Merkur Slant vs Progress

Eagle

Eagle

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UK
Long story short, I have a slant and like it a lot. Some of my best shaves have come from it.

Have been wondering if the Progress is worth getting hold of in addition to the Slant.

My beard is extremely coarse; I can feel a single beard hair between my fingers were I to pluck one out. I have growth in all directions, but no overall pattern as such.

So how would these two razors compare for my beard type? My favourite blades are Japanese Feathers.
 
My beard is coarse in parts only. I have ATT slants (S1 and S2) they are very good but they are not a match for the progress in setting 5.

Why don't you try the Muhle R41? It's agressive but you won't get a closer shave.
 
TBH the slant is quite mild for a heavy growth.

The R41 would be a great choice.

For a slant to tackle all and yet shave with the smoothness of a virgins kiss on the cheek, go for a vintage Fasan OC slant.
 
The progress is a lovely looking DE and feels quality in the hand.

I found that I used it pretty much on 4 or 5 no matter if used daily or not.

I don't suit adjustables, I dont see the point behind them?
 
The Progress will allow you to alter the level of aggresion between passes to potentially be easier on your skin on succesive passes, obviously the slant won't. Most slants I've used over the years don't have enormous differences in performance, so, since you have and like your present slant if you fancy a change I'd go for the Progress.

JohnnyO. o/
 
I am a big fan of the 37c. I have just received a Progress yesterday. I will have a couple of shaves and let you know what my thoughts are. I have a reasonably coarse stubble. I am a big fan of the 37c.

That said, the longer I persevere with this DE high jinx, the more I find I am able to get a fairly decent shave out of a wide range of razors. I often trot out my Tech on Saturdays, and that's still a great shave.

It's an interesting point that @Whosthedaddy makes. Why buy an adjustable? Why not? Why buy more than one shaving soap if the first one is doing a good job!

I treat adjustables more in terms of configurables. I don't adjust the setting all the time once I have found the right level for me. But I like to be able to configure that razor to suit me. I can't do that with a fixed razor. Of course, if you find a fixed razor that has the right settings built in, well...happy days all round.

Also, it's not just about the shave. I like my 1964 gillette slim because it is somewhat iconic, and also works perfectly after constant use for almost 50 years. I just like the idea of that. Then, because I have a vintage adjustable, I start thinking, "What is a modern adjustable like?". So, I rev up the great big RAD dog and take it out for a walk!
 
Thanks everyone for your replies.

Supermangs - happy to hear you have both now. Would be interested to hear what your thoughts are on how easy the two are to clean. I have only ever had a slim adjustable before and didn't like how messy it got. I think the Progress has less removable parts, so I'm guessing it will be easier to clean than the slim. But I am not going to get one if my slant is easier to clean.

I got an irritation free shave today using a Palmolive soap stick and a feather blade in my slant in only two passes. I can't believe I didn't stick to something like this in the past.

I'm hoping the progress will allow me to get smoother shaves in one pass or to adjust the blade angle for different areas on my face. I don't always shave at regular intervals, meaning my whiskers are sometimes a little longer.
 
One pass shaves do not normally achieve DFS plus and you have to remember that gradual reduction is the order of the day. Single pass shaves are more used for a CCS. The Progress will give you facility to adjust aggressiveness for various areas but blade angle and good preparation is the key to a clean shave. I like the Progress for its weight and it can be dialled down for sensitive areas like the upper lip.
 
invicta said:
The Progress will give you facility to adjust aggressiveness for various areas but blade angle and good preparation is the key to a clean shave. I like the Progress for its weight and it can be dialled down for sensitive areas like the upper lip.
Click to expand...

Thanks. I suppose this is what I was getting at.

Is it still worth owning both and is the progress easy to clean/rinse out?
 
Eagle said:
Is it still worth owning both and is the progress easy to clean/rinse out?
Click to expand...

@Eagle I am only two shaves in. I reckon I will need a couple of weeks to get a proper feel for it. Some observations so far:

  • Seems very easy to clean/rinse out. It is certainly no more difficult than a 37c.
  • It's a very different feel to the 37c. Wound up to 5, the blade gap starts to appear quite significant. It feels more "blade on skin" than the 37c. Aggressive is the wrong word here - it's more that I can feel the blade. This is a new feeling and I have been going very carefully with it as I adjust to this. I suspect it would work well with coarse hair. I have been using it with Sputnik blades, which I no longer like particularly, and over the next few days I am going back to an Astra SP, which I have been using a lot of lately and have come to really like.
  • I've shaved so much with the 37c that I can really zip around my face with it. I'm not there yet with the Progress. That needs more time.
  • Feels nice to hold, and I like the plastic knob as it looks retro and cool.
  • Lots of talk on forums about blade alignment. I don't notice this. I learned how to load the blade in a 37c from this video here and using the same technique in the Progress achieves sound results.
  • Some talk on forums about quality - mine looks immaculate, and the tolerances are fine. It's not the same as a £250 stainless steel artisan razor, but it doesn't cost £250 either.
 
@Eagle

Update for you.

I read more online about using the Progress.

  • I had a go with a Derby as suggested. This choice showed as much about the limitation of a Derby as it does about the capabilities of the Progress. One of the better shaves I have had using a Derby, although that is not saying a great deal. But certainly very close shave.
  • The angle is different. It's suggested to have the razor more parallel to the face. This makes a BIG difference. The sound of cutting became quite audible, the shave felt smoother, and an earlier sense of the razor being a bit tuggy on the first pass disappeared. This may be connected with an increased familiarity with the razor a few days in.
Do you need a Progress as well as a 37c? Well, do I need an extra helping of chocolate cake? So far I am warming to the Progress with each additional use.
 
Supermangs said:
@Eagle

Update for you.

I read more online about using the Progress.

  • I had a go with a Derby as suggested. This choice showed as much about the limitation of a Derby as it does about the capabilities of the Progress. One of the better shaves I have had using a Derby, although that is not saying a great deal. But certainly very close shave.
  • The angle is different. It's suggested to have the razor more parallel to the face. This makes a BIG difference. The sound of cutting became quite audible, the shave felt smoother, and an earlier sense of the razor being a bit tuggy on the first pass disappeared. This may be connected with an increased familiarity with the razor a few days in.
Do you need a Progress as well as a 37c? Well, do I need an extra helping of chocolate cake? So far I am warming to the Progress with each additional use.
Click to expand...
Very true, your ears will let you know when you have the angle right as I found on my first use of this razor this morning. Once I had the angle correct it was a joy to use.
 
@Blademonkey

Have you noticed how massive you can make the blade gap? Notionally, this thing goes up to 5. However, you can just keep on twisting the knob past 5, and thus increasing the blade gap until such time as the razor cap actually disconnects. The sky's the limit.

It gets to a point where the gap is so big that it's effectively a shavette rather than a DE! Not that I am going there. I went to 4 this morning and that was fine at this point. I think I'll be out to 5 fairly soon.
 
Supermangs said:
@Blademonkey

Have you noticed how massive you can make the blade gap? Notionally, this thing goes up to 5. However, you can just keep on twisting the knob past 5, and thus increasing the blade gap until such time as the razor cap actually disconnects. The sky's the limit.

It gets to a point where the gap is so big that it's effectively a shavette rather than a DE! Not that I am going there. I went to 4 this morning and that was fine at this point. I think I'll be out to 5 fairly soon.
Click to expand...
Yes, but it looked dangerous! :) I used on 3 and gave a great shave but I'm sure I will move up the scale once I have a few shaves under my belt.
 
I have the Digress/Progress modified and the ATT S1, both are great razors for me. The Digress is a consistently good shaver and offer the option of flexibility should you require it
 
Supermangs said:
@Eagle I am only two shaves in. I reckon I will need a couple of weeks to get a proper feel for it. Some observations so far:

  • Seems very easy to clean/rinse out. It is certainly no more difficult than a 37c.
  • It's a very different feel to the 37c. Wound up to 5, the blade gap starts to appear quite significant. It feels more "blade on skin" than the 37c. Aggressive is the wrong word here - it's more that I can feel the blade. This is a new feeling and I have been going very carefully with it as I adjust to this. I suspect it would work well with coarse hair. I have been using it with Sputnik blades, which I no longer like particularly, and over the next few days I am going back to an Astra SP, which I have been using a lot of lately and have come to really like.
  • I've shaved so much with the 37c that I can really zip around my face with it. I'm not there yet with the Progress. That needs more time.
  • Feels nice to hold, and I like the plastic knob as it looks retro and cool.
  • Lots of talk on forums about blade alignment. I don't notice this. I learned how to load the blade in a 37c from this video here and using the same technique in the Progress achieves sound results.
  • Some talk on forums about quality - mine looks immaculate, and the tolerances are fine. It's not the same as a £250 stainless steel artisan razor, but it doesn't cost £250 either.
Click to expand...

Sorry I am taking so long to reply. Really appreciate your input here.

I had never thought about how to load the slant and didn't see it as an issue before. That video was quite helpful though. Maybe it's better for me to get used to this method of loading before looking to explore other razors.

The whole aspect of cleaning the Progress is reassuring as I was initially a bit concerned about it, given experiences with other TTO razors.
 
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