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Great review and setup!OK. First real full shave with this fine tool from Parker. Just plain excellent. But first:
Quality: The look, fit and feel is just fabulous. The knurling on the handle is spot on. Not overly done, but exactly what is needed to keep it from slipping in your hands, regardless if your elbows deep into your favorite soap. Small hands, big hands should be no problem. If it falls, it's because you dropped it. Finish is really nice with a semi gunmetal matte finish. The head, blade and bottom plate match up and align themselves perfectly. Just make sure the alignment markings are on the same side.
The Shave:
Here's the set up. WSP Formula T Tobacco, UrbanXY pre-shave oil
Kai blade, Semogue 1305 boar, and the Variant set at #4.
First pass= WTG. Excellent whisker slicer. And with this Kai blade, it's an awesome combo. Smooth, effortless with great razor feedback on 3 day hair growth. The razor, blade, and the soap combination was so effortless, I had to look a few times to make sure it was on the correct setting and the blade was still there. First pass was done and honestly I felt I had done 2 passes. Yes, that smooth.
Second pass= ATG. This was basically a thorough touch up and buff. The first pass was that efficient. And I must say, the new Kai blade is super sharp, but smooth. I'd say as sharp as the Feather, but smoother and it just floated on my face.
All I all, a wonderful shave. The razor is beautiful, has the perfect weight and balance in your hand. Finish is superb, the adjustment knob was spot on every time. 1 was 1, 3 was 3 and so forth. Precise, plain and simple. I love my Progress, but it is not as precise as the Variant or as beautiful. And with the Progress you have to hold the head and blade to make sure the it aligns properly to the base plate. And yes both alignment markings are lined up, but at times it can be off just a smidgen. Not on the Variant, I removed and reinstalled the head and blade at least a dozen times and it lined up perfectly with even blade exposure and gap on both sides.
Bottom line is this, it provided as good and close a shave as my Vision. And that's saying a lot. Because for me, the Merkur Vision is my gold standard on adjustable DE'S. The Parker Variant is right there on par with it. It's the real deal gents, and for under $60 it's a true bargain. Get one while you can.....
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