Hi all, I'm new here. I'm not a shaving junkie, but I've been DE shaving exclusively since 2016, always with a Merkur 33c. For most of my DE career I've used Astra and Trig blades, but recently I've switched to Feather and love how much smoother my shave is. (Feather used to leave my face a bloody mess, so I guess I've finally learned what I'm doing.) My beard is patchy but stubborn, especially just below the jawline and on either side of the chin. Even with the Feather blades I have to make numerous passes and spend a lot of time touching up those areas, so I'm wondering if there's a more efficient razor that wouldn't feel *too* different from the Merkur. Thoughts?
Merkur 33c -> ??
- Thread starter Peegbert
- Start date
Try adding a shim. This is where you take a used blade, cut off the sharp edges, and put it in the razor underneath the blade you are shaving with. This increases the blade gap by a small amount and may provide the increased efficiency you need.
- Thread starter
- #3
Ron R
I survived a lathey foreman
Kai SS blades are a little wider than a standard Gillette blade. It offers a way of getting a little more aggression out of milder razors(slight increase) but nothing over the top. The Kai blade is sharp and smooth and offers great longevity has been my experiences. Have been using Kai SS blades for years now and is another alternative to shimming. Will always have a few tucks around in my shave den!
Have some great shaves!
Have some great shaves!
Try taking a look at the Merkur Open Comb models. For me it was a natural progression to move from the standard Merkur Safety Bar models to the Merkur Open Comb models.
You can purchase just the Open Comb Base Plate from Merkur’s website.
It should work with the Top Cap and Handle that you already have for your 33C.
The Merkur Open Comb models don’t seem to get as much attention around heree as the Safety Bar models, the Slant models, and the adjustable Progress & the FUTUR.
The Open Comb has a very thin profile and works really well for me.
You can purchase just the Open Comb Base Plate from Merkur’s website.
It should work with the Top Cap and Handle that you already have for your 33C.
The Merkur Open Comb models don’t seem to get as much attention around heree as the Safety Bar models, the Slant models, and the adjustable Progress & the FUTUR.
The Open Comb has a very thin profile and works really well for me.
Are you talking about a 31C for example?!
all Merkur open combs are equally delicate as the closed ones, so for me it is of no use
if you talk about progress or future, it's different
Of course...Progress
Agree with the shim idea. Otherwise 37C or Progress to continue down the Merkur route with added efficiency.
Very interesting. I thought I was imagining it when I used a Treet recently in the same razor as I used with a different blade previously. The feel was completely different between the two and thought it could be down to size difference as all other factors stayed the same. Do you happen to have a list of other blades that are on the wider scale? As I have numerous but no Kai blades.
Ron R
I survived a lathey foreman
The Kai is the only extra wide blade being Manufactured today in the world that is any good compared to the past blades that where wider than the Gillette standard specs.
Most blades follow the Gillette standards but for what ever reason Kai SS made a blade for their proprietary razor at one time and still do IMO. They where in direct competition with Feather in Japan so folks must of complained enough for them to make a special blade is IMO, the Feather blade would not fit their razors possibly I'm thinking because they also made the Kai blade tabs slightly narrower as where Feather uses a Gillette standard specs for their blades for export around the world. Kai SS blades work well on 98% of DE razors ever made but there are always some new way of clamping or alignment ideas that change things a little when blade tab are used for alignment of blade. It might seem a little confusing because nothing has ever been documented or hard to find anything on the Kai SS blade from my limited research.
I also figured that folks who bought the Kai SS blade in N America decades ago and used it in their go to daily razor they might of noticed slightly more blade feel and found them aggressive possibly because they would of not known they are slightly wider blade IMO. Some shaving world thoughts & information that might of been lost from the past but slightly revived recently.
Have some great shaves!
Great suggestions above!!
1. Shim.
2. Kai
3. OC
My prediction is that one of these options is likely the answer!! Keep us posted on the outcome (PLEASE)!
1. Shim.
2. Kai
3. OC
My prediction is that one of these options is likely the answer!! Keep us posted on the outcome (PLEASE)!
- Thread starter
- #13
I agree. Some great ideas! I'll try the shim when I swap in a fresh blade on Friday. I ordered some Kais from RBC (it was my first time shopping there, so I couldn't resist the chance to try a few other blades as well). I'll hold off on trying a new razor until I see what happens with the blades. I will let you know the results.Great suggestions above!!
1. Shim.
2. Kai
3. OC
My prediction is that one of these options is likely the answer!! Keep us posted on the outcome (PLEASE)!
Thanks to everyone for the help!
- Thread starter
- #14
Belatedly coming back to update this. I tried shimming the blade and tried changing blades. Both gave me somewhat positive results, but neither really solved the problem. So for Christmas I got a new (old) razor: a 1951 Super Speed, replated (beautifully) by BackRoadsGold. Shaving with the grain, it feels extremely similar to my Merkur 33c, but it's considerably more aggressive going the other way, which surprised me. After a couple bloody shaves with my Feathers, I switched to Astras, but those weren't sharp enough: they required a lot of buffing, which led to some nasty razor burn (something I never got with the Merkur). Gillette blades (Silver Blues and Platinums) turned out to work pleasingly well with my Gillette razor, but it was still hard to buff away the last stubborn bits of stubble without weepers and irritation. So I tried switching from my old favorite Cremo to a "real" shaving cream -- TOBS Sandalwood -- and I wish I'd done this years ago. I'm getting the closest shaves I've ever had: nearly BBS if I spend the time, and perfectly satisfactory if I don't. Now I can start trying different creams and brushes! Thanks again for all the input and suggestions!
