I was talking with my friend in Germany (Soligen of all places) a couple of weeks ago about switching from disposables to DE or straight. I asked her if she could comment on the quality of the German produced razors since she lives in the city where they are made. Well to my surprise I found in the mail today A DHL yellow box and immediately knew she sent something. In the box were shaving materials. I have two questions. The first deals with the Merkur 43C. I pull the razor from the pack and it was one heavy razor. She was informed that this heavy razor will be better one for a novice. However I am taking this advice with a grain of salt. I am planning on trying the razor by resting it on my face cautiously. Has anyone used or can advise me about this razor? I searched the Forum (and the internet) and unable to find any posts.

The second question deals with the rasierpinsel (shaving brush) made by Hans Baier. It appears to be a good quality brush. The handle of the brush has me puzzled. The handle is cylindrical and quite heavy. It is metal, chrome likely. There is no design in the handle to hang the brush on a stand. Does this mean I just need to stand it on its handle with the bush pointing upward to dry?

Thanks