Am I the only one who has never owned a Merkur 34C? I've used the Merkur HD open comb (11C) and the HD slant bar and the barber pole slant bar, but never the 34C.
Am I the Only One Who Has Never Owned a Merkur 34C?
- Thread starter dreadpirate
- Start date
I've never owned any Merkur
No, you are not the only one. I have never owned one either but I am curious to try one someday. I like my 37C (and my vintage Pomco slant) but I'm not a fan of the way the newer Merkur razors have zamac threaded posts. The threads are cast/molded rather than machined. The older Merkur had brass post that was machined and welded to the zamac cap. The threads are the first place where moisture is likely to get thru the plating and start rotting out the zamac. Just seems like a dumb place for them to cut corners.
Count me in.
- Thread starter
- #6
Is this true of the two piece Merkurs as well?
Found one at a Marshall's or TJMaxx a few years back, new, on sale for $5.
Faced with that, I really had no choice.
Can't remember the last time I used it. Maybe 6 months ago?
Faced with that, I really had no choice.
Can't remember the last time I used it. Maybe 6 months ago?
I have a Merkur 37C and a couple Progresses, but I seldom use them. I tried to sell them but they are so inexpensive, it isn't practical.. shipping kills any motivation to try again.
I'm in the, "Nope, I ain't got or tried category." I'm not a fan of their blades and I've tried using these on a couple of different occasions. I've no real interest to give this a try either.
Yes. I recently purchased a two piece and sent this picture of what I consider to be a defective/shoddy part to Merkur support and they replied that this is normal. That the entire cap, rod and threads are cast of Zamac and that's why you see the seam and the flat sides of the threaded portion.
I was gobsmacked that they would consider this shoddy quality part to meet their current standards. My older Merkur (both 2 piece and 3 piece) are not like this and have the threads machined on a round brass rod that is welded to the cap prior to plating.
To be fair -- the razor shaves really well. I'm just fussed that the threads look destined to fail. The older ones have lasted all these years and I don't expect this will.
The reply from Merkur:
It is about 10 years ago that we changed the thread of this razor to a molded one that looks like in your pictures.
The spot is from the contact of the rack for electroplating.
A screw or a thread like this have both pros and cons. We choosed this version when we redesigned the mold.
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- Thread starter
- #11
Wow. I pulled out my 10+ year old Gold Slant HD 37G and it looks fine. Definitely not cast. I was thinking about buying a gold 34G to go with it. May have to re-think that. Sigh. Should have kept the 11C
The threaded post on one of mine in heavy used condition looks like brass showing through some plate loss.
Years of wear and tear and threads are just fine -- I wish I had a better photo.
Seems impractical to cast a long stud out of zamak. Have there been outright failures?
I reckon the older semi-vintage (early 2000s?) are better.
I've never even seen one in person...
Have only used vintage Gillettes so far but I've only been shaving with DEs for a few months.
Have only used vintage Gillettes so far but I've only been shaving with DEs for a few months.
- Thread starter
- #14
Yours looks exactly like mine, except I have the gold finish. Even the weld looks the same. I think I got mine like 12 years ago; maybe even more.The threaded post on one of mine in heavy used condition looks like brass showing through some plate loss.
Years of wear and tear and threads are just fine -- I wish I had a better photo.
Seems impractical to cast a long stud out of zamak. Have there been outright failures?
I reckon the older semi-vintage (early 2000s?) are better.
- Thread starter
- #15
Correction - I also have the open comb 1906 Merkur. Aggressive little sucker, but nice looking.
Never heard of a gold 1906 open comb. Sounds classy.
Had one, liked it, then PIFed after obtaining the the larger 37C(did the same w/ the slant versions)
marty
marty
I bought a 34C in March 2022. The problem with it is that the blade posts on the top cap aren't large enough to ensure good blade alignment. I have also bought a couple of Mühle R89s (which are also cast metal) and the blade alignment is much better.
As their various models are actually just 2 or 3 piece versions of the same SB and OC head, you really didn't miss out on anything.
Just like the venerable DE89/R89 from Edwin Jagger/Mühle didn't impress me while it is also highly regarded.
No Merkurs here
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