Thread: Troubles with Merkur razor

I bought a Merkur, 34c razor and had a heck of a time getting a good shave. I have a normal beard, and make my own shaving soap as I am a soaper. Anyways, The blades that came with the razor did not seem to work well, (don't know why) So I ordered some "feather" brand online yesterday. I saw some DE blades at the local drugstore today called "renewal" Made in Israel, and decided to give them a try while I wait for my feather razors. Wow! What a difference they made. I could not believe it. No pulling, yanking, etc. Just a nice clean shave on the first pass. Has anyone ever heard of these blades and why are the ones that came with the razor so cheap?? thanks steve

It is always a good idea to try a variety of blades in a DE as they all will perform slightly, sometimes not so slightly, differently for you. I think most people wind up with a couple of favourite brands to use. The catch is what blade works well for me may not work well for you so it is a matter of trying some out.

Never heard of "Renewal" blades but if they are made in Israel some name brand Israeli blades have a good rep so it is not surprising these are good too. I doubt that the blade that came with the Merkur was cheap just not suitable for your needs. Feathers are sharp and require no pressure on the razor to do their job.

Bob

Merkur distributes also Merkur DE razor blades and the overwhelming consensus is that they are not good (to put it politely).
If I remember correctly, Merkur may add a blade or two with their safety razors in the (vein) hope that users may continue buying them.

For a beginner, Feather blades may not be the best choice either.
Very sharp, very good, but very unforgiving.
If your technique is up to par: an excellent blade.
If not: you have been cautioned.

There are some inexpensive, good middle-of-the-range blades.
I find Astra Platinum coated blades good and cheap (and the results are not far from Feather), but I am sure other members will have many other excellent suggestions.

If you are not sure which blade to choose, try one of the blade samplers that contain different blades from various manufacturers and see what you might like.

B.

I will echo the comments above about Merkur blades. Mine came with a 10 pak. I bought a sampling of blades to test while still working my way through the Merkurs. Once finished with the last of them I put an Astra SP into my razor and the difference was STUNNING. I have tried a few other brands since then, and ALL of them out performed the Merkur blades. hell, even the Wilkinson Sword blades I bought for a laugh at the Drug Store were an improvement.

Currently I am using a Zyletek Super Iridium blade and it is quite nice. Not sure if I prefer it to the Astra, but it's close. Feathers are up next in the rotation.

Hi hozhead, as others have remarked or implied, the Merkurs are rubbish. The Feathers will be a revelation, but be careful as they are seriously sharp. Try a pack of Astras as recommended by Orville above; I find them to be the best compromise between sharp and smooth, with a strong lean towards the latter. When I don't have time to use a straight I turn to a safety razor loaded with an Astra.

Hi hozhead, as a relative newcomer to DE shaving I too would recommend trying a sample of blades to find your preferred brand.
I don't see them mentioned yet, so I'll also recommend Rapira blades. They can be ordered as a sample pack, they won't break the bank, they are surprisingly forgiving, and are excellent whisker slicers.
Good luck and keep us posted.

I started with straights and then brought de's and my first shave was with feather blades. Found them very sharp and very unforgiving of my newb technique. Second shave was with Astra blades and found that great and much smoother. Now have lots of blades incoming from sample packs to share between me and my brother in law as this really is the only way to find what works best for you. As with everything shave related it's ymmv

it is crazy how diff blades leave diff results .. my Merkur loves Astra blades but hates the Gillette 7oclocks that my Gillettes love so well

Seems foolish to package a rubbish blade with what seems to be such a well regarded brand of DE razor. Having said that, my Edwin Jagger came with derby blades which I was not fond of at all.

Originally Posted by Grazor

Seems foolish to package a rubbish blade with what seems to be such a well regarded brand of DE razor. Having said that, my Edwin Jagger came with derby blades which I was not fond of at all.

I find that quite logical when manufacturer include their own brand of blades with a razor of the same brand they produce.
Would be kind of strange if Merkur were to include a few Astra or Feather blades when they produce their own Merkur blades, wouldn't it?
What would that say about the confidence their have in their own (blade) product?


As far as Derby blades are concerned, long-time DE shavers will remember that Derby blades used to be some of the most popular blades some time back and have only recently fallen out of favour.


Hence nothing foolish in my view - all very logical to my way of thinking.


B.