Merkur quality??

Will Power

Will Power

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Jan 18, 2007
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I have three of their razors and they enabled me to get back into DE shaving I'm glad to say.

But...

How do the rest of you find the quality of finish, notably the plating? I ask this because on of my razors, a 34 I think, I noticed a kind of 'burr' on the corner of the guard. This began to scratch my face after a while in an annoying&unpleasant fashion. Then I noticed the plating had come away from this edge so I decided to lightly file away the burr-idiot enough to leave an old blade in while doing this, slipped and sliced a neat piece of my fingertip print right off:eek::D

This razor is under two years old (from the Bay) and although I'm not fanatic about cleaning, I dry the razor after each use and wipe away any soap residues. I also notice what looks like RUST on the hollow part of the handle!! I'm rather disappointed by this quality fault and wonder if others have encountered poor plating or rough finish? My other two Merkurs, a 38 barber pole and Traveller seem fine.
 
On the shave forums, there are some seriously dissatisfied Merkur customers over issues like poor plating, sloppy machining, corrosion, and bad casting. Most folks seem satisfied, though. Perfectionists will likely be better served by Ikon, Edwin Jagger, Muehle and Feather Stainless safety razors. They are more difficult to find and more pricey, though.

FWIW, the only modern Merkur I own is a model 45 "bakelite", which suites me just fine.
 
The Merkur Futur can be had in a bead blasted stainless finish so no plating issues to worry about. I wouldn't trust any plating from any company over a lifetime.
 
I only own Vintage Gillettes and an EJ89L so I can't comment on the quality of Merkur razors. Going from the number of people that use them and swear by them I would say they are generally good to better quality, but they may have had a short period where there were some issues. They are also probably the most common modern DE razor out there so it would be more common to hear about the ones that have problems.

Think of it this way, if 5 people had brand X razor and one of those people had a plating issue with it that would be 20% of brand X had plating issues. Now if 1000 people had brand Z razor and 100 people had a plating issue, that would be a 10% plating issue. Even though brand X has twice the plating issues that brand Z had, your chances of hearing about the issue with brand Z would be much higher be cause of the volume of brand Z users is higher.

BTW my EJ has perfect plating:p
 
I bought a Merkur 34C last year and I have to say I was very surprised how high quality it was for the money. All surfaces are smooth and I don't see any variations, or lack of, plating. I don't know about the longevity of the plating, since I haven't owned it long enough.
 
I appreciate your views, thanks.

The other 2 Merkurs are really good, I wonder if I could get in touch with their factory.Anybody have any info? Any other razors I could look into....here we go!
 
I just picked myself up a Merkur HD 34C with some Proraso soap and a badger brush. I was calculating how much I spent on Mach 3 cartridges and realized that in a matter of two months, I would've paid off the Merkur already. Then I'd start saving money since I would be buying double edge razors. Thanks a lot people.
 
I've had one for a couple two tree years now and it's just fine. I haven't noticed much of anything at all. It works, no defects, holds the blade... what's not to like?

I don't think about brushes much anymore. I shave after I shower. I make sure to shower hot, and work my beard with my hands just before I get out. Right to the sink, lather up a little bar soap and slick up my face, and shave.

There was a time when I was kind of into the ritual with the hot towel, mixing peppermint extract oil in with my glycerine soap and all that stuff. I think that lasted about a week. Then I got a job again and had to boogie off to work, so I went back to shaving for effect.
 
Well, I've been using my Merkur HD razor for the last three days and I have to admit, this is the cleanest shave I have gotten (albeit takes a longer time). I was extra careful the first time I used it (passing two times) and my face was sooo smooth. However, yesterday, I tried to go a little faster cause I felt a little confident, but ended up nicking myself 2 times).

I have a pack of Feather samples that I will be using soon, and I certainly hope I don't cut my face up to much with those. I've been reading that they are a beast.
 
It's not the Feathers are a beast, but that they don't suit some people's technique and or face. Go slow and concentrate on what you are doing and it shouldn't be too bad or it will work just fine for you
 
Well, I've been using my Feathers for about a week and a half, and I'm gonna say I probably like the Merkur razors a bit more, but the Feather's aren't too bad.

I find myself nicking myself at least once with the Feathers, but with the Merkurs, I'm pretty good.
 
I'm getting interested in Edwin Jagger razors. Anybody have personal experience of them? My Merkur's plating continues to flake....
 
Send that Merkur in if the plating is having problems. It has a lifetime warranty.
 
I need to send my 37G (gold plated HD slant, GREAT SHAVER!!) in because of plating loss and corrosion. I hate to send it in because it's a great shaver. Works great for face and head. Takes off 4 days of stubble quickly.
The slicing action of the slant reduces tugging and pulling. I can do in 2 passes what other razors require 3 passes to accomplish.

I have the Edwin Jagger DE87. Excellent fit and finish. Great shaver. It's another one of my favorites.

The old Gillette Slim and Super Adjustables are great razors, too. As are the old Gillette Super Speeds.

The more I use my Gem single edge razors, the more I like them. I have lots of love for my old Schick Injectors, too.

I'm eyeing the Merkur bakelite razor and the Merkur Progress adjustable.

If I had it to do over, I would have gotten the 37C (chrome) instead of gold.
I'd like to get one of the Merkur open comb 1904s.
 
Yes, I'm interested in that 1904 open comb too.

Still can't find a Merkur website or address to contact them on though.....
 
willgoy said:
I'm getting interested in Edwin Jagger razors. Anybody have personal experience of them? My Merkur's plating continues to flake....
Click to expand...

I can"t believe I missed this:eek: and a chance to talk about something I know:p

The EJ89L was the razor that was recommended to me as a starter razor. It is coming up on a year old soon and still looks as good as the day I bought it. They are a little milder, but still give a great shave. I like my vintage Gillettes better, not because of the shave, but because I feel some sort of connection with them. Well OK I do find that my single ring shave closer than all my other razors. The EJ on the other hand has never bitten me and always gives consistent shaves and I will never part with it, even if I decide to grow a beard:eek:
 
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