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Should I replace merkur 34c

I would imagine the grit to be difficult to rinse off a cloth. However, just follow the instructions on the product to start with and after you get some experience you can change method.
It is still not clear what @Tin is trying to achieve. Just come back here once you get that R41 out of the way and let us know how it went.
 
Try others if you want, but hang onto that 34. A 34G was the second DE I bought when I started wetshaving a dozen years ago. I've tried many others over the years, but I keep coming back to my 34. I love the handle and weight. Sometimes all that's needed, as you gain experience, is a different blade.
 
Before you replace your 34C try using some Kai blades. They are a little bit wider than standard DE blades & will add additional blade exposure to your razor. I can easily get great shaves with a 34C & 33C using Nacets & Astra SS & other sharp blades. But after trying a Kai for the first time last night it definitely kicked up the performance of this razor.
 

JCinPA

The Lather Maestro
Several posters have given you terrific advice, but one that keeps being repeated is shave more often. Your problem is when your stubble is longer--it seems like the logical solution is to avoid that, no? Also it does sound like you have your heart set on an R41 and are looking for reinforcement in that direction. I could be wrong, but if that is the case, as has been said, you may as well do it, or it will bug you for a long time until you do.

That said, I suspect you'll get good results with your 34C but maybe now is the time to do a blade sampler. I recommend new shavers not do that for a while, but you've been at this for a couple of years now, so now is definitely the time. Kai is one of my favorite blades (already mentioned) but I've recently discovered the Gillette Silver Blue, the PermaSharps, revisited Gillette 7 O'Clock Yellow, give some of them some time and see what you think. I would be surprised if you started shaving every other day and experimented with blades if you did not find one that made your 34C sing.

Finally, though, if you are looking for a budget more aggressive razor, you may want to look into a used Gillette Red Tip. They are definitely more aggressive than the 34C, but not as aggressive as an R41, and might make a logical next step in your razor journey. And they are terrific razors, if you find yourself loving it, you can have it replated sometime in the future. I looked on eBay for Spain, and clean examples of the Red Tip are available for 30-35 Euros with 4 Euro shipping.

  1. Shave every two days (3 tops)
  2. Try a facial scrub
  3. Try a blade sampler in your 34C
  4. Try a vintage Red Tip
  5. Try an R41
YMMV, but that's the order I'd attack this in. You've shown good judgement, IMO, in choosing the 34c, using Tabac, and the Nivea post shave, you seem thoughtful and methodical in your approach to this. You will find a solution, no doubt about that! Good luck!
 
As some others have said, try shaving more often. I have found for me, the more often I shave the better my skin cooperates. I shave at least 6 days a week and I very rarely get any irritation. Maybe shaving more often will work for you as well. The 34c will work better for you if you don't let so much hair grow in between shaves.
 
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Like many of you already mentioned, 34c works a lot better if you shave more often. I was shaving every 2 days and got a lot less ingrowns and irritation. One day I didn't have time to shave so the next day razor wasn't doing good job. It was tugging and pulling my beard so I got irritation.

But I don't like to shave as often so I am thinking of getting more aggressive razor.

I was thinking about Fatip Piccolo. Muhle R41 seems like too aggressive. Someone mentioned FOCS but I don't like how it looks and I think open comb will do a better job.
 
Like many of you already mentioned, 34c works a lot better if you shave more often. I was shaving every 2 days and got a lot less ingrowns and irritation. One day I didn't have time to shave so the next day razor wasn't doing good job. It was tugging and pulling my beard so I got irritation.

But I don't like to shave as often so I am thinking of getting more aggressive razor.

I was thinking about Fatip Piccolo. Muhle R41 seems like too aggressive. Someone mentioned FOCS but I don't like how it looks and I think open comb will do a better job.
The Fatip Piccolo or Grande OC shave almost as well as the FOCS. There is also the Schone razor which is perhaps the smoothest of them all, IMHO. These are all open comb razors.
 
If you are shaving only twice a week - you need an open comb or something with a wide gap. If not, you will get clogging, you will then subconsciously apply more pressure because you are going over spots without cutting anything because your razor is full of hair. My rec - up the budget to 75ish. Razorock BBS-OC,316 Stainless steel, will last a lifetime, and there is free shipping. I just used one for the first time today (after using the regular BBS for over a month) and its pretty nice. Plus side, if you don't like it you can try another base plate down the road for like 35 bucks.
 
I have both the 34C and the R41. That's a big jump up in aggressiveness, I would advise to not go that route personally. But no doubt if you've already been shaving a couple of years you can handle it and figure it out. Will it stop the ingrown hair, probably not. My guess is it's something in your technique that's causing the issue.
 
Shave more often, find the right (sharp and comfortable) blade in your 34c, clean and hydrate your face the evening before (wash with facial soap, cloth, and hydrate with face stuff (I use Niveau creme for men for example). Do that for a while, then rethink your question ;-) The 34c will be just fine. I do the same with an even milder Gillette Tech ;-) No need for an aggressive razor at all
 

alishock

I wrap my lips around a lovely pipe
I did the same jump 34c to r41. I have relegated the 34 to the travel bag but due to moving I've gone back to the 34 until this week. I love how the 41 feels in the hand but actually it's not a smooth shave like the 34.

I wonder if there is something in-between the two. I'd be up for exploring another option.
 
I did the same jump 34c to r41. I have relegated the 34 to the travel bag but due to moving I've gone back to the 34 until this week. I love how the 41 feels in the hand but actually it's not a smooth shave like the 34.

I wonder if there is something in-between the two. I'd be up for exploring another option.
been down the same road. Finally ended up with a Razorock Sloc. Very comfortable and efficient. It's what I use to shave multiple days of growth. For me, it is a very nice razor, more comfortable than both R41 or a Fatip OC for example.


For daily use, I still have my Muhle R89 en Gillette Tech (or Schick of RR Black Hawk SE razors)...
 
Both the FOCS and Merkur Progress/Parker Variant are solid choices and you can't go wrong even if you pick both, which you most likely will eventually like most people on this forum have.
 
I looked up mekur progress and parker variant and they are out of my budget. I can spend around 50$. The idea of adjustable razor seems like a good idea because my beard may still change.

FOCS is around 50$ if I am looking at the right one. Does someone know how does it compare to R41?
I strongly encourage you to drop the 34c, especially if you're hitting the same spot multiple times with no beard reduction.
Given your budget, I'd recommend vintage Gillettes. You can get a decent Slim adjustable for $20 on online auction sites, or a NEW or a thick-cap OLD for about the same. The OLD shaves most similarly to the 34c, except it does the job better. The adjustables are a quite different shave (well, many different shaves; they're adjustable!).
The thing I'm wondering is, you said you only do two passes WTG. Does that mean you shave twice WTG and don't shave XTG or ATG? It seems like you're doing something strange to the hairs; it's usually hard to get ingrown hairs if you don't shave ATG because the hairs are still sticking out from the skin when you're finished shaving. I'd at least go WTG and XTG with a new razor and sharp blade to see if that fixes the problem.
 
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