I couldn't agree more about the EJ razor, or about the Merkur blades!

I LOVE my EJ Classic in ebony; it's classy, smooth, and reasonably gentle for something that can leave my face BBS.

Merkur blades, however, are NOT for me, or not for my EJ! I bought a blade sampler with my razor, and by far the worst shaves have been from Merkur blades. No major nicks or cuts, but no real shaving either! I would have to make a full four passes, leave myself razor burnt and STILL had little bits of stubble. By comparison, a Derby blade is a two pass max, no razor burn, and leaves me smooth as the day I was born.