I was fortunate to pick up this razor on the BST. Today's shave:
Razor: Parker Variant
Blade: Astra SP (3rd use)
Pre-shave: Viking's Blade pre-shave cream
Lather: Rex Supply 1955 soap*
Aftershave: Rex 1955 splash*
*While in Phoenix AZ on Saturday at Razor Emporium I picked up Rex 1955 shave soap and splash. This scent gets a hearty stamp of approval from the war department, and the soap performance is very good. But back to my review of the Variant...
I think this one is an earlier model because "INDIA" isn't stamped on the bottom of the handle. Some have said these older models had some QC issues with alignment and adjustment, but that doesn't seem to be the case with this one. With the blade inserted it tightens down to "1" just like it's supposed to, there are no blade alignment issues that I can see, and the adjuster dial raises and lowers the head gap just as I would expect. In any case, from what I've heard, the QC issues have largely been ironed out for the current production runs.
I set the adjustment dial to 2.5 on the dial for the initial shave. I tend to prefer more "aggressive" razors, and this seemed like a good "middle of the road" initial setting. I was pleasantly surprised! The razor's weight, balance, and efficiency are very good, particularly at this price point. It gave me a very efficient and irritation-free shave that was refreshing after using a cartridge razor for a couple of days while I was out of town.
With regards to comparing the Variant to the Merkur Progress: I have never used a Progress, but if it shaves like the Variant I can see why so many like it. The Variant also seems to have quite a few fans and I can see why: The Variant shaves very well indeed. (I think the Variant looks better than the Progress, but that's just my personal preference.)
IMO the Variant is quite a nice adjustable razor that performs very well considering its fairly modest price (~ $60 US). If you're looking for an adjustable razor for a modest price, the Variant might just be what you're looking for.
Enjoy your shaves!
Razor: Parker Variant
Blade: Astra SP (3rd use)
Pre-shave: Viking's Blade pre-shave cream
Lather: Rex Supply 1955 soap*
Aftershave: Rex 1955 splash*
*While in Phoenix AZ on Saturday at Razor Emporium I picked up Rex 1955 shave soap and splash. This scent gets a hearty stamp of approval from the war department, and the soap performance is very good. But back to my review of the Variant...
I think this one is an earlier model because "INDIA" isn't stamped on the bottom of the handle. Some have said these older models had some QC issues with alignment and adjustment, but that doesn't seem to be the case with this one. With the blade inserted it tightens down to "1" just like it's supposed to, there are no blade alignment issues that I can see, and the adjuster dial raises and lowers the head gap just as I would expect. In any case, from what I've heard, the QC issues have largely been ironed out for the current production runs.
I set the adjustment dial to 2.5 on the dial for the initial shave. I tend to prefer more "aggressive" razors, and this seemed like a good "middle of the road" initial setting. I was pleasantly surprised! The razor's weight, balance, and efficiency are very good, particularly at this price point. It gave me a very efficient and irritation-free shave that was refreshing after using a cartridge razor for a couple of days while I was out of town.
With regards to comparing the Variant to the Merkur Progress: I have never used a Progress, but if it shaves like the Variant I can see why so many like it. The Variant also seems to have quite a few fans and I can see why: The Variant shaves very well indeed. (I think the Variant looks better than the Progress, but that's just my personal preference.)
IMO the Variant is quite a nice adjustable razor that performs very well considering its fairly modest price (~ $60 US). If you're looking for an adjustable razor for a modest price, the Variant might just be what you're looking for.
Enjoy your shaves!
