Merkur 37C Heavy Duty Slant Bar Safety Razor Review

The Merkur 37C is my favorite slant bar safety razor on the market. The overall design looks pretty much exactly like the 34C, which I’m a huge fan of, except the 37C has a slant bar instead of a straight bar. Overall though, it’s just an excellent 2-piece safety razor that has the same high-quality design and materials that you’re going to find on pretty much every other Merkur razor.

But is it the right safety razor for you? Let’s find out.

Key Features of the Merkur 37C

Slant Bar Razorhead

The defining feature of the Merkur 37C is the slant bar on the razorhead. There just aren’t many other (popular) slant bar options out there. Merkur makes another slant bar, the 39C (more on this later), but other than that you’re not really going to find any other popular slant bars.

So what’s so special about slant bar razors? Well I don’t want to get too much into the nitty gritty, but the general theory is that the angle of a slant bar is more “efficient: at shaving. The slanted angle allows the blade to “slice” through hair at an angle rather than chopping off facial hair at a perpendicular angle.

So how does a slant bar affect the aggressiveness of the razor? Well...

More Than Moderately Aggressive, But Still Manageable

Lots of guys are intimidated by slant bar razors and never give one a chance because all they hear about slant bars is that they are ultra-aggressive. But I haven’t found this to be true.

Yes, the Merkur 37C is more than moderately aggressive and I rate is as a 6/10. However, I think some men are confusing aggressiveness with not using good technique.

There is definitely a learning curve when using a slant bar safety razor. And if you’re not using good technique, it’s not going to give a very comfortable or forgiving shave. But once you learn good technique, this is a pretty moderate aggressive razor that is incredibly efficient at shaving. The 37C just seems to cut as close as my more aggressive razors while also being much more gentle on my face.

Look, it takes some time and patience to learn how to use a slant bar, but there are really good resources out there. Just go to YouTube and find some videos of wet shavers explaining how to use it. There are some really good resources out there on how to use a slant bar that will give you excellent tips on how to make it a much more enjoyable shave.

Lighter Than The Average Merkur, But Still Excellent Weight Distribution

I prefer a heavier safety razor and the Merkur 37C is slightly below average in regards to weight. So I do wish it had a little more weight to it. However, it doesn’t really feel all that light to me because it has such good weight distribution. The balance point is about halfway up the handle which makes it really easy to grip and handle while shaving. Just remember -- heavier safety razors aren’t always better. A lot depends on the weight distribution and balance point and the 37C really nails it in this regard.

Premium Grip

The grip on the handle of the 37C is as good as just about anything out there. The middle section of the handle is a cross-sectional knurling that is comfortable to grip but feels very secure in your hand. And the bottom of the handle has almost like a knob that is thicker in diameter than the rest of the handle with vertical grooves all the way around. The combination of the knurling and the knob at the bottom make the design of the handle just about perfect.

Adequate Length For Most Men

If there was 1 thing I could change about the 37C, I would make it just a little bit longer. At 3.3 inches long it’s not a short safety razor, but because my hands are above average in size I prefer a longer safety razor. The excellent grip helps compensate for the lack of size for me though. But for men with smaller or average sized hands, the 37C should be really comfortable to use.

Design Is Both Classic & Durable

The overall design of the Merkur 37C is both classic and durable in my opinion. Aesthetically, it looks like a safety razor should look: chrome-plated, knurling on handle, masculine. But what’s probably even more important is that the design also is incredibly durable. In my opinion, 2-piece safety razors are the most durable because they don’t have a weak spot in the design. Both butterfly open razors and 3-piece safety razors have some vulnerabilities in their design, but the 2-piece design like the 37C won’t break-down as easily.

Goes Through Blades Quicker

In my experience, I tend to go through blades a little faster with my slant bar razors. THey just seem to dull a few shaves quicker. This isn’t a big deal because safety razor blades are so cheap, but be prepared to change your blades out a little more often if you start using a Merkur 37C.

Who Do We Recommend The Merkur 37C For?

The Merkur 37C is one of my favorite safety razors, but that doesn’t mean it’s the right razor for many of you. In fact, as much as I like it, I rarely recommend it to many wet shavers.

First of all, I do NOT recommend the 37C to beginners. If you are new to wet shaving, I highly recommend you get started with a more straightforward safety razor that is a little easier to learn good technique with. The 37C is just too difficult for beginners to learn. It would be like learning how to ride a bike and skipping the training wheels.

That said though, if you are an experienced wet shaver and want to experiment a little and try something new, this is a great option. It delivers a really, really good shave and is incredibly efficient. Like I said earlier, there’s definitely a learning curve, but once you get the technique down, the results with this thing are awesome. The 37C delivers an incredibly close/aggressive shave while still being pretty gentle on my face.

So if you’ve been wet shaving pretty comfortable for a while now and have been on the fence about trying a slant bar, I saw go for it. Yes there is a learning curve, but you shouldn’t be intimidated about it.

What Are Some Other Safety Razors To Consider?