Merkur HD Long Handle Barber Pole Slant, 39C

The Merkur 39C is the greatest razor I have ever experienced and gives the best shaving experience I have ever had. A few decades ago,I found that even an inexpensive second hand straight razor allowed a precision of cutting right up to the edge of a beard or moustache nothing else seemed to offer; however,after two times when I was in a hurry and a bit distracted (and paid for it getting a lesson in why safety razors had been a great invention) I reluctantly gave up this control in the interest of avoiding another unpleasant lesson in the penalties of not being quite careful enough for straight razors. But in the last month after several decades of using other razors I have found again this wonderful sense of control, thanks to the 39C but with a safety razor so there is not the same risk if one slips into using it less carefully or some outside factor disturbs one's shaving.

One can get cut, but the cut is limited by the safety razor design. It may be that the risk of...Read more

The reason everyone has nice things to say about slant razors is because they work! (Think of the guillotine's slicing action compared to the butcher knife is how it works.) Merkur nicknamed this 39c "Sledgehammer" because of its 4.25-oz. weight. And while it's not my everyday razor, it's the razor that gives me the closest shaves I've ever received from any razor. You shave the same way, with the same strokes, but instead of sliding over the hair and cutting it, the slant razor slices down and across hair diagonally, making for a more efficient, assertive shave. Even with the first shave, the result is positively stunning. I think it's a great second razor in your rotation, making sure you use it at least once or week or more. In the end, to know what I'm talking about, you just have to buy one and use it. Trust me, you won't be disappointed! Don't wait five or ten years and then try it, make this your next razor purchase.

I learned how to shave with a DE and used them for years, finally switching to cartridges during a military deployment - cartridges take up less space and are easier to shave with if you don't have a mirror. I decided to go back to the DE due to the expense of cartridges and to reduce the amount of plastic I use.
After reading reviews on several razors I choose the 39C since it is supposed to give a closer shave. Most reviews state that it isn't for "Newbies". BS! It is like any other tool, if you use care you won't knick yourself. The shaves are close and the razor is comfortable to use. I would recommend it.