Is it just me...

[AJS]

... or do Merkur platinum Blades suck? After a week of great shaves using my NB Cream and Futur/ Feather combo I was confident enough to attempt an against the grain pass, not wanting to push my luck any farther than I had already, I decided to use an HD with a Merkur blade for the final S-N pass. Much to my surprise, the HD/ Merkur combo was very smooth and there was no irritation going against the grain on the final pass. I had originally stopped using the Merkurs because they were causing razor burn and seemed to be lacking any sort of smoothness.
This morning I decided to use the HD/ merkur combo again and 4 passes later my face was red raw (and I didn't even go against the grain this time.)
So, what gives? IS anyone else experiencing the same lack of satisfaction with the Merkur's. Although they are not renowned for their sharpness, I know that a lot of people are fond of the Merkur's and value them for their forgiving Nature and supposed "smoothness" but for me shaving with barbed wire would probably be less excruciating.
Any insights from the more experienced? As for my setup this A.M: I used Taylors Avocado (had to try and break my addiction to and dependence on the Nancy Boy) and my prep was better and more thorough than usual.
Warm regards,
Alex

[Jonnybc]

I’ve had a similar experience with Merkur blades. I shaved for a few years with a Merkur Rake with considerable success until I left it in a hotel room, together with a Kent shaving brush. In the months that followed I tried various different razors including electric none of which were up to the shaving quality of the Merkur. Eventually my girlfriend, having had enough of me moaning, bought me a lovely silver-tip brush from Taylor’s of Old Bond Street and a tub of St James’ Collection shaving cream. I immediately set off to get another Merkur Rake from my local barber shop (living in central London has its advantages).

I got home and had what had to be a pretty poor shave remembering my experiences with the old razor I was very disappointed. I persevered with the Rake but really didn’t get on with it at all so I thought spending some more money might help and got myself a Vision; these are a bit too rich for my local barber to stock so I had to travel about a mile to get one. Again, I got home, shaved and had pretty poor results; I put this down to inexperience and continued to use it for two to three months with painful and sore results.

I started thinking about how my new shaving routine might be different from before. The only difference I were the blades I get a pack of 10 Merkur blades with each razor I had bought and I bought a pack of 10, The original razor was bought without any blades at all and used Wilkinson Sword (an English make if you’ve not heard of them). I went out and got a pack and my shaves are now better than with my original set up. The stubble is now cut rather than being levered out of my face. I have subsequently found these blades on ebay at between £10 and £13 ($15 to $20) for 100. And am getting on really well with them, they last around about 3-5 shaves and when I use an alum block on my face after shaving there’s hardly any discomfort at all.

My first posting here, I don't get on with Merkur Blades at all.

[mrob]

Are you saying that you used the Futur/Feather for the first couple of passes, then switched to the HD/Merkur for the SN pass? I'm not sure why you would switch rigs for the final pass if the set up was working for you, but to each his own.

A question or 3:

1. How sharp/new were each of the blades in question? Some guys will notice a bit of pull with older blades (duh), and, counter-intuitively, sometimes with a brand new blade.

2. What settings/aggressiveness were the razors at for the passes? I've found my best results with pretty aggressive settings for the NS and against the grain passes, and less aggressive settings for the SN and T&C passes.

3. Do the 2 razors (Futur and HD) have similar profiles? I'm wondering if changes in razor angles and geometry might have mucked up your technique when you switched rigs for the final pass.

Not to worry. . .nothing that you can't get fixed with more practice and the advice of the experts who will see your post.

[guenron]

It is very difficult to tell exactly what is happening here without watching your prep and shave passes. Despite that, one thing jumps out and grabs my attention here. While I do not recall whether I have recommended that you read my magnum opus on the four pass, one thing that it stresses is (to paraphrase) ... each successive pass builds upon (requires) the success of the previous passes, i.e. if your N-S isn't good, you ear to chin isn't going to be worth much. This seems to be the situation here.
Permit me to explain. We will ass_u_me that the Nancy Boy Shaving Cream and Taylor of Old Bond St AH! vocado are providing equal lubrication, moisturising, and beard softening for sake of argument. When you were shearing the ol' visage with the Futur/Feather combo, your N-S and whatever others were most likely more effective than the HD/Merkur N-S and whatever passes. (Why? The sharper blade and (potentially) a significantly more capable razor.) Therefore; when you turned to the HD/Merkur for an against the grain (S-N) after the F/F, everything was at the stage where this pass could do exactly what it was meant to do, i.e. get the least bit of shrub that remained and remove it from the topography. It seems as though the HD/Merkur combo in consort with Mr. Klein's AH! vocado did not prep the terrrain well enough for that last glorious pass. Ergo, your visage goes down in feu de rasage!
Now, would I stake my life or wealth on that explanation? No, but given your description of events, it seems plausible and reasonable. Hope that helps.

[AJS]

Thanks for the replies John and Mitch.
Mitch to answer your questions:
1: The blade in the Futur was a 4 day old feather. The blade in the HD was a fresh Merkur. I have noticed tha the vast majority of blades are better after their first use myself, so I was quite surprised to find the Merkur felt so good first time out. When I came to shave this morning it was the same Merkur blade on day 2 with the HD on its own.
2: Last week with the Futur/ Feather combo I had the Futur at 3. I only used the HD for against the grain on the last day of my weeklong Nancy Boy test.
3: When you talk about head profile are you referring to the fairly wide margins now found on a lot of merkur razors or about the two in comparison.
I have been fairly lucky with my Merkurs, I have not seen the same level of variance on individual sides of the razors, that a great number of other members have. As for how the two compare, obviously the Futur is much more unwieldy and has a larger head, but their doesn't seem to be any real difference in blade angle.
It is funny that you should bring this up however, I posted a while back about the difficulties (and loss of blood) I was experiencing wiht the Futur after I went back to it from trying out the HD.
Warm regards,
Alex

[AJS]

Thanks Ron,
I have read your magnum opus on the four pass. It was your work in combination with a lot of the theory that goes with method shaving that has helped me to understand and apply some of the more important concepts found in wetshaving to my own routine. Foremost amongst these being the concept of reduction. Certainly the Nancy Boy and the Feather/ Futur combination got me to the stage where I was more confident and it was easy enough to go against the grain, and with that particular setup I noticed a quantum leap forward in my technique. I had never been really satisfied with the HD myself, but I thought with the newly improved technique to build on I might be able to get more out of it.
When I came to shave this morning I did three N-S passes, and was very careful to make sure that my bristles had been reduced as much as possible before I did an ear to nose pass to clean up (see, I didn't even go against the grain today and I end up lookin like )
Maybe I'm just not suited to the HD with the Merkur platinums.
Warm regards,
Alex

[guenron]

Thanks Ron,
I have read your magnum opus on the four pass. It was your work in combination with a lot of the theory that goes with method shaving that has helped me to understand and apply some of the more important concepts found in wetshaving to my own routine. Foremost amongst these being the concept of reduction. Certainly the Nancy Boy and the Feather/ Futur combination got me to the stage where I was more confident and it was easy enough to go against the grain, and with that particular setup I noticed a quantum leap forward in my technique. I had never been really satisfied with the HD myself, but I thought with the newly improved technique to build on I might be able to get more out of it.
When I came to shave this morning I did three N-S passes, and was very careful to make sure that my bristles had been reduced as much as possible before I did an ear to nose pass to clean up (see, I didn't even go against the grain today and I end up lookin like )
Maybe I'm just not suited to the HD with the Merkur platinums.
Warm regards,
Alex

ALex,
I really do believe that 3 N-S passes may pass the point of diminishing returns. Heading (directionally for reference downward and toward the center) from the top-of-the ear toward the chin on second or perhaps the third pass (after a second N-S) would provide better reduction with (potentially) less irritation.

[AJS]

I am sure you are right about the point of diminishing returns Ron, but I didn't shave over the weekend so I thought I would make use of the extra pass just to help cut the stubble down.
The main reason I asked for other posters experiences was because I had been having problems with the Merkur blades prior to this. Generally I am reluctant to blame the tools I am using if I can't get a specific job done properly, but this time I am ready to admit defeat. Besides, all the money I don't spend on Merkur blades's can be spent on Feather's instead
Warm regards,
Alex

[NYLaw]

As long as I follow a three, four, or even five-pass method, ther Merkur platinums are my preferred blade... I find that it's a very forgiving blade that doesn't sacrifice closeness IF the proper time and methodology is used... As with everything else here, it's all a matter of personal preference.

[letterk]

As far as just the blade is concerned, Merkurs are easliy my least favorite. I don't find them sharp OR smooth. Not a nice combination.

[vox_rox]

As far as just the blade is concerned, Merkurs are easliy my least favorite. I don't find them sharp OR smooth. Not a nice combination.

Actually, I wouldn't be a strongly opposed as the above comment, but now that I've had a chance to get some technique working for me, and I've also tried a few different blades, the Merkurs certainly are not on my "A" list.

My first DE shave ever with my new HD was with a Merkur, and at the time I was amazed. That blade was replaced with another Merkur, and again I was thrilled to be wet shaving and getting such an amazing shaving experince. Then I tried a Derby, and I realized that, for me at least, the Merkur was siply not the blade for my face. The Derby cut better on the first pass, seem more comfortable, and it was the first time that I attempted - SUCCESSFULLY - to do a bit of buffng after my final pass. Wow!

So, the remaining Merkur blades I will keep, along with some Wilkinsons as well, just for when I run out of baldes, or to try in a different razor (like my newly acquired '71 Gillette Super Adjustable long handle!). But for me, Merkur blades are a distant 2nd place behind the Derbys. I still have a couple of Feathers I've yet to try, so this list may change as to my favourite blade, but that won't change my opinion on Merkur blades.

Of course, as with EVERY wetshaving tool that you can think of, YMMV, and a different man with different skin and different beard may find that Merkur blades are top shelf, and to that I say, Fantastic. Use what works for you, just as long as you know how to shave.

Peace,

Pierre

[HeadandFaceShaver]

I am definitly not the most experienced wet shaver by a long shot here but I have had the same experience with the Merkurs. Not smooth shaves with lots of irritation. I've now tried Merkurs, Israelies, swedish gillettes, derbys, and feathers... I can get great shaves with the derbys... my first couple shaves with the feather weren't the best, my shaves with were the Israelies were at least as good as the Derby's, and today I got a nice shave with my first experience with the Swedish Gillettes. So out of those (Rik's sample package)... the Merkurs were hardest on my face. Harsh enough for me that I don't think I'll be returning to them. Just my experience...

-Brandon

[Aky007]

I have been using merkur blades for two years now. I have never had a problem with them. But what i find is technique is very important as well.
Now that i only have a few merkur blades left, im putting an order for the Derby blades. Looking forward to try them out after what you guys have been saying about them.

[NYLaw]

I ordered the Derby blades on eBay ($12 not $10- my loss)... From what I've read on this thread and others here, I'm expecting to LOVE the Derbies!

But, I have some Swedish Gillettes that I haven't used in a while... Now that I'm more experienced with this, maybe I'll go back to those for a week or two before going over to the Derby blades...

Thanks for all the info Gents!

[crackstar]

When I'm not using my straight, Merkur blades in my Vision are the go to for me. I always get a great shave with them.

Jeff

[Suzuki]

I thought the Merkurs were fine, but noticed the same types of issues - notably pulling and figured this was normal.

I have since switched to Derbys (haven't tried the Feathers) and consider them to be far superior to the Merkurs - smoother, closer, etc...

[NYLaw]

Suzuki,

What I'm hoping is that the Derby blades are sharper (closer?) than the Merkurs but less "cutting" (bleed-inducing) than the Feathers...
I just couldn't get a good shave with the Feathers. I don't know if they were too sharp for me or what, but whenever I went for the final passes (and touch & cut), I'd always end up with a badly bleeding face!

I'm noticing some pulling with the Merkurs, but it's nothing that can't be fixed with a little patience and another pass. Whenever I get bad "feedback" with a Merkur, it usually means I'm pulling or pressing too hard.