UB, that thing looks crazy. Part of the appeal of a safety razor, for me, is the simplicity. I just have the edwin jagger de89, which is ~$30, feels solid in hand, and does NOT have knurled handle. My buddy has a merkur, and he sterilized it to let me test drive, but as soon as I picked it up, I set it back down. The grip felt too industrial/institutional if that makes sense. I know that is a highly personal thing, and some people love it, but I couldn't stand it.
