MERKUR PROGRESS - First Hand Experience

[wiz83]

I just received my package from Connaught Shaving 2 days ago. Great service from them, and packaging.

I received a pack of sampler Treet Platinum, and tried it.

After installing the blades on my Progress, I realized one side has a slightly bigger gap, I'd say 1/3 mm bigger than another side. I made sure the triangle part matches the cover with the point thingy, so I'm sure I had it installed correctly.

Before I start, I'm going to describe my facial hair. I'm Malaysian, but of Chinese heritage. My great grandparents were from China. I have thick black hair. My hair usually stand straight after shower + shampoo. I needed to have gels/creams to have my hair in shape. I would describe my facial hair as unusually thick compared to Caucasians, Africans, etc. Before this I was using Mach 3 Turbo and Fusion exclusively, and never had problems, but the cost of them blades do add up, as I only get one great shave, and one good shave out of the blades, then another 2 mediocre (passable) shave. After that I'd start having my face torn apart.

As usual, I jump in shower, scrub my face, shower, etc. then lather my face up with Taylor of Old Bond Street Avocado using Muhle Silvertip Fibre brush. This is also the first time I used something other than aerosol can spray gel/cream. I had my Progress set to the lowest setting possible with rweet Platinum installed. My first impression is the Treet does cut very well, quite smooth. But after reading around B&B, I tried to go for the BBS (Baby Butt Smooth) shave ... so I buffered against grain all over the places during my 4th pass. Maybe I need to learn the technique well before I attempt this, I had exactly 7 nicks, wasn't that bad I thought, but I achieved what I wanted, BBS ...

Then yesterday I shaved again using the same blade, but 2nd time isn't as good, the Treet Platinum started to tug and pull my facial hair. I didn't dare to go against the grain. Only shaved 1 pass with the grain, and 2nd 3rd pass across grain. Result wasn't BBS, but acceptable.

Just want some feedback from Treet Platinum users, is it usual that these Treets only last 1 shave? If not, what have I done wrong? Or should I be changing my technique? Or blades? How do I judge whether I should use a setting other than the lowest setting on my Progress? Any recommendation?

 

[ArNav]

Use a better blade (I would say "normal", but just in order not to offend some Treet lovers...) and I am sure the result will be much, much better.
I use Progress with Super Iridium and it's great.

 

[Foyle]

Get a blade sampler pack so that you can try several different brands of blades to see which work best for your beard.

Sorry to hear your Progress has an uneven gap. It shouldn't. This tends to happen with Merkurs sometimes. I bought mine from a local store. Being able to inspect it first hand allowed me to make sure it was perfect before I bought it. If you're happy with how the razor shaves then I wouldn't worry about it. If you can feel a noticeable difference in aggressiveness from one side of the razor to the other then you should try to get the razor replaced by the vendor. The Progress isn 't exactly a cheap razor and you shouldn't have to live with uneven blade gap.

 

[wiz83]

I bought some Vidyut Super-Max Stainless, Laser Ultra, Laser Super Platinum, and Topaz from my local Indian vendor.

Today I threw away my the Treet in my razor, and tried the Super-Max Stainless, boy did it tear my face apart. My face is bleeding big time. I bought 100x of each of those blades, I guess I won't be using the Super-Max afterall.

 

[wiz83]

Arnav, could you please define better as in sharper? Or?

 

[Mick]

I bought some Vidyut Super-Max Stainless, Laser Ultra, Laser Super Platinum, and Topaz from my local Indian vendor.

Today I threw away my the Treet in my razor, and tried the Super-Max Stainless, boy did it tear my face apart. My face is bleeding big time. I bought 100x of each of those blades, I guess I won't be using the Super-Max afterall.

What setting are you at on the Progress? Set at the lowest that razor is the mildest one on the market.

 

[ArNav]

wiz83,

Better is better at EVERYTHING. It looks like you are set on buying the absolute worst blades on the market. What do you expect? Just try things that everyone recommends.
Try Red Personna, Personna Med Prep, Crystal, Perma-Sharp Super, 7 O'clock, Timor/Bolzano, Feathers, Kai, Polsilver, Super Iridium, etc'.

 

[wiz83]

I have it at the lowest setting at the moment, on setting 1, the tightest.

I've just ordered 100x Feather, hope to receive them soon.

 

[Attila]

The Feathers are my favorite blades. Just go carefully, they are quite sharp but then what blade isn't. Your best bet is really a sampler pack but after using all the blades in my own sampler pack I have settled on the Feathers being best for me. Hopefully that will be the case for you also since you ordered 100! Remember not to use any pressure when you are shaving (coming from cartridge shaving you will be be very much used to using pressure to shave). Also make sure your lather is good, there are lots of tutorials on this site read them all and take it slow. Absolutely no need to get a BBS shave in the beginning. More important to have a comfortable shave without nicks and cuts. As your technique improves, your shaves will improve and BBS will become easier to achieve. If your face is torn up, give it a day or two to recover and don't push it too fast in the beginning! Best of luck and keep us posted as to how you fare.

 

[Triad]

Adjust the razor up to say 3

 

[CoinToss]

I bought some Vidyut Super-Max Stainless, Laser Ultra, Laser Super Platinum, and Topaz from my local Indian vendor.

Today I threw away my the Treet in my razor, and tried the Super-Max Stainless, boy did it tear my face apart. My face is bleeding big time. I bought 100x of each of those blades, I guess I won't be using the Super-Max afterall.

I've read on this board that the "Super-Max Stainless" is different from the "Super-Max Super Stainless", and the Super-Max Super Stainless is supposed to be much better than the other. One way to tell which you have is that the Super Stainless say "Super Stainless" on the blade itself. Speaking from my experience of the sole blade I've tried, I've liked the Super-Max Super Stainless.

 

[ALATRON]

The uneven blade gap would come from the moving adjusting piece between the top head piece and the safety bar. The spring wansn't placed right. With the progress, you cannot get to the spring to adjust it. Everytime you shave with it, get the blade in there and open it up to a high setting. Push down on the high side. Doing this a number of times over time can make the spring slightly twist until it is in correct alignment fixing the uneven blade gap. This technique also tends to keep the blade gap even for the current shave, until it gets permanently corrected.

 

[vferdman]

My advice is do not buy 100 of any blade until you figure out which blade you like. This is why people recommend a sampler. There are some blades that get good reviews from most people. I would recommend getting a sample with most of those blades. As has been suggested before: Feathers are great, but IMO too expensive for what they are. They are super sharp, probably the sharpest around, but not super smooth and not super durable. Most people report three good shaves out of one, which is good, but at the price Feathers go for I think you could do a lot better. For me a Super Max Super Platinum (not just Platinum) is almost as sharp as Feather and is way smoother and 4 shaves out of it is pretty much a guarantee for me. Astra SP is a great blade with great consistency and cheap price (if you are in US Amazon sells them for $10/100). Personna Super Med or Lab are many people's favorite. I did not get a long with them, but they were not bad for me, just not as good as Astra SP, Super Max SP, Feather. There is a whole category of blades that are not super sharp, but smooth and cheap. Sharks come to mind. Very inexpensive mild but smooth blade. Dorco ST-301 are in the same category. Use some of the blades that get good reviews from may people and there is a good chance you will find one or two that work well for you in your Progress, which is a fantastically good razor. Then order 20-30 each of those two and see how it goes. After you get good at DE shaving you'll find that most blades will provide you with a decent shave and you will just pick the one that makes it the easiest and most pleasant. Then order 100 of that blade.

Good luck and welcome to the DE shaving world. If you resist buying any more razors, soaps, brushes, aftershaves, preshaves, splashes, balms, scuttles, bowls, stands, display cases, etc. you will actually save money on wet shaving. Not too many people can claim that, though.

 

[wiz83]

Surprisingly, I tried the Laser Platinum, and had 1 very good shave out of it, and 1 decent shave out of it. Apparently, none of the blades work well for me. I will try to hunt those Super-Max Super Platinum. In Malaysia, it's hard to find 5 packs, they go for 100, and they're super cheap, cheap as in USD$5 for 100 blades? My feathers are coming, it doesn't matter, coz I bought 3 razors, both my brothers were introduced to DE shaving by me, and I can easily dispose of them feathers. My eldest brother shaves his head every other day, he'll go through a lot of blades. He usually uses Gilette Fusion for his head and face, and it only lasts him twice. The 3rd time onwards would usually tear his whole face and head up.

 

[vferdman]

Surprisingly, I tried the Laser Platinum, and had 1 very good shave out of it, and 1 decent shave out of it. Apparently, none of the blades work well for me. I will try to hunt those Super-Max Super Platinum. In Malaysia, it's hard to find 5 packs, they go for 100, and they're super cheap, cheap as in USD$5 for 100 blades? My feathers are coming, it doesn't matter, coz I bought 3 razors, both my brothers were introduced to DE shaving by me, and I can easily dispose of them feathers. My eldest brother shaves his head every other day, he'll go through a lot of blades. He usually uses Gilette Fusion for his head and face, and it only lasts him twice. The 3rd time onwards would usually tear his whole face and head up.

Oh, you are in Malaysia. Got it. Don't worry, Feathers will most likely not disappoint. You could do a lot worse than buying 100 Feathers. Just be mindful with them. Compared to what you've been using Feathers are going to be a whole different planet. Super Max is made in India, so you should have easier time fining them where you are. Just make sure you get Super Platinum, as they make Platinum that are reportedly bad and also stainless, which are reportedly also bad. I tried Super Platinums and I like them very much. I also tried Super Max Titanium and they are very good, but more expensive than Super Plats and not that much better. You will probably have harder time finding Astra SP cheap there as they are made in Russia. They are a good blade, but nothing like Feather. Super Max SP is also a bit better. The thing with Astra SP is that most people buy them from Amazon for $10/100, so at that price it's a fantastic blade. If it's hard to get there, don't worry about it. Feathers are way sharper. Also, Gillette 7 O'clock brand has many different blades. There are Super Platinums aka Blue Wrapper (made in Russia and very similar to Astra SP). Sharp Edge, aka Yellow Wrapper - very nice and sharp. Close to Super Max SP, but pricier here in US. Several green wrappers, all of which are pretty good, but not the best out there. Black wrapper, I think is made in India, but not sure. Excellent blade by most accounts. That should kep you busy for a while trying to find these. Avoid at all costs 7 am blades. They are kind of made to look like Gillette 7 O'clock greens, but they are the most horrible blade there is. I think it's from Bangladesh. There were only two blades I tried that just plain did not work at all. All others worked, but some were better and some worse. One of the blades that didn't work is 7 am, the other was Chroma from Germany. Avoid those two and some of the ones you've encountered.

 

[wiz83]

Alright, I'll try to hunt them Super-Max Super Platinum and/or Super-Max Titanium ... Didn't see those last time I went shopping, but I'll try again another outlet ...

 

[vferdman]

Alright, I'll try to hunt them Super-Max Super Platinum and/or Super-Max Titanium ... Didn't see those last time I went shopping, but I'll try again another outlet ...

Super Max Sunrise is also a titanium coated blade and is top of the line Super Max. I have a pack, but have not tried them yet. Titaniums were pretty nice, but I don't think the price difference is justified. Some people just don't get along with Super Max SP and maybe for them the Titaniums would be better, but for me Super Max SP is a poor man's Feather. Almost as sharp, more smooth and I get more shaves out of them. Blades treat different people differently. I could never get along with Personna Med/Lab blades, which are very highly touted by many people. It just never felt good to me, though I could tell it was very sharp. Feathers also get bade reviews from people, but I think a lot of that is the sharpness of a Feather really makes it less tolerant to poor technique. If you get too aggressive with your technique on a brand new Feather you'll be missing some of your skin, that's for sure. In your Progress start with the lowest setting and test the waters, then open up. The sharpness of the blade does a lot of the work for you. There is no effort or pressure required. Also, make sure you get a good quality lather going. Many people don't pay attention to that, but lather is what protects your skin from razor burn. If you have good cushiony and slick lather you can shave with almost any blade. Best of luck and enjoy the journey!

 

[DEGuy]

I've had the best results using #1 SuperMax SP blades and, #2 Astra SP. However, SuperMax SP cuts much, much more efficiently. Sounds to me as if the problem may be the blade. As others have suggested, try a different brand of blades. I am finding the SuperMax SP is 'the' blade for my open-comb Cadet, Gillette Tech (#1 razor), and the Progress. I prefer the SuperMax SP to the many other blades I've tried

 

[vferdman]

I've had the best results using #1 SuperMax SP blades and, #2 Astra SP. However, SuperMax SP cuts much, much more efficiently. Sounds to me as if the problem may be the blade. As others have suggested, try a different brand of blades. I am finding the SuperMax SP is 'the' blade for my open-comb Cadet, Gillette Tech (#1 razor), and the Progress. I prefer the SuperMax SP to the many other blades I've tried

Ah, another Super Max SP fan. I like these blades so well, they are the first 100 blade purchase I made. I agree, they are better than Astra SP, which is another of my favorites by certain measurements (smoothness, longevity) better than Feather. Just a great inexpensive blade.

 

[wiz83]

I went to Little India here in Kuala Lumpur, tried to hunt for Supermax Super Platinum, but failed. They only have Stainless, Platinum, Super Stainless. Since I tried the Stainless and it didn't do well, I bought both Platinum and Super Stainless. They have another Supermax blade, labeled as Supermax Super Stainless "BOLA", with a football, Red/Green/Yellow paper cardboard, I didn't buy that.

So which one is supposed to be better/sharper? Supermax Platinum or Supermax Super Stainless?

Also I had to buy 100 of them blades each, because that is the smallest packaging they come in.

Supermax Platinum 20x 5packs for RM9
Supermax Super Stainless 20x 5packs for RM14

Also available is the Gilette Nacet for RM35 for 20x 5packs but I didn't jump on the deal.

FYI, USD$1 = RM3.20