an issue for ones new to DE shaving. The urge is to press, which is a negative in most cases. Advice? Stick with the 34C for awhile so you're used to it both in finding the correct angle and then settling in with a good blade like the Personnas.

 

[sinik]

Practice and patience my friend. I switched from the Sensor Excel a year or more ago and the adjustment wasn't easy. The 34C is a great razor, many of us like it and have one as part of the rotation. I am in convinced that the supplied Merkur blade is not a good choice for guys that start out. I am glad to read you've tried Personnas, I use the Israeli made red version with great success. I've never tried the Feather razor, but have read concerns about the mildness - which can be an issue for ones new to DE shaving. The urge is to press, which is a negative in most cases. Advice? Stick with the 34C for awhile so you're used to it both in finding the correct angle and then settling in with a good blade like the Personnas.

oh I have no problem with the 34C, I shave it with it multiple times a week and have been for well over a year now only taking breaks from it to toy around with my Feather Artist Club RG..unless I'm paying no attention and rushing like crazy I never nick myself..

I just want something with a longer handle without compromising weight and balance