Now try and say that title 5 times fast and not loose your breath 
To start off, if any knows me on the forums they know me as a simplistic shaver. I like to keep things very simple and I don't like to change things up much. I mean seriously until yesterday August 23rd I have been shaving strictly since January 1st 2011 every single day with my 1930 Aristocrat. Mind you I had a few moments of weakness with an Old Type for a few days, one shave with a Super Speed as I was trying some Method Shaving Techniques and finally about 5-6 shaves with a Straight Rup Razor but other than that every morning it's the same routine with the Aristocrat day in and day out.
So while I loved the straight and it was fun and liberating to use I just couldn't find the time to use it each morning. So I traded it on the forums with Tralfaz for the Merkur, which also included a Gillette 1920 Single Ring. Since wet shaving I have only used DE Gillette's and have been very happy with their quality and ease of use. I have used a Super Speed, the beloved FatBoy, an Old Type, a Slim Adjustable & of course my favorite the very sexy 1930 Aristocrat. Well enough about all that lets chat about the Merkur.
THE RAZOR
The Merkur 39C is a nice and heavy razor, the heavist I have used weighing in at over 4 oz. The weight alone is probably my most favorite feature of the razor, besides it good looks and length. It just feels like your holding something solid that you can wield around to slice, chop and butcher hairs one by one. The other feature I like is the bottom of the Razor has a nice ball to tighten up the head so you don't need to hold the head of the razor with a towel like the Old Type I own.
Another pro about the razor is it has some nice groove work on the handle so it doesn't slip out of your wet hand. However one key thing about straight shaving I have learned to use in the DE world is to always keep your hands dry. Nothing worse than dropping a straight razor and loosing a toe or worse! So after each pass and face rinse I always keep those paws nice and dry as to not accidentally splash extra water in to my cream bowl, or accidentally drop a razor.
THE SHAVE
My first shave with the razor was a WTG, XTG shave and a brand new Personna Medical Prep Razor. I wasn't extremely impressed with my shave yesterday, it was mediocre but a shave none the less. Normally I can get away with a WTG, XTG using the Aristocrat and I would consider it a "solid" shave. Not BBS but enough to get me through the whole day.
This morning I figured lets take the time and get a quality shave in and see what we get. So again WTG, XTG, and of course the ATG. One word WOW! I didn't do any major prep at all, made my cream using my custom made brush and AOS Non Scent Cream. Splashed some hot water on my face, used the 1 day old Prep Blade and WOW! Let me state for the record I have had BBS but I will only state that the BBS was on my checks. As for my neck hair it grows in stupid circles on both sides of my neck. I can never, I mean NEVER get BBS...seriously I mean NEVER!!!! Sure I can get DFS no problem but BBS...its just out of the question on those bastard neck hairs.
However today I have gotten the closes shave on my neck ever, it's still not BBS but man it's soooooo darn close!! I know if I would have had the time for a 4th clean up pass I guarantee my 2 year old son would be jealous! Here is a picture of him wearing my glasses with that clean shaven look he has.
Lets see what else can I tell you about the Slant. While it looks dangerous with the slant feature and the blade sticks out a little further than most razors I have used, it's nothing to fear. I personally think the way the head is designed and the way the blade sorta of comes out at that slant is key on why this razor shaves so well! Almost like a FatBoy turned up to an 11
Something else I liked about the razor is it was very comfortable to shave with. No Razor burn just let the weight of the razor do the work. Maybe that extra weight is the magic that gave me this quality shave I have this morning!
THE USAGE
So now that I have had a quality shave with this handsome razor I plan on using this Merkur for at least a month straight to see how I feel about it. My first thoughts is the Merkur is a better shave than the Aristocrat
I am not going to throw in the towel on my Aristocrat yet but that is how I feel right now.
So in closing I would state for anyone out there that has not had the pleasure of using a New Age DE Razor I would highly recommend giving it a shot, worse case you can always trade up or down on the BST
. Personally I take pride in knowing I own razors that where all made in the USA and still work so well after so many years! However after using the Merkur and getting a proper shave I am truly looking forward to trying out some other new age razors. As always YMMV!
Happy Shaving my Friends!
To start off, if any knows me on the forums they know me as a simplistic shaver. I like to keep things very simple and I don't like to change things up much. I mean seriously until yesterday August 23rd I have been shaving strictly since January 1st 2011 every single day with my 1930 Aristocrat. Mind you I had a few moments of weakness with an Old Type for a few days, one shave with a Super Speed as I was trying some Method Shaving Techniques and finally about 5-6 shaves with a Straight Rup Razor but other than that every morning it's the same routine with the Aristocrat day in and day out.
So while I loved the straight and it was fun and liberating to use I just couldn't find the time to use it each morning. So I traded it on the forums with Tralfaz for the Merkur, which also included a Gillette 1920 Single Ring. Since wet shaving I have only used DE Gillette's and have been very happy with their quality and ease of use. I have used a Super Speed, the beloved FatBoy, an Old Type, a Slim Adjustable & of course my favorite the very sexy 1930 Aristocrat. Well enough about all that lets chat about the Merkur.
THE RAZOR
The Merkur 39C is a nice and heavy razor, the heavist I have used weighing in at over 4 oz. The weight alone is probably my most favorite feature of the razor, besides it good looks and length. It just feels like your holding something solid that you can wield around to slice, chop and butcher hairs one by one. The other feature I like is the bottom of the Razor has a nice ball to tighten up the head so you don't need to hold the head of the razor with a towel like the Old Type I own.
Another pro about the razor is it has some nice groove work on the handle so it doesn't slip out of your wet hand. However one key thing about straight shaving I have learned to use in the DE world is to always keep your hands dry. Nothing worse than dropping a straight razor and loosing a toe or worse! So after each pass and face rinse I always keep those paws nice and dry as to not accidentally splash extra water in to my cream bowl, or accidentally drop a razor.
THE SHAVE
My first shave with the razor was a WTG, XTG shave and a brand new Personna Medical Prep Razor. I wasn't extremely impressed with my shave yesterday, it was mediocre but a shave none the less. Normally I can get away with a WTG, XTG using the Aristocrat and I would consider it a "solid" shave. Not BBS but enough to get me through the whole day.
This morning I figured lets take the time and get a quality shave in and see what we get. So again WTG, XTG, and of course the ATG. One word WOW! I didn't do any major prep at all, made my cream using my custom made brush and AOS Non Scent Cream. Splashed some hot water on my face, used the 1 day old Prep Blade and WOW! Let me state for the record I have had BBS but I will only state that the BBS was on my checks. As for my neck hair it grows in stupid circles on both sides of my neck. I can never, I mean NEVER get BBS...seriously I mean NEVER!!!! Sure I can get DFS no problem but BBS...its just out of the question on those bastard neck hairs.
However today I have gotten the closes shave on my neck ever, it's still not BBS but man it's soooooo darn close!! I know if I would have had the time for a 4th clean up pass I guarantee my 2 year old son would be jealous! Here is a picture of him wearing my glasses with that clean shaven look he has.
Lets see what else can I tell you about the Slant. While it looks dangerous with the slant feature and the blade sticks out a little further than most razors I have used, it's nothing to fear. I personally think the way the head is designed and the way the blade sorta of comes out at that slant is key on why this razor shaves so well! Almost like a FatBoy turned up to an 11
Something else I liked about the razor is it was very comfortable to shave with. No Razor burn just let the weight of the razor do the work. Maybe that extra weight is the magic that gave me this quality shave I have this morning! THE USAGE
So now that I have had a quality shave with this handsome razor I plan on using this Merkur for at least a month straight to see how I feel about it. My first thoughts is the Merkur is a better shave than the Aristocrat
I am not going to throw in the towel on my Aristocrat yet but that is how I feel right now.So in closing I would state for anyone out there that has not had the pleasure of using a New Age DE Razor I would highly recommend giving it a shot, worse case you can always trade up or down on the BST
. Personally I take pride in knowing I own razors that where all made in the USA and still work so well after so many years! However after using the Merkur and getting a proper shave I am truly looking forward to trying out some other new age razors. As always YMMV!Happy Shaving my Friends!
