MERKUR 38C Double Edge Safety Razor - Bright Chrome, Extra Large Barber Pole Grip Brass Handle, Made in Germany, Plastic-Free, Two Piece Design, Closed Comb, Straight Bar

This is an AMAZING razor. I’ve been a double-edge safety razor shaver for about 15-16 years now. I have two Parker razors that have served me well and a cheap Weishi. I wanted to try something different and saw great reviews on this. I wanted something heavy and that was NOT a twist to open (TTO) for a change. This one is 113 grams without blade. I have used Big Ben blades most of my wet shaving time. Flawless shave with this Merkur. I usually shave every other day. I’m shaving more often now just because it’s such a great razor with ZERO irritation. I mean that. NONE. I have yet to even nick myself. I use an alum block after shaving and don’t get any irritation. I also purchased the 34C which has the same head but lighter at 78 grams. Also highly recommended. It would be hard to pick between the two. If you can afford it, get one of each!

I upgraded to this razor to one I got in a wet-shaving kit years and years ago (not sure about the manufacturer of that one), and am really happy with the Merkur. The weight of the head makes getting a close shave practically effortless, since you don't need to add any additional pressure to hack off the stubble. I'm not really an expert at identifying how aggressive a razor is, but I would guess that this razor falls on the milder side of the spectrum. I feel like I would have to try to cut/knick myself to draw blood with this razor, yet that comes at no expense to the quality of the shave. Everyone's face is different though, and a lot will depend on the quality of lather & how well-suited the blade is for your own style of shaving. (Personally I use Gillette 7 O'Clocks, Nacets, & Dorco Prime Platinums most often). While I knew that the handle had no knurling when I bought it (which is what I'm used to), I'm certain that some would complain about how slick the handle can be. Personally, I think it's bad judgment to handle & shave with *any* razor while your hands are slippery from soap. I just wipe my hands and the handle off with a towel, and it's fine. Would I buy it again? It's an attractive razor, but I primarily chose this one because my wife has the classic 38C, and I wanted to be able to tell them apart. I can't help but note that I essentially paid more for the aesthetic of the razor, which arguably has (albeit slightly) reduced functionality due to the lack of knurling on the handle. It is quite an enjoyable shave, however, and it's almost a piece of decor unto itself after rinsing and leaving it on a stand. Overall, I recommend this razor to people that have experience with wet-shaving or are used to a smooth handle. If you like it mostly for the aesthetic though, I would probably encourage to wait for it to go on sale.

Extremely happy that I went with the longer handle. Don’t go by hand size. Go by what is comfortable. I have smaller hands and used standard replacement cartridge shavers for many years. Having said this I can’t imagine going to a short handle safety razor like the 34C. The 38C feels perfect. They ain’t a kiddin’ when they say this is a weighty razor. There is some serious heft to the 38C. I believe it is the perfect weight. You really do let the weight of the razor do the work. It will take time to get used to not pushing the razor against my face to get a good clean shave but moving to a safety razor is the right way to go. My first shave is outstanding! There are heavier safety razors than the 38C which I cannot imagine using. I believe the weight of the 38C would be as much as anyone would want to go. However, personal preference is key and I would recommend trying ones with lesser and greater weight as well as handle length. The one thing about a safety razor is that it is unforgiving if you have a bump on your neck. It will get you - unlike with standard cartridge razors. So, be careful and mindful. The handle on this is more slippery than I would have liked. With just slightly wet hands it can take some real practice to keep it from slipping free. Overall I am very happy with this purchase.

Very classy look with good quality construction. The head is heavy enough for me to get a baby bottom smooth shave. Im still trying out my preferred blade. I usually use Wilkinson Sword, but i did try the Merkur platinum that came with it. The platinum blade is a bit too aggressive for my sensitive skin. If u have a long beard the Merkur platinum will remove it quickly with few passes. But the Wilkinson Sword is less aggressive and more forgiving for the very sensitive skin. The DE hd handle length is good for me since my hands are big. The grip is excellent. Use a toothbrush to keep it clean and soap scum free and remember that sometimes the razor blade will rust if u leave it in the base. Its important to clean the threads of head that unscrews from inside the handle, otherwise scum and possibly even rust can depreciate it. Overall this is excellent! after u buy this and learn the correct angle, pressure and find the right blade FOR YOUR FACE, u will never go back to cartridge or electric. Those who are new or want to improve ur skills, check out the Gourmet Shaving book for Kindle. Its very detailed and even explains the products that u need.

Over the past few months, I've been trying to find the perfect DE razor for me. This is the 5th one that I've tried and while it comes the closest to "perfect" it does have one glaring flaw that is difficult to overlook. First the good: It's aggressive. I like that, with a quality blade, I can usually get by with one pass of this razor. A second pass, against the grain, will give you that hairless feel. The two-piece design is a bit easier to change blades compared to a three piece. The fit and finish seem to be good. I like how heavy it is. Overall I'd say this razor is an excellent value. The bad: The grip. While I like the long, heavy handle, the knurling on the grip is awful. It's like Merkur sat down and had a focus group for how to come up with the worst grip design. The grooves are so small, shallow, and close together that it feels like you're gripping a high grit sandpaper. And the spiral design, combined with the razor's weight, makes it easily slip and rotate in your hand, especially if your hands are wet and/or there is lather on the handle. I saw other reviews complain about it feeling slippery in your hand, and I have to concur. Its a shame because the razor does so many things well. If Merkur would just make this same design, but model the knurling after a feather, or even a cheap Weishi, it would be absolutely perfect. As is, I recommend it, but with the caveat that you'd better make sure to grip it tight.

I wanted to give this razor a few weeks of use before I reviewed just to make sure it was really as much of an improvement from my old razor as I thought when I first used it. I previously owned a Vikings Chieftain for about a year and a half before it broke. As I said in my recent review of that razor, I'm actually happy that it broke, because it gave me an opportunity to try a different razor before giving up on safety razors altogether. Whereas my old razor would leave me with razor burn or bleeding nearly every time I used it, I have yet to receive razor burn or any nicks at all from the Merkur after using it about every other day for a few weeks. I almost gave up on safety razors as a result of what the Chieftain would do to my face. I thought that was what people had to go through to get the close shave afforded by a safety razor. I'm so glad that I gave it one more try and ended up with the Merkur. It is heavy, well built and, most importantly, gives me the extremely close shave that one would expect from a safety razor, without razor burn or cuts. If you've had a bad experience with other cheaper razors, give this razor a try before going back to the expensive multi-blade units. It's very likely that you'll be glad that you did.

The threads corroded eroded away and that made it very challenging to change blades after about 3 years of use. After slicing my thumb to shreads trying to pop off the head, I had reached dmy saturation point. Loved the weight of the razor and it functioned well for about 3 years. Not gonna buy again.

I'm a woman and use this for my legs and armpits, usually with Persona razor blades. This never ever cuts me, and always gives me a fantastic shave. I only replace the blade every month at most! It cuts closer than any other type of razor, and the weight of it makes it easy to hold. IT'S EASY TO RINSE OUT. It holds on to less hair than those 4-5 blade fancy razors, and I can unscrew it DURING my shower a little to easily and safely rinse out hair.

It took about two weeks of practice to get the hang of it, but I'm glad I made the switch. The razor includes a sample platinum-coated merkur stainless steel blade, of which I bought a 10-pack of along with the razor. Shaving every day, each blade lasts me a week without any problems. Definitely a closer, smoother shave with far less irritation than with multi-blade razors. Even if I do nick myself, the cut is very clean and you really feel it, so there's less chance of making it worse by passing over it multiple times. It seldom pulls my skin and always shaves cleanly, so I no longer get razor bumps or irritation of that sort. Specific to the razor model itself, it feels very sturdy and it's heavy, with a nice finish. Putting in new blades is easy, just twist the bottom until you can detach the head at the top, slide in a blade along the guides, put the top back in and screw it tight. It is very consistent in how it angles the blade and the pressure it puts on it, so once you get comfortable with it you will rarely cut yourself. Definitely well made, very pleased with it.

This product looks fine - it was bought as a Xmas present so it hasn't been opened yet. I notice it came with a pack of 5 razor blades which were an entirely different make - not Merkur - somewhat surprising really given that I ordered a separate 10 pack of razor blades which, when they arrived, were the Merkur brand. So, to summarise, Merkur make razor blades so why send a totally different make of razor blades with the razor itself?

Perfect weight and size. I prefer a long handle one. Really good.

Prodotto Solido, ben costruito. Ci si rade quasi con il solo peso del rasoio. Non mi aspettavo di riuscire a radermi con tanta facilità in quanto è stato il mio approccio ad un rasoio di sicurezza. Rasatura agevole e perfetta anche per una PELLE SENSIBILE come la mia accoppiando il Merkur con lamette ASTRA VERDI. Ovviamente bisogna passare contropelo, ma non lascia irritazioni ed è quasi impossibile tagliarsi. Zero graffietti, nessun rossore, pelle morbida. Da precisare che ho ammorbidito e preparato il viso con acqua calda. Ho utilizzato come pre-rasatura l’olio DAWN OF GLORY e poi come crema da rasatura la WOOD & SPICE Proraso distribuita con pennello EDWIN JAGGER di Tasso. A fine rasatura, balsamo WOOD & SPICE Proraso. Perfezione !!

Mi modelo favorito para maquinilla clásica. Una pena que las cuchillas de Merkur no tengan la misma calidad.