I've had my HD for about 3 years, and the plating is wearing off on the head (actually on the corners of the edge of the flat plate). Is there anything I can do about this? Did I get a dud, or is just how they are? I figured to use this razor for many many years (maybe even forever), but the razor is rough where the plating is wearing off. I love everything else about this razor, but if I have to replace it every few years because it has rough spots, I'm not going to be too happy. Any thoughts on this matter?
Merkur HD plating wearing off
- Thread starter mars
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My guess is you did in fact get a dud. I mean, I have razors nearing 100 years old that have no plating loss... I would contact the company, although after three years there is really nothing they are required to do about it.
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None of my Merkurs have ANY plating loss whatsoever. I rinse them with the blade still in after each use, and when I change blades I rinse then more thoroughly.
There has been much technical discussion as to what might cause such a loss.
There has been much technical discussion as to what might cause such a loss.
Wow... I guess I'll scratch a HD off the buy list.
99% of the people who report having a problem with their Merkur razors get full satisfaction by writing to Merkur/Dovo, there's really only been a couple negative experiences reported.
Search for Anne Rothstein here, if you write her directly she'll usually take really good care of you.
Does anyone know if Merkur's plating quality has improved in the last three years?
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Merkur has poor QC.
DD
DD
Merkur sells millions of razors, and has always stood behind their products 'no questions asked'.
One guy had a bad experience and kvetched heavily online about it.
I wouldn't think twice about buying another Merkur if I were in the market for a new razor.
One guy had a bad experience and kvetched heavily online about it.
I wouldn't think twice about buying another Merkur if I were in the market for a new razor.
There were rumors going around last year that Merkur was re-tooling their factory, replacing old equipment with new gear to produce the same models of razors with better quality control.
If it is true, you'll see thousands of Merkur owners (including me,) replacing their current rotation with the newest production runs. This will be followed by a flood of old (not vintage) Merkurs on the BST. These older razors will still be perfectly serviceable, just not as pretty or finely finished as the new ones.
Again, these are just RUMORS. I never saw any comfirmation or denial as to whether or not it was a true fact.
NOT DE razors in general, the Merkur.
The base is Zinc. I do not know of any shop that will re-plate it.
That's why I never would buy the antique Solingen Slants.
Some of those you could see the zinc corrosion on the bars.
I guess King Gillette made them right. At least theirs can be re-plated without issue.
FOR the OP, CONTACT Merkur, they will replace the head.
John
Except for the cracked handles that come undone.
There is some variation from time to time. I have three flare tips, one is perfect, one has some brassing on the handle, the third has the plating flaking off pretty badly. I can't account for their histories, which would certainly be relevant. Brassing can be written off as simply being handled a lot during it's lifetime. Flaking plating, on the other hand, probably points to a manufacturing defect.
In the case of the Merkur, I'd at least try to get in touch. They may offer replacement.
Except for the cracked handles that come undone.
I can get BRW (Cooncatbob) to make me a handle and get a re-plated head if necessary.
I have several Gillette Tech heads that are NM condition.
So what is worse a cracked handle or a head made of Junk metal to save some $$?
Now if Merkur would have started with a big chunk of brass or copper, that might have helped (instead of using a zinc alloy).
John
The said high amount of razor corrosion is the reason I chose a vintage gillette slim instead of the 38c as my first razor.
Looking back through old threads, I saw that plate loss, corrosion, and bad customer service are very common complaints for all merkur razors and almost all of them were under two years old.
Worse yet, some people clam that your 10 year merkur warranty is useless because they just claim all plate loss and corrosion is due to "wear and tear" or accuse you of damaging it with a chemical cleaner.
There are some happy ending stories, but based on my limited research on this forum I saw that for every one person who had a good experience with merkur customer service ten people didn't.
My slim works perfectly and looks great and was made in 63 and has had many uses. Will anyone be able to say that about their HD in 47 years?
This has nothing to do with the quality of shave the razor provides and everything to do with the build quality of the razor. I plan to get a 38c soon and I hope that one day I can say the above is wrong.
Looking back through old threads, I saw that plate loss, corrosion, and bad customer service are very common complaints for all merkur razors and almost all of them were under two years old.
Worse yet, some people clam that your 10 year merkur warranty is useless because they just claim all plate loss and corrosion is due to "wear and tear" or accuse you of damaging it with a chemical cleaner.
There are some happy ending stories, but based on my limited research on this forum I saw that for every one person who had a good experience with merkur customer service ten people didn't.
My slim works perfectly and looks great and was made in 63 and has had many uses. Will anyone be able to say that about their HD in 47 years?
This has nothing to do with the quality of shave the razor provides and everything to do with the build quality of the razor. I plan to get a 38c soon and I hope that one day I can say the above is wrong.
