Merkur Standard Safety Razor with Bar #33C + 5 Free DE Razor Blades

 (22 customer reviews)

I used to shave with straight razors all the time. Then life caught up, had kids and couldn't be bothered with the ritual that straights demanded. Tried electrics for a couple years and hated them. For the past 4 years, I've been using disposables. 3 blade, 4 blade, 2 blade. Didn't matter, they all suck, and they're ungodly expensive. My wife was buying a 4 blade brand that was $18 for 8 replacements. That's over $2 per shave for me - I refuse to use disposables more than once.

After putting pen to paper, I realized that it was time to get back to my "roots". Unfortunately, I don't have any quality straights anymore and a replacement is over $300. So, I figured I would try another classic razor and picked up the Merkur 33C.

"Surprised" would be an understatement. "Thrilled" is a little closer, but still can't convey how happy I am with this razor. So far I have tried Feather blades, the Merkur that came with it and Wilkinson Swords from Wal-Mart. They all perform...Read more

I use to shave with a regular Gillette multi blade razor (mach III) but I have sensitive skin and in growing hairs. In saw a video on YouTube regarding safety razors and how gentile they are to the skin so I decided to try them. Initially I purchased a Parker razor (the quality is good to start) and then I decided to buy a Merkur because of the comments about it. I do not regret of the decision I made and honestly everything it is being said about safety razor is true, my skin is better, not irritated, no more in growing hairs. Of course you need to buy also safety razor blades, a shaving brush (I recommend a pure badger bristle brush after trying a few) and a shaving soap or cream and I recommend to watch the videos in Youtube to learn how to shave with a safety razor, how to build decent lather, etc, just type "safety razor" and videos from mantic59 will appear, best to learn about it. Also search for [...] reviews it will help you a lot to decide.

I wasn't sure whether to buy this model or the Merkur version with the wider, heavier handle. In the end, price was the determining factor. Shaving with this razor is much less complex than I thought it would be. I pretty much shave like I did before with my Mach 3, only I go a little bit slower. After having used this razor for a while, I think a heavier, wider handle would maybe give it a little bit better balance and make it easier to hold. The head on this razor is very heavy, and the handle is shorter than you might think. So, it's a little bit of a trade off if you don't want to spend the extra money. Bottom line: this version is cheaper, and it works fine.