Merkur Bakelite - How is this razor not getting more love?

[CzechCzar]

I have been around the block when it comes to DE razors. Off the top of my head I have used:

Gillette red tip
Gillette Superspeeds (two of 'em)
Gillette fat boy
Gillette NEW open-comb
Merkur travel razor
Merkur futur
Merkur HD
Merkur HD slant
GEM
Edwin Jagger 89L

These were honest efforts to get to know these razors, mind you, rather than trying them once and then adding them to the treasure chest. I really tried to like each and every single one, but I eventually always came back to my plain old Merkur HD. The others, to varying degrees, caused irritation or didn't deliver as BBS a shave as I wanted. The Merkur HD was perfect BBS, but it always seemed to irritate me, especially towards my 6th or 7th day shaving in a row. It is an aggressive razor, and although the shave was worth it, my skin was definitely expressing its anger towards the end of the week.

Enter: the Merkur bakelite. The bakelite it made of cheap-feeling plastic, and I found the color ugly, like something I would expect on a child's toy. My hopes were not high when I got this razor a week ago. But how it shaves! This razor shaves like none other. Perfect BBS. Three passes, one touch-up pass, and there is not a hair on my face. Moreover, I find it much less painful than my HD. It shaves just as close, mind you, so I won't say it is less aggressive. The bakelite just doesn't attack my face the way that the HD does. It is a kinder shave. And what a shave! This razor has finally replaced my HD as my regular.

I know many people must have experienced this process, so I would encourage you all to buy a bakelite, rather than dropping $100-$200 on a pils or a feather. It has received outstanding reviews from a lot of members, with good reason.

Just my two cents. YMMV!

 

[nemo]

I'm guessing maybe you haven't seen the nine pages here ?

 

[drandall]

for me, the issue is that i think the red and black is ugly. i don't mind the shape or the materials, but it looks (to me anyway) like it has measles....

 

[Greyfox]

I don't like it's looks.

 

[Slivovitz]

It looks pretty good to me in the pictures, actually. Probably would have bought one if it had come out a year ago. At this point, I'm just not looking for any more DEs.

 

[wimbouman]

Nice post!

I also have to learn to love the looks of the Bakelite.
But I think it looks good.

Nice to have a first hand review!
I do not know whether they are available in The Netherlands yet, I might try one.

From your review, it sounds just like a Muhle R106/ R89 or a EJ 89!
Which are my favourites, so that is promising.

 

[talibeard]

I don't have a Merk Fakelite yet but it is on my wish-list for sure. Especially since I read that the blade is curved a lot in this razor. And for whatever reason curvature seems more important to get a good shave out of a razor for me than blade gap or aggressiveness.

That is one of the reasons I will stay away from the otherwise gorgeous Pils and stainless Feather. One of the reasons I like my vintage 'Gladweg' so much. But I want to wait a little till it gets sold without the case and blades.

I just want the razor. And I want to read some more comments. I can get a superlight Dorco DE for swapping a few packs of blades so the price seems a little steep for what it is.

 

[taffy]

Will pick one up soon, never had a poor merkur, most out perform my vintage razors, as for the colour, well, I want a good shave, not something to match my walls in the bathroom!

 

[CzechCzar]

I just want the razor. And I want to read some more comments. I can get a superlight Dorco DE for swapping a few packs of blades so the price seems a little steep for what it is.

I was in the exact same situation as you - I don't really care for the plastic box and Merkur blades are useless to me. leesrazors.com sells only the razor without anything else for under $20. Get it, trust me, just get it.

I'm guessing maybe you haven't seen the nine pages here ?

I actually had seen that; it was what convinced me to go for it. I guess I am just confused why it isn't being lauded as the greatest invention since sliced bread!!

 

[talibeard]

I was in the exact same situation as you - I don't really care for the plastic box and Merkur blades are useless to me. leesrazors.com sells only the razor without anything else for under $20. Get it, trust me, just get it.

I know he does but postage to Europe kills the deal; I can get the "extended" version cheaper from Germany. But I have more than a handfull of nice razors and some patience; soon enough my fav Dutch vendor will have one on display so worry not. When I don't hit a truck soon I will shave with one of these!

 

[Jaymo]

I already have 4 vintage Bakelite razors, so I'm kind of a fan of the breed. The Merkur is on my wish list. I have a Neillite 400 that is an absolute piranha of a razor. One side is made to be much more aggressive than the other, and it is. It's about as aggressive as an E type Injector or perhaps a Gem Micromatic, if not more so. I like the fact that I don't have to worry about corrosion or plating loss.

 

[Shaving.ie]

It would be nice to see the Bakelite head design make its way onto a new HD type razor. Feedback for the bakelite razor seems very positive in terms of it being a very good shaver.

 

[imabel2]

Ugly is only skin deep anyway. I have yet to try a blade in it the razor does not like. Derby, Merkur, Feather, and Personna, and they all cut equally well, smooth and nick free. I can not say that about the other DE razors I own as some of them favor one blade or a limited few. The merkur 45 cuts clean, smooth, and nick free on this old 70+ year old and DFS in two passes and 2/3 of my face would be BBS in two, except for a couple of places under the chin (neck area). Don't discount it because its plastic, or ugly. Being retired military we all hated the plastic guns when they first arrived as battle weapons, but now they are common place around the world. I personally think they are ugly as guns go, but they work very well as does this plastic (bakelite) razor.
Mike

 

[dcrosso]

Why would you ever pay $20 for a plastic DE razor? If they would sell it for $5 and it shaves very well, then alright!

The Feather Portable is $8 to $10, shaves great and if cared for, will last a lifetime.

Yesterday and today I shaved with a well worn, Gillette, fat handle Tech ( no date code) that I got for a dollar. I put a Personna blade in it and it shaves just as well as my 34C, 23C, EJ DE89L, a EJ Chatsworth and my Feather Portable.

Atlanta Beauty and Barber Supply sells the Merkur 23C for $21.95 plus shipping. The 23C is a great razor.

The next buy is the Edwin Jagger razors at QED for $28.

$20 for a plastic razor? These companies crank out those razors for $3 and think DE shavers will buy anything. I don't think so!

The next thing they will come up with is a piece of plastic with a very thin SS edge in it and charge $3.00 a cartridge.

Wait a minute, I think they did that. Didn't we decide to buy new classy and vintage shaving equipment to get away from the plastic.

What exactly are our priorties? Other then great shaves.

Sorry for the rant, but it just strikes me as the wrong way to go, considering all the effort we put into purchasing quality shaving kit YMMV

 

[Shaving.ie]

What exactly are our priorties? Other then great shaves.

Ultimately it should be about the quality of shave a razor gives. I think the Merkur Bakelite delivers this according to the feedback I have read. Regardless of the material used i'm sure Merkur spent a bit of time developing and researching the design which would contribute to the price.

 

[Wil Dorenbos]

I know he does but postage to Europe kills the deal; I can get the "extended" version cheaper from Germany. But I have more than a handfull of nice razors and some patience; soon enough my fav Dutch vendor will have one on display so worry not. When I don't hit a truck soon I will shave with one of these!

Shaving.ie sells them for €13,95; postage is something like 3,95.

 

[jpkunst]

Shaving.ie sells them for €13,95; postage is something like 3,95.

"Currently unavailable" there, though. http://www.shaving.ie/products/Merkur-Bakelite-Safety-Razor.html

 

[Wil Dorenbos]

"Currently unavailable" there, though. http://www.shaving.ie/products/Merkur-Bakelite-Safety-Razor.html

I had pointed out that he has (had) them some time ago, so they are all sold

 

[WastedResources]

Didn't we decide to buy new classy and vintage shaving equipment to get away from the plastic.

What exactly are our priorties? Other then great shaves.

Everybody has their own style. This is a quality piece of equipment. It shaves excellently. Considering it comes with a case and 10 blades, this is not an expensive purchase by any means.

You probably shouldn't deride tools you have not used yourself. If your priority is a great shave, the Merkur 45030 will not disappoint. The ease of use is undeniable.

 

[Legion]

I think my main problem is also the cost. I don't mind the look and it apparently shaves well. My problem is that it is being touted as Bakelite, and I believe it is just molded plastic. At $20 US PLUS shipping to Australia, the cost of this thing is just rude.

I would be tempted to try it out if Merkur kept the cost remotely fair but, as it is, my natural inclination is to boycott it on principal because I feel like I'm being ripped off.

If someone can convince me what that money is going towards, other than a massive profit margin, I might be convinced to change my mind.