Merkur Clone—A Good Thing

A.C. · April 23, 2021

Gillette invented this kind of razor 120 years ago and it was so good it’s going strong in 2021.From its inception, disposable blade shaving has always made its money on the blades and given away the handle for a pittance.DE blades have long since been commoditized and there is very little profit left in them. There’s a little margin left in the brushes, soaps and creams that accompany this way of shaving but the razors and blades themselves are emblematic of their own thin profit margins.So it was gratifying to see Gillette delve into its heritage with little prospect of market reward. They didn’t go with one of their classic razor designs—a twist-to-open Super Speed, perhaps, or one of the great flat bottom Tech razors from their British factories. They still have the designs in the archives, but the tooling is long gone as are any employees with experience manufacturing those great old brass razors.So they looked around at current DE razor production for a good design. The one they chose, Germany’s Merkur, has been in production with basically the exact same head design for over 80 years and is considered by many to be the best DE razor in current production. Oh, there are plenty of fancier metals being used for razors: Stainless, bronze, titanium, aluminum, brass. But you can’t argue with the shaving geometry of the Merkur design. They nailed it.So Gillette licensed it from Merkur for production under the Gillette label and here we are. Every guy likes something a little different. I’ve got an awful lot of vintage Gillette razors, and this thing, a Merkur, is better for me than all of them.I don’t need another razor, so I ignored the introduction of the King C. But a couple weeks ago it popped up on Bolo Fresh for $9.95. A new Merkur 34c sells on Bolo for $40 and I don’t own one, so I thought about buying the King C. for the first time. Decided to buy and it was in my hands about 19 hours later.I popped one of my favorite Voskhod blades in it for the next day’s shave. Shaved with it. Meh. It was tuggy and a bit rough. I put that down to the blade pairing and switched out the Voskhod for a Feather.I’m not going to say I got the best shave of my life. I often get great shaves. This was a great shave though, and not from a $100 Rockwell or a $200 Karve stainless. It was from a $9.95 pot metal Gillette Merkur clone. That is remarkable.Those other razors are expensive because stainless steel is hard to machine into a razor. Theoretically they’re going to last a lot longer than this razor. But you are missing out on nothing as far as the shave is concerned, and as long as you don’t drop it and break it or strip the threads I see no reason it shouldn’t last a lifetime.Walgreens and CVS sell this razor for $20 all day. If you’re seeing it here for $20 just hit the Buy button. I’ve been shaving this way for years and I can’t think of a better way to switch from cartridges. All the Chinese razors you can buy on this site will do the job but most of them won’t do it this well. You get comfort and safety here along with enough efficiency to get soft and smooth in 3 passes or fewer—that’s a lot fewer blades going over the same patch of skin than with a multi-blade cartridge. Less irritation.A word about the handle:The chromed brass handle of this razor is an interesting design choice. You might like it. I found it a little too long and a little too heavy and a bit slippery too. I don’t care about slippery. Just touch my wet fingers on my alum block and presto, no slippery problems. But you might not like it.I switched it out for a generic stainless bulldog handle I had in a drawer. It was just a tad lighter but quite a bit shorter with a lot of knurling. It really improved the mechanics of this razor for me.As always, YMMV. You don’t need a different handle or Feather blades to get a good shave from the King C. Gillette safety razor. It is now my top recommendation for a first safety razor.I’m kind of a shaving geek. I get up 20 minutes earlier than I used to on shaving days (I shave 4 days a week) just to enjoy the ambience and feel of a high quality grooming experience. I’ve spent wayyyy more money than I ever spent on Gillette cartridges so I didn’t wind up saving money with my cheap DE razor and 7¢ Astra blades (which BTW work GREAT in the King C). I have so many razors, blades, soaps, creams, brushes, aftershave splashes and balms, even a $30 “shaving towel” from Lancaster Razor Works which I love and would buy again in a heartbeat. So I’m a very sick man.But I’m also capable of telling you a few things from experience. One is that you might not like this razor. In ten years of trying everything I could get my hands on, I found out that some of the stuff most of the guys lusted after, I absolutely hated. And vice versa. In all this time I’ve found ways to get free samples of soaps, creams and splashes so I can try before buying. But they won’t send you a free razor. So finding my favorite razors was about buying and reselling a lot of them. It was a pain and I still have a drawerful of razors that have to go. I won’t be using them but they’ll all be somebody’s favorite.Haven’t found any shortcuts. But what a find this razor was for me after spending thousands on much nicer razors that frankly were not a good fit for my skin and whiskers and technique.I cannot make any guarantees for you with this razor, because your experience will differ from mine. THAT I guarantee. I can say this is a pretty mild razor that tends to work better with sharper blades. Works great with Feather, sharpest in the world. But I typically use Astra SP, the green packaging, because I can get them on Bolo for about 1/4 the price of Feathers and they do a wonderful job for me in this razor. For you maybe. Maybe not. But a lot of guys like this combination. Haven’t tried the KCG branded blades in it. I’m sure they’re fine but overpriced. Astra, Feather, Nacet, Personna (Israeli “red” ones or USA “lab blue”), and many others are worth a try. They are amazingly cheap and you can buy 5 or 10 to give them a proper trial for you to see what works best.There are huge differences and you WILL have your favorites. If you’re not ready to go both feet into wet shaving with a brush and shaving soap, try the Crēmo brand shave gel in a tube. It’s in all the stores and does a good job. It’s very costly per shave like the goo in the push button cans but it smells better and shaves better. Give yourself a chance with a cheap synthetic brush from RazoRock or Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements, and a tube of Proraso green shaving cream or a tub of cream from Taylor of Old Bond Street. Try the grapefruit scent, or Royal Forest. Watch some YouTube videos on how to lather these creams properly for a good shave without wasting product. It doesn’t take much. You might think a tub of Taylor’s is expensive until you see how long it lasts.Heck, a tube of Palmolive cream is a great place to start and that stuff is cheap. The reason you should have a brush and a shaving soap or cream designed to lather with a brush and water is simple: multiple passes. You won’t get baby smooth in one pass with a DE razor. If you’re using Edge gel in a can you’ll blow through that stuff lathering up multiple times. A brush holds enough lather for all the passes you need for the smoothness you want.Good luck.

Quality Razor, Recommended for Beginners

C. · May 4, 2022

This Gillette was not my first choice, however I am very pleased with it. I used a Harry's for a number of years, which I recently dropped in the shower and snapped the last replacement blade I had. Having never been totally impressed with the Harry's shave quality (really just liked the look and affordability of the cartridges), I tried a different brand from the grocery store, which ended up in the trash after two days.So while reluctantly ordering replacement blades for my Harry's after that, I stumbled upon safety razors. I've always been drawn to vintage, old-timey stuff, and was interested in them, though I went ahead and ordered the Harry's blades as planned. But there I was, back looking at safety razors the next day. After going through many pages of razors and reading about them, I decided I would get a Muhle R89. This was based on the design, reviews, and it being closed comb, which I'd read was a good choice for beginners.Unfortunately, it wouldn't ship very quickly, I was getting impatient waiting for the Harry's blades as well, and had nothing else to shave with. The Gillette kept coming up, and while it looked the part, it certainly didn't seem as cool as getting a Muhle or Parker or something. But as it was able to be delivered the next day and cost about the same as the package of Harry's razors that were now delayed in shipment, I figured why not try it for that price.This Gillette is everything I wanted, other than it not being the brand I was originally set on. The brand shouldn't be as important as the features and performance, and I love the solid metal parts, the weight of it, and the polished chrome finish, even the little KCG insignia on the top. I couldn't wait to try it out and used it within about 15 minutes of it being delivered. I found it really easy to install the blade, easy to use, and got a great shave.It was a little intimidating to switch razor type, especially after having a short and unsuccessful stint using a straight razor when I was younger, but I had no trouble shaving with this razor. I watched several YouTube videos on safety razor technique, which I would recommend doing, but there seems to be a tendency to demo them as a full barbershop-style experience: brush, mug, shave soap and other products. Don't feel like you need to do that. I used regular shave gel and aftershave and it was pretty comparable in technique as well as duration to my regular shaving routine.At some point I might still get the Muhle that I had been set on, but am overall totally happy with the Gillette I ended up with. I think this is a very good product and would recommend it, especially if you are new to safety razors. It is nice looking, well made, easy to use, and not a big investment if you decide it isn't for you.

Good price/performance ratio - built to last

g.g. · March 15, 2026

Nice chrome finish well polished. Holds the blade firmly. Weight is good for shaving. The only minor complaint is the handle might be a little bit slippery when wet despite the texturing. I simply added a wrapping of rubber band at the bottom to give you something to hold to on the end. I also clean and dry it thoroughly, blotting the blade and reversing it for even wear. The finish remains as gleamingly polished as new. Very sturdy. Excellent price/performance ratio. And despite being a total rookie, I had little to no difficulty finding the proper shaving angle. Couple this with excellent Astra blades and I can get my face smooth as an infants butt.

A solid choice for sensitive skin – durable, precise, and reliable

I.A. · July 23, 2025

I've been using the King C. Gillette safety razor for years now, and it continues to deliver an excellent shaving experience, especially for those of us with sensitive skin. The weight of the handle feels just right, solid enough for control, but not too heavy to be uncomfortable. It definitely requires a bit more technique than the typical cartridge razors with flexible heads, but after a few tries, it becomes second nature.One of the things I appreciate most is how durable it is. I take basic care of it after each shave (rinse and dry it properly), and so far, it's held up exactly like the day I bought it, with no signs of wear or corrosion.The blade replacement process is also really simple, and once secured properly, the blades stay firmly in place during shaving. I've never had one slip or come loose. The platinum-coated blades included are sharp and smooth, giving a close shave without irritation.

Good quality and design, is a bit small in the hand.

A.I. · March 19, 2026

Great razor, well built it feels heavy in the hand, it the way it’s designed makes it pretty hard to cut yourself with it, it is a little small though, and that’s coming from a man with pretty tiny hands.