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Gillette versus Merkur Vision

How is the Merkur Vision different than the old adjustable (1-9) twist-to-open Gillette? I am new to wet-shaving, and I bought the Gillette and am trying it (for past few days). Before I spend $100 for the Merkur, I would like to know more. Also, is there a detailed picture or diagram of the Vision available anywhere? THANKS!
 
Huge difference between the two( not just the size issue).


Look under the reviews section and go to the safety razor area- a lovely review of the VISION awaits. :biggrin:

Welcome to the collective- you will be assimilated!


Marty
 
Think of it like this.... it is like comparing a Honda Accord (great car for the "people" and an outstanding daily driver) to a road carving German engineered precision machine - a Porsche 911 Turbo.

The gillette is all well and good..... but the merkur is just LEAPS and bounds above it in my opinion. Way better feel, function, adjustability, ergonomics, etc.
 
joel said:
Think of it like this.... it is like comparing a Honda Accord (great car for the "people" and an outstanding daily driver) to a road carving German engineered precision machine - a Porsche 911 Turbo.

Except that very few people who have owned both would prefer the Accord if price were no object. A great many people (myself included) who own both the Vision and Gillette prefer the Gillette.

The Vision, unfortunately, is more Maserati than Porsche. It looks nice, and if you got a good one it will even go nice. If you're lucky, and the moon is aligned right. I got great shaves every now and then with the Vision, but I got great shaves every day with the Gillette fatboy.
 
mparker762 said:
Except that very few people who have owned both would prefer the Accord if price were no object. A great many people (myself included) who own both the Vision and Gillette prefer the Gillette.

The Vision, unfortunately, is more Maserati than Porsche. It looks nice, and if you got a good one it will even go nice. If you're lucky, and the moon is aligned right. I got great shaves every now and then with the Vision, but I got great shaves every day with the Gillette fatboy.


Not to mention the Accord is far more reliable. The amount of guys i've heard with broken Vision shafts and mis-aligned heads. There was also that debacle with the set screw. German engineering, indeed. You are right, if you are lucky, you may get a good one. Maybe.

If you are going the Merkur route, save yourself the grief and get a fixed head. If you want an adjustable get a Progress, but just make a note of which side has more exposure for the final pass. :lol: :lol:
 
For me there is no better razor than the Vision 2000 which is the latest Vision. Issues were corrected in this latest release of the Vision which presumably fixed the problems with the previous version. I have had my Vision for about a year now and never have encountered a problem with it. Should I ever have a problem, it is comes with a lifetime warranty so I would not be concerned. Prior to the Vision, I used the HD Merkur and prior to that the Gillette Fat Boy. For myself there is no comparision between any other razor and the Vision as far as getting a BBS shave. Keep in mind that everyone is different and will have different opinions of what is best. I would venture to say that whatever razor one gets used to is going to give them the best shave. The only way to determine what will work best for you is to try them all. I should mention that the Gillette Fat Boy I have, is the razor I started shaving with and that was in 1961. Because of sentimental value, I will not part with it except to give to my son, should I ever convince him to wet shave with a DE. It is also a very good razor and is obviously dependable, but I prefer the shave I get with the Vision.

Bud
 
The frequent saying regarding razors on this forum "just try them all" reminds me of Pokemon... Is this like razormon? "Gotta catch 'em all!"
 
Don't waste your time on the Vision. Had one, hated it, sold it. Your $100 is better spent elsewhere. Too big and clumsy and too easy to harm yourself with. You can get as good a shave with an instrument half the price or less. Needless to say, YMMV. :wink:
 
Good for you. It sounds like you got a good one, for the vision problems were not left behind in the redesign, they were merely changed for a different set of problems. I also have a Vision 2000, it is the DE I started with, and the razor I left when I switched to Gillette.

Both razors can do the job, some people like the vision and some like the gillette. But calling the Gillette an Accord and the Vision a Porsche Turbo is completely unwarranted, except perhaps as a cost comparison.

This sort of enthusiastic fanboyism does the new shaver a tremendous disservice, not just about razors but blades and brushes and creams and all the other stuff we get excited about. Neither the Vision nor the Superspeed nor Feathers nor Proraso nor Simpson or Shavemac are the end-all-be-all in their category; different things work well for different people. A lot of Visions are out of alignment, more Gillettes than we like to admit have been dropped or otherwise mistreated, Proraso has very little slipperiness which is fine if you don't like slippery but sucks otherwise, some people find cheap personna blades shave better than feathers at 1/5 the price, and the $15 omega boar brush works just as well as a $200 badger brush only without the aesthetic qualities.

Sorry for the rant. But this has been a pet peeve of mine for a long time. Well, that and the near-universal preference for a BBS shave over a comfortable shave that causes newbies so much discomfort and disappointment.
 
mparker762 said:
Good for you. It sounds like you got a good one, for the vision problems were not left behind in the redesign, they were merely changed for a different set of problems. I also have a Vision 2000, it is the DE I started with, and the razor I left when I switched to Gillette.

Both razors can do the job, some people like the vision and some like the gillette. But calling the Gillette an Accord and the Vision a Porsche Turbo is completely unwarranted, except perhaps as a cost comparison.

This sort of enthusiastic fanboyism does the new shaver a tremendous disservice, not just about razors but blades and brushes and creams and all the other stuff we get excited about. Neither the Vision nor the Superspeed nor Feathers nor Proraso nor Simpson or Shavemac are the end-all-be-all in their category; different things work well for different people. A lot of Visions are out of alignment, more Gillettes than we like to admit have been dropped or otherwise mistreated, Proraso has very little slipperiness which is fine if you don't like slippery but sucks otherwise, some people find cheap personna blades shave better than feathers at 1/5 the price, and the $15 omega boar brush works just as well as a $200 badger brush only without the aesthetic qualities.

Sorry for the rant. But this has been a pet peeve of mine for a long time. Well, that and the near-universal preference for a BBS shave over a comfortable shave that causes newbies so much discomfort and disappointment.

While I disagree with most of what you say here in regards to specific products (Proraso is extrememly slick, boar does not work as well as badger in almost every sense of the word, etc...), I DO agree that most products get the job done and that different things work well for different people. But why wouldn't you want to improve your shave by experimenting?
 
Scotto said:
Don't waste your time on the Vision. Had one, hated it, sold it. Your $100 is better spent elsewhere. Too big and clumsy and too easy to harm yourself with. You can get as good a shave with an instrument half the price or less. Needless to say, YMMV. :wink:


I agree. I will open a can of worms and say that the shaves I get with a Futur can't be beaten!!!

Brian
 
And my $10 (Yeah, I know, I allegedly overpaid) Gillette Tech will run circles around a Vision. I'm guessing as I've never used a Vision. But I know that my Tech goes everywhere without a nick. Fits under the ol' hooter quite nicely as well. I'd love to try a Vision someday but for now, I'm happy with my G-Tech and my Merkur Long Classic. Different people, different results. No surprise there.

BTW Proraso isn't all that slippery. Don't get me wrong, I like it but it's not at the same level as say C&E's Sweet Almond Oil Cream for being slick. Again, different people, different results.
 
letterk said:
While I disagree with most of what you say here in regards to specific products (Proraso is extrememly slick, boar does not work as well as badger in almost every sense of the word, etc...)

You are simply mistaken on both of these counts, but that wasn't the point of my post, nor was it to discourage experimentation, rather I intended to point out that this constant stream of "X is the BEST/Y sucks eggs" posts does no service to newbies who haven't yet learned that it's just boosterism, that different things work well for different people, and that there are very few universal truths in shaving (gillette blades are crap, caswell-massey creams are crap, feather blades are very sharp are the only ones I can think of off hand), and that beyond that it's all very subjective personal preferences, backed by nothing more than anecdote. So if some guy posts some comment about gillettes being accords while his vision is a porsche, or some guy raves about how feathers are the BEST and all other blades are cr*p, the danger is that some newbie might believe them. And yes, I own a Vision, and feather DE blades, and a feather AC, and proraso cream and soap, and yes I'm bitter that I wasted all that time and money on them due to just such fanboyish boosterism.

More important that any particular flavor of equipment is technique, and it really annoys me that a newbie here (or any other shaving forum) gets overwhelmed with the importance of all this equipment, when you can get great shaves with a basic de, williams soap, and an omega brush if you just learn proper technique.

As to the proraso and omega brush:

On a 1-10 scale of slickness, proraso rates about a 7. Slicker than caswell-massey, slicker than williams, about as slick as T&H cremes but less than Taylor's avocado, less slick than T&H soap or Harris soap, and definitely less slick than Cremo Creme. If you're used to the 3T cremes then proraso is pretty slick, if you're used to a good soap then its like shaving in glue. It does a good job of softening the whiskers, but only because its active ingredient is propylene glycol which is a primary component in some antifreezes. If you prefer cushion to slickness then it works fine, if you prefer slickness to cushion it's a great way to get nicked. By failing to note this tradeoff we simply frustrate the newbie, who can't figure out why his highly rated creme sucks so hard. Its primary benefit is that it's cheap and readily available at Target. Which is funny, because the omega brush is also cheap and sitting right next to it on the shelf, and it generates a perfectly good lather and spreads it on the face just fine. It's just not as pretty, and doesn't caress the face as well, and doesn't hold quite as much water as badger. Big whoop, it holds plenty of water to make a rich thick lather. If all badger hair were to magically disappear, I would still be just as BBS using the omega as I am using my badger brushes because as long as you get a good lather the lather really doesn't care how many bucks you paid for the paintbrush.
 
This is a forum.... these are OPINIONS. If anyone takes them as anything other than personal opinion - cest la vie - but it is their err - not the err of said user giving his/her opinion.

To ME a gillette is damn near worthless, and I do not get suitable shaves from them. IF you can get a great shave from a gillette - by all means :thumbup:

People complain about the "quality" of a Vision.... but they have a lifetime warranty - and in my 4 years on shaving forums - I have not heard of one individual who was not taken care of by Merkur. Name another razor with a LIFETIME warranty.

Listen.... this is not an argument anyone will win, but I do think you need to take a deep breath. This is a forum..... about shaving.... a hobby. If you are willing to spend $50 on a brush to wipe cream around your face - you are a little nutty to begin with - so lets all relax, all realize we all have our own likes, dislikes, etc - AND THAT IS OK.

Some guys like Fords.... others Chevy's.... there is no "right" or "wrong" - but if you are having a problem with Proraso, I am inclined to think it is something you are/aren't doing - as that seems to be one of the staple "go-to" products fellas can use with consistent results. Is it the best? No.... but saying it is "shaving with glue" is downright asinine.
 
mparker762 said:
You are simply mistaken on both of these counts, but that wasn't the point of my post, nor was it to discourage experimentation, rather I intended to point out that this constant stream of "X is the BEST/Y sucks eggs" posts does no service to newbies who haven't yet learned that it's just boosterism, that different things work well for different people, and that there are very few universal truths in shaving (gillette blades are crap, caswell-massey creams are crap, feather blades are very sharp are the only ones I can think of off hand), and that beyond that it's all very subjective personal preferences, backed by nothing more than anecdote. So if some guy posts some comment about gillettes being accords while his vision is a porsche, or some guy raves about how feathers are the BEST and all other blades are cr*p, the danger is that some newbie might believe them. And yes, I own a Vision, and feather DE blades, and a feather AC, and proraso cream and soap, and yes I'm bitter that I wasted all that time and money on them due to just such fanboyish boosterism.

More important that any particular flavor of equipment is technique, and it really annoys me that a newbie here (or any other shaving forum) gets overwhelmed with the importance of all this equipment, when you can get great shaves with a basic de, williams soap, and an omega brush if you just learn proper technique.

As to the proraso and omega brush:

On a 1-10 scale of slickness, proraso rates about a 7. Slicker than caswell-massey, slicker than williams, about as slick as T&H cremes but less than Taylor's avocado, less slick than T&H soap or Harris soap, and definitely less slick than Cremo Creme. If you're used to the 3T cremes then proraso is pretty slick, if you're used to a good soap then its like shaving in glue. It does a good job of softening the whiskers, but only because its active ingredient is propylene glycol which is a primary component in some antifreezes. If you prefer cushion to slickness then it works fine, if you prefer slickness to cushion it's a great way to get nicked. By failing to note this tradeoff we simply frustrate the newbie, who can't figure out why his highly rated creme sucks so hard. Its primary benefit is that it's cheap and readily available at Target. Which is funny, because the omega brush is also cheap and sitting right next to it on the shelf, and it generates a perfectly good lather and spreads it on the face just fine. It's just not as pretty, and doesn't caress the face as well, and doesn't hold quite as much water as badger. Big whoop, it holds plenty of water to make a rich thick lather. If all badger hair were to magically disappear, I would still be just as BBS using the omega as I am using my badger brushes because as long as you get a good lather the lather really doesn't care how many bucks you paid for the paintbrush.
Sounds like you are falling into your own trap of "universal truths". Others with different facial chemistries may well think Proraso is slicker (or less slick) than you do. I find your post a bit hypocritical in that you rail against people's boosterism and then go on to tout specific products. I agree with Joel that all of this is opinion, and it is fun to discuss it as such, in the context of people's personal experience. I think for the most part on this forum people have gone out of their way to indicate that a lot of the products we like aren't necessarily more effective than another, but are more luxurious, enjoyable to use, have other intangibles, etc. In the end it is up to the individuals reading these opinions to form their own thoughts based on experience and a sense of who's likes and dislikes generally line up with their own. I think perhaps we are taking ourselves too seriously at times, and perhaps this is one of these instances. I will also add once again that the fine individuals on this forum go out of their way to answer newbie's questions and help them along the way, both in public and private, so I take a bit of umbrage that we are somehow doing them a disservice.
 
I disagree with the characterization of someone saying "something as fact" here. With very few exceptions (ingredient lists, etc.), everything on this forum is someone's opinion. If folks don't recognize this, then that is really their issue, not the forum's.
 
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