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RazoRock Merkur 34c HD clone in 316L incoming

Iridian

Cool and slimy

I could be mistaken but it seems that RazoRock is making a stainless steel version of the Merkur 34c HD.

I never understood what is HD about the 34c, it's just a two piece version of the usual Merkur head.

And looking at this photo this rather seems to turn the 34c back into a 3 piece model, so basically a Merkur 23c, but likely with the shorter and thicker handle of the 34c.

Edit: Pic added.
RR34cHD.jpg
 
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B

buyandhold2018

Many years ago, a company called Weber made a cast (or mim) stainless steel version of the Merkur head and sold the razor exclusively on Amazon. They were extremely hard to obtain and I believe about $70 USD. I think they stopped making them in 2015/16. Not a lot of information about them. I think they were offered in a polished head and a DLC head.

 
If this is the case I'm very excited. The 34c was my very first DE razor and so far it's quite honestly one of my favorites.
 
I've never owned a Merkur 34C, but I would definitely buy a more aggressive stainless version. I was just thinking about not buying more razors and just getting some soaps and perhaps break my oath of not using any other blade than Nacet and grab a few 100 Feather blades during the Black Friday and I had to see this post and...... well I'm now hooked for a new razor.
 
Many years ago, a company called Weber made a cast (or mim) stainless steel version of the Merkur head and sold the razor exclusively on Amazon. They were extremely hard to obtain and I believe about $70 USD. I think they stopped making them in 2015/16. Not a lot of information about them. I think they were offered in a polished head and a DLC head.

Some specimens of this razor famously suffered from 'wavy blade syndrome.' The ones that didn't were apparently fantastic shavers.

These were highly sought after for a while after they were discontinued, some going for a few multiples of the original sale price.
 
Their attempt at an improved R89/DE89 hasn't been met with a whole lot of positive feedback, but the photo does make it look like it's going to be pretty close to a Merkur head, unlike the MJ-90.

If they clamping surfaces are going to be flush (I suspect they are) and the top cap is going to curve the blade past that point, I'll probably get one for the heck of it.
 
I've been wondering for the last few days if RazorRock still made a 34c clone (they did at one point, right?). I find this interesting and I'd like to hear your feedback on it.
 
I've been wondering for the last few days if RazorRock still made a 34c clone (they did at one point, right?). I find this interesting and I'd like to hear your feedback on it.
I don't think they ever did, but they are making an Edwin Jagger DE89/Muhle R89 inspired head, the MJ-90A.
 
Maybe some 3rd party business interest could do a 34C in stainless, but not Merkur. I'll believe it when I see it.
 
It looks like the safety bars are different. I prefer both be the same but lots of folks don't. I was one of those folks that requested this years ago so it is great that they are finally thinking about bringing this out. We will see what the final product looks like. If they have an option where both bars are identical, preferably like the 34, then I will be interested. I need another razor like I need a third arm but hey, this is my hobby so one more won't hurt a thing. What I like most about RR, they provide high quality razors at great prices!
 
I've been asking if them if they would ever make one I'd like to get one love the merkur razors also been trying to find a top & base plate for my bulldog Weber handle
 
I had a 34C a couple of years ago. It was tricky to get proper blade alignment with it because the top cap posts were a bit too small. From what I have heard this is a common problem with Merkur top caps. If RR produces a similar head in stainless steel and without the blade alignment problems, I think they've got a winner.
 
I never understood what is HD about the 34c, it's just a two piece version of the usual Merkur head.

And looking at this photo this rather seems to turn the 34c back into a 3 piece model, so basically a Merkur 23c, but likely with the shorter and thicker handle of the 34c.

My understanding is that "HD" stands for Heavy Duty, referring to the short beefy handle -- which I happen to really like.
I think the Merkur 34C is a fantastic razor, though these days I have migrated to the more aggressive Merkur 37C slant, a two-piece with the same handle as the 34 C.
I personally would not substitute the Merkur 34C for a copy. I want the real thing. For me, "blade alignment issues" are purely about aesthetics, and I never even noticed (if) blade wasn't properly aligned.
However, I really like stainless steel, and I like 3 piece razors for traveling better than 2 piece.
But, if I was to spend that kind of money on another Razorock stainless steel razor, I think I'd rather go with the RR "Superslant" -- I already got an SS LUPO, which is a fantastic razor (supposedly a copy of a Wolfman).
 
I hope this is based on the pre-2017 34c and not the current version.

On the other hand, my idea to learn CAD and see if I could do this myself now goes out of the window! I had a plan to create a copy of the old 34c head geometry as a 3 piece (for convenience) with covered tabs, improved blade retention and a much more aggressively knurled handle than the original. Hopefully Razorock might also see their way to making some improvements, rather than just a direct copy.
 
For me, "blade alignment issues" are purely about aesthetics, and I never even noticed (if) blade wasn't properly aligned.
If I can visually see the blade is sticking out on one side more than the other, this alters my experience with the razor and produces inconsistent performance. I did put some electrical heat shrink tubing on the posts to make them a tiny bit bigger and this worked, but seems I shouldn't have to (the top cap mold needs to be improved IMO). Maybe it's just me...
 
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