In this case the confidence seems a little misplaced from the comments here.
Bob
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Very true and it undoubtedly is, but then again the finish of Merkur razors and their attention to detail could IMO benefit from some improvements too.
The longer I shave with straight and safety razors, the less I am impressed by Merkur products, or the products of their parent company, Dovo.
Neither company seems to take pride in their products or strives to improve.
In the meantime, Mühle exploits their weakness and makes hay...
B.
Yes, the fit and finish on my Muhle R41 is better than that on my Merkur slant but neither have decent knurling on the handles or a large enough diameter of handle for me. Solved that problem on the Muhle with an after market solid stainless steel 1/2 diameter handle with real cut knurling. Both DEs do a fine job of shaving oth. If I wasn't so cheap I'd pop for an all stainless slant. Don't know about Dovo as I don't own any straights made by them.
Bob
I think first impressions count. If you were coming from carts to try a DE and you got a good razor with a below par blade, that might just put you off going any further.
The gent who sold me my EJ was kind enough to include a free sampler pack of premium blades, the Derby to me didn't even compare, but like always, YMMV.
Derbys are junk IMO,do not be intiminated by feathers,are the finest DE blades on the market.