This is the first safety razor that I purchased this past summer when I was introduced to this sort of thing. I had no idea what "aggressiveness" meant, "open comb" or Closed Comb" and I am still very new to the hobby. I do have opinions about this though after about 4 months of wet shaving.
I can't imagine starting to wet shave with a razor any better than this one. There are probably many that would equal it, but this is about as forgiving a razor out there, in my limited experience and opinion. You may notice that I paid a premium price for it. As this was my first razor, I purchased it in an Art of Shaving Retail Store, which are pretty pricey. The price on most of the online stores is in the $40-$50 range.
It has a nice heft to it and with the long handle "fills" the hand quite nicely. The blade exposure is actually less pronounced than that of the Edwin Jagger DE-89L that I purchased soon after this one. Speaking of the DE-89L, when I first started to shave with it, I felt that it was much more aggressive than the Merkur 47C, which should give you an indication as to how mild the Merkur is. It can and does tackle a hefty beard though and as I have tried various blades with it, it has performed quite well this past week with a Kai blade and 2-3 days of beard growth.
It is a beautiful razor with a fit and finish just as pleasing to the eye as the DE-89L and it holds a special place in my heart as "the razor that started it all."
I can heartily recommend the Merkur 47C as an ideal razor for beginners or for those that like a mild-medium aggressive razor.
I can't imagine starting to wet shave with a razor any better than this one. There are probably many that would equal it, but this is about as forgiving a razor out there, in my limited experience and opinion. You may notice that I paid a premium price for it. As this was my first razor, I purchased it in an Art of Shaving Retail Store, which are pretty pricey. The price on most of the online stores is in the $40-$50 range.
It has a nice heft to it and with the long handle "fills" the hand quite nicely. The blade exposure is actually less pronounced than that of the Edwin Jagger DE-89L that I purchased soon after this one. Speaking of the DE-89L, when I first started to shave with it, I felt that it was much more aggressive than the Merkur 47C, which should give you an indication as to how mild the Merkur is. It can and does tackle a hefty beard though and as I have tried various blades with it, it has performed quite well this past week with a Kai blade and 2-3 days of beard growth.
It is a beautiful razor with a fit and finish just as pleasing to the eye as the DE-89L and it holds a special place in my heart as "the razor that started it all."
I can heartily recommend the Merkur 47C as an ideal razor for beginners or for those that like a mild-medium aggressive razor.