39C Double Edge Safety Razor, Slant Bar Design- Long Handle, Made in Germany, Plastic-Free, Two Piece Design

Knows as the "Sledgehammer" this is one of the top rated slants safety razors and I agree. This razor isn't as aggressive as the Parker Semi-Slant which meant I got a comfortable shave that was nice and close without the irritation that I experienced with the Parker. My girlfriend borrowed it and once she shaved her legs with it, it never made it back to my shave den so I had to order a second one for myself. The build quality is very nice which is what I would expect from German manufacturing. Cleaning the razor and caring for it are easy because of it's simple design. The weight was good. Personally I would have liked it to be heavier however that is just a personal preference. Overall, this is a wonderful razor that should provide you years of close shaves. People with sensitive skin like me will appreciate how well it shaves without irritation. My favorite blade to use are the 7 AM blades which are reasonably priced and similar to the Rex Supply blades. Wisamet blades also work really well and I would like to add that this is a great razor for people who suffer from razor bumps.

This is a high quality DE razor. It is a slant-type razor from Merkur, very well made and quite heavy (I have used many different DE razors over time and this is, by far, the heaviest). I had read online reviews that seemed to indicate that it is an aggressive razor, i.e., one which can be quite unforgiving. However, in my experience, this has not been the case at all. It does a very effective job in shaving and I have barely nicked myself once or twice over two weeks of shaving. I have used two brands of blades in it so far, the Merkur one that came with the razor and the blue (US-made) Personna. Both work well, but I prefer the Personnas slightly - blade choice is quite personal, so YMMV. It is best to let the razor glide due to its own weight and not apply downward pressure on it. I have found that three passes (with-,across-, and against-the-grain) with small strokes produces a very smooth (BBS) shave. One thing I have also noticed is that it does not pay to be too aggressive in ATG strokes - this seems to leave behind some post-shaving burn. A lighter hand seems to work very well - holding the blade around the balance point works well for this. The razor handle is very grippy and there is little danger of it slipping even with wet or soapy fingers. Loading the blade is a little bit more cumbersome than "butterfly-style" razors, but not really an issue. The slant head bends the blade quite significantly along a helical path and also varies blade exposure from one end to another. I don't know whether the slant made a huge difference since I haven't used straight Merkur razors, but, at the same time, I found no issues due to the slant itself. Overall, I am very happy with the buy. I have bought a "sampler set" of razor blades to figure out what works best with the 39c... More on that later. Update on 7/22/2017 Some additional feedback based on a few weeks' usage... I am extremely impressed by this razor. The biggest take-away is that it works very well with pretty much every blade I have tried. I very rarely nick or cut myself, even if I am not very mindful while shaving. I am quite puzzled by reviews that seem to indicate that this is an aggressive razor; while it may not be as "mild" as a Feather razor, I don't think it is aggressive at all. Instead, it is extremely efficient and produces super-smooth (near-BBS) shaves with just two passes - one with the grain and another against/across the grain. This is a brief synopsis of how it has paired up with different blades: - Merkur blade that came with razor: Good performance. No nicks or irritation. After trying other blades, this does not seem like the best best option, however. - Personna Blue: This blade works beautifully in a Feather, but somehow doesn't work well with the 39c. Performance was acceptable, but I needed to do a lot more work to get a smooth shave - the blade felt somewhat "blunt" compared to others. I need to test it a bit more. - Wilkinson Sword: Excellent performance. I rank this blade as #2 in terms of how well it works in the 39c. - Dorco ST-301: Nearly as good as the Wilkinson. I felt that it was a little less smooth and lost its sharpness a bit quicker than the Wilkinson. - Feather: Fair performance. In my opinion, it is a bit aggressive with the 39c. I did get a cut over a bumpy area in my face even while paying attention. Others have reported that the Feathers work very well in the 39c - for me, it ranked on par with the Personna Blue in terms of preference. - Astra SP: Great performance. I was shocked at how well it worked with the 39c. I have not had a better shave with a DE razor/blade combo than with the Astra and 39c. I need only two passes for an absolutely smooth, irritation-free shave. It is definitely my #1 choice for the razor so far. The blade is made in Russia (by Gillette); one minor nit is that the blade has a couple of glue spots to stick the wrapper to the blade. This does not wipe off the blade easily at all. I am sure it has no effect, but it is a bit annoying. Update on 8/4/2017 I thought I will add a quick update... As a test, I took the blade that worked the best on the 39c, the Astra SP, and swapped it into my old Feather razor to see how well the Feather does vs. the 39c. Wow, what a difference - the shaving experience with the Feather was nowhere near as nice as the Merkur. The heft of the razor and, I think, the slant head make a huge difference in producing a smoother shave with fewer passes. With the Feather, I needed to do one more pass to achieve the same close shave I could get with the 39c. Also, it did not feel as smooth as the 39c and also felt a lot less efficient in removing my stubble. Switching the blade back to the 39c, I could verify that the razor was making the difference since the shave experience with the same blade in the 39c got a lot better. I also have my routine nailed down to 2 passes, 1 WTG and 1 ATG, with slight touch-ups in hard to get to areas. So, 39c with Astra SP FTW so far!

I've used several different types of DE safety razors over the years, from vintage Gillette razors such as the Fat Boy, Slim Adjustables, Super Speed, Aristocrat, etc. to modern Merkur razors such as the 34c, Futur, or 1904 model razors. None, however, have matched the smoothness or closeness of shave that I've gotten from the Merkur 39c. A little bit about my shaving experiences and skin type. I would describe myself as being fair-skinned with a fairly thick beard and medium or average hair thickness. After changing from modern razors such as the Mach 3 or Fusion, I've come to realize that the grain of my beard grows generally north to south except for the bottom of my neckline which grows from the vertical center line of my neck towards my ears. The neckline is by far the biggest challenge as far as shaving goes. Although I've received great shaves from many other DE razors and blade types in the past, I seemed to always have trouble with my neck (it seemed as if I either didn't shave these areas smoothly or I would end up with nicks and weepers in these areas). I can confidently say, since purchasing and changing to this particular slant razor, I have never used a DE razor with better results and less irritation. The slicing action that the blade uses as a result of the angle of the razor head makes a huge difference in the ease in which the razor glides across my skin and efficiently cuts through the hair. With some of the more aggressive DE razors (open comb, adjustables set to high blade gap) I experienced tugging often during passes against the grain, but with the same blade in this slant bar razor, I experience none. As a result, I get far fewer nicks or cuts, and much less razor burn. The closeness of the shave, in my opinion, is up there with some of the most "aggressive" razors out there. Keep in mind that aggressiveness, to me, is the closeness of the shave, not the harshness of the shave. Beginners, don't be afraid to try this razor. Sure, you need good technique (as you need to learn from any DE razor if you're starting out), but the learning curve isn't all that much different than any other typical razor. The weight of this razor is all you'll need to get a close shave. For those of you that are more experienced with DE razors and might be looking to buy their first slant, you definitely need to give these a shot. My only negative about this razor would be the "barber pole" engraving along the handle. I've grown accustomed to the knurling that most vintage razors have along the handle, so the smoother finish combined with the heftier handle made gripping the razor slightly more difficult at first. After a few shaves, I don't notice this as much. The finish on the rest of the razor is good (albeit not as good as some of the Edwin Jagger or Muhle razors I've owned), but if you've owned a Merkur razor in the past, there will be no surprises here. At the end of the day, I'm interested in the quality of the shave first and the "looks" of the razor second. In summary, I've been very pleased with the Merkur 39c, and it ranks up there as the best razor I've ever used and the best shave I've had so far.

Ich bin vor ca. eineinhalb Jahren auf die klassische Nassrasur mit Rasierhobel, -pinsel und 'seife umgestiegen, da ich es satt war den beiden großen Marken, die ich nicht namentlich benennen möchte und dennoch jeder weiß wer gemeint ist ;-), mein hart verdientes Geld für teure Ersatzklingen in den Rachen zu werfen. Meine ersten Gehversuche in Bezug auf die klassische Nassrasur habe ich mit einem Merkur 34c gemacht, da mir dieser als guter Einsteigerhobel empfohlen wurde. Um sich mit solchen Dingen wie Hobelführung vertraut zu machen, ist das sicherlich eine gute Sache. Des Weiteren muss man auch zunächst erlernen, in welchem Winkel man den Hobel ansetzen kann damit man eine sanfte und dennoch gründliche Rasur hinbekommt. Irgendwann wollte ich etwas Neues ausprobieren und bin in den gängigen Nassrasur-Foren auf den Merkur 39c und seinen kleinen Bruder mit dem kurzen Griff 37c gestoßen. In den Foren wurde dann geschrieben, wie blutrünstig dieser Hobel doch sei und das dieser mit absoluter Vorsicht zu genießen ist. Einige haben davon berichtet, dass sie sich von diesem Hobel wieder trennen wollen, weil dieser zu aggressiv sei. Lange Rede, kurzer Sinn! Ich habe mich von diesen Berichten nicht abschrecken lassen, und wollte den Hobel unbedingt austesten. Und im Nachhinein bin ich auch sehr froh, dass ich diesen Hobel nun mein Eigen nennen kann. Alle Rasierhobel der Marke Merkur sind spitzenmäßig verarbeitet und verfügen über eine sehr gute Qualität. Dieser Rasierhobel ist definitiv für die Ewigkeit gemacht! Wenn man den 39c Slant Bar in den Händen hält, wird man sehr schnell feststellen, dass dieser ein ordentliches Gewicht hat, was bei der Rasur durchaus positiv ist. Ich möchte nochmal darauf hinweisen, dass dieser Rasierhobel kein klassicher Hobel ist, sondern ein Slant Bar oder Torsions-Hobel. Was für viele wie ein Produktionsfehler aussieht ist durchaus gewollt. Die Torsion im Hobelkopf sorgt nämlich dafür, dass die Klinge leicht verdreht wird, wenn man sie in den Hobel einspannt. Dadurch wird gewährleistet, dass die Klinge das Barthaar mehr schneidet, anstatt es abzuschaben. Hinweis: Dieser Rasierer ist eher für erfahrene Nassrasierer mit starkem Bartwuchs geeignet! Sofern Hobel-Neulinge ihn dennoch ausprobieren möchten, sollten sie sich zunächst über die Handhabung genauestens informieren. Ansonsten hat man wenig bis gar keinen Spaß mit diesem Hobel. Nützliche Hinweise dazu finden sich im WWW. Wer sich auf diesen Rasierhobel einlässt, muss sich im Klaren darüber sein, dass dieser eine gewisse Lernphase voraussetzt. Dem entsprechend ist auch meine erste Rasur etwas rabiat zu Ende gegangen. Ich hatte zwar nur sehr kleine Cuts, allerdings war meine Haut danach etwas gerötet. Wer sich mit diesem Hobel rasieren möchte, sollte sein Barthaar gut auf die Rasur vorbereiten und eine qualitativ hochwertige Rasierklinge verwenden. Wenn man vorsichtig mit dem 39c umgeht, dann bekommt man absolut gründliche und hautschonende Rasuren hin, da das Barthaar ohne große Mühe sauber abgeschnitten wird. Es gibt eine goldene Regel, die man dringend beachten sollte! Man darf während der Rasur kein Druck auf den Hobel ausüben.Der 39c bringt ein ordentliches Gewicht auf die Waage. Daher ist es auch nicht nötig, den Hobel aufzudrücken. Dieser muss lediglich sanft geführt werden. Die zu rasierenden Hautpartien sollten während der Rasur natürlich auch leicht gestrafft werden. Ich hoffe, dass ich niemanden mit meiner Rezension Angst gemacht habe, allerdings sollten ein paar Punkte beachtet werden, damit man mit diesem Hobel Spaß hat. Wenn man gefrustet ist, weil die Rasur vielleicht nicht so gut verlaufen ist, dann nimmt man den Hobel nie wieder in die Hand. Man sollte sich keinesfalls davon abschrecken lassen. Um euch zu ermutigen, diesen Hobel einmal auszuprobieren findet ihr nützliche Tipps und Product Reviews bei YouTube.

I've been shaving with safety razors for a while now, but after my last cheap $20 one broke after a couple years of usage, I decided to splash out for something a bit pricier. This thing really lives up to the reviews, if you have heavy, thick, fast growing facial hair like I do this thing will give you a very smooth with-the-grain shave. Just be a little careful with it! It's very heavy compared to other safety razor's i've used, which means that its even easier to cut yourself.

6 Stars!!! (Not 5). I usually don’t write reviews but this one is a MUST. I have been wet, safety razor shaving for the last 30 years. Therefore I consider myself an expert. I have an ugly, European face with a heavy coarse whiskers and a sensitive skin (I am not German). It is difficult for me to shave avoiding skin irritation. My go to razor is Muhle R89, (same as Edwin Jagger R89) nice and smooth shaver. I shave every day except for Saturdays. On Sunday my whiskers are pretty heavy. This is why I need something like a slant razor for Sunday. I tried previously Merkur 39C and the fake German 37C RazoRock from Italian Barber. Although I have pretty big hands, the Merkur 39C felt too heavy for me, difficult to maneuver and gave me some irritation. The fake German 37C RazoRock is so cheaply made that it is a shame to call it German. It is an insult to German engineering. The holes on the head aren’t round but oval and the blade slides sidewise. Its bulldog handle has unfinished edges that cut into your fingers. Shaving with it ends with an uneven shaving, and irritated skin. I asked the Italian Barber where this razor is made. Their answer is: the head is made in China and the handle in Pakistan. (A true “German” razor indeed). Just a few days ago I ordered the Merkur 37C Slant from Amazon. It arrived quickly on Thursday. Today, on Sunday I took it for a “test drive”. All I can say is: WOW! Two passes of a pleasurable shaving with the Shark Chrome blade and my face is irritation free BBS! An excellent weight and balance resulting in a smooth and wonderful shave. Finally I found my go to slant razor for Sunday shavings. Everything is perfect about this razor. The precision of finishing is remarkable. The price at Amazon is about $10.00 cheaper than anywhere else. The delivery was quick. I am a happy camper.

The twist mechanism got stuck after a couple of months. Have tried dishwasher, oils... Nothing works. Only option is to dump it. Don't go for brand - they have poor quality controls now

Rase plus près encore que le Muhle à peigne ouvert. Sa lame hélicoïdale est merveilleuse et ce Merkur 37c, quand il est utilisé avec prudence, se rapproche de l'efficacité du coupe-choux. Il est aussi très beau, d'allure moderniste avec sa tête de guingois.