Thread: Merkur 45 Bakelite DE

Thanks for the review Bob, if it was a slant I'd get one. I have quite a few bakelite slants from the war years I guess. They are also decent, but so light in weight I have to really focus on what I'm doing. Good shaves though.

I have shaved with Merkur blades in the past, and found them to be decent. Not on a level with Feather or Gillette 7 O'Clock yellow, but as good, or maybe a bit better than a Derby was say 8 years ago. I haven't shaved with the Merkur, or the Derby in that long, but they were not terrible by any stretch of the imagination.

Nice looking razor at a fair price. Always liked the look of bakelite

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

Thanks for the review Bob, if it was a slant I'd get one. I have quite a few bakelite slants from the war years I guess. They are also decent, but so light in weight I have to really focus on what I'm doing. Good shaves though.

I have shaved with Merkur blades in the past, and found them to be decent. Not on a level with Feather or Gillette 7 O'Clock yellow, but as good, or maybe a bit better than a Derby was say 8 years ago. I haven't shaved with the Merkur, or the Derby in that long, but they were not terrible by any stretch of the imagination.

You know I like slants and OCs too so if this shave lasts long enough I think I would rate it right up the with the Merkur 37C slant or my Wolfman OC as far as end result goes. That would be a surprise for me as I generally don't get longevity out of a conventional SB DE design aside from a Gillette Fat Boy set @ 9.

I do know what you mean by being so light that you have to watch your technique a bit. For a light weight travel razor that likely nobody would want to pinch it might be good. Even if it went missing you aren't out much.

Bob

For me the verdict is in on shave longevity. The shaves last as long as I can get with far more expensive DEs and just as smooth. Yea, it did survive a drop into the sink too for me.

What you get is a DE that will shave right up there with the best of them for 1/10th the cost. What you don't get is an impeccable handcrafted chunk of metal and the pride of ownership that goes with that. Where the rubber meets the road, where it counts the shave, it is no slouch.

Bob

I'm glad you,ve had good results. It looks like it would be very light, especially compared to my Merkur 38C.

Thanks for the post. I'm considering picking up the PAA Bakelite just so I can try one.

Originally Posted by MajesticShaver

Thanks for the post. I'm considering picking up the PAA Bakelite just so I can try one.

Haven't used the PAA Bakelite slant but I have used the Fine Superlite plastic slant with very good results. The Merkur 45 Bakelite has a standard DE solid safety bar head design. From what I have read the PAA Bakelite slant is a good copy of the vintage Fasan slant and is supposed to shave just as well as the vintage Fasan. Sounds interesting.

Bob

Originally Posted by Firefighter2

I'm glad you,ve had good results. It looks like it would be very light, especially compared to my Merkur 38C.

Yes, light like a feather by comparison. Still needs no pressure on the blade though.

Bob