Merkur 37C Safety Razor Review

The Merkur 37C is a slant head razor and is more aggressive than your typical closed comb safety razor. It looks exactly like a Merkur 34C except that someone stepped on the head.

As it turns out, this is on purpose. I’ve heard that the Merkur 37C bends the blade, and the response is so does the Merkur 34C, what’s the difference? Well, it’s not so much that it bends the blade, it’s more of a twist. The logic that I have heard is that the razor blade will slice through the facial hair rather than chopping. This is claimed to be more efficient and therefore closer.

Merkur Slant Bar Double Edge Safety Razor, MK-37001

• Chrome finish
• Slant bar
• HD Razor
• Manufactured by Merkur Stahlwaren in Solingen, Germany

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To be honest the slant head in scared me a bit starting off. I was just getting used to safety razors in general and now I’m hearing more aggressive.

I saw the Merkur 37C online for $31 USD/$42 CDN with free shipping. Now while it scared me, it perked my interest and I knew one day I would want to give it a shot. I knew enough to know that this was a great deal, so I ordered it knowing that I wouldn’t be trying it anytime soon.

Just like the Merkur 34C, the Merkur 37C is a 2 piece razor. I prefer this to a 3 piece and the principle of loading is the same as the Merkur 34C.

As I continued to stare at the Merkur 37C in my den, I mustered the courage to give it a shot. I was getting consistently great shaves with my other products so it was time to up the ante.

In your hand it feels more or less exactly like the Merkur 34C, which feels great. My first road block came immediately when I went to load the razor blade. There is a lot of slop in this one, and I was already a little nervous about just using this safety razor in general. I wanted to make sure that the blade was loaded correctly.

I had a little more trouble than I expected finding a link to show the proper alignment. What I ultimately found and confirmed to be correct is that the razor blade edge should be parallel to the safety bar, like this:

This might seem obvious if you know what you’re doing, but I didn’t so I felt better after I had checked.

So how does it shave?! Well, the shave with the Merkur 37C is nothing short of amazing. I always do a 3 pass shave – with the grain, across the grain, against the grain.

The first pass WTG does feel noticeably different than using a “regular” safety razor like the Merkur 34C. It is easy to get used to and find the right angle.

The second pass XTG is where I really notice the difference. I can tell when going XTG that there is significantly less resistance than the second pass with a Merkur 34C or Edwin Jagger, so logic states that the first pass does in fact take it closer than a regular closed comb safety razor.

Rinsing my face after the second pass the first couple times I tried it was when I realized that I already had a very close shave, and realistically I probably didn’t even need a third pass. I still do a third pass as I like getting very close and soft. If I was pressed for time and needed to shave I would very likely go for a 2 pass shave with the Merkur 37C.

I’ve now used the Merkur 37C many times, and for me pairing it with a Voskhod blade is pretty well a perfect shave. The Voskhod is just that little bit sharper than a Derby and smooth enough to pair nicely with the slant head.

I highly recommend adding the Merkur 37C to your collection.

Overall Subjective Rating = 5/5

Make sure to check out some other Safety Razors or other Reviews.

Have you tried the Merkur 37C? Make sure to leave your overall review, the community appreciates your vote!

Merkur Slant Bar Double Edge Safety Razor, MK-37001

• Chrome finish
• Slant bar
• HD Razor
• Manufactured by Merkur Stahlwaren in Solingen, Germany

Buy on Amazon