MERKUR 34 Double Edge Safety Razor - Matte Chrome | Heavy Duty Knurled Brass Handle | Made in Germany | Plastic-Free | Two Piece Design | Closed Comb | Straight Bar

This is by far the best shaving tool I have ever used, and honestly I don’t think I’ll ever go back to modern cartridge razors again. Growing up, I remember seeing one of these classic safety razors sitting on my grandfather’s sink, and now I finally understand why he used it. The shave is incredibly smooth, clean, and comfortable compared to the expensive multi-blade razors sold everywhere today. What shocked me the most is how much better my skin feels afterward. No redness, no razor bumps, no excessive pulling, no irritation ... just a really good damn clean shave. Most modern razors feel overly aggressive on my skin, while this feels simple, controlled, and effective. The build quality is excellent, it feels solid in the hand, and the shaving experience honestly feels more refined and intentional than the plastic “high-tech” alternatives. I genuinely wish I had switched to this years ago. I’m extremely happy with this purchase and can confidently say this has completely changed the way I shave. Highly recommended.

So, really, I don't see how you could rate this lower than five stars. It's solid, well made, and it holds a razor blade at an appropriate level. The materials are rust resistant, the threads are spaced enough in the tube to make screwing the head on or off easy and fast. It's plenty heavy, so you won't forget it's there when you're shaving, and can, in fact, use the weight of the razor to shave for you. You just sort of guide it along. I've seen a few reviews of this and other razors complaining that the handle is too short. I don't see how--I have big hands, and it feels fine, though this is my first safety razor, and I've never used one with a longer handle. Also, since this is my first safety razor, I have no basis of comparison for models that are somehow adjustable. I'm not sure I understand how that would work, exactly, but I seem to be shaving just fine with this one, and in fact, am sold on giving up cartridge razors entirely. One thing that I didn't realize with this razor when I bought it: shaving is no longer a quick thing. Using this razor makes shaving into a daily ritual--one that I love, and here's the things you should be aware of if this is your first: 1. You have to shave twice. The second job is just a once over the face again to get that super, baby-skin-soft close shave, which is worth it, but be aware, it takes a little more time. 2. Using canned shaving cream with a safety razor is a travesty. Shaving soap is cheap and lasts forever, and, even better, it's soooo much more luxurious and functional than the canned stuff. However, this adds a couple more things you need to order--a brush and the shaving soap. 3. You can't just wet your face, glop on the cream and go. You really do need to shower first or soak your beard in a hot towel for a few minutes first. It's worth it, and needed, to soften up your beard. Unless you have very soft facial hair to begin with, in which case you may be able to avoid this step. If I don't shower first, the safety razor shreds my face. 4. You now have to consider what blades to buy. Not all blades are equal. In addition, different blades have different levels of difficulty in shaving. The Merkur blade that came with it is a low-level difficulty. It was super easy, and painless--a great first impression. I bought some derby blades, when I ordered the razor, and when I switched, my face looked like I had measles, and the styptic pencil was like fire on my face. I'm doing better now, but you can't just load and go--you have to think about pressure, and angle. 5. Along those lines, you really have to pay attention to the grain of your beard. I have a sort of cow-lick in my beard, so I have to shave one side upwards, one side downwards, and side to side in the middle. If you go against the grain, the razor will hurt you. Strangely, in spite of these things, I have found I love shaving with this razor. It's a challenge sort of, the soap I bought smells and feels amazing, and the end result of shaving is easily the closest shave I've ever had. It's like there's now a way to make shaving a truly manly activity, complete with blood-loss and skill development. On the other hand, my wife found it works well on her legs also, and will be purchasing one for herself. Forget those cartridge razors. What a rip-off! I never knew. Oh yeah. the 15 replacement blades I bought cost six bucks. Derby makes a 100 blade pack that costs ten dollars. I didn't buy it because I wanted to try them before I loaded my medicine cabinet with them. Next time, I'm buying the bulk pack--which will last all year.

I was surprised by the quality of this rake from the moment I took it out of the box. The metal handle has a good weight, feels sturdy and offers excellent grip. The shave is very smooth and precise, helping to reduce irritation compared to disposable rakes. In addition, its classic design gives an elegant touch to the bathroom. Without a doubt, it is an excellent investment for those looking for a comfortable and durable shave. I totally recommend it.

After using this item for 2 years now, I can say with confidence that this product has been a great learning experience for someone who has never used a DE Razor before. The assembly is straight forward and not confusing, the design is sleek and fits in your hand perfectly. The weight is distributed properly not causing you to lose control when you are shaving in sensitive areas such as your neck. I paired this with the Astra blades and it made a near perfect, close shave. The reason I did not give this a 5 star was because the top plate had broke on me a couple of days ago, after countless of screwing in and taking it out, the grooves in the stem of the top plate would not allow me to screw it in anymore. I cant say for sure if it was product error or user error, but I looked on different threads and multiple people have stated it also happened to them as well. Regardless, 2 years is a long time for a product of such high quality. I would recommend it to everyone trying to get into the DE Razor community.

I want to first start off by saying that I think the folks who are writing reviews about this style of razors having a "learning curve" to learn how to use must be either crazy- or this is just the perfect razor. I am a 39 year old man- and before this razor I had never shaved with a old style double edge safety razor. From reading the reviews (on a lot of razors) I was really worried that I was going to nick up my face and bleed. Out of the box this was a true pleasure to shave with-- the shave is hands down the best shave I've ever had. Even my wife commented and I hadn't told her I had tried a new razor. From reading dozens of reviews I found this model kept coming up in reviews as a good choice so I took the plunge- and man am I happy I did. I also bought a high quality shaving soap and lather brush- and a stand to hold everything. Reminds me of a time from long ago. I almost didn't shave the first time as I was so worried that I was going to Nick myself and walk around looking like a 14 year old kid with band aids- but that didn't happen-- I followed all the good advice from other reviews and went at it. Here's a short list of what worked for me. A: Buy quality- I almost bought the $19.99 as seen on TV razor from the history Channels "Pawn Stars" reality show ( I love that show-) but after reading the reviews it was obvious that for slightly more money- just a little bit more I could do better. So go with quality- and get a HEAVY razor that is of heirloom quality. B: Really wet your face with HOT water prior to shaving C: Buy a really good shaving/lather brush with real animal hair- get it very wet and hot before shaving D: Buy a high quality shaving soap- and use hot hot water and your brush to really get a great lather. ( I just went with the #1 seller on Amazon and was very happy-- it's smoothness and scent was an instant hit and I knew all was good) E: Let the weight of the razor do all the work- don't pull the razor- just line it up, give a quick angle to have the blade make contact and let the weight of the razor do the work For the love of god please, don't ever shave against the grain of your face-- DUH! F: Use a good after shave/conditioner Overall all I have sensitive skin and coarse facial hair (think 2pm shadow). My first shave through I had zero issues. No burn, no nicks, no redness and no blood-- just a great shave. And for those who say it now takes them longer to shave I say NAY! My first time it took no more than 90 seconds longer than normal and that included opening the boxes putting in the razor blade ( which was brainless by the way just in case you're worried about it like I was) unwrapping the soap and the brush etc. This has become the way I will shave forever-- hell maybe in 100 years a grandchild of mine will have that razor in their bathroom and use it everyday- the quality is top notch. It's an heirloom and you don't even have to be close to a rocket scientist to use it. Don't let all the reviews of nicks and rash scare you- I'm convinced those reviews are from guys out there who may be a little clueless on most matters of hygiene. End note- I did a lot of research on which razor blades to buy- this razor only comes with one. I have chosen Astra blades after reading through many reviews and they work excellent for me. I did read some reviews that say you have to shave twice with this type of razor- I have not found that to be true- it seems that I get a great shave with just one pass- although I have tried a second pass from time to time but mostly because its just fun to shave with this razor and the brush and lather is so awesome. I do not see any really noticeable difference between one shave and two pass shaving- but that could be just me. If you are thinking of going to this type of shave- buy this razor and enjoy- Since I started shaving I've always used the cheap 8 pack generic throw away brands from rite aide--- never again. This razor is truly shaving the way it should be. I only wish I had figured that out 20+ years ago. Disclaimer: I am not an expert in shaving by any stretch. Shaving is obviously inherently dangerous- be careful shaving. Just because it worked for me out of the box doesn't mean it will for you. GO SLOW let the weight of the razor do the work. Don't cut your face up. If you think you can't handle it don't do it. It worked for me but that's no guarantee it will work for you- so don't go and get all pissy if you cut yourself- everyone's face is different. Read the reviews. Get a game plan-- watch some you tube videos. Buy good equipment and enjoy the shave safely.

After much research, I determined that the Merkur Mk34c was a good entry to Double Edged Safety Razors. There are, no doubt, other options that would work, but this one seemed tried-and-true and rather well regarded amongst beginners and 'connoisseurs', alike. I first used the razor with an Astra Superior Platinum (Green) blade. It was my first shave with a DE Safety Razor; and the combination was intuitive to use, not too aggressive, and very effective. In the future, I may need to use a more aggressive blade to get where I want, but the Astra Green have been excellent for now. For reference, I have a rather full, though not extremely dense beard, with thicker whiskers. Like most men, the beard is most dense above the lip, chin, and neck. My skin is somewhat sensitive, and I was frequently plagued by irritation and in-grown hairs back whilst still using disposable cartridge razors and rubbish shaving creams. With this razor and blade I've had NO irritation, no cuts (thus far). I wish my father had known how how to properly wet-shave so he could have passed this knowledge on to me. A little knowledge goes a long way. DE razor with new sharp blades, hot water wash and prep, good natural shaving soap lather in bowl with shaving brush, reapplying lather, shaving with the grain first, then moving to subsequent passes or shaving against the grain (if desired), washing well after, applying witch hazel extract (or a mild toner/astringent) with NO alcohol, and lastly applying a good facial lotion. It sounds complex but it's really not much longer than shaving with the rubbish cartridges - and the results are far superior, and quite satisfying. It's a tried-and-true, proper way to wet-shave, and I wish I had known sooner. I will certainly vouch for this Merkur razor's role in the process!

Nice razor! Good quality! Nice weight and feel! I bought this about 2 months prior to writing this review and I'm still getting used to how to use this type of razor (mostly on increasing the speed of shave at this point), and I'm very happy with it so far. I still use regular shaving cream from a spray can with this item, but this seems to work great for me. I have had noticeably less ingrown hairs and irritation from shaving compared to using the multi-blade disposable types. It has made me change how I shave - and my shaving pattern. I watched a few videos on Youtube to get a good feel for what to do and what not to do and apparently it's working! This is overall a lot cheaper, a long term use product, and I'm glad I switched over to this razor. My face and neck appreciates this as much as my wallet! Do some video research to learn how to use this type of razor. It is very sharp (I'm sure with whatever blade you buy for it), and I have made a couple of very small nicks (like 1mm or so in size) - but I think it would have been more and worse without the video research. The angle you hold it and how you maintain that angle while moving across your face is different than the disposables. The patterns of with grain, across grain, and against grain are different that I have ever shaved before. You'll have to experiment with what works for you. On my face, I like going with the grain, then across the grain - both ways, and then against the grain, except for under my nose where I only go with the grain and across the grain both ways - but not against the grain. On my neck, where I'm very prone to ingrown hairs, I only go with the grain (sometime 2 passes if I've let it get too far along), but I can't do across the grain or against the grain on my neck or it still breaks me out and starts ingrown hairs. Something about the disposable types just does not work for me - even when doing single passes only with the grain I still have issues with breakouts and ingrown hairs. The blades are so cheap in comparison to disposable that I don't feel guilty switching them out frequently for a sharp edge - maybe 3 or 4 shaves per blade and it gets retired, but the prices for these kind of blades makes that very affordable. I'm very happy with this purchase! And, BTW, I bought the Genuine Leather Double Edge Safety Razor Protective/Travel Case with Felt Lining from Parker Safety Razor leather case for it and it fits this razor nicely!

I bought this razor a few years ago, thinking it would last a long time. It has been great, little learning curve, after getting through it one of my favorite shaves. No skin irritations or ingrown hairs, 3 strokes on one side flip it, 3 strokes on the other, then rinse, fast, efficient and comfortable. Blades are very reasonable but as good as any. However it broke after a few years, solid metal, but the threads would no longer seat properly. Based on the price, it would be great if there was a longer warranty replacement window.

Great sturdy razor, nice and comfortable to use. The handle is quite short though!

Excellent product no second thought.. no nick smooth shave

使い心地は今後慣れていくとして始めての使用感ですが、予想以上に深ゾリ出来ていい。 とても満足しています。 替刃も一枚あたり20円程度のもので充分使える。 本体は高額に感じでいましたが数ある複数枚刃のT字カミソリも結局替刃が高額になって来るので一生ヒゲを剃るなら充分に元は取れると思う。

Un classique très utile et efficace. Je n'utilise plus que ça et j'en suis très satisfait. C’est l’outil parfait pour une vraie entrée en matière dans le monde des rasoirs de sûreté. La prise en main est excellente et le rasage est très doux.

A mis 45 años de edad es el primer rastrillo de seguridad que tengo, siempre usaba los de cartuchos desechables los cuales eran verdaderamente una pesadilla, caros y nomase servían por un par de afeitadas. Ahora con este rastrillo rasurarme es la cosa más fácil del mundo, no sé como pase toda mi vida sin saberlo. Este rastrillo es de muy buena calidad, los materiales se sienten macizos, tiene buen peso y muy buen agarre.