So after a few VERY mild and smooth shaves with a RazoRock 37 Slant, I ordered a Merkur 39c. I loaded it with an identical Astra blade lathered up a bowl of Arko and proceeded to remove three days growth. The Merkur was NOT smooth at all. I perfectly centered the blade, and used the same angle as the other head but other than removing the growth, it was not a success in my opinion. Upon closer inspection, I noticed that the blade reveals appear close to identical between the two razors, but there’s a modest blade gap with the RazoRock. With the Merkur, the blade is pressed firmly against the base plate. Is the normal for this model or do I own a dud? I can quickly create some blade gap with a very slight loosening of the tail cap, but obviously that’s not how it’s designed to be used.
I found mine to be quite similar to each other. Maybe the German 37 a bit more aggressive, but i thought that may be my imagination (the handle felt heavier, and i used some shorter handles with the head). But i felt they are very close to each other.
Today I loosened the base knob a full quarter turn and watched the blade gap really react. The resulting shave was 100% better. I'll continue to experiment with the blade gap and see where it takes me. I plan to try a Kai blade next. It'll be both sharper and slightly wider, which should really change the razor's personality..............hopefully for the better. I'm not happy that this razor appears to be defective, but I'll try to make it sing like it should.
I plan to. I’d read that slants do well with “average” blades, and my RazoRock 37 did really well with an Astra. Loosening the knob a quarter turn still gives less gap than the RR 37, but appears to be approaching the correct range. Once I find the sweet spot I’ll have to noodle out a shimming system I guess.
Or a thread stop. Like running two nuts against each other on a threaded rod. If you could insert a piece of thread inside the handle portion of the 39 causing the cap threads to stop at just the right spot. Once you get it in there, you can't get a tool on it to get it out. I'd just send it back, explain your experience. They should recognize you know how it should shave.
I now have a different 39c AND a new 37c. I have them both dialed in (literally; backed out a quarter turn), and they deliver fantastic results. Very smooth and efficient results in only two passes. Add me to the list of slant fans.
Merkur did a retool on the 37c, they made it much more mild (too mild imo). Loosening it helps, but it looses some rigidity. If your 37c/39c says Solingen Germany under the base plate then its the newer mild version. The German 37 is based on the old Merkur 37c design, not the new one. With the old Merkur 37c no longer being produced, all of Merkurs non adjustable razor lineup are very mild.
Thanks for the education. That explains the huge difference in blade gaps. I may be sacrificing some rigidity, but I’m still getting a great shave with the knob loosened a quarter turn. With my newfound knowledge, I now want to track down an older version.