Then I worked out what I was paying in a year for the Gillette’s and realised I was being ripped off so I took the plunge and bought the Merkur 34C.

Able to give an incredibly close shave thanks to its weight, the short handle allows for maximum precision while its patterned handle keeps the razor tightly in your grip.Ideal for use in traditional wet shaving, it features a heavy brass handle, die-casted zinc razor head and galvanised surface. It's always a good idea to get a few different packs to start so you can find one that works for you. Shave twice with the grain of the hair and once across the grain, reapplying the lather in between passes. The individually ground and polished top plates, as well as the blades are subject to variations in dimensions in the range of 1/10mm.

The two-piece razor head, made from chrome-plated die-casted zinc, lacks parts to break so it withstands many blade changes. Vor dem zweiten Gang die Haut noch einmal kurz anfeuchten und erneut Schaum auftragen, der dann quer zur Wuchsrichtung wegrasiert wird. Wenn du die gleiche Stelle noch mal rasierst, dann hatte die Hautpartie 12x Kontakt mit den Klingen. Klingen eines guten Markenproduktes wie die Astra kosten um die 13 Euro, ja richtig, für 100 Klingen!But there are parts of my face that are simply more nick-prone regardless of the razors I've used, such as certain areas of my throat and the sides of my mouth, and the underside of my nose is simply such that no matter what razor I use, I have trouble getting at those hairs. The Merkur 34c heavy duty safety razors hits the sweet spot and a great shave for most wet-shavers and one of the most safest safety razor available.

With my VDH handles (really re-branded Weishi 9306 and 9306CL), I had to use Astra Superior Platinum blades to get that lack of irritation, but the trade-off was that my shave wasn't as close as it could have been. It might have something to do with where they are from (and still located) — Solingen, German, which has a rich history of bladesmithing. Ehrlich gesagt, haben die mich nicht so umgehauen und ich bin beim alten Dachshaar-Pinsel geblieben. The Merkur 34c gives a smooth and comfortable shave with less skin irritation, razor burn and protects against razor bumps.The Groomed Man was established in 2011 with a view to providing everything you need for a traditional wet shave all in one place. I have been at times disappointed with my head shaving results with the 34c; I shave my entire face and head every day, so I cover a lot of ground.