Beautiful collection.
Beautiful collection.
Thank you! Actually had a slew of vintage as well, but down to one Slim and a FB. Very indulgent spouse, but I do have some self-contro!l....Beautiful collection.
Always been intrigued by adjustable safety razors, whether they are adjustable on the fly or come with different head combinations. Tried searching on here but didn't see a thread on it. My only adjustable on the fly is a Merker Futur. I had a DE back in the day and I wish I could remember the name but it came with 3 heads in varying aggressiveness and I really enjoyed it. I ended up selling it when I sold off lots of my shaving gear.
Thinking of picking up a Rockwell T2 and maybe a Vikings Blade Meiji. What adjustable DEs do you all own, and what are your thoughts on them?
Get a Pearl Flexi. Probably the highest quality, moderately priced adjustable. They are plated brass and built like a tank. Excellent razors in the adjustable category. Shaves, functions and built like a $200 razor.
And I agree with others that a multi plate razor is not an adjustable!
My Karve offers multiple plates and nowhere does it get classified as adjustable.
Beyond the weight, how does it shave different/better than the other top dog adjustables?I love adjustables. 4 Rocnel sailors (my favourites) Also have the tatara maramusa, Homelike taiga, Rex Konsul and of course a Gillette fatboy and slim.
View attachment 1480527
View attachment 1480528
I believe the cracks were caused by stress on the tubular handles during manufacturing from off tolerance end pieces being press fit into the tubular handles, whose walls were imo too thin. Many pristine NOS examples exhibit the cracks so user applied force was probably not the main cause. Tightening too much could certainly have contributed to widening cracks that were not visible though.Such a beautiful razor. It's a shame that the handles were so poorly made that they cracked when you tried to "adjust" the screw. Especially considering that $5 in 1910 is $150 in today's dollars.
When I used my Variant I tried both techniques, and found that I liked less aggressive settings at the beginning. I also varied by pass, depending on how I felt that day. For more aggressive settings the first pass tended to catch, and I drew blood more often. I am convinced now it was my technique, I was using too much pressure. I haven’t used the Variant in a while, I have switched over to vintage razors. I usually start with a mild one (and shallow angle) during the early stages of a new blade. Then as the blade gets older switch to slightly more aggressive razors and I am more comfortable with a steep angle.My preference is wider open for the first pass, and then dialed down for subsequent passes. I have heard of others that did it the exact opposite way.
I use different levels of aggression for different parts of the shave, so yes. Lower settings for ATG on the lip for example.I'm curious, for those who use "live" adjustables (razors you don't have to disassemble and reassemble to change aggression): Do you change aggression in the middle of a shave? (I ask because
Many adjustable users have said they find the setting they like and leave it alone.)
I have the Rex Ambassador and the Muramasa. The Muramasa is just something else. The quality of the machining is just perfect.I REALLY like the Muramasa. It looks so beautiful. That might be my next adjustable...
I start on lower settings then move up, this delivers less irritation for me. The idea (to me) is to remove hair gradually, not mow it all down in one aggressive pass. I do like to feel the blade doing its work though, so I don't generally go for mild razors (or settings in the case of an adjustable). If I'm using my Ambassador I leave it at 3-3.5 for the whole shave, it does a fine job at that setting and only leaves minor stubble on my neck unless I do an ATG pass (which I often don't because of the high chances of irritation, and if I do I lower it to 1).I'm curious, for those who use "live" adjustables (razors you don't have to disassemble and reassemble to change aggression): Do you change aggression in the middle of a shave? (I ask because
Many adjustable users have said they find the setting they like and leave it alone.)
I keep saying the same thing to myself, but I've already got a brass Yaqi TFC incoming, and I'm working a deal for a Homelike Taiga too. I may have to hold off for a little while on the Muramasa.I REALLY like the Muramasa. It looks so beautiful. That might be my next adjustable...
I also forgot my Vikings Meiji razor. Out of all of them, then ones that stay in regular rotation:I am a sucker for adjustables. My current stable includes
Toggle
Fat Boy
Slim
Super (several variants)
Gibbs
Futur
Futur clones
Progress
Rex Ambassador
Q-Shave Parthenon
Pearl Flexi
Rockwell T2
Global Shave Fat Guy
After finally successfully adapting modern blades to fit the Gibbs I'm really enjoying that. There's only a couple from the list I don't use anymore: The Merkur Futur because it's just too aggressive, and Q-Shave Parthenon because it's a V1 and complete rubbish.
I'm curious, for those who use "live" adjustables (razors you don't have to disassemble and reassemble to change aggression): Do you change aggression in the middle of a shave? (I ask because
Many adjustable users have said they find the setting they like and leave it alone.)