My interest in DE shaving started mainly due to a good friend/neighbor of mine who had been using DE razor for more than 5 years. He started using DE razor when his brother gifted him a merkur vision about 6 years back. I remember he used to tell me again and again how difficult it was for him back then to get adjusted with DE razor and get nick free shaves, the learning curve was steep but in the end he did start getting excellent nick free shaves. Long story short he told me his vision broke few days back and was really pissed off as it took a while for him to adjust to the razor and it broke in such a short time (6 yrs). I just had a look and it seems like the weld broke off, the razor was not dropped or abused, just a daily shaver. I have attached a picture as where it broke off, to me it seems like maybe it was glued together. Didn't take any actual pictures, BTW is it possible to fix it? Well my friend was really surprised as merkur being a german product would be really superior in build quality, anyway he doesn't want to buy another such razor which would have such short life, i am not too sure he would buy another merkur either again. I told him most of the new ones are pot metal or zinc alloy material and other option would be SS razor. He is not interested in used vintage and was interested in SS, I opened a vendor site and saw Feather, ikon, Titan and liked Titan razor looks. I could not comment on any of the razor or suggest him any model as I don't have much experience in this area. His vision was used mostly in the mid number setting. Which razor would be equivalent or comparable to the mid setting of vision? Is it an aggressive setting compared to say EJ DE89L? ( just for my understanding) I checked in B&B blade gap wiki but didn't find any details for vision, is it same as progress? What would be a comparable razor as a replacement? (any new model) and also specifically which SS models? I know the choice is very limited in SS razor. He bought Mach 3 as a replacement and I want to make sure be is back on DE razor before those 4 cartridges finish. Thanks
I'd suggest a Weber. They're along the more inexpensive side of SS razors and have been well received by enthusiasts everywhere. Ikon is more of a niche market right now with their gimmicky safety/oc heads, but they have recently released the Deluxe series that again offers a Safety Bar or Open Comb and is around $125 US or so. The safety is reportedly almost as aggressive as a Muhle R41 though, the OC of all things being the least aggressive of the new ones.
Unfortunately Merkur doesn't really seem to exemplify the vaunted German standard for quality IMO. Though admittedly, there are lots who do well with their stuff, too many it seems, still have had problems with their products, myself included. I agree with Justin on the Weber and if Ikon really has copied the Gillette Deluxe head in their new OC offering, this might also be worth considering...
I personally don't rate merkur bad but I believe adjustable and TTO complicates a razor when compared to 3piece design. I know people will argument quoting vintage gillette but a 3 piece design is very simple and well built.
He doesn't have to replace his Vision. Merkur stands by their products, all he has to do is contact customer service and I believe they will replace his razor. I have read over the years on forums that people experiencing problems with Merkurs have there issues sorted by the company easily.
Will ask him to try contacting merkur, I suppose its the dovo website? This is bit old as well so not sure. Anyway no harm in trying.
A razor breaking after six years is inexcusable, and should be fixed by the manufacturer. Razors typically last many decades at the very least. A good alternative would be a vintage Gillette adjustable. The Fatboy,Slim and Super Adjustable all have fine reputations. My Slim is an outstanding shaver with excellent fit and finish. Maybe your friend could get an old Gillette Fatboy that is mechanically sound but looks like crap. That would help keep the initial purchase price down. Get it rhodium plated and the result is a stunningly beautiful adjustable razor that shaves very well. Here is an example of such a razor. Dang, that is beautiful!
I don't understand not wanting a vintage razor. You figure they are at least 25 years old and this would include service life, too. Being that old and used and they STILL give dynamic and consistent shaves. I believe shaver x linked a new old stock Fatboy, which is beautiful! If price isn't a big object to your buddy, then why not go with a tried and proven razor? Perhaps he would be interested in a 2 or 3 piece razor. Not too much to break or not as much as one with more mechanical parts.
