3

Share your SOTD for Wednesday!

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[-] walden@sub.wetshaving.social 8 points 2 days ago

April 2, 2025 - Side by Side

  • Brush: Wolf Whiskers – "Gianmaria" w/Maggard 26mm Synthetic
  • Razor 1: RazoRock GOAT
  • Razor 2: Merkur 34C
  • Blade 1: Personna Lab Blue (1)
  • Blade 2: Personna Lab Blue (1)
  • Lather: Stirling Soap Co. - Varen - Soap
  • Post Shave: Noble Otter - Hamami - Aftershave
  • Post Shave: Dove Men+Care Ultra-Hydra Cream

Merkur on the left, RazoRock on the right. New blades for both.

Both razors are mild-medium. Both razors have excellent efficiency. I think that's why people love the 34C (and other Merkur razors with the same head design)... the amazing ratio of efficiency to blade feel.

1st pass - The Merkur felt like it had more blade feel than the RazoRock. Surprising! 2nd pass - I couldn't really discern a difference in blade feel. The razors feel slightly different overall, but it wasn't a difference in blade feel that I was detecting. 3rd pass - The RazoRock started to feel like it had more blade feel (while still safely in the mild-medium category). Another surprising twist!

Did one razor shave better than the other? Results on both sides of my face are nearly identical, and man, both shave great. But, where the Merkur left just the slightest bit behind, the RazoRock feels impossibly close. So, the RazorRock I'd say did a better job.

A word on how the RazoRock "feels". It has a sort of drag to it that the Merkur doesn't have, but only in certain directions. I can't tell why. It's not a "gets sucked into your face" kind of drag like a Karve Overlander. Could it be the shiny finish? Shiny razors tend to stick to my skin, even with good lather (but the 34C is also shiny, so...). Could it be the safety bar, which has a sharp angle at the edge where it rides along your skin? It's not uncomfortable, but it's definitely not as rounded as most safety bars. Or could it be something else? I notice it most when going across the grain, which is weird. Maybe time will tell.

Overall winner? For me, it's the RazoRock. It's stainless steel which I much prefer to zamak. It's $80 USD ($90 with the handle) compared to $49.50USD for a 34C HD. An extra $30-40 for superior build quality for a razor that I love is definitely worth it.

Is it worth it for someone who already has a 34C? It depends on how much you love the 34C, and how much you want a durable copy of it. I probably won't be keeping my 34C now that I have the RazoRock, but even if I sell it for $20, I'm still out $70 to have my new razor. Still not bad, considering the upgrade.

A word on how the RazoRock "feels". It has a sort of drag to it that the Merkur doesn't have, but only in certain directions. I can't tell why. It's not a "gets sucked into your face" kind of drag like a Karve Overlander. Could it be the shiny finish? Shiny razors tend to stick to my skin, even with good lather (but the 34C is also shiny, so...). Could it be the safety bar, which has a sharp angle at the edge where it rides along your skin? It's not uncomfortable, but it's definitely not as rounded as most safety bars. Or could it be something else?

SS razors having more drag?

[-] walden@sub.wetshaving.social 3 points 2 days ago

I have other SS razors and they don't feel draggy. I'm leaning towards it's the safety bar being "sharp". Like, I'm tempted to hit it with a die grinder to smooth it out, but I won't (for now!).

Doubli refutatiôn for my hypothesis!

this post was submitted on 02 Apr 2025
3 points (80.0% liked)

WetShaving

764 readers
14 users here now

This is a community of enthusiasts, hobbyists and artisans who enjoy a traditional wet shave: brush, soap, and safety or straight razor. We are a part of the WetShaving community found on Reddit, Discord, and IRC.

New subscribers welcome!

Please visit our wiki, which is always and forever a work in progress.

🪒 Check out these alternative front-ends for this server:

https://gem.wetshaving.social/ - a nice modern interface

Our sister Mastodon instance is https://wetshaving.social/.

🪒 Track the uptime of our various services here:

https://uptime.splettnet.com/status/wetshaving

🪒 Community Rules

Rule 1 - Behaviour and Etiquette
Rule 2 - Content Guidelines
Rule 3 - Reviews and Disclosure
Rule 4 - Advertising
Rule 5 - Inappropriate Content
Rule 10 - Moderator Discretion

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS