Merkur 39C Slant Bar Review

I've been hooked on traditional wetshaving for over a year now and finally feel qualified to give a review of my latest toy, the Merkur 39C long-handled slant bar razor. It's shown above with the box it came in.

Here is the Merkur 39C next to the Merkur 23C. The 23C is a double-edged razor that's ideal for beginners, with a nice long handle, mild shave and (relatively) light weight. By comparison, the 39C has a seriously hefty handle and slanted bar with a much wider blade gap. If the 23C feels about the same weight as a fork or spoon, the 39C is like a solid-handled butter knife (although more balanced).

Here's another look at the Merkur 39C slant. Just look at that handle. The barber pole style knurling is deeper than it looks and gives a very tactile grip. The heavy weight coupled with the more efficient slicing effect of the slant bar means you really can let the razor do the work. It's also the reason this razor is known as "the sledgehammer."

Here's a better image of the blade... and part of my fingerprint on the mirror chrome finish. Like all double edge razors the cap that sits on top the blade bends it into a crescent, but in this case the entire safety bar has a twist. The gap between the safety bar and the blade is huge compared to the 23C. The bar also has a toothed design and the cap has a series of indentations making a wavy shape as well. These features give a very close shave and also mean that lather and whiskers are kept away from the blade for longer, so you can take longer shaving passes before cleaning off your razor, if you choose. Basically there is more space for the lather to flow away from the blade.

Above is a look at the Merkur 39C razor disassembled. The long threaded rod on the cap goes through the blade, which is held relatively square by the lugs on the bottom of the cap. The knob at the end of the handle has a female-threaded hole and is held in place by a simple spring retaining ring. To tighten the cap or remove the blade you just unscrew the knob and the cap comes off, you do not have to remove the knob.

Another look at the cap. The edge of it is really quite thin. You can just make out the forge marks. The underside is still chrome plated, just not mirror polished.

Here's one way to load the blade into a Merkur 39C. This is how Merkur recommends blades be loaded. Place the cap flat side down on your counter, drop a fresh blade over the lugs and center rod, and screw the handle on. This usually works okay, but I've found sometimes the blade is slightly out of alignment, with more of the blade exposed on one side of the head than the other.

Here's another method for loading the blade into the 39C that I've found works better. If you pick up the cap and squeeze the ends of the blade lightly while pushing up on the cap, you cause the blade to flex upward and form to the shape of the cap. From here it's easy to screw in the handle and ensure the blade is evenly exposed on both sides of the head.

Another look at the fit and finish when disassembled. You can see that the safety bar and handle are actually two pieces with a joint where they meet. While you could probably make a much more appealing version by machining the whole thing out of stainless, this is probably a lot more cost effective.

A look at one side of the head. You can barely see the blade arched up under the cap. Because this twisted head is obviously asymmetrical, at first glance you might think it's defective. But it's actually supposed to be like that.

Okay, enough with the eye candy. You're probably wondering how this bad boy shaves. The answer is that it's the best shave I've ever had. I found that I didn't need to make any adjustments to my technique to avoid cutting myself, and frankly everyone had me scared with the whole "not for beginners" thing. The honest answer is that this tool is no more dangerous than any other razor if you have good technique. While it excels at busting through multiple days of growth, it also lets you get a ridiculously close shave with minimal irritation. The twisted head naturally forces more of the blade to contact each whisker, slicing through it more efficiently than if it had contacted the hair straight on. Or if you've heard of or tried the "Gillette Slide" technique, where you use an ordinary double edge razor and shave in a diagonal line across your face while keeping the handle straight up and down, the effect is the same.

The bottom line is: if you want the last razor you'll ever need, with a close, comfortable shave that's aggressive enough to take down two or three days worth of growth in a single pass, the Merkur 39C slant bar is the razor for you. Plus, there's a serious macho factor involved. You can tell everyone you shave with a sledgehammer. What's cooler than that?

Merkur 23C Long Handle Safety Razor Reviewed

I've recently taken an interest in traditional wet shaving using a double edged safety razor. Although there is certainly no shortage of reviews and thoughts on the tools and techniques of wet shaving on the web, I thought I would add to them with my own photo review. Above is the topic of this review, the Merkur 23C Long Handle Safety Razor. I bought it for myself from westcoastshaving.com, and I'll add that I am not associated with that company or Merkur. You can see from the image that the knurled texture is pretty nice, it affords a good grip when you have wet hands.The enlarged bit at the end of the handle really does not serve a purpose in my book, but it looks nice. Around the bottom of the handle the brand mark is engraved, it says "MERKUR" and then in smaller letters "GERMANY - SOLINGEN" along with the Merkur head that is on the box (pictured below.)

Here is the razor again from a different angle. Compared to the other safety razors out there I have been told this one is actually on the light side. I think the handle and head together weigh about as much as a table spoon or fork. I had been expecting a massive weight that would do the cutting from its sheer heft on my face, but I find that you do still need to hold the razor up to your face with some amount of force for it to work.

I enjoy the nice plated finish on the razor, it is easy to clean. So far I have only used Proraso Sensitive Skin shaving soap that leaves a whitish film on anything it dries on, and it cleans off with a little hand soap and warm water. The plating is also silky smooth on your skin when you're rubbing the cap plate and comb across your face.

Also of note is the 4" long handle. I guess that most of Merkur's line (HD, 37C, etc) have shorter, fatter handles that are 3" long and actually heavier, but I thought I would need to longer handle length because I have very large hands. Actually, I find that when I am shaving, I prefer to hold the razor up near the head with a light touch. I don't even use the last inch or so of handle that I paid for, and the extra handle length does not make the razor any easier to maneuver on the face. My advice is if you're considering the 23C to just go right to the HD (heavy duty) and get the extra weight and skip the extra handle.

Here is the Merkur 23C razor disassembled. You can see it is a three piece razor, the shiny cap (at right) has two pins and a threaded center pin that extend through the blade (which happens to be a Derby brand blade, at bottom right) and the comb piece (shown top side up, bottom center) and screw securely into the handle (left). It is a simple design that seems rock solid and should last a lifetime. Another bonus of the three piece design is it is easy to clean when you take it apart. You do have to be careful to handle the blades and the head by the sides when you're unscrewing it though. Get how it goes together? I didn't really understand until I took it all apart for myself, since there aren't a lot of exploded views of this bad boy available.

Here is another shot showing the pins on the underside of the cap and the side profile on the comb piece. If you look at the above image with the razor fully assembled again you can see that the blade is actually held in a curved position when clamped into the head. If you look closely at this image you can see some manufacturing marks on the comb piece where the pin holes are, so the manufacturing process isn't flawless, but it is definitely rock solid and more than adequate.

Here is the head ready to be screwed on to the handle. The cap plate is at the bottom, the blade is in between, and the comb piece rests on top the blade. As you screw the handle on, the blade bends slightly and becomes curved. There is a warming in the box about not screwing the handle on too tightly, but I have not had any trouble with that.

Here's a shot of the box I received my Merkur 23C in. Not sure if this is the norm but there were some questions on one of the wet shaving forums about if the box was suitable for giving as a gift. I would say yes! Maybe in the past they were shipping them in plain cardboard and tissue paper but this is plenty nice for gift-giving.

Takeaways:
1. This is a great first safety razor for someone new to traditional wet shaving.
2. Given the opportunity I would not purchase it again, instead I would go for the HD which is shorter and heftier because the long handle is not really as useful as it sounds.
3. The blade is clamped in the head in such a way that it is curved, I didn't get this until I saw it myself.
4. It comes in a nice box, at least mine did, which is fine for gift giving.

The trouble with wetshaving is that there is so much gear - razors, brushes, soaps, creams, blades, and other paraphernalia that you will want to try everything. I've only been at it about 1.5 months and already I want to try to Merkur 37C slant bar razor. . . but I'm still working through my second pack of blades from my sample pack!

Edit: I've acquired a 39C as well, check out pictures and a brief review by clicking here.