Merkur Heavy Duty Safety Razor

Merkur Heavy Duty Safety Razor

Product Description

Merkur's heavy duty double edge safety razor is very attractively styled with a hand-tooled, high-polish chrome finish. This solid and reliable grooming tool is heavier than other safety razors, for improved handling under extreme shaving conditions.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #40 in Beauty
• Brand: Merkur

Features

• Hand tooled chrome finish
• Made in Germany
• Blades not included

Customer Reviews

Last Razor You Will Ever Purchase
I have used one of these for at least the last ten years, and it is the closest shave you will ever get by yourself. Keep in mind that this is a straight forward razor and when you start using it, it shaves alot closer than normal-learn to shave all over and enjoy the best shave you will ever have. As for the price, I do believe I paid the same for it ten years ago, no price increase, and a pack of blades can last two months easy.

Way Better than Mach 3
Please note, when I say 'razor' some people think I am talking about the blade, but I am actually talking about the instrument which holds the blade. Personally, I think this is because there used to be a wrestler called 'Razor Ramon', who used to have a double edge blade as his symbol.

Now,

At first I cut myself a lot with this razor but I think that was because I went too fast and didn't use a proper technique (keep in mind I thought the top part was curved because you were supposed to roll it on your face during each stroke; instead the blade should be moved at one angle only). In fact after my first shave with this razor I was so disappointed with it I gave it to my dad and didn't think I would ever use it again. Half a year later I found out my drugstore stopped carrying Gillette Sensor (which was the only product that seemed to work o.k. for me, i.e. few nicks and a descent shave while allowing me to sculpt my goatee). So I had no choice but to ask my dad for the Merkur HD back (which he hadn't even used). Long story short - After honing my technique I get the best shaves I have ever gotten and fewer and fewer nicks until finally I started getting no nicks. The top part of the razor is unscrewed by rotating the end of the handle and completely detaches for changing blades and easy cleaning, although it's not as cool as the butterfly razors which open up like missile silos, I go for quality, not cool. This razor is basically two or three simple pieces of solid metal. Often times the simpler a tool is, the better it works (and believe me this razor is a tool, not a toy). The 'Heavy Duty' also has more weight to it than regular safety razors, which seems to work for me. The length of the handle is approximately 7.5 cm (3 inches). Merkur also makes a 'barbershop pole' HD (heavy duty) razor which has a longer handle, although I haven't tried that razor and don't see any need for a longer handle since I hold my HD razor closer to the top than the bottom. One other thing, this razor is alot more easier to clean shave gunk out of than multiblade cartridges which you could hold under the sink for hours and still not clean completely, but you should never wipe the blades with a sponge or anything, you should only rinse them with water to clean them (I think its because the blades have some coating on them). The HD razor itself is easily wiped clean to it's original condition. My 'technique' in case anyone is interseted is as follows:

1) wash stubble with Musgo Real 'Glyce' preshave soap (although i'm not entirely sure this is absolutely necessary)

2) warm my stubble with HOT water, you can use a hot towel, I just splash hot water a few times with my hands, also, some people shave after taking a shower when their skin is warm and moist.

3) Run shaving brush through WARM water (I use a cheep Wilkinson Sword synthetic brush, that I got at Walmart for 12 bucks, which I actually prefer to my 55 dollar 'art of shaving' badger hair brush for reasons I won't get into here)

4) Lather Up - place dab of Musgo Real shave cream in my left palm and repeatedly rub the brush into it using my right hand until I get a good lather. Alternatively you could use a coffee mug instead of your left palm.

5) Apply cream to my stubble using brush, wait 60 seconds

6) Start shaving. You should shave with short strokes in the direction of stubble growth (although with my hurricane-esque stubble growth it is impossible to always shave in the direction of growth) and hold your skin taught with your free hand. You don't have to put all of the cream on your whole face at once, it will probably stay more wet on the brush than on your face, although my Musgo Real cream has never dried up on me during a shave. Aside from making it easier to shave, wet cream is easier to rinse out of your razor during a shave; and you should be rinsing your razor constantly, I do it after every couple of strokes. Run a small amount of water through your brush if you find the cream starting to dry (this is WET shaving after all).

7) Run your fingers around your face checking for missed spots while you still have some slippery shaving cream on your face (or apply more from your brush). I find it way easier to find missed spots (and check the direction of beard growth) while I have cream on my face.

8) wash face, re-apply shaving cream and shave in the opposite direction of hair growth (I got this point from the 'Proraso' website, but I think you should never try this on very rough stubble areas, which I have a few of)

9) wash face, and apply any descent aftershave

** The only other trick you need to know (which is actually very important) is to experiment with the angle at which to glide your razor, remember to go slowly at first.

The reason my review was titled "Way better than Mach 3" is because that was the last over-hyped multiblade system I used excluding Gilette Sensor (which worked o.k. for me).

Revolution in Shaving
The reason I say revolution is because getting the best shave truly requires a revolving path back to older, finely-made technology.