Are Merkur blades worth it?

[H2Andy]

i picked up some Merkur Super Platinums without knowing anything about blades, and have been using them now for a bit. i like them a lot, but have nothing to compare them to except some CVS blades i bought to try out and ended up throwing away after two shaves.

so... i do like the Merkur Supers, as far as i can tell in my ignorance, but ...

with shipping, they come out to about 40 cents per blade.

i've been looking around and i've found Derby's for as little as 8 cents per blade

so my question is, does anyone use Merkurs despite their cost?

are they simply overpriced or are they that superior?

these are the kind i have:


thanks in advance

[ada8356]

I started with Merkurs and liked them quite a bit, but now use Derbys which I find superior to the Merkurs.

Of course YMMV.

[jduffy]

YMMV of course so you have some more blades to try out for sure.

BTW did you have to tell me that you threw the CVS blades away? I love those things! They work great in a Gillette Tech.

Your killing me man, killing me!

[Quagmire]

hey if the merkur blades work well for you then have at it. There's nothing wrong with them. It's just doesn't do the job for some people. You could always buy a sampler pack from letterK and see if there are any other blades that work for you as well.

[H2Andy]

BTW did you have to tell me that you threw the CVS blades away? I love those things! They work great in a Gillette Tech.

Your killing me man, killing me!

hehehe... well, with my poor technique, i am a menace to myself no matter what blade i use

[Jim]

Bob B

John (letter K)
Sells a sampler pack of blades try here.

Many men use the Merkur and like them. Just as many dislike them,thats why John put this sampler together so you can find the right blade for you!

Good luck

>EDIT< Looks like you type faster then me Quag!

[leesrazors]

First of all-everyone should purchase a sampler kit from John (letter K) that is interested in D/E shaving. His kits are the prerequisite for any D/E shaver. I am totally biased, but I think Merkur Blades are superior to any D/E made today. The others (except for Derby) just rip me up. The Israelis are high on my list too. But not sounding redundant buy from letter K first!
Stay Well,
Lee
leesrazors.com

[wernst]

Oh, the Merkur blades...

When I got the blade sampler pack, the Merkurs were the last ones I tried, since I had heard from *everybody* here that they were totally horrible.

Turns out, I like them the best in my Thin Adjustable, which was the only razor I had at the time.

When I asked where I could buy them in bulk here on the forums, someone actually sent me 40 blades GRATIS!, because they didn't care for them and never planned on using them again.

A few days later I got a 40's Super Speed, and tried it with a Merkur blade, promptly ripping up half my face, and leaving stubble on the other half. Argh!

I went back through the sampler pack, and the Derby's were just perfect.

Moral of the story is, of course, that if a blade works for you, and everone else says they're awful, who are you going to believe: "Everyone" or "Your Face?" The other moral of the story is that different blades work differently with different razors with different beard and skin types.

If you like Merkurs, try the others to make sure there's nothing better, then keep using what you like best.

-Warr

[ratcheer]

So far, I really like the Merkurs, but the only thing I have compared them to is American Personnas (I have only been doing this for three weeks). Actually, the Personnas give a great, comfortable shave, but they are pretty useless after 3 or 4 shaves. I am getting 6 shaves from each Merkur and they feel like they could go a few more, but I'm following the accepted wisdom of changing them on the same day, each week.

I think I will try Feathers, next. I guess I should check out the Derbys, too.

Tim

[letterk]

Some people love Merkurs, some hate them. But you can say that about just any brand. Merkurs are one of the most well established blades out there, so they must be doing something right. They're not one of my personal favorites, but YMMV as usual.

[RazzerRhodes]

Some people love Merkurs, some hate them. But you can say that about just any brand. Merkurs are one of the most well established blades out there, so they must be doing something right. They're not one of my personal favorites, but YMMV as usual.

I've been using the Merkur blades for 6/12 with nothing to compare with and have been very satisfied. However, I have recently had two shaves with Derby Extras and have been pleasantly surprised although I am going to wait a bit longer and get more experience before passing an opinon. Like Tim above, I am getting 6, sometimes 7 shaves out of the Merkurs and will possibly compare other blades to that longevity. (I look forward to receiving the sample pack shortly). Thanks John !

[Steelforge]

I think they are an ok blade, but nothing special. I used them for the first 3 weeks of DE shaving and was starting to get good shaves with them. After I tried the sampler I switched to using Derby blades in my Futur and Gillette Superspeeds, and Feather in my Slantbar, as I prefer those combos personally.

[Jonnybc]

I don't get on with Merkur Blades at all.

[madmedic]

I don't get on with Merkur Blades at all.

The same goes for me. Until Rene's Sharp blades came on the scene....I used them for travel.....use once and throw away. Fortunately I have never actually bought any. Ally my packs were supplied with my collection of Merkur razors.

Brian

[H2Andy]

thanks everybody, good comments, please keep them coming

i am shaving with a 1917 Gillette (i belive it is the Model 102), and at first, i was getting quite a few nicks and scrapes, but i am used to it now.

with the Merkurs, i find a very, very close shave, and i find i can get 5 "real" shaves out of them, and a couple of one-pass shaves for maintenance during the weekend (so my beard hasn't gotten huge by Monday morning).

i like them ok, but as i said, it struck me that they were so expensive. i figured for that price, they probably were heads and shoulders above the competition, but it doesn't seem that is the case.

[Stauff]

Merkurs are much better than most cheap blades, but they're not necessarily superior to some medium-priced ones. I like Merkurs in my fixed head long handle, but they're too rough in my HD open comb or Futur. IOW: many variables, but a little experimenting is part of the DE experience.

[MasonM]

Merkur makes blades?

I've had some pretty good shaves with those CVS blades.

[H2Andy]

well, i have been paying close attention to the "life" of my Merkur blades since my first post, and i find that now i really am not willing to use a Merkur blade for more than three shaves.

i confirmed this this week. i tried to be as consistent as i could, and i found Monday's and Tuesday's shaves were excellent, Wednesday's was goo, but not as close, and today, i actually scraped some skin (barely, but still).

now that my technique is somewhat consistent, i feel pretty confident that it's the blades, not me ... so ....

i am revising my max shaves with Merkurs from 5 to 3 per blade

[MJB]

I have used the sampler pack. After much ado I am left most preferring the Merkur blades.

The Merkur blades to me are consistent from blade to blade and from shave to shave throughout about 7 days.

Feathers are much sharoper and smoother on first with the grain passes but are deadly against the grain or with blade buffing. Israeli's just are not my favorite all around and to me the Derby's and Swedish Gillettes just are not consistent through the whole week. So it's Merkurs for me.

[Pete]

After using several different blades and reading many posts, I'm convinced that the "best blade" varies from person-to-person. Factors, such as skin-type, technique, and/or razor aren't the same for everyone. It's just a matter of what works for your particular face, routine, and set up.

If you have found greater success with the Merkur's, then by all means, keep using them. The only drawback with the Merkur is the price. Still, when compared to the rising prices of cartridges, they are still a bargain. If you're still eager to find a less-expensive alternative, I'd highly recommend one of the blade sampler packs offered by LetterK.

-Pete