The vintage Gillettes are cool and built to last, but the Merkurs give me the best shaves. I think it boils down to the blade curve, but it doesn't really matter - the results do. I got the Progress because I wanted a 34c but more so. It is great but ultimately you can't improve on perfection. I switch between my Progress, 34c and my '55 speedy and Slim, but I keep going back to the 34c. I get great shaves with everything from Voskhods to Feathers (but I favor GSBs and Polsilvers).