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WetShaving
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
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Be Respectful. Do not bully, flame, or harass others.
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Malicious comments are not allowed but heated discussion and salty banter is okay.
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Low effort replies and complaints about content will be removed.
Rule 2 - Content Guidelines
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Mail Calls, Simple Questions, and SOTD posts belong in the recurring weekly threads.
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Posts must have sufficient content to generate a meaningful discussion.
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Images, links, or videos must include additional text that summarizes the topic.
Rule 3 - Reviews and Disclosure
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Use [First Impressions] in the title if your experience with the product is limited.
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Use the [Review] in the title if you can provide comprehensive details with enough familiarity to answer follow-up questions.
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Disclose how the product being reviewed was acquired (e.g., PIF, loan, or purchase). If the product was provided to you directly by the maker or vendor free of charge or at a discount, you must disclose this fact even if the item will later be returned to the maker or vendor.
Rule 4 - Advertising
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Vendors are to keep marketing within the biweekly Deals/New Products threads.
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Non-vendors may post topics about products if it will foster a compelling discussion.
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Do not solicit donations or share fundraisers without mod approval.
Rule 5 - Inappropriate Content
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All NSFW/L content must request mod approval and be flaired appropriately.
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Non-shaving related NSFW/L content is not allowed.
Rule 10 - Moderator Discretion
- The rules may not apply perfectly to every situation. The mods have final discretion.
April 2, 2025 - Side by Side
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.
SS razors having more drag?
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!