Hi folks, I have a friend at work who went to Art of Shaving and had the Royal shave. He enjoyed it very much and would like to pursue the Safety Razor path. I have found that many of us start out as I did with the Merkur HD34c however the handle on the 34c is rather small. Is there a good razor out there that won't break the bank with a longer handle that anyone can recommend?
The 38c is the longer handled and heavier version of the 34c. There are lots of other options out there too though. The Merkur 23c (aka 180) has a longer handle and long-handled Gillette Super Adjustables are another option.
I think the Merkur 37c or 180 are basically the same head with a long handle...The EJ89 is also a really good choice with a great shave head and longer handle at an affordable price... Add the 38c to this list....there is actually quite a few quality affordable 2 & 3 piece razors out there: Sabi,Cadet and Lord to name a few....
38c sounds like a good choice for him. My current 34c is my daily use razor and its a workhorse. Wouldn't part with it.
Merkur's are made from potmetal. There is no way a brittle potmetal razor is going to be as durable as a brass razor. Other than the fact that they are made from zinc rather than brass as the old time razors were there are tons of reports of Merkurs having flaking plating. I for one never dealt with the plating because after owning it a few months my Merkur 1904's screw broke off the topplate and became stuck inside the pole after dropping it in my sink. I currently own an Edwin Jagger which is also made of inferior potmetal. I only kept it because its performance is better than my superspeed's and because EJ actually honors their warranty. EJ's warranty by the way is lifetime while Merkur's is 10 years but good luck getting them to honor it. I suggest for a new wetshaver to get a vintage razor or EJ or if they have deep enough pockets a modern stainless steel razor.
The only razor I have that's listed here is the Krona. I love it more than Techs or Super speeds. I have a Weber Bulldog on the way and will let you guys know how that is.
There are a lot of folks who put down the newer safety razors due to the fact that many of them are not made of brass or stainless steel, but I have had a brass razor break after only a few months of use and I have dropped and banged my Edwin Jagger countless times with zero ill effects. Anything can break, but if cared for properly even a razor made from Zamak can last a lifetime. Let's not forget that there are varying levels of quality to brass, stainless steel, and Zamak...just because a razor is made of brass does not mean it is made out of good quality brass. With that said, for a longer handled razor I would highly recommend either a Lord L6 or RiMei for a low cost razor, and a Gillette Slim or any of the long handled Merkurs for a midrange razor.
Until I have my Weber bulldog or a gillette or Krona break, I am not going back to pot metal. It will have to be the Weber that breaks as I seldom use anything else.
I say, start inexpensive and then upgrade, because its inevitable...it'll happen. I have the RazoRock 3pc and I enjoy it a lot; actually prefer it to the vintage adjustable I also have. RR's can be had for less than a $20 bill...sans shipping of course.
Please indulge a rather novice de wet shaver. What would be the most affordable mass produced safety razor made from stainless steel be? Also what would be the best received. Cheers thanks for the insight.
