Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I'm going to review this in reverse order, having considered some of the lesser ratings. Several people stated that they cut themselves with this "safety" razor. That makes sense: it does house a sharp blade. I'm 68 and while I can remember cutting myself with a straight razor occasionally, safety razor cuts are a rare occurence. Bless them all, there are people who frequently cut themselves with paper, glass, knives, and even safety razors; others, like me, seem to be largely immune. Therefore, I would not rate this razor on the basis of its proclivity to inflict extraneous cuts. In my hands, when applied to an adequately softened/lubricated beard, cuts are rare. Some went on to mention that changing blades is dangerous. Now that word - dangerous - is relative, no? I load shotshell for skeet and .40 cal ball ammo for silhouette shooting - both of which I consider minimally dangerous. At 68 I still ride my Harley Low Rider without a helmet in NM: a great danger to some. There is a review here at Amazon by someone who considers hot air popcorn poppers dangerous because some of the kernels pop when in the bowl sending popcorn flying (they were worried about their small child becoming blinded by flying popcorn). Obviously then, people whose lives are fraught with danger or who, otherwise, place themselves at great risk when using various implements should avoid the occasions of danger, whatever that entails. The thought occurs to me that, if razors are a danger, then electric shavers might be the answer. Then I thought of the shock hazard. One reviewer dispelled the notion that using the Merkur was a life changing event. Then I noticed that there were 11 people who agreed with that statement. This gave me long pause: I wondered what state of psyche does one have to enjoy before considering whether a safety razor has the potential to change one's life or attitude thereabout. It's a razor! Not to be wiseacre but I was further impelled to incredulity to read one's lament that, after bouncing his Merkur off the floor of the shower, he was surprised that it broke. If I was a wiseacre I might have replied duh . . . ! There were a few reviewers that, to me, implied that it took a team of experts to change the blades (unlike the older Gillette-style butterfly head that spread its wings and spit its blade asunder). Let's see: unscrew the handle, separate the head into its two pieces, remove and discard the blade, insert the new blade, assemble the two head pieces, replace the handle, then what . . . take a nap to recover? Really? Did you note that review by the large guy with big hands who dissed the long handle? Perhaps he's used to holding small things. Finally, there are a few who noted the lack of closeness to their shaves. What is the Merkur safety razor to me? Primarily, it is an instrument designed to render a satisfactorily close shave at a much reduced cost when compared to today's options, especially cartridge systems. To date, the Gillette Mach3 has been the all-time best-selling razor and here, at Amazon, one can purchase a 12-pack of Mach3 blades for $22; 8 Mach3 Turbos for $18. I purchased 100 DE blades for $8. Let's see, that's $1.83 for the M3s, $2.25 for the M3 Turbos, and $0.08 for the DE - EACH. Let me put it this way, the M3s cost 23 times, and the M3 Turbos cost 28 times what the DE blades cost. I like math: it costs $183 for the same number of M3 turbos that I pay $8 for in DE blades. Okay, enough math. The weight of this Merkur, plus blade, is 2.2oz: the head plus blade is 1.2 oz; the handle is 1oz. In my hands, the combination of the long handle and balanced weight is ideal. Then too, I'm used to handling long things. Apart from empirically defining the balance of the Merkur, in the end, how it feels in one's hands is a matter of preference. I prefer the weight and heft of the Merkur to that of the M3, e.g. Finally, as one very good reviewer - M.D.C. The Franchise - noted, the use of any DE safety razor requires two things: an adequately softened/moistened beard (I usually shave in the shower so that is, for me, is a non-issue) and time: if your life consists of anticlimactic quickies, you probably do not want to consider the DE safety razor.