This is my first DE razor, and I am using Feather blades. I can't simply drop the blade in and close the head. Typically, it will extend further out one side of the head than the other. I have to manually slide the blade towards the center of the head, and tighten it down. Is this normal for the 34c? Thanks.
If everything looks symmetrical on the razor, the blade has to be in question. I have 3 HDs: two 34C and one 34G. Can't ever recall an alignment issue with any blade that would prevent closing.
It doesn't prevent closing. If I don't adjust the blade before screwing the top closed, the blade will stick out further on one side, making it more aggressive on that same side. I can see the difference by looking, and I wear glasses!
It is more common than people tend to realize with razors that use the shoulder pins to hold the blade in place. Unless those pins are exact in dimension to the blade cut outs, there is usually slop and wiggle when the blade is over them. Butterfly style razors or any razors that use a straight bar are less prone to this problem unless the bar itself is bent or out of alignment.
This problem seems to be common with the 34C: The diameter of the blade posts on the top cap are just a bit too small. I "fixed" mine by stretching a bit of electrical heat shrink tubing over the posts to increase their diameters a tiny bit. As an alternative, you might consider the Mühle R89. It has a very similar head geometry to the 34C but IME the blade alignment is much better.
I'm looking at SE razors now. I like the slim heads. I'll keep using the 34c until I run out of blades, and then make a better decision whether to stick with DE, or not.
No need to decide between DE and SE. Lots of folks here own and use both and switch it up depending on their mood and/or the day of the week. In fact, I personally know one guy who has over 100 razors of every variety (including straight razors) and at least 70 different brands of blades to choose from. Once technique develops and shaving becomes a joy many find that they appreciate a wide variety of both hardware (razors/blades) and software (soaps/creams/aftershaves).
Yep Using SE razors even if infrequently will make you a better DE shaver. Those thicker SE blades will make DE blades feel like nothing on the face when you get used to using them and then going back to DE blades. I shaved almost exclusively with SE razors for about 2 years straight and when I went back to DE razors they were like childs' toys to me including razors I used to think were too aggresive were now tolerable and supposedly rougher razors were like using a mild razor to the face. If anything I am more intolerant to blades that are not sharp enough out of the box. A lot of blades give one great shave then they fall off completely, not because they are not too dull but more so they lose enough of the edge they become tuggy or too jagged. Gillette Silver Blues are an example ,1 good shave, any shaves afterwards too dull and tuggy. Ladas on the other hand are not that sharp to begin with but you can get multiple okay shaves with them. They don't tug at all but also don't cut as good as a sharp blade. All the technique or variable changes won't stop a bad blade edge ruining your shave experience.
Maybe it's not a big deal, but having to keep the blade centered as I tighten the head closed is not always easy. Pretty irritating, frankly. I'd have never purchased this DE had I known. I've never heard a single YouTuber demoing a DE razor ever mention this phenomenon.
One of the downsides of cast razors is that the molds eventually wear out and must be remade. I suspect the 34C mold is nearing the end of it's lifespan and is due for a remake. Cast parts also tend to shrink slightly unpredictably. So they make some parts slightly undersized to eliminate any possibility of them being too big. These are just two reasons why I avoid cast razors, but they aren't even the primary reasons I do so. Corrosion and brittleness are the main reasons I go out of my way to avoid cast zinc razors, even ones with good reputations. Edit: It's a rare YouTuber who will badmouth a product. That's a good way to lose sponsors or potential sponsors.
I dropped my original Merkur Progress and shattered the head but butterfingers is on me not the razor regardless that it had a die cast razor head. The correct way to cast a part is to oversize so even after shrinkage it is slightly oversized then you machine it to spec. Companies pay attention to the bottom line not detail and when they do pay attention to detail it is usually because it is affecting their bottom line. You sir have inspired me to do an everything is not awesome razor thread.
I guess cast razors are easy to identify? Can you recommend a couple non-cast razors? I'm finally getting used to this DE razor as evidenced by my first "blood-free" shave yesterday. Three passes, too!
Yes, easy to identify. They tend to have thick baseplates and a somewhat blobby/rounded appearance. That's for zinc castings. They tend to be chrome plated. Not all zinc razors are bad. I've used the R-41, and the Merkur Progress gets excellent reviews. I own a vintage G.E. Jones shake sharp razor, which has a cast baseplate, and a Berkeley Custom Shaver which is bakelite and zinc. Both are excellent shavers. Recommendations... Any vintage Gillette twist-to-open (TTO) razor. Any stainless razor. Most older Gillette Tech razors. As for a specific recommendation, I would suggest finding a Gillette Slim adjustable or a Gillette Fatboy adjustable. Both are vintage, the slim will likely be cheaper. Both shave pretty much the same.
I don't know what a "straight bar" is. Can you post a link to a razor with a straight bar so I can see it? Thanks.
Thanks. I saw some reviews of the R89, people opining that it was "mild", buy excellent. I wouldn't want a DE less aggressive than my 34c. Is the R89 less aggressive?
You're right. Now that I've gotten better with the 34c, I'll definitely stick with DE razors, plus my newly acquired vintage SE. I'd like another DE razor that's at least as aggressive as the 34c, but minus the problem that I already described. I'm open to suggestions.
