Finally tried changing settings on Slim between passes .

[wquiles]

A couple of months ago a guy replied in one of my threads that he did not keep his Slim on the same setting between passes, and that intrigued me a lot, but I was not ready to try that since I was still experimenting to find what blades worked best for me so I put that thought to the side. Now that my preparation and technique are better, and now that I have found a couple of blades that work well for me, I decided to give it a try.

My preferred blades at the moment are: Gillette Black, Polsilver Super Iridium, and Lord Super Chrome, and I have been using my 1965 Slim (birthday razor!) on 5-6 for all 3 passes, but also alternating with a 37C which I also like a lot. But with the Slim, and also with the 37C, I sometimes noticed a little bit of irritation on the last pass against the grain, specially on my chin, around/close to my lips, mustache area, and right on my adams apple.

So I decided to try the Slim with a lower setting for that last pass, at 3. Man, what an improvement!. I now shave on #6 for the first two passes, and #3 for the last pass, and this combination of "aggressive" and then "mild" works great for me. Although the 37C is awesome for the first two passes, I can't quite get the same smoother results I am now getting with the Slim on 3 for the last pass. In fact, I am basically now using the Slim exclusively, and my other razors are simply not getting much love/attention.

Two questions:
1) Anyone else uses an adjustable in various settings for the various passes?

2) What are good, modern adjustables that I can try out against my 1965 Slim?

Will

 

[celestino]

Will, yes, i have tried various setting with a vintage adjustable with good results.
The Merkur Progress might be your best modern adjustable. The is also the Merkur Futur and Vision, but i would recommend the Progress. Good luck.

 

[Krona Kruiser]

Will, yes, i have tried various setting with a vintage adjustable with good results.
The Merkur Progress might be your best modern adjustable. The is also the Merkur Futur and Vision, but i would recommend the Progress. Good luck.

+1. My vote for the Futur.

 

[ERVARGASNY]

If the Slim can give you irritation at 7 i would stick with the Progress or Modified Progress known as the Mergress, difference between the two is Progress has plastice adjustable knob that sometimes has issues where settings arent aligned properly, But the Mergress Metal knob Modification is suppose to fix that issue,and also looks kooler because the Metal knob matches the handle, tgis Mod also add's nice weight to the Razor, Try out the mergress you will like it, but as always YMMV.

As far as the Merkur Futur goes, Well lets say it has a bigger razor head then the slim or Progress/Mergress and setting 1 on the Futur is like setting 9 on a slim "It's Aggressive" and also if your not careful with the Futur and try to adjust it with a blade in it, You can get a nice gash on yout finger or fingers because the adjustment is pretty tight on the Futur and Slippery at times, I would stay away from the Futur till you have more experience, just my 2 cents )

 

[wquiles]

Thank you guys. I followed your advice and checked out reviews/comparisons on both the Progress and the Futur, and I ordered a Progress today. I will report later how it works compared to the '65 Slim. If the Progress works well, I will likely go ahead and get the Mergress "upgrade" later on.

Either way I will be selling all my other fixed razors except for the 37C, as is the "fixed" model I like the most.

Will

 

[bryan1980]

Oh yeah, being able to dial down the aggressiveness for that final pass is what makes adjustables sweet! My Slim is pretty much the only razor I use these days. Until I get a Fatboy, at least....

 

[Batman]

I do exactly what you do. In fact....just did it with my '69 Super Adjustable. I also currently favor the PoliSilver SI's. Also....1965 is my birth year. I have a 1965 K-1 Slim, boxed, that I haven't touched yet. I also have a Mergress, which you will like as well.

I still don't get why some adjustable DE users do the opposite - first passes on a low setting then open it up for final passes & touch up (??). For me, anyway, I'd be letting some blood...

 

[wquiles]

I also have a Mergress, which you will like as well.

I definitely like my 1965 K-1 Slim (same year/quarter as yours!), but I am definitely looking forward to trying/testing the Progress

I still don't get why some adjustable DE users do the opposite - first passes on a low setting then open it up for final passes & touch up (??). For me, anyway, I'd be letting some blood...

I have seen a few posts like that, and like you, I don't get it , but that is the neat thing about using a DE: we all make changes/adjustments to see what works best for each of us

 

[AceByTerror]

Just tried this yesterday for the first time and had a fantastic shave! I never bothered changing my setting mid shave before. I just tried different shaves at different settings. I feel like I just found the awesome button on my slim!

 

[Cristobal]

I use to change the settings of my Slim between and during passes, it is a smart way to optimise the razor depending on the wear of the blade.

For instance, with a personna, my settings are usually 4,5,6 or 5,6,7 for the 3 passes of the 2 first shavings. As the blade starts to show some wear, I upgrade the settings to 7,7,7 for the 3 next shavings.

Whilst I shave, I also adapt the settings according to the difficulty to shave certain areas (more agressive under the jaw, milder under the nose, etc). This way I really obtain a taylored shaving that is very gratifying.

 

[steve426536]

I've been doing this fr my last few shaves, 5-6 for the first 2 passes, and 1-2 for the final pass and touch-up. Results are great as the more agressive setting knocks down most stubble and if I stay away from my trouble spots (mostly just the sides of my neck), gets me BBS in 2 passes w/o irritation, then the 3rd pass is just my trouble spots and touch-up.

 

[Astrowood]

Interesting Post - I will try this myself tomorrow !

 

[wquiles]

My new Progress showed up today. Here it is next to my b-day razor ('65 Slim), and my trusty 37C:

I will try the Progress over the next couple of days and see how it compares to my Slim.

Not a fair comparison look-wise, to compare two new razors bought in 2012 to a razor what is 47 years old, right? At some point, assuming I do want to keep the Slim, I definitely need to have it replated back to its original glory.

Will

 

[wquiles]

Well, tried the Progress today and it was awesome. The alignment is not perfect with the dot in the body, but I think it was set to about a "2" or so. It was a very, very smooth shave, and I hate to admit it, but I liked it a little better than my Slim. No, not ready to get rid of my b-day razor, but I am impressed at the Progress.

The Progress felt a little head-heavy, and the plastic adjustment knob was a tad too wide for my taste, so I think I will be contacting the guy who does the Megress modification to have mine "updated"

Will

 

[wquiles]

Got a hold of Eric for a Mergress upgrade, so I just shipped my Progress to him today

 

[Batman]

You'll love the Mergress. Don't worry....you'll grab the slim from time to time, if you're like me...

 

[wquiles]

You'll love the Mergress. Don't worry....you'll grab the slim from time to time, if you're like me...

Being my b-day razor, it has a little bit of sentimental value, so I suspect I will in fact use it now and then. Of course, I will use the Slim and the 37C for the next couple of weeks while the Progress gets "improved"

Will

 

[Mick]

Are you getting the XL or standard?

 

[wquiles]

Are you getting the XL or standard?

The standard, as I like the "normal" length in razor handles - they fit my hand better.

 

[MrLara]

first time i shaved with my 1962 slim, i went ahead and put it on the 9. i got a great shave.

i was very careful though.