Yesterday, the new razor I ordered arrived just 4 days after buying it online. It is a Merkur 39c HD— a large-handled, two piece, slant-bar razor, often called, "The Sledgehammer." The Merkur has a lovely chrome finish, and the 'barber pole' handle is nicely textured for a good grip. It's a hefty handful of a razor—nearly 4" long (top of the head to base), and weighs 4 oz/113g. I currently own (& use regularly) an identically-sized razor—the Merkur 38c HD 'Barber Pole'—but after recently trying & truly enjoying shaving with a slant-bar razor, I decided to add one to my shaving arsenal. Fresh out of the box, with a Merkur blade sample. The main difference between the two Merkur razors I have is the design of the shaving head. The 39c's slant-bar head (left) is slightly larger with the unique 'twist' that provides the so-called 'slant' effect to the razor's exposed edge (think 'guillotine' diagonal slice vs a straight-cut blade). The 38c (right) has the more traditional safety-bar design. Test Run: I loaded a new Astra SP blade and gave the new slant-bar a go. I used a VERY light touch (no downward pressure) and let the weight of the razor & gravity supply the necessary friction. Slant-bars have a reputation (deserved?) for being an aggressive razor and in my experience using one in the past, it does pay to give a little extra attention to what you're doing until you develop a good feel for the razor. Prior to the shave, I did a thorough prep (hot shower & hot 2-minute towel, pre-shave oil). Using a rich soap (Mitchell's Wool fat), I ensured that my face had good lube & lather prior to the razor touching my face. One-day growth (light). Results? I did two passes (WTG & XTG) and found my face baby-smooth. No need for a third pass. I did some very minor touch-up on my problem spots (neck), but that was it. No weepers! A cool splash of aftershave to sooth any possible irritation (none!), and a dab of balm finished the job. A true BBS with only 2 passes. Very smooooooooth! Face feels great! Would I use this razor everyday? Possibly—although my light beard does just fine with either of these two German-made razors. The slant gives an incredibly close AND comfortable shave. My only concern is this extreme closeness everyday may cause some irritation day after day on my super-sensitive skin. I wont know until I try it for 5-7 consecutive days & gauge how my skin reacts. Overall, I'm pleased to have this slant in my rotation. The Merkur gave me the closest shave in the fewest passes than I've ever gotten from a standard DE razor. Well-worth the investment cost.
Very very nice!!! I love the handle of this Razor.It's so fantastic. Congratulation to this buy.My thinking is between two Razors...the 37c and your 38c...Don't know what to do...
Nice razor Kevin. I haven't ever tried a slant. I will some time though. It's neat that you can get such a close shave without going ATG. That's good prep and equipment for you. Good luck with it. Will be nice if it works out that it can be a daily shaver.
Congrats, Kevin! Merkur slants are great shavers, very smooth and easy to handle. Slants are my favorite DE-razors, I also own a bakelite slant and I've tested the milder "Liese/Ibsen Torsion" -- whereas the "Apollo" slant is reknown to be much more aggressive. IMHO the design of the new iKon slant should be an exact copy of the old pre-war "Mulcuto Nadelspitzentorsion". I think all those slants have the advantage to be quite user-friendly as the "Gillette slide" or diagonal shaving techniques are incorporated into the slant design (somewhere in the depths of TSD there should be one of the best explanations how this works). Good luck and have fun with the Sledgehammer!
They are quite intimidating when you first see them. Even more when you first use it.I love how "twisty" the blade gets once mounted. Pretty wild!
Does anyone know if the handles for the 37c can be switched with the 38c? Or put another way, can I put the 37c head on my 38c Barber Pole handle?
No. The base of the head is fixed permanent. Screw the knob on the base of the handle and the top piece of the head comes off to load the blade.
Chris, the base of the 38c head is attached to the barber pole. Same goes for the 37c Only part you can remove is the upper plate with the threaded pin that holds the razor in place. (actually you can also remove the insert at the base of the handle into which the threaded pin screws into—mainly for cleaning purposes). Just as Steve stated.
The German "Malteser Stahlwaren schräg" razor, still in production, has the same slanted head as the Merkur 37c/39c. In fact, it is a three parts razor that has the same nickle plated handle as the Merkur 41, as you can see here: http://www.malteser-stahlwaren.de/katalogseiten/kosmetikinstrumente/#Rasierer I didn't buy it, but for those who use custom made handles with M15-thread , it's perhaps an option.
I also love my 39C. It has become the only DE I use now. I am on a SR kick at the moment, but I know I can always load a Feather or Polsilver in the Slant and get a BBS shave any time. I have got to the point where I can do 1 ATG pass with a bit of buffing and be done. Very nice if I am ever in a hurry. If I travel it is the razor I take with me.
I was thinking about trying that but wasn't too sure it would work. I guess I'll have to give it a shot.
Thanks! I am just the opposite when it comes to handles. I prefer bigger, beefier razors versus the smallish ones (Gillette SS flare, for example) in my hand. Since I recently sold the Fat Boy, the only 'fatties' I have on hand are the two Merkurs in this thread, the Fat-Handle Tech, and an open-comb Bar-handle New. The Aristocrat and this 'skinny'-handled Goodwill LongComb are the current exception to the bigger handle group. I'm fairly adaptable...
I've just had the BEST consecutive 8-days of shaving in my 'shaving' life! Two BBS shaves and 6 close-to-BBS. No nicks. No cuts. No bleeders or weepers. No irritation. Just a smooth, soft kissable mug. For the past 8 days, I've been alternating my two Merkurs—the 38c barber pole & the 39c slant. I've been using different face prep and soap & lotions practically everyday. ONLY item that has not changed has been the BLADE. Same blade for all eight shaves. I used the Merkur Super blade that came with my 39c. I hand-stropped the blade before & after each shave. I have NEVER had a blade go past 5 days without telltale tugging, pulling and/or nicks. I don't know for sure if it was the hand-stropping that added new life to the blade, but I'm quite interested now in the Merkurs. I'm also interested in testing the hand-stropping on the Astras to see if I get a similar extended life. What a great week of shaving!
On finding a razor to love..I've heard many good thing about Slants,I even own an old Merkur Slant, I just never found the love with it.... Does anyone know a site where you might find one of those 3 piece Slants? The price? A 3 piece would give me some joy... Has anyone here ever used a Merkur 37 HD? I saw one advertised for sale on Highland MensCare and it claims to be a 3 piece(3" handle,76g,3 piece construction). I was hoping someone here could verify that...At $58 it isn't a cheap razor and definately too expensive to buy in error....
I borrowed a 37 slant from a generous forum member here & got a free taste of the slants. I loved it. Went out & bought the 39c soon after. The Merkur 37c HD slant is called a two-piece fixed head razor—the slants (37 & 39, plus the 34 & 38) all have the same construction, but technically disassembles like the Merkur picture below into 3-pieces :the handle/base, the head, and the dial stem. $43 here: http://thesuperiorshave.com/Merkur_Razors.html 3" handle, 76g If you decide to take the slant plunge & it does not work out for you, there is a pretty large forum audience out there that would be happy to take it off your hands.
