Hey Guys, I just tried out my new Merkur Classic 1904 / 1906 open-comb safety razor. I had it on the shelf for a while thinking I would wait until my technique improved before giving it a try. Today I gave it a test drive and, WOW! I was really impressed... what a gem! Here are some photos: I like the old fashioned styling of this razor so I got both the open- and closed-comb versions. You can see from the above photos that the color of the open-comb version is similar to most other Merkur DE razors. However, the closed-comb version has a nice nickel colored tinting. Here are some figures for comparison: Merkur 1904 Open-Comb : 80 mm long, 64 gramsMerkur 1904 Closed-Comb : 83 mm long, 68 gramsMerkur 34C HD : 84 mm long, 80 grams I took extra time to prepare for the shave because I was expecting the open-comb to be very aggressive. I soaked my beard using a hot cloth and then applied some GFT Skin Food as a pre-shave agent. For the lather, I used Colonel Conk's Almond soap and mixed it with some GFT Almond cream to create a super lather. But today I wanted to try something different so I lathered on my face. I loaded the brush off the CC puck and I applied the cream directly to my face by hand before lathering. The whole process worked out very well. Remember how I said I thought the open-comb would be aggressive? Well, big surprise! It was actually very gentle. I could feel the blade but just lightly and on the second pass there were times when I could not feel it at all. On the third pass I went completely ATG which is something I don't normally do. For me, this razor was less aggressive than the 34C HD. Truly delightful! Finished up with cold water, some more Skin Food and then some Pinaud Clubman original. (Man I am a sucker for those "old world" scents. LOL) For new wet shavers, you will find a lot of recommendations for the 34C HD. But I reckon that a pair of 1904s would be great as well. They are both very similar in size and weight to the HD. Hope you found this interesting and if you have been wondering about open-comb razors, I say go for it and give one a try. Happy Shaving! - T Cheers, Lyndon One final closeup photo...
I enjoy using vintage open combs.The shaves have always been great. Glad you have enjoyed your shave with yours.
those are a couple of very nice looking razors. Congrats on the great shave with the OC. Here's to many more!
+1 - Thanks for sharing! I agree that the OC razors are not as aggressive as one would think. They make for a very nice shave.
Very nice review...Well put together...Nice Pics....and very informative....And welcome to the OC Club.... I think OC's have gotten an undeserved bad rap for being too aggressive...Not So...Some of the finest shaving razors ever, are OC's... Congratulations on your razors and shave aswell, wishing you many more great ones....of both....
This OC was based on Gillette's original design. When coupled with modern blades, that design is a very effective shaver indeed. Careful though, you might enjoy it so much you will want to collect original Gillette OCs!
I agree. The NEW and Old Types, for example, are excellent shavers with the Old Type being the most aggressive of the two.
