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First Shave With The Merkur Progress

Hi Gents

Just wanted to share my experience of shaving with the Progress for the first time.
I've been eyeing this razor for a while. I first heard of it almost 20 years ago when I started wet shaving. But it was just too expensive to purchase from here in Malaysia. Fast forward 20 years, I have a few good razors that I love ... DE89, 34C, Parker Variant Adjustable etc.

I decided to get the Progress as a birthday gift to myself. It even arrived on my birthday!
All I can say is that it's just wonderful. I've used the Variant for some time and know it well. It's a very good razor, no doubt. So I am sort of comparing both adjustable razors. And for me personally, the Progress is hands down way better to shave with.

No matter what settings I use on the Variant, it always feels more aggressive than I'd like. It's also not easy to find and maintain the angle. Make a slight mistake and you WILL cut yourself. I've learned over time how to get the best out of it. If you want to perfect your technique, the Variant is the razor for it. My technique has improved a lot just from using it. But I do get irritation from time to time especially if I lose focus.

With the Progress though, it doesn't feel aggressive even on the 4 setting. But it's very very efficient. U will cut yourself if you were being very careless. Finding and maintaining the perfect angle is super easy with the Progress.

I did my usual 3 passes and had a nice BBS shave. Zero irritation and hardly any feedback from using the alum block. Shaving with the Progress is effortless.
Paired it with the Personna Lab Blue. Can't wait to see how it pairs with my never ending list of blades. Oh and I love the look of the razor with it's plastic knob. I love that old school look.

Overall I'm very happy with the Progress. It's been around for 70 years and the design has remained pretty much unchanged. That says a lot. While the Variant is not suitable as a daily driver for me, I can say for sure that the Progress is one razor I'll be happy to use daily.

Have a good weekend guys.
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I got one used and do enjoy using it as part of my razor collection. However, the smoothness of the handle at times has been an issue for me. It's great on par with the Parker Variant and just a nice looking razor too.

The Variant is my daily driver though I do like the semi-slant, the Progress is 3rd on the list.
 
Looks like a great razor. Thanks for sharing your experience. I haven’t tried one of those but do like my 34c and 37c razors.
 
Looks like a great razor. Thanks for sharing your experience. I haven’t tried one of those but do like my 34c and 37c razors.
It is mate. I was pretty surprised at how good a shaver it is. As for the 34C, has been my go to razor for a long time.

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Nice review! I've been looking at the Progress for a while, but could never justify pulling the trigger. There's a reason why it has been a best selling DE razor for near 70 years
 
Nice review! I've been looking at the Progress for a while, but could never justify pulling the trigger. There's a reason why it has been a best selling DE razor for near 70 years
After getting my 34C, I saw no reason to get another razor for years. But curiosity got the better of me. I read so many positive reviews. But I'm glad I bought it. It really is a great razor and worth the price. Do look at getting one. I don't think you'll regret it.

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I love the weight of it... and it does give a great shave.

Some folks disregard it, because of its "pot metal" construction,
but I say, if you own multiple razors, are you really going to wear this thing out?
 
A Progress has been on my wish list for a while, and just yesterday I grabbed a "Mergress" version (customized with a metal knob adjustment fine tuning). I too really like the white plastic knob and the '50's vibe that goes along with it. But I'm a sucker for brass, too. Can't wait to give it a try. And then might have to complement it with a long handle version.
 
I love the weight of it... and it does give a great shave.

Some folks disregard it, because of its "pot metal" construction,
but I say, if you own multiple razors, are you really going to wear this thing out?
Zamak seems to get a bad reputation but it really isn't as bad as some people make it out to be. One thing I've learned is that if you take care of your tools, it'll take care of you. Yes it's a great shaver and I love the weight.

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Ron R

I survived a lathey foreman
Good for you to treat yourself and happy birthday, Merkur Progress is a well designed razor and gets a lot of praise who have used one.(word of mouth says it all IMO)
 
Good for you to treat yourself and happy birthday, Merkur Progress is a well designed razor and gets a lot of praise who have used one.(word of mouth says it all IMO)
Thanks mate

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never-stop-learning

Demoted To Moderator
Staff member
🎂 Happy Birthday 🎂

Many Happy Returns! :happybday:

The Merkur Progress was my only DE from 2013 - 2019. It's a very nice shaving razor. I still keep it handy and like to use it occasionally. :)
 
[emoji512] Happy Birthday [emoji512]

Many Happy Returns! :happybday:

The Merkur Progress was my only DE from 2013 - 2019. It's a very nice shaving razor. I still keep it handy and like to use it occasionally. :)
Thank you very much. I think this one will quickly become my go-to razor for some time.

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I got one used and do enjoy using it as part of my razor collection. However, the smoothness of the handle at times has been an issue for me. It's great on par with the Parker Variant and just a nice looking razor too.

The Variant is my daily driver though I do like the semi-slant, the Progress is 3rd on the list.

Same for me. Love the razor but I can't keep a grip on it if my hands are slippery with soap. I find myself rubbing an alum block on my hand to mitigate this problem. Don't have that issue with Variant.
 
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