Merkur 38c/EJ classic/Mühle R89

Hi, I’m a newbie and I'll buy my gear really soon. I have some irritation and ingrown hairs problems since I’ve started shaving (10 years). One day, in search for the solution, I went to a French forum (I'm french canadian ) where they were talking about a man named mantic59 on youtube and since this time I’ve seen every videos he has posted a couples of times and now it’s clear that I’ll become a wet shaver.

Since a week and a half I’ve read around 100 different reviews (thanks to all of you) of creams, soaps, razors, brush, mugs and now I’ve chosen all that I need to getting started but I don't know qhat to chose for the razor. At first I wanted the Merkur 38c, but recently I’ve read a post where someone was talking about the Mühle R89 and I’ve discovered that the Edwin Jagger classic (de86 to de89) has the same head.

So here are my questions: Is-it true that the EJ has the same head as the Mühle and if so, how is the balance difference (if there is one) and how they compares to the Merkur 38c?

There is a difference of more than 20$ between the 38c and the EJ and I’ll buy the Edwin Jagger BBB so it would be great to have the assorted colours.

Welcome or should I say bien le bonjour,

Edwin Jagger and Muhle are the same. Muhle will produce the razors and Edwin Jagger will stamp their name on a few of them. The balance should be the same unless they have custom handles... Someone might correct me here if I am mistaken. I won't be able to point out where to start as I did not try the new Muhle/EJ or a 38C. They are both great from what I heard.

If you want to get started for a cheaper price, I would recommend the Buy/Sell/Trade section of this forum to pick-up a vintage Gillette like a Tech or Superspeed.

I happen to know someone personally that has an awesome red handled 38c on the buy/sell forum right now ... hint hint

It's sold now Thx for teh reply though, is there someone else who can give me his opinion?

The Mühle ('09-model) and EJ do indeed have the same head which is slightly different from the Merkur head. I don't have the 38C but since I own the new R-41 and R-89 from Mühle all my other Merkurs (15-23-25-33C & 37G) are only collecting dust. Not that they are bad but the Mühle's are simply more to my liking. It is a YMMV-thing but apart from the better shave (for me!) the fit & finish of the Mühle's is of a higher level too than with the Merkurs.

There is another, maybe more important difference between the Merkur 38C and the Mühle/EJ; the Merkur is a heavy razor with the balance more towards the handle where the Mühle/EJ is much lighter with a rather heavy head. The weight of the Merkur will let the razor and gravity do all the work while the lightness and balance of the Mühle/EJ will give you more control over the shave. This has nothing to do with quality but only with personal preferences.

Good luck choosing the right one for you!

While I don't have a 38c, I do have a 34c and the R89 (new incarnation). Honestly, the two deliver very similar shaves for me, but I like the Mühle better. Why? Fit and finish and overall feel. Fit and finish wise, I'll just echo what many others have said: Mühle is just head and shoulders above Merkur. Not to say that Merkurs are bad, but Mühles are better (IMO). Someone once said that Mühles make Merkurs look like factory seconds. I would tend to agree. For feel, I would simply echo talibeard. The R89 is much lighter and more head heavy. I also think the R89 is more forgiving. It's easier for me to get irritation and/or nicks with my 34c than my R89. I can also shave a feather pretty successfully in my R89 where they chew up my face in my 34c.

Hope this helps.