I just received and email that the Parker Variant is available! And, yes, I ordered one!!!
Where is it available?
Where is it available?
Same here. Posted a new thread also on this razor. Didn't see this one over the excitement! Cheers amigo. Got mine too....
I am excited about this razor. I have been a Progress fan for the last few years and have both the Progress and the Progress XL. I have always thought that if I could change one thing about the progress, I would make the handle knurled. Looks like parker did that and one better, by making the handle out of brass!
Happy shaving!
-Funkhauser
I received my Variant yesterday and shaved with it this morning. It has officially replaced my beloved Progress XL as my favorite razor.
Packaging:
The razor came in a box with a free box of 5 Shark Blades. Parker appears to be using new updated packaging materials.
Razor:
This razor is awesome looking. The razor is heavy and has a thick, knurled handle. The knurling is not as deep as the knurling on stainless steel handles, but provides enough of a non-slip platform. The knob on the bottom is wider that the handle portion and had deeper knurling. The knurling on the handle is closer to that of the Merkur 34C. Going back to the knob, It provided the perfect place to rest my pinky finger, and to hold when performing a south-to-north pass on my neck.
The razor is longer than the Progress, but shorter than the Progress XL. I found the razor to be perfectly calibrated. In addition, the alignment notches on the top cap and base plate are grooved deeper than the same on the Progress. In fact, you can feel the notch on the top cap with a fingernail. I found this of great benefit because I need my reading glasses to find that little notch on the progress, especially if I decide to change a blade mid shave and the razor has lather on it!
The finish is excellent.
Shave:
I loaded the Variant with an Astra SP and performed a three pass shave. The acoustics were excellent and seemed louder that the Progress. I set the Variant at 3, and it easily glided on my well lathered face. I face lathered Barrister and Mann lavender Latha using a Plisoft synthetic shaving brush. This razor is perfectly balanced, requiring only the weight of the razor to reduce your beard. I am not sure whether it is the finish of the razor or the weight, but it seems to glide on the skin more efficiently than the Progress XL.
A splash of Tabac After shave lotion and quick dab of CeraVe Facial Moisturizing Lotion Am, and I was loving the results.
For me, the Variant has unseated my beloved Progress XL as the king of the jungle!!! I would do a razor v. razor, though one shave in and I see a clear winner here. For the money, It is hard to beat this Brass handled, adjustable, heavy safety razor!
Can there be a black handled Variant in the future for me...well...there is always Father's Day!
Excellent review. Glad you enjoyed your shave. I received mine on Monday and did a quick test on it with barely a days worth of stubble, so the shave was quick, but very smooth and close. I'm giving it another go tomorrow morning with 3 days worth of hair growth to really give it a go. But, I think you might be right, this thing looks like it's going to be a worthy successor and dethrone my Progress...
Thank you GlazedBoker. I will be looking forward to your thoughts on this!
I've had three days now with my variant using a Gillette Platinum blade. I think it's more aggressive than the Progress, better weight and better handle, plus the adjustment knob isn't as easily moved (which is good). I started lowest settings and kept bumping it up each successive day. The wider open the better the shave.