Razor Differences

[AndrewWiggin]

Can someone please explain to me the difference between my Merkur HD and a Barber pole Merkur? I know that the handle is longer, but what should that do for my shave?

Additionally, I'm looking at the Merkur Slant razor right now, and I'm wondering if you would recommend another razor in its place. I'm looking for a more aggressive angle to get at some of the weird places on my neck and get a closer shave. I'm not prone to razor burn so I think I could stand a sharper angle.

 

[Groundhog]

Some guys just prefer the longer handle on the Barber Pole, especially if they larger hands; of course, it also weighs more, and that appeals to some as well. The heads on the Barber Poles are the same as their counterparts, whether they be the standard head or slant. They Slant is good for that hard to reach spot under my nose, and it's also good for mowing down an extra day or two of growth.

If you're not prone to razor burn and you're comfortable with your technique, you owe it to yourself try a Slant. The only real question is if you want it in the standard configuration or Barber Pole version.

 

[dpmtherrien]

Other than the longer handle, the only thing the barberpole razor's can offer is the extra weight as compared to the regular HD's. My first DE razor was the barberpole HD. As I have fairly larges hands, I thought that one would be a good fit. However after a couple of shaves I just didn't care for it and put it away. I got the regular HD and then the 1904, and they became my go to razors.

I tried a couple of slants, again the regular and the barberpole, but I just didn't care for the slant. I found the head to be too thick, and the shave it gave me was not as good as my 1904 or HD. I sold both slants at B/S/T. After that I picked up the open comb's for both my 1904 and my HD, and found the OC gave me a better shave that the slants.

After some time, and improvements in my technique, I again tried my barberpole HD, and I found that the extra weight gave me a very nice shave. So my next purchase was a Merkur long handle in open comb. That's the Merkur model 12 which is the same weight as the HD barberpole. I've found that for me the open comb gives a better shave that the slant.

Regards,

Paul