Merkur Blades

[Panzeraxe]

I have always heard people praise the Merkur blades - what is so special about them, and how are they superior to the Mach 3's?

Thanks,

Panzer

 

[bachbeet]

Well, I did a brief search for these blades/razors. And, as far as I can tell, the biggest difference is cost. They are way too expensive. I'll stick with Gillette, thank you.

 

[JBZ]

Supposedly, Merkur blades are better made than Sensor blades or Mach III blades or [insert your Gillette or Schick razor blade here], and hold their edge for a longer period of time. They are also much cheaper. Also, there is no plastic involved, so they are environmentally friendly (to the extent you care about this).

I am a Merkur user. The main reason I use it has less to do with blade quality and more to do with the fact that double and triple blades irritate my face and cause ingrown hairs. The Merkur does not. Of course, YMMV.

 

[JBZ]

Well, I did a brief search for these blades/razors. And, as far as I can tell, the biggest difference is cost. They are way too expensive. I'll stick with Gillette, thank you.

The Merkur razor is much more expensive than the Gillette razor. The blades are cheaper than the Gillette blades.

 

[Kai]

I also heard people praise Merkur blades.

So, I bought a Merkur razor and blades.

They definitely are sharp, but I do not like them at all. I didn't get a closer shave than with my Mach III, and I got a lot more skin irritation. Even cut myself a few times. I stuck with the Merkur for about a month, thinking it would get better, but it didn't.

I went back to my Mach III.

 

[Horace]

The thing about Mach III (haven't tried Merkur) is that one changes them so often that it can get expensive.  I've read an article in the newspaper by some enviro-freak that it's possible, for very little money, to make a blade that won't dull as quickly as the Mach III does, but then the Big G. wouldn't sell as many blades.

edit: I don't know whether there's any truth to it or not, i.e. possible to manufacture "Stay-sharp" blade for very little cost.