This is relatively "compact" for a long-term review, but I think I can cover all the pertinent matters concerning Parker's Variant adjustable razor.
When I first started shaving with the Variant, I was pretty much knocked out flat with its performance: I can state for the record that I've never experienced quite the consistently good performance this razor offered me. I feel this consistency comes down to a combination of careful design, a certain degree of "forgiveness" (of lack of a better term) built in for the end-user experience, plus the in-built flexibility an adjustable DE razor usually provides. The fact that Parker kept the dimensions (if not quite the weight) of the Variant more-or-less in line with typical DE razors spanning the last several decades probably helped as well. I mention this in contrast to the adjustable razors I've used in the past, all of which I still possess: a well-used Gillette Super Adjustable dating from the early 1970s; a Hoffritz-branded Merkur Futur; and a Merkur Vision.
I've already mentioned the general smoothness of the Variant in previous threads, part of which I credit to the design of the head, but also to its finish, which seems to aid in the almost uncanny glide that allows longer strokes during each pass, allowing a shave that's both smoother and somewhat faster. Yes, I'm totally on-board with that. My every-other-day shaves have gone by a bit faster as a result, while not by any means attempting tu rush my way through unless I have a genuine need to; I've made it a point to allot a decent block of time for a proper, unhurried shave, entailing a degree of scheduling discipline that's been helpful in my overall day. Who knew?
One big revelation from making the Variant my singular go-to shaver (with Parker's A1R three-piece travel razor for away-from-home stuff) has been the major shake-up in my blade choices. Up until the Variant, my go-to blade with my Gillettes ('48 Aristocrat and early-70s Super Adjustable - the Merkurs have effectively been mothballed for some time) was the Dorco ST-300, followed by Personna's Lab Blues. Switching to the Variant, the Dorco was okay, but somehow not as sharp as before. (Compounding this was the fact that my stash of 300s had run out just after getting the Variant, and the new 300s I received were now manufactured in Vietnam, not South Korea...and while I doubt there's any slack in manufacturing tolerances between the two facilities, it doesn't necessarily mean there's absolutely no difference between blades). A few shaves with the Lab Blues were inconclusive - I'd never fully got along with those blades, regardless of razor, so it was mostly a wash. I decided to go on a lark and pick out a pack each of three blades I'd never tried before, based what was on offer at Pasteur Pharmacy on Manhattan's East Side: KAI, Astra Superior Stainless (not Platinum), and Krona, which was totally out-of-the-blue for me.
The KAI was all but mind-altering: every bit as sharp as the Feather Hi-Stainless I'd tried years ago, but suffered the Sweeney Todd Effect trying to come to grips with. This time, there were no weepers to speak of, just BBS goodness...and that was with the Variant dialed up only to 1.5-2. Too bad the things are scary-pricey, even compared to Feathers; I now limit my use of the KAI to on-the-road shaves with the Parker A1R.
The Astra was, and continues to be, interesting: pretty close to the KAI in sharpness, and almost as controllable in terms of nick-free shaves. Blade-to-blade consistency is also pretty good (as was the KAI), which has been a relief, since a number of other blades used in the past seemed mysteriously hit-or-miss.
The Krona has been the most curious of all: this blade, rather than smooth, has an odd roughness to it - not a gonna-tear-your-mug-up roughness, but it doesn't exactly glide over my face like the Astra or KAI. It also offers up more palpable feedback through the razor than the other blades (and the Variant is all about feedback, which I love). However, the resulting shave is frankly amazing: every bit as smooth and close as the Astra, and in spitting distance of the KAI, even though it feels like its not going to come close to either in the end. Stranger still, this blade seems almost totally under-the-radar: None of the usual online wetshaving outlets seem to offer it, and only a deep dive on Amazon brings anything up from one or two suppliers. Naturally, on my next trip to Pasteur I bought a bunch more packs to keep on-hand. These, and the Astra Super Stainless, have become my new mainstays, my first big blade change-up in quite some time.
The rest of my shave regimen has largely gone unchanged, with one exception, which is actually a return-to-form of sorts: I've switched from Taylor's Rose and Lavender shave cream back to an old (and pricier) favorite: D.R. Harris Arlington. The difference isn't between bad and good, or even good and great; more like damned-good and fantastic. I'd literally forgotten how good Arlington was until I decided to buy a tube to travel with for my month in Europe last Fall, along with my just-purchased Parker A1R/KAI combination. I was so blown away I couldn't put an order in for a tub of the stuff fast enough upon my return. Harris' stuff is a good deal pricier than ToOBs, but since I principally use creams during the colder winter months (using Classic Shaving's own brand of soaps the rest of the year), I can pretty much justify ponying up the extra cash. Well worth it.
Conclusion: The Parker Variant continues to impress, and mightily. I've kept an eye on the steady resurgence of adjustable DEs (I've heard little word on Rockwell's long-in-gestation T-1, although it appears that Rex, a brand seemingly out of the blue to me, has released its own new razor, U.S. made, albeit roughly twice the cost of the T-1), but honestly, the Variant leaves me wanting for nothing - it delivers the goods, looks and feels the business, and at a price that's almost too good to believe. And, apparently it's offered in a third finish now. (Rose Gold...doesn't do much for me, but no accounting for taste, right?) This is still the adjustable to beat overall, IMO, and the one razor that's catapulted Parker into the big leagues.
When I first started shaving with the Variant, I was pretty much knocked out flat with its performance: I can state for the record that I've never experienced quite the consistently good performance this razor offered me. I feel this consistency comes down to a combination of careful design, a certain degree of "forgiveness" (of lack of a better term) built in for the end-user experience, plus the in-built flexibility an adjustable DE razor usually provides. The fact that Parker kept the dimensions (if not quite the weight) of the Variant more-or-less in line with typical DE razors spanning the last several decades probably helped as well. I mention this in contrast to the adjustable razors I've used in the past, all of which I still possess: a well-used Gillette Super Adjustable dating from the early 1970s; a Hoffritz-branded Merkur Futur; and a Merkur Vision.
I've already mentioned the general smoothness of the Variant in previous threads, part of which I credit to the design of the head, but also to its finish, which seems to aid in the almost uncanny glide that allows longer strokes during each pass, allowing a shave that's both smoother and somewhat faster. Yes, I'm totally on-board with that. My every-other-day shaves have gone by a bit faster as a result, while not by any means attempting tu rush my way through unless I have a genuine need to; I've made it a point to allot a decent block of time for a proper, unhurried shave, entailing a degree of scheduling discipline that's been helpful in my overall day. Who knew?
One big revelation from making the Variant my singular go-to shaver (with Parker's A1R three-piece travel razor for away-from-home stuff) has been the major shake-up in my blade choices. Up until the Variant, my go-to blade with my Gillettes ('48 Aristocrat and early-70s Super Adjustable - the Merkurs have effectively been mothballed for some time) was the Dorco ST-300, followed by Personna's Lab Blues. Switching to the Variant, the Dorco was okay, but somehow not as sharp as before. (Compounding this was the fact that my stash of 300s had run out just after getting the Variant, and the new 300s I received were now manufactured in Vietnam, not South Korea...and while I doubt there's any slack in manufacturing tolerances between the two facilities, it doesn't necessarily mean there's absolutely no difference between blades). A few shaves with the Lab Blues were inconclusive - I'd never fully got along with those blades, regardless of razor, so it was mostly a wash. I decided to go on a lark and pick out a pack each of three blades I'd never tried before, based what was on offer at Pasteur Pharmacy on Manhattan's East Side: KAI, Astra Superior Stainless (not Platinum), and Krona, which was totally out-of-the-blue for me.
The KAI was all but mind-altering: every bit as sharp as the Feather Hi-Stainless I'd tried years ago, but suffered the Sweeney Todd Effect trying to come to grips with. This time, there were no weepers to speak of, just BBS goodness...and that was with the Variant dialed up only to 1.5-2. Too bad the things are scary-pricey, even compared to Feathers; I now limit my use of the KAI to on-the-road shaves with the Parker A1R.
The Astra was, and continues to be, interesting: pretty close to the KAI in sharpness, and almost as controllable in terms of nick-free shaves. Blade-to-blade consistency is also pretty good (as was the KAI), which has been a relief, since a number of other blades used in the past seemed mysteriously hit-or-miss.
The Krona has been the most curious of all: this blade, rather than smooth, has an odd roughness to it - not a gonna-tear-your-mug-up roughness, but it doesn't exactly glide over my face like the Astra or KAI. It also offers up more palpable feedback through the razor than the other blades (and the Variant is all about feedback, which I love). However, the resulting shave is frankly amazing: every bit as smooth and close as the Astra, and in spitting distance of the KAI, even though it feels like its not going to come close to either in the end. Stranger still, this blade seems almost totally under-the-radar: None of the usual online wetshaving outlets seem to offer it, and only a deep dive on Amazon brings anything up from one or two suppliers. Naturally, on my next trip to Pasteur I bought a bunch more packs to keep on-hand. These, and the Astra Super Stainless, have become my new mainstays, my first big blade change-up in quite some time.
The rest of my shave regimen has largely gone unchanged, with one exception, which is actually a return-to-form of sorts: I've switched from Taylor's Rose and Lavender shave cream back to an old (and pricier) favorite: D.R. Harris Arlington. The difference isn't between bad and good, or even good and great; more like damned-good and fantastic. I'd literally forgotten how good Arlington was until I decided to buy a tube to travel with for my month in Europe last Fall, along with my just-purchased Parker A1R/KAI combination. I was so blown away I couldn't put an order in for a tub of the stuff fast enough upon my return. Harris' stuff is a good deal pricier than ToOBs, but since I principally use creams during the colder winter months (using Classic Shaving's own brand of soaps the rest of the year), I can pretty much justify ponying up the extra cash. Well worth it.
Conclusion: The Parker Variant continues to impress, and mightily. I've kept an eye on the steady resurgence of adjustable DEs (I've heard little word on Rockwell's long-in-gestation T-1, although it appears that Rex, a brand seemingly out of the blue to me, has released its own new razor, U.S. made, albeit roughly twice the cost of the T-1), but honestly, the Variant leaves me wanting for nothing - it delivers the goods, looks and feels the business, and at a price that's almost too good to believe. And, apparently it's offered in a third finish now. (Rose Gold...doesn't do much for me, but no accounting for taste, right?) This is still the adjustable to beat overall, IMO, and the one razor that's catapulted Parker into the big leagues.
