Merkur Slant vs Progress

[Eagle]

@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.

Some interesting insights - thanks again.

I have tried several blades whilst recently delving into the DE world. Previously I had used a straight (for a solid 12 years). I sold all my straights though after deciding to take a DE on a holiday with me along with Feather blades. After that I never looked back. Sold off my Filarmonicas and a Puma which served me well over the years. I found the Feather blades didn't dull as easily as other blades which was my main gripe with the straights - having to hone them constantly (especially give my thick beard).

I read Mantic's blog and even saw some of his videos on the Progress. I have to say I am now a big Merkur fan. Very well made razors with well thought-out designs. I suppose it was Mantic's site that lead me to the temptation of a Progress.

 

[Supermangs]

@Eagle

A further update.

I have now had a week or so worth of shaves with the Progress. Points to consider:

• I have settled in with Astra SP blades, and it's a good combination.
• I have worked out that I like to shave a few passes on 3/4 setting, then do touch ups on 5 on those areas around my chin that need work at the end. This is producing an excellent shave.
• It is very easy to keep clean during a shave, and the so called issues of blade alignment are no issue at all for reasons described earlier.
• This is a great razor.

Ignore whether I need it in addition to a 37c. Your question was "Have been wondering if the Progress is worth getting hold of in addition to the Slant?"

It's hard to answer this; some more points in my mind are:

• The Progress will give you as close a shave as the 37c once you get your set up going, but it won't materially out perform the 37c. I find both excellent.
• I own both of these. If I had to keep one, I would keep the the 37c.
• If I had never owned either, I would recommend buying the Progress, on the basis that adjustability will get you to the right spot, where the 37c's fixed nature may be perfect for you, or it may not. So you have buyer's risk in that situation.

I am going to keep on shaving solely with the Progress for the rest of this month, and so I will continue to develop my perspectives. I do think that in your shoes, a good used Progress is worth having a go at. These things can be found for around £25-30, and they retain their value very well, so you could get one, try it, and exit it without any hip-pocket impact.

 

[Eagle]

@Eagle

A further update.

I have now had a week or so worth of shaves with the Progress. Points to consider:

• I have settled in with Astra SP blades, and it's a good combination.
• I have worked out that I like to shave a few passes on 3/4 setting, then do touch ups on 5 on those areas around my chin that need work at the end. This is producing an excellent shave.
• It is very easy to keep clean during a shave, and the so called issues of blade alignment are no issue at all for reasons described earlier.
• This is a great razor.

Ignore whether I need it in addition to a 37c. Your question was "Have been wondering if the Progress is worth getting hold of in addition to the Slant?"

It's hard to answer this; some more points in my mind are:

• The Progress will give you as close a shave as the 37c once you get your set up going, but it won't materially out perform the 37c. I find both excellent.
• I own both of these. If I had to keep one, I would keep the the 37c.
• If I had never owned either, I would recommend buying the Progress, on the basis that adjustability will get you to the right spot, where the 37c's fixed nature may be perfect for you, or it may not. So you have buyer's risk in that situation.

I am going to keep on shaving solely with the Progress for the rest of this month, and so I will continue to develop my perspectives. I do think that in your shoes, a good used Progress is worth having a go at. These things can be found for around £25-30, and they retain their value very well, so you could get one, try it, and exit it without any hip-pocket impact.

Beautiful post - thanks again for the continued update. I ordered one on Saturday and received it just a few moments ago. The appeal of using a shave with several settings throughout is the biggest benefit in my opinion. I will try it out tomorrow morning and see if your method works.

Looking at it just now it does feel very top-heavy (much more than the Slant) and a very solid construction throughout. The blade gap as some have already said can get quite huge.

 

[Eagle]

Had my first shave with the progress the other day. In short, a great shave. I used my benchmark soap, the Palmolive stick and topped off with Nivea sensitive aftershave balm.

I used a feather blade which was as sharp and as smooth here as it was using the Slant, so happy about that.

Now onto the razor itself. I think the razor locks shut without a blade in it at position +1. With a blade in place the lowest I can get it is 3/4 (or was it 2/3?). Still, it was a close shave and the razor was easy to rinse, as per Supermangs' comments above. Not sure if this is normal...

Conclusion it's a great razor to have and the flexibility it provides will make some very customisable shaves in different areas of the face and at different hair lengths - I shave three times a week, meaning my hair is either two days long or three days long in the case of the Sunday shave. So more testing tomorrow.


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[fancontroller]

Now onto the razor itself. I think the razor locks shut without a blade in it at position +1. With a blade in place the lowest I can get it is 3/4 (or was it 2/3?). Still, it was a close shave and the razor was easy to rinse, as per Supermangs' comments above. Not sure if this is normal...

Hi Eagle, some quick points about the Progress:

• Make sure you have the dot and triangle at the same side on the Progress head; the cap is designed to only fit one way.
• The knob can detach from the handle with a quick pull (Matron!). This is not a problem. You can just push it back in by squeezing the retaining ring while putting it back. I do this every time I change the blade to clean all the three parts. Never had a problem but some people don't like to do it.
• Progress consistently gives a good shaves. More so than any other razor I have.
• Not all Progresses are calibrated the same. What might be 2 on yours could be 3 on someone elses. This doesn't really matter as long as you know the settings on your own razor.
• I never need to go above 2.5 to get a BBS.

About owning more than one razor: well you only have one life but you can have more than one razor. Enjoy them.

 

[jmudrick]

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!

You realize the Progress predates the Gillette adjustables right? It's an ancient design.

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[Eagle]

Hi Eagle, some quick points about the Progress:

• Make sure you have the dot and triangle at the same side on the Progress head; the cap is designed to only fit one way.
• The knob can detach from the handle with a quick pull (Matron!). This is not a problem. You can just push it back in by squeezing the retaining ring while putting it back. I do this every time I change the blade to clean all the three parts. Never had a problem but some people don't like to do it.
• Progress consistently gives a good shaves. More so than any other razor I have.
• Not all Progresses are calibrated the same. What might be 2 on yours could be 3 on someone elses. This doesn't really matter as long as you know the settings on your own razor.
• I never need to go above 2.5 to get a BBS.

Thanks for this. I managed to get another good shave from it.

Now that I finally got the razor to close properly (helps to see the details if you put your glasses on), the 2.5 setting seems to be optimum for me.

Still need to perfect the top lip area - I tend to be a bit more careful here as it's easy to get a cut under the nose. That said, the 2.5 setting seems to work all over for me and barely needs even a second or third pass. Used a feather blade once again.

 

[Eagle]

Had another go today on the same setting (2/3) but with a shaving cream this time (Nivea) and only a two day growth.

Results weren't as good so I clearly need to go to a lower setting. For my second pass I used setting 2 and it was clearly less aggressive but I should have done that from the first pass.

All in all it's a good learning experience and it just goes to show that the flexibility involved can work both ways. Clearly a good choice for me.

 

[Supermangs]

You realize the Progress predates the Gillette adjustables right? It's an ancient design.

I didn't realise that. That's interesting. I had a look around online for more information. The Progress came out in 1955, whereas my other adjustable, the Gillette Slim, first sold in 1961.

http://www.gilletteadjustable.com/slim.html

http://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/threads/how-long-has-merkur-been-making-razors.151801/

That information appeals to me. Just as I like my Gillette slim (1964) as it is an old but still perfectly functioning item, I like the idea that my Merkur is a design that is 60+ years old, probably unchanged, AND is still in production.

The asthetics of the Progress are quite marmite, but I like it. I thought the plastic knob etc was quite retro, but it's not retro really if it is part of continuous production (I would describe retro as a current design that references past eras).

 

[Blademonkey]

I didn't realise that. That's interesting. I had a look around online for more information. The Progress came out in 1955, whereas my other adjustable, the Gillette Slim, first sold in 1961.

http://www.gilletteadjustable.com/slim.html

http://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/threads/how-long-has-merkur-been-making-razors.151801/

That information appeals to me. Just as I like my Gillette slim (1964) as it is an old but still perfectly functioning item, I like the idea that my Merkur is a design that is 60+ years old, probably unchanged, AND is still in production.

The asthetics of the Progress are quite marmite, but I like it. I thought the plastic knob etc was quite retro, but it's not retro really if it is part of continuous production (I would describe retro as a current design that references past eras).

Great bit of infomation, I had know idea the progress was so old! So I stll haven't got a modern adjustable DE! Still love it though....great little razor.

 

[stellablade]

Indeed it does! The + indicates 5+1, 5+2, 5+3 etc. I think yours goes up to 12 or so from what I remember. Not really sure anyone would need more than 5 or 6.

The 37C is also one of my favourite razors. It's a brilliant design.

@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.

 

[Supermangs]

Does anyone know when the Merkur 37c was first released?

 

[jmudrick]

Does anyone know when the Merkur 37c was first released?

Haven't been able to find a reference but it's a very old design which appears to be based on Wild's 1916 patent.

https://www.google.com/patents/US1171290

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[jmudrick]

I didn't realise that. That's interesting. I had a look around online for more information. The Progress came out in 1955, whereas my other adjustable, the Gillette Slim, first sold in 1961.

http://www.gilletteadjustable.com/slim.html

http://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/threads/how-long-has-merkur-been-making-razors.151801/

That information appeals to me. Just as I like my Gillette slim (1964) as it is an old but still perfectly functioning item, I like the idea that my Merkur is a design that is 60+ years old, probably unchanged, AND is still in production.

The asthetics of the Progress are quite marmite, but I like it. I thought the plastic knob etc was quite retro, but it's not retro really if it is part of continuous production (I would describe retro as a current design that references past eras).

I don't know about current production models but I find the vintage gold Progress very good looking (the knob looks much better here) and of very high quality. My 30-40 year old Progress feels way more solid and precise than either my new 34C or vintage Hoffritz branded slant. No alignment or calibration issues.

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