Having dropped the big$$ on the new Ikon slant and already being a proud owner of the merkur 37c slant, I decided to spend some time I don't have writing up this comparison.
Design
Many of these facts are not really pluses or minuses. More a matter of preference.
Ikon is much heavier. Everything feels more solid and finally crafted than the merkur.
Ikon handle is wider with the gnarling more significant.
The Ikon's pure stainless Steele finish is nice balance between matte and shiny. It looks very warm, just a tad less yellow than brass nickel. The merkur is standard chrome finishing looks like every other product with this type of finish.
The Ikon"s head is all round and curved ; the Merkur is flattened. Aesthetically the ikon is thing of beauty. But the merkur's flat head actually makes finding the angle easier.
The Ikon's head is long enough to cover the entire blade. This means no poking out at the ends and no inadvertent pokes while shaving. However, the lack of blade exposure makes it slightly trickier to adjust while screwing the cap/base/handle together.
The Ikon head really seems to twist the blade when I screw on the cap. I can barely feel any twist on the merkur. This gives the ikon a bit more aggressive feel.
the ikon does require a bit more care to align the blade because of the greater twist, there is some give around the two polls. Not hard, but it requires attention. As you'll see in the pictures I originally had the blade aligned so that it poked put more toward the wider opening.
In sum, the Ikon looks like a finely designed, substantial industrial tool while the Merkur looks like a decent consumer line product.
But how do they shave? Great! But differently so.
I've done two side by side comparison's. One with a day's growth the other with 1.5 and they were two of the best shave's I ever had. Polsilver blade and TOBS (sandlewood and grapefruit respectively)
Comfort While Shaving: Very smooth, close, and irritation free, with almost no weepers (none on shave 2). Almost no resistance, even over the toughest areas. The Merkur had a bit more of silky feel, while the Ikon was louder (and I mean loud). Yet both were irritation and tug free, just in different ways. Maybe the Ikon had a bit easier time with rough areas but it was close.
Comfort After shave: Both sides felt great, without any lingering stinginess. On shave 1, I might have felt a bit of rawness on the Ikon side but on the second the feeling was the same.
Closeness. Doing my normal 3 passes (WTG, XTG ear to nose; XTG with an upward tilt nose to ear) and bit of touch up around the trouble areas, I was BBS or near so on most parts of my face. I'd be lying if I could see or feel any consistent difference either immediately after the shave or by day's end. Maybe the Ikon lasted a bit longer - maybe.
I was hoping for a clear winner or at-least the two being the same so I could dump one. But although results were great (these are my two favorite razors) they feel like very different razors. The Ikon is beautiful, bold, heavy, secure and loud. The Merkur pedestrian, light, shiny, silky. Ugh I'll probably keep both. But if I had to choose one, all else being equal, the look and feel of the Ikon take the day. But if I were on a budget, I'd keep the Merkur and wouldn't look back.
Update. 9.2
I decided to do a third side by side comparison. With two day growth and Again an excellent shave. (Although i had a little too much water in my cream). The Merkur was a little smoother on the first pass, but he ikon was smoother on the second and third. After three passes, the ikon side felt a bit smoother and I had to do some more touch up to the merkur side to equalize. The ikon was a clear winner with the longer growth but the difference was slight.
Design
Many of these facts are not really pluses or minuses. More a matter of preference.
Ikon is much heavier. Everything feels more solid and finally crafted than the merkur.
Ikon handle is wider with the gnarling more significant.
The Ikon's pure stainless Steele finish is nice balance between matte and shiny. It looks very warm, just a tad less yellow than brass nickel. The merkur is standard chrome finishing looks like every other product with this type of finish.
The Ikon"s head is all round and curved ; the Merkur is flattened. Aesthetically the ikon is thing of beauty. But the merkur's flat head actually makes finding the angle easier.
The Ikon's head is long enough to cover the entire blade. This means no poking out at the ends and no inadvertent pokes while shaving. However, the lack of blade exposure makes it slightly trickier to adjust while screwing the cap/base/handle together.
The Ikon head really seems to twist the blade when I screw on the cap. I can barely feel any twist on the merkur. This gives the ikon a bit more aggressive feel.
the ikon does require a bit more care to align the blade because of the greater twist, there is some give around the two polls. Not hard, but it requires attention. As you'll see in the pictures I originally had the blade aligned so that it poked put more toward the wider opening.
In sum, the Ikon looks like a finely designed, substantial industrial tool while the Merkur looks like a decent consumer line product.
But how do they shave? Great! But differently so.
I've done two side by side comparison's. One with a day's growth the other with 1.5 and they were two of the best shave's I ever had. Polsilver blade and TOBS (sandlewood and grapefruit respectively)
Comfort While Shaving: Very smooth, close, and irritation free, with almost no weepers (none on shave 2). Almost no resistance, even over the toughest areas. The Merkur had a bit more of silky feel, while the Ikon was louder (and I mean loud). Yet both were irritation and tug free, just in different ways. Maybe the Ikon had a bit easier time with rough areas but it was close.
Comfort After shave: Both sides felt great, without any lingering stinginess. On shave 1, I might have felt a bit of rawness on the Ikon side but on the second the feeling was the same.
Closeness. Doing my normal 3 passes (WTG, XTG ear to nose; XTG with an upward tilt nose to ear) and bit of touch up around the trouble areas, I was BBS or near so on most parts of my face. I'd be lying if I could see or feel any consistent difference either immediately after the shave or by day's end. Maybe the Ikon lasted a bit longer - maybe.
I was hoping for a clear winner or at-least the two being the same so I could dump one. But although results were great (these are my two favorite razors) they feel like very different razors. The Ikon is beautiful, bold, heavy, secure and loud. The Merkur pedestrian, light, shiny, silky. Ugh I'll probably keep both. But if I had to choose one, all else being equal, the look and feel of the Ikon take the day. But if I were on a budget, I'd keep the Merkur and wouldn't look back.
Update. 9.2
I decided to do a third side by side comparison. With two day growth and Again an excellent shave. (Although i had a little too much water in my cream). The Merkur was a little smoother on the first pass, but he ikon was smoother on the second and third. After three passes, the ikon side felt a bit smoother and I had to do some more touch up to the merkur side to equalize. The ikon was a clear winner with the longer growth but the difference was slight.
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