41C Double Edge Safety Razor, Open Tooth Comb, Three-Piece Design, Standard Handle, Bright Chrome Finish, Made in Germany

I purchased this razor for it's lower price, and although I had planned using the head on my Merkur 23C handle, I'm finding this handle to be surprisingly nice to use. I'm beginning to appreciate the extra heft of the solid brass handle which balances the razor very nicely. It is fast becoming my favorite razor. I was surprised at how well it grips with wet fingers, too, and it's more comfortable on the fingers than gnurled handles which can give you the feeling that you're holding a rat tail file. Definitely more aggressive than the closed comb 23C, but it's a lot better at removing longer hairs if you haven't shaved for awhile. It takes down armpit and pubic hair with a closeness, comfort and ease that I've never experienced, making it a good all around razor for face and body. I have yet to nick myself in the least with this razor, unlike some of the carnage I've done with closed comb and multi-blade razors. On most days, one pass with this delightful little razor, and I'm done. No nicks and none of the razor burn that comes from multi-blade cartridge razors. An economical and worthwhile razor to keep in your shaving arsenal. The razor was well constructed, flawless, with even chrome plating all around. No problem with the threading, and very easy to clean during blade changes with microfiber cloth. A great razor for anyone switching over from expensive multi-blade disposables. Believe me, you will notice the difference after your first few shaves once you get used to using it.

To be perfectly honest, it was the steadily increasing cost of disposable blades that made me take a look at other options. I am SO glad that I did. It is true that I save a bundle using double edge blades over the higher cost disposable cartridges ( I wish I knew then what I know now). However, the big benefit to my surprise was the quality shave that can be obtained from one of these old school all metal beauties. The shaves I receive now are closer, smoother, and much less irritating. I do have to caution potential converts that there is a small learning curve making the switch. Therefore, it is likely that new users will suffer a few nicks or cuts in the beginning. However, if you take it slow, you won't have any major problems. It won't be long until the nicks and cuts are a thing of the past. So, I recommend to not get discouraged too soon by a few mishaps. I have purchased several different double edge razors of different models since giving up on disposables (over 30). Before you judge me, go onto the razor forums. You will find that I am one of many who have the same disease known as RAD (Razor Acquisition Syndrome). Of all the razors I have purchased and used, I have come to like the Merkur 1904 best of all. I find that I have the best overall control with this razor. I also like the open comb as it doesn't wipe away all the shaving soap from my face prior to making contact with the blade. The low profile head also allows me to easily shave my upper lip just under the nose. In short, I really prefer the shave of a double edge razor and the Merkur 1904 in my opinion is one of the best overall. I also really like the Edwin Jagger DE89 and use it often. I you can afford it, I would recommend both. But if I had to have just one, it would be the Merkur 1904. I would also recommend the switch from the canned shaving cream to a badger brush and some quality soap. The soaps not only smell better, but they lubricate the face better IMHO. Lastly, the choice of blade also makes a big difference. I personally like the Astra blades. I would recommend buying a sampler pack in the beginning to see what works for you. The secret is getting out. Give it a try! I doubt you will regret it.

I bought this razor in 2012 and have used it since ... Until a few days ago. The simple, straightforward design was nice, and the handle gave the impression of quality - good weight, nice plating, no obvious manufacturing defects. I loved using dirt cheap blades and getting a very close shave. The head didn't sit perfectly evenly. There wasn't a visible problem, but one side of the razor was always significantly more aggressive and irritating than the other which meant that tended to use the blade on one side more than the other and had to remove and rotate it if I wanted to get the full life out of a blade. Recently I was changing blades and the threads stopped engaging. I first thought it needed to be cleaned but that didn't help. Upon closer inspection the female threads must have slowly stripped. I have never overtightened the head - only tightened it sufficiently to prevent the razor from unscrewing during use. Merkur has not yet responded to an email to customer service but from what I can tell they don't back their warranty claims much. This is a reproduction of a hundred year old design, and many of those hundred year old razors are working just as well today as when they were made. Four years seems like a short lifespan for what this product should be. Heck, I got a Mach 3 handle free in the mail that I used for 15 years prior to getting this handle and it is still working. I will be buying a different brand of safety razor for the replacement.

I took away a star not for the razors performance while shaving, but rather for the fact that I had to do some work to make it screw apart and screwed back together smoothly. After a couple of shaves with the included blade, I tried taking the razor apart to put in a feather hi stainless blade. I was surprised that I couldn't unscrew it by hand. I put a tiny bit of WD-40 on the threads and let it sit for five minutes. I still couldn't take it apart and I ended up wrapping the handle in a couple layers with the bath towel and using a channel locks to gently unscrew it. After I got it apart I liberally applied WD40 to the threaded part on the head, and to the threads in the handle. After using some toilet paper and Q-tips, a lot of machining metal shards came out, and both the bath tissue and the Q-tips were black. I continued this routine until the bath tissue and Q-tips were white. After approximately five Q-tips I was convinced all the metal was out. The razor works flawlessly now, but I expected a product imported from Germany to already be cleaned up for the consumer. As for shaving goes, considering this is an open come design, it is almost but not quite as smooth as my Edwin Jagger DE89. It is not an aggressive razor as you may think. It's only slightly less smooth than the DE89. This is a good daily shave razor.

This is my first safety razor and I must say that I am now converted away from cartridge razors! The Merkur 1904 is a small, yet solidly build razor. The weight of the razor is just enough for a close shave with no need to add force (which is a good thing for safety razors). The balance in my hand seems to be really comfortable too. I was worried that maybe the handle would be too short, even for my small hands, but this was not the case at all. I believe that if you watch some "how to" safety razor shaving videos and understand how to hold and angle the blade that the handle size is perfect. If you had really large hands, it could be a problem, but I can't say for sure... :) The chrome finish is really quite nice also. I found no noticeable flaws anywhere, inside or out. The detailing on the handle is fairly simple but elegant. I added a couple pictures to amazon of this razor and one of them notes that the detailing does not have much of a grip. This concerned me a bit at first, but after using this for a few weeks, I have yet to have it slide/slip or anything similar. The only "downside" would be that soap "scum" builds up on the top after just a few shaves. It makes sense now that I think about the material and the glycerin soap I use. If you run into this, just wipe it down with a soft cloth after each use and no more problems! (Shouldn't be a big deal if you're patient enough to use a safety razor in the first place!) Inserting the blade is quite a simple task, just unscrew the top, throw a blade in and tighten the razor back up. I have tried to put the blade in crooked just to see if I could off set it at all, but the razors always seem to be aligned nicely (That's a good thing!) This razor doesn't seem to be too aggressive, but being my first safety razor, it's hard to really say! The "open comb" design is pretty nice actually, even without a beard. I think it provides an easy way for beginners like myself to really see if you are using the correct angle and position (since the combs protrude a bit in the direction of the blade). Well, I think I wrote what I have discovered about this razor fairly well, and I hope it helps some people out! Just to give some people an idea: When I used my Fusion razors, I would usually get 1 or 2 nicks and have really uncomfortable razor burn on my neck, no matter how careful I was shaving. The first shave with this blade: zero nicks and zero burn, literally the most comfortable I have ever felt after a shave. Granted it took 35 minutes to lather, shave, wash etc but I would rather spend that extra few minutes shaving well than a day of razor burn delights...After a few weeks, I'll never go back, ever. Make the switch!

Just got the Merkur 1904 with open comb, as I started with the 34C which came with a great set but I wasn't getting a fine enough edge on my beard. I thought because of some pictures I'd seen that the nickel plating would be slightly off color but the finish matches the set just fine and the quality looks even better than my first. After a quick lather and putting in a Personna blade, I immediately noticed a difference. Granted, I shaved yesterday and this was a quick run, but I was able to shape my beard just fine and definitely appreciate the more aggresive shave. I guess since I'm pretty new at this, I was worried I'd rip up my face. But no, the open comb really works better for me and I might have a bump or two but I blame my excitement and technique, not the razor. I have to admit, shaving has now become somewhat of a hobby instead of a chore. Really happy with my purchase, the free and quick shipping, and the weight and feel of this DE razor. It looks like an antique, and although the barrel is slightly smaller and shorter than my first short barreled Merkur, I don't care. Face feels great, much better than any expensive plastic cartridge deal. I don't think I would want a long handled version now even though I did consider it, this one works just fine. Thanks Merkur, and thanks Amazon! Now I can have fun trying different soaps and aftershaves to my heart's content. The videos on YouTube have really helped and any low ratings for any of Merkur's razors I'm convinced are written by novices like me who just haven't done their homework. Do yourself a favor and order this razor. And do your homework while you wait for it to arrive. It will help you get the most of this and any DE razor immensely. *update* This razor is fantastic. Have been using it frequently and have had no cuts or burns as long as I take my time. Buy this razor!

Okay. Who said safety razors were only for men or their fathers and grandfathers who used them? After we moved to the mountains, we wanted to simplify our lives. One of the first things to tackle was the serious expense we had with disposable razors. You've all experienced it and read about it over and over here in reviews. The darn things are seriously expensive, but they work like crap. So for our 20th Anniversary, I bought my husband a neat setup. A Merkur "Heavy Classic" 34C with a nice black Parker shave brush and Feather blades. He loves it. So I opted to try it. Love it too. It got me wondering about other safety razors. So I tried a Parker 29L setup of my own. This was a longer razor, which I had read was better for ladies. It did nothing but bite me, no matter what I did. I sent it back. I bought a 1972 Gillette Gold Star Burst for ladies, which is also a long handle, but butterfly type. Didn't care for it either. I even tried an Edwin Jagger DE87BL Faux Ivory. Handle was too smooth for decent grip. Didn't cut worth a darn. Sent it back too. Won my husband a 1973 Gillette Short Handle TTO "Black Beauty" from eBay. He completely LOVES this razor. Problem for me is the bottom of the handle where I need to hold it for proper balance is too smooth for me. So...I went back to my husband's Merkur 34C. Nice and heavy. Sturdy. If you hold it by the butt end, it gives perfect balance, even for the legs!! I have tried all the other blades, but my favorite is the Feather. Then while looking at safety razors, I came across this beauty. The Merkur 1904 Classic Open Tooth Razor. I absolutely LOVE this razor. Like the 34C, it is short and heavy, but nice and sturdy. The balance is great. I like this one better because it is a 3-piece design, so when you put the blade in and close everything up, nothing in the handle moves. In the 34C, the base of the handle can loosen up, so you have to be aware when you are shaving and tighten it up. The shape of the handle and the scrolling make this razor much easier to keep hold of. I use this baby in the shower with my chocolate homemade body butter as a shave cream. Super rich, great grip with the razor, lasts super long, AND it doubles as a lotion when you are done. The perfect team! Ladies, give a short handle razor a try. You hold it at the base and let the balance of the razor do the job. Super slick!!

Don't be mistaken like I was that "open-comb" equals "aggressive." Although this is a well made and good looking razor, it is far more mild than I was expecting. Despite being open-comb, it could not cut through 3-4 day growth without requiring multiple passes over the same area. This razor was so mild that it made a fresh-out-of-the-wrapper Astra blade perform like a dull butterknife.

Beau rasoir. Doux malgré le design à peigne ouvert. Produit un excellent rasage mis de paire avec une lame bien aiguisée.

Amazed from this razor became my favourite, its very beautiful, small with short handle (maybe not so good for people with big hands). Effective and smooth shaving without the fear of open comb it's mild somehow, definitely an intro to open combs. The negative point so -0.5 are the known spots of quality like at the handle edge of the screw side plus some spots on the inside of the head but ok.

Rasoio esteticamente piacevole e delicato come un closed comb con gap ridotto. In grado di assicurare, con la lametta adatta alla propria pelle, un BBS in maniera confortevole. Adatto soprattutto a chi si rade a giorni alterni.

Lo primero decir que Amazon debería corregir el anuncio de esta maquinilla pues esta es clarísimamente la Merkur 41C puesto que la 42C es idéntica pero de peine cerrado. Dicho esto decir que es una maquinilla preciosa y muy bien acabada, al menos la mía. Es de peine abierto pero muy suave, en absoluto agresiva. Esto es así porque la exposición de la cuchilla no sabría precisar si es neutra o incluso negativa, por lo que lo perdona todo y permite incluso apretar durante el afeitado. Para mí de hecho se queda a falta de un poquito de agresividad. Tengo barba dura y de bastante rápido crecimiento y con esta maquinilla tal cual viene consigo un apurado bastante aceptable sin ejercer presión pero para conseguir un gran apurado me veía obligado a tener que apretar un poco en determinadas zonas lo cual no es lo más indicado. Probé a ponerle una cuña para aumentar un poquito el gap de la cuchilla y con ello los 4 últimos afeitados han sido increíbles!!! Sigue siendo muy suave en el afeitado, con unos apurados de escándalo y sin irritación y estoy hablando de afeitado diario. En cuanto al tema de la longitud del mango, que tanto se comenta, pues eso es algo muy subjetivo y no se puede generalizar. Yo tengo las manos bastante grandes y aun así prefiero maquinillas con mango corto pues consigo un mayor control sobre el ángulo y me resulta más cómodo maniobrar con mango corto. Así que creo que es algo muy personal de cada uno. En resumen, gran maquinilla de afeitar. Precioso diseño. Inmejorable relación calidad precio y para mí, una maquinilla perfecta para el uso diario. El único pero que le puedo sacar es, como he comentado, que me gustaría un poquito más de exposición en la cuchilla pero bueno, nada que no se pueda solucionar con una cuña...

I have used a closed comb razor for many years, Muhle R89, and decided to try an open comb razor, which are allegedly much more aggressive. When I dropped my Muhle and snapped off the screw thread I took the plunge and purchased this Merkur 41. Not quite as heavy as the Muhle, but a nice fit in the hand and very comfortable to use. I've just completed my first shave and didn't find it aggressive at all, and the result is beautifully smooth. Not a nick or scratch, and on a scale of 1 to 10 probably only 1/2 or 1 point down on a straight razor (10/10). Fully recommended for those who want to try the best in wet shaves.