Fendrihan MK II Full Stainless Razor

I bought this razor back in 2017 (now 2024) so the review should be all right. I had time to use the razor multiple times with a few blades.

This is not my daily or main driver. I use it here and there but always had good shaves with it.

I originally bought this razor to replace my Merkur 38C (main driver) in case of an incident. I have a NIB Merkur 38C as a backup but thought that a Full Stainless Steel razor would be more durable.

The shaves are similar to the Merkur 38C in terms of results. The blade feel is a bit more on the Fendrihan MK II compared to the Merkur 38C. I would qualify the MKII as a medium razor in terms of aggressiveness. For me, that's the sweet spot(Medium or mild). I prefer the Merkur 38C because the blade is less exposed.

I get a BBS shave when I use the MKII. I usually pair it with an ASTRA Superior Platinum blade (Russia). I am in the process of testing other blades.

The razor itself is well-built. I do not see any stamping on the razor. I suspect that Fendrihan was not stamping the cap at first. There are no markings inside the cap or baseplate.

The handle has a nice knurling to it. It is well-polished. The razor cap has blade stoppers in the corners. The underside of the baseplate is a bit rough. However, that doesn't affect the shave. The blade alignment is done by two short rails in the cap.

For the quality control side. When I received the razor back in 2017, the baseplate had a piece of sharp metal sticking up on the comb. I suspect that those are injected in molds and the finishing process did not remove all the defects from the injection. Instead of contacting Fendrihan, I went the cowboy way and took the finest piece of sandpaper to remove the burr. My reason was to see what the finish would look like and if the baseplate was stainless. If I would leave the burr in place, it would cut my face 100% guarantee.

After sanding the burr by hand, it disappeared. I can't say which corner had the defect.

I had no issues with the alignment and the exposure of the blade is even on my razor. I believe some B&B members had their razors exchanged as they had alignment issues.

In the end, I would recommend this razor based on the price (I paid 49.95$ CAD in 2017). I bought it in early February so I did not get the December 2017 special (25% off) that Fendrihan offered. But that's life! I am still not disappointed. I gave it 4 stars because of the Quality Control issue. Otherwise, this razor would have 5 stars.