Adjustable razors

[WThomas0814]

I’ve never really understood the application, to be honest.

I can, I guess, imagine a new wet shaver buying one to start out mild, then move up in aggression as experience and confidence increase, eventually arriving at the “sweet spot” and never adjusting it again.

I’ve had an Osprey in my cart for weeks now, but, at nearly $400, I can’t force myself to buy it. I already own three Blacklands (Blackbird, Vector, and Saber L2). Per the website, Levels 4-6 would be compatible to my Vector and Saber, and Levels 7-9 to my Blackbird (which is odd, since I think the Blackbird and Vector are quite similar in aggression and the Saber is very mild).

Gents that use them… do you, say, do first pass on high setting and subsequent passes on lower settings? Do you just decide daily if you want efficient or mild shaves?

I have five razors in weekly rotation, the three Blacklands, a Feather SR, and a Kai Captain Woody. Where would an adjustable fit into my rotation?

I’m all for technology and Blackland makes some fantastic kit, but, something is telling me I would regret the purchase. I would appreciate your feedback on how, when, and why you use them.

Many thanks. You’ll either save me $400 or cause me to spend it.

 

[LeroyR]

I start low and go higher. To me it's the same concept as mowing the lawn when maybe it's too long and can't be cut in one pass: start high, get closer as the grass gets shorter.

I've been using a lot of fixed-blade razors lately, but for a while I used nothing but adjustables and I loved it. Frankly, in my opinion, they do not necessarily deliver better shaves. I used to think so, but that was just my bad attitude toward fixed-blade models. But they don't deliver worse shaves either, they're just a different type of razor like a slant or whatever else. Just like anything else, it's all in how you use it.

I've heard that the Osprey is a fantastic razor (although I don't see one in my future), and I personally love their Blackbird Ti razor (much like everyone else). Although I don't think you can go wrong with Blackland, you may choose to try out a less expensive adjustable before you pull the trigger just to see what they're all about if that's something you're concerned with.

 

[nemo]

Once I find my setting I just leave it, not adjusting during the shave.
My fatboy on 4 seems a lot like an early Super Speed.
Merkur Progress stays at 2 1/2 forever.
Save your money if you have something that is working happily for you.

do you, say, do first pass on high setting and subsequent passes on lower settings?

Not sure why anyone would do that. But some guys do.
Kinda like mowing the lawn at 2 inches then going around for another pass at 4 inches.

 

[Beefdrippings]

With my Fatboy I start at 9 then go down. If I’m gonna get into trouble it’s when going ATG or buffing, especially upper lip.

 

[LeroyR]

With my Fatboy I start at 9 then go down. If I’m gonna get into trouble it’s when going ATG or buffing, especially upper lip.

This is a really good point, ATG is very difficult when the aggressiveness is cranked up. I do "turn down" an adjustable when going ATG.

 

[WThomas0814]

With my Fatboy I start at 9 then go down. If I’m gonna get into trouble it’s when going ATG or buffing, especially upper lip.

That may well be the greatest user name in the history of user names.

 

[Blackland Razors]

We wrote a nice email about the different ways to use an adjustable a while back. I'll probably have that converted into a blog post and share it here.

To summarize it, here are the four ways we think about using an adjustable:

• One level all the time
  • Adjustable lets you try a wide range. You find what works and stick with it.
• Different levels for different days
  • Daily shaving? Keep it lower. Don't shave all weekend and need to mow that beard down? Crank it up to hack through the growth.
• A level for each pass
  • Start with a higher level for WTG growth removal
  • Decrease level for ATG to avoid irritation/nicks
  • Some guys do the exact opposite. It depends on the direction of your passes.
• Changing on the fly
  • Different parts of your face have different needs. Crank it up for easy areas and dial it back for nick-prone areas. Or do the opposite. You learn your face and let the razor adapt to the differing needs.

If you think you'd regret it, either sit this one out or buy it with the expectation that you'll probably return it. Personally, I like using the adjustability of the Osprey more than I expected to. That knob gets adjusted pretty frequently and I would have thought I'd be a set-it-and-forget-it kind of guy.

 

[abies]

Admittedly I don't change a setting much once I try different settings. But I do change it sometimes, and it's nice to have the option.

Usually it's once over the course of months or years that I might change it but sometimes I've changed it in the same shave.

It's also a hedge against getting a suboptimal razor or plate, which is nothing trivial in my mind.

I've thought about getting razors with multiple plates, for instance, and then there's the decision about what plates to get, what happens if they get lost, and so forth and so on. It's not that big of a deal but if there's one razor that covers a range, why not get one razor?

 

[Lane101]

I’ve never really understood the application, to be honest.

I can, I guess, imagine a new wet shaver buying one to start out mild, then move up in aggression as experience and confidence increase, eventually arriving at the “sweet spot” and never adjusting it again.

I’ve had an Osprey in my cart for weeks now, but, at nearly $400, I can’t force myself to buy it. I already own three Blacklands (Blackbird, Vector, and Saber L2). Per the website, Levels 4-6 would be compatible to my Vector and Saber, and Levels 7-9 to my Blackbird (which is odd, since I think the Blackbird and Vector are quite similar in aggression and the Saber is very mild).

Gents that use them… do you, say, do first pass on high setting and subsequent passes on lower settings? Do you just decide daily if you want efficient or mild shaves?

I have five razors in weekly rotation, the three Blacklands, a Feather SR, and a Kai Captain Woody. Where would an adjustable fit into my rotation?

I’m all for technology and Blackland makes some fantastic kit, but, something is telling me I would regret the purchase. I would appreciate your feedback on how, when, and why you use them.

Many thanks. You’ll either save me $400 or cause me to spend it.

Back in the 1960's-1970's Gillette focused on adjustable razors (Slim, Super Adjustable Black Beauty, etc.) so that one or a very limited number of SKUs could meet the needs of 98-99%+ of its customer base. The intent back then is that with one of these convenient TTO razors you were almost guaranteed to find the level of mildness or aggression you preferred. My first razor was a Gillette Super Adjustable that I used for around 5 years before going electric.

The same applies today though, thanks to eCommerce, conserving shelf space is no longer an issue. Instead the benefit is that with one razor the user can be almost assured of achieving good shaves without having to experiment with multiple fixed aggression razors. Even experienced DE users can benefit from a well designed adjustable as it can let them dial in more precisely to the desired level of aggressiveness.

The challenge is that adjustable razor mechanisms are not easy to design or build, especially with my preferred TTO design. When I returned to DE 4+ years ago most TTO adjustables out there had alignment issues or I would have had to choose a multi piece adjustable like the Merkur Progress or Futur. With some experimentation I settled on a couple different fixed aggression razors, one moderate and the other mild to provide a range of options.

This past November by chance I stumbled on an excellent low cost TTO adjustable, the Razorock Adjust (rebranded Baili also sold by Stirling) that works really well using the same type of adjustment mechanism used by Gillette in it's Super Adjustables, Slims, etc. It provides my preferred mild to moderate aggression range with excellent alignment. Right now we are only aware of one other razor that offers this type of Gillette mechanism in a TTO. That is the Rockwell T2 razor with lots of positive reviews for folks who prefer a more premium option. Both of these TTO adjustables were introduced over the past couple of years.

Of course there are plenty of quality multi-piece designs such as the Merkur options mentioned above, Rockwell 6S/C and the Osprey you are considering. Given the quality razors you already own, if they already hit your sweet spot in aggressiveness, you may not realize a lot of benefit from the Osprey investment. If they don't then the extra precision could be worth it. YMMV here so this is really a personal decision based on your preferences.

P.S. There are many posts from shavers who like to adjust razor aggression between passes. This is a relatively recent phenomena with the resurgence of DE over the past 10-15 years and by all means experiment with it if desired. It does go beyond the original objective of the Gillette adjustable noted above. Again YMMV though for me personally I've had to learn to adjust my technique per the aggressiveness of each razor. No desire to have to do that in the middle of a shave.

Link below to a post with Gillette's adjustable instructions. The core message was that " After one or two shaves you will be
able to determine the best setting for your skin and beard." Though they mention a milder setting for more sensitive parts of your face such as the neck area.

Hi-res Gillette adjustable manual for download!

I just scanned in an original Gillette slim adjustable manual hi-res at 100% 1000 d.p.i. full color. I scanned both sides as image 1 and image 2. Each file is a high quality jpeg with max quality setting, the files are about 13 mb. Feel free to download them. They print really well too. Here are...

www.badgerandblade.com

 

[WThomas0814]

We wrote a nice email about the different ways to use an adjustable a while back. I'll probably have that converted into a blog post and share it here.

To summarize it, here are the four ways we think about using an adjustable:

• One level all the time
  • Adjustable lets you try a wide range. You find what works and stick with it.
• Different levels for different days
  • Daily shaving? Keep it lower. Don't shave all weekend and need to mow that beard down? Crank it up to hack through the growth.
• A level for each pass
  • Start with a higher level for WTG growth removal
  • Decrease level for ATG to avoid irritation/nicks
  • Some guys do the exact opposite. It depends on the direction of your passes.
• Changing on the fly
  • Different parts of your face have different needs. Crank it up for easy areas and dial it back for nick-prone areas. Or do the opposite. You learn your face and let the razor adapt to the differing needs.

If you think you'd regret it, either sit this one out or buy it with the expectation that you'll probably return it. Personally, I like using the adjustability of the Osprey more than I expected to. That knob gets adjusted pretty frequently and I would have thought I'd be a set-it-and-forget-it kind of guy.

I’ll keep thinking about it. I absolutely love the three other razors I bought from you, with the Saber being my favorite.

I appreciate your candor. It isn’t often that a company tells me it is ok to sit something out.

Thank you.

 

[Blackland Razors]

I’ll keep thinking about it. I absolutely love the three other razors I bought from you, with the Saber being my favorite.

I appreciate your candor. It isn’t often that a company tells me it is ok to sit something out.

Thank you.

You're welcome! It doesn't do us much good for you to have a razor you hate or don't use. I doubt you'd hate the Osprey, but you don't need to buy everything. We don't anticipate killing off the Osprey so it'll be around when/if you decide to give it a shot!

 

[Rob72]

In general, I change settings, depending on the day. If I'm tired, I run lower settings, if I want a very close shave, I ratchet things up. Having said that, for me the Opsrey is a different animal. Running at 6, I really only have to take care over my Adam's apple, always a knick-prone spot, otherwise, I feel a bit more blade but no sense of danger WTG/ATG/XTG. 3.5-5-ish is totally carefree.

For a 3 piece, my only comparison is Karve, and I have the full SB set, A-G, and generally use C-E. I use it less than some other options because you have to pull the blade, change your plate & reassemble. Not a big deal, but a couple of twists on an adjustable gets you there with no blade handling. I push for about 10 shaves per blade, and most will do that for me, but that also means I have to use the same "setting" for 10 days or so. I know I don't have to but my shave time is my relaxation time.

 

[mcee_sharp]

My only current adjustable is a Merkur Progress. Typical MO is an XTG pass at maximum setting (for me that's 5 + 1), I do the ATG pass at 3.5. For me it's a beautiful shave. The Progress is a fantastic, and reasonably priced, razor. It puts a nice bend in the blade and cuts smoothly.

As amazing a shave as the above is, I reach for my Vector 8/10 times.

 

[Rob72]

I’ll keep thinking about it. I absolutely love the three other razors I bought from you, with the Saber being my favorite.

I appreciate your candor. It isn’t often that a company tells me it is ok to sit something out.

Thank you.

I'm that enabling voice. I put off the Sabre for the same reason I put off the Osprey- how much better could it be? I have SEs from the Superman and Kampfe to Heljestrand and GEM, and the Sabre is that step above. For me, the Osprey hit the same spot in DEs.

Unfortunately (fortunately-?) I probably just need a Balckland ball cap & T shirt & keep my mouth shut...

 

[Quaznoid]

Whatever the merits of an adjustable, I wouldn’t spend $400. If you want the best adjustable there is get a Gillette Superadjustable. I found a never-used ‘78 Black Beauty for $5. Absolutely fantastic razor. I also have a ‘66 Slim I purchased for $17 and it’s a wonderful razor. If you want a great adjustable don’t spend $400. Get a classic Gillette Super, Slim or Fatboy. Your face will thank you.

 

[WThomas0814]

Back in the 1960's-1970's Gillette focused on adjustable razors (Slim, Super Adjustable Black Beauty, etc.) so that one or a very limited number of SKUs could meet the needs of 98-99%+ of its customer base. The intent back then is that with one of these convenient TTO razors you were almost guaranteed to find the level of mildness or aggression you preferred. My first razor was a Gillette Super Adjustable that I used for around 5 years before going electric.

The same applies today though, thanks to eCommerce, conserving shelf space is no longer an issue. Instead the benefit is that with one razor the user can be almost assured of achieving good shaves without having to experiment with multiple fixed aggression razors. Even experienced DE users can benefit from a well designed adjustable as it can let them dial in more precisely to the desired level of aggressiveness.

The challenge is that adjustable razor mechanisms are not easy to design or build, especially with my preferred TTO design. When I returned to DE 4+ years ago most TTO adjustables out there had alignment issues or I would have had to choose a multi piece adjustable like the Merkur Progress or Futur. With some experimentation I settled on a couple different fixed aggression razors, one moderate and the other mild to provide a range of options.

This past November by chance I stumbled on an excellent low cost TTO adjustable, the Razorock Adjust (rebranded Baili also sold by Stirling) that works really well using the same type of adjustment mechanism used by Gillette in it's Super Adjustables, Slims, etc. It provides my preferred mild to moderate aggression range with excellent alignment. Right now we are only aware of one other razor that offers this type of Gillette mechanism in a TTO. That is the Rockwell T2 razor with lots of positive reviews for folks who prefer a more premium option. Both of these TTO adjustables were introduced over the past couple of years.

Of course there are plenty of quality multi-piece designs such as the Merkur options mentioned above, Rockwell 6S/C and the Osprey you are considering. Given the quality razors you already own, if they already hit your sweet spot in aggressiveness, you may not realize a lot of benefit from the Osprey investment. If they don't then the extra precision could be worth it. YMMV here so this is really a personal decision based on your preferences.

P.S. There are many posts from shavers who like to adjust razor aggression between passes. This is a relatively recent phenomena with the resurgence of DE over the past 10-15 years and by all means experiment with it if desired. It does go beyond the original objective of the Gillette adjustable noted above. Again YMMV though for me personally I've had to learn to adjust my technique per the aggressiveness of each razor. No desire to have to do that in the middle of a shave.

Link below to a post with Gillette's adjustable instructions. The core message was that " After one or two shaves you will be
able to determine the best setting for your skin and beard." Though they mention a milder setting for more sensitive parts of your face such as the neck area.

Hi-res Gillette adjustable manual for download!

I just scanned in an original Gillette slim adjustable manual hi-res at 100% 1000 d.p.i. full color. I scanned both sides as image 1 and image 2. Each file is a high quality jpeg with max quality setting, the files are about 13 mb. Feel free to download them. They print really well too. Here are...

www.badgerandblade.com

Thank you for the detailed reply!

 

[Old Hippie]

Gents that use them… do you, say, do first pass on high setting and subsequent passes on lower settings? Do you just decide daily if you want efficient or mild shaves?

As far as I'm concerned, if you're not going to actually use the adjustments, don't waste your money buying an adjustable. There are also a number of razors with different baseplates available to change up the gap/aggression on a non-adjustable basis.

Which is all great advice but really it'll only work for you if you are one of those seemingly rare people who can do some research, buy judiciously, and only need to go up or down one additional level to find your perfect-for-now razor. With the RazoRock Superslant, for instance, I've tried three plates at around CAD$100 each and have basically called it good although if I can find an unattached c-note somewhere I'd like to try one more.

I don't really have an argument with people who buy an adjustable figuring it's many razors in one and they can find what works somewhere in there. Their money; spent their way; all good. I should also say that "adjustable" to me is an actual mechanical process facilitated by the design of the razor. Trying to up-sell a plain razor by calling it "adjustable" because the owner can replace certain parts or fail to tighten down the razor completely is what grand-dad used to call "the old booshwah." I'll take engineering over fantasy for 200, Alex.

I have one and only one adjustable, the Rex Konsul. While I am perfectly capable of getting a decent shave from just about any old thing, I admit to a fascination with the technology. If you look around for my reviews and SOTDs with the Konsul, you'll see a lot of references to "running it through the gears." My general plan of work is to set it to 3 to do the top of my head and down to ear level. Then I open 'er up all the way to 6.5 to shave WTG in the back. Then crank down to 2 for the first ATG pass, and open up to 4 or 5 for the second ATG pass. I leave it there for ATG on the temples and then wind it up to 6.5 again to shave parts of my face, ATG on the neck, and any touchups that are needed.

I can get the exact same shave with a nonadjustable razor by using a bit more care here and there and accepting a bit of irritation from one ATG pass. Doing two ATG passes with the adjustable is nice because I'm reducing things gradually.

So where does that leave us? You don't need an adjustable. You think you might want an adjustable. You could spend more than that on several nonadjustable razors, or on several baseplates for a razor line that has them. On the other hand, one way to use an adjustable is to set up your own personal best fit to each moment's shaving conditions. You want to get into the nuances, get your pen out and write the cheque.

I love my adjustable slant. Shaves like a dream. I've got other razors that can do as well using technique instead of technology. Sometimes I want one, sometimes the other. In the end there's only one way to tell if it's for you!

O.H.

 

[Lightcs1776]

I find the setting I like and generally leave it there. However, if I skip shaving a day or two or shave off my beard (tentatively planning to do so tomorrow), I may change it up. It is nice to have options.

 

[SmokedStanley]

Another benefit to owning an adjustable is being able to find the sweet spot according to the blade being used. Not all blades will feel their best at the same setting.

 

[brucered]

The nice thing with a vintage Gillette adjustable is, they are well built and have great geometry and handling.

The Fatboy, Slim and Super Adjustable, all seem to shave about the same for me in terms of setting and angle. I prefer the FB for the thicker and shorter handle, followed by the Slim and then the SA. The SA is my least favorite, purely because of the black handles, a personal and cosmetic choice. The butterfly doors, one piece design is amazing and complex design, especially give their production dates.

If you get along with the head shape, balance & shave angle, you can be set for life with one razor. You have one razor to try various gaps without the need to buy different base plates or razors with varying gaps, buying and selling the ones that don't agree with you.

If you are a set it and forget it shaver, then set it and forget it. You leave it on 4 or 5 and use it as a fixed blade razor. If you grow a camping beard and want to mow it down, you can tackle it with dial up or down methods above. Want to shave after a sunburn, dial it down for a mild shave.

Most of mine were local finds, under $25 Canadian, many $15 and all pretty much mint.