I have tried lots of vintage and modern razors and found my favorite to be the Gillette slim. I like my fatboy as well but the short stubby feel just isn't as nice in the hand for me. I've been wanting to try a progress long handle. How does it compare to the slim and other adjustables?
Slim vs progress
- Thread starter Catfishmac
- Start date
I recently bought a Progress long handle and love it. It really feel great in the hand. I am not sure that it is better than the slim adjustable, but the Progress really bends that blade and presents the edge at a nice angle. I seem to like it better than the slim at the present, but part of that is that the Progress is quite unusual in its operation. It's not as straightforward as the slim or fatboy, but it is not overly burdensome. I just had to do some research to disassemble, load the blade and reassemble it correctly. The Progress can be made to be quite aggressive, but it is not likely to be adjustable to be as mild as the slim or Fatboy.
Also, IMHO, I think that the smoothness of the Progress's shave is more "blade-dependent" than the slim/Fatboy. I do not think that every blade type that is presented at the Progress angle has its smoothness optimized.
P.S. You may also consider the long-handled variety of the Gillette Super-Adjustable that has a black handle. Frankly, in addition to feeling good in the hand, I think it shaves a bit better than the Slim or Fatboy.
Also, IMHO, I think that the smoothness of the Progress's shave is more "blade-dependent" than the slim/Fatboy. I do not think that every blade type that is presented at the Progress angle has its smoothness optimized.
P.S. You may also consider the long-handled variety of the Gillette Super-Adjustable that has a black handle. Frankly, in addition to feeling good in the hand, I think it shaves a bit better than the Slim or Fatboy.
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The long handle model Progress is a great razor to shave with. As Teddyboy pointed out the shaving angle is a lot different. That more extreme bend to the blade makes the Progress delightful to use. I still prefer my slims, just for their weight and balance (the Progress razor is quite heavy, especially toward the head) but the Progress with either handle is only a whisker behind and I love having them in rotation.
Pretty much agree with above posts, but I have a Mergress long handle and the balance is excellent. I do prefer it to my slim and Fatboy because I like the feel of the Mergress in my hand, as the weight center is about half-way down the razor. I'm not parting with my vintage Gillette's though.
In the past year, I've had the good fortune to try all of the adjustables discussed above. In my experience, the Progress is quite different from the three Gillette models. The comments regarding the blade angle may provide the explanation, I don't know, but it's very different in my hands. My "go-to" razor is my slim adjustable set on 4 for the first few passes, then cranked up to 8 or 9 for the final clean up. It gives me a reliably close shave with minimal discomfort. I find the fatboy quite similar (just stubbier). The black-handled super adjustable seems to be milder at the lower settings, and more aggressive at the higher settings, but still a comfortable shaver. On the other hand, try as I might, I can't get comfortable with my Progress. The most likely explanation is my technique, but I can't find a sweet spot. Settings less than 3 require lots of passes to get a good shave, and the higher numbers quickly become uncomfortable, with fairly frequent weepers and nicks. I love the look and feel of the Progress, and keep going back to it because I want to figure it out. So far, I'm just baffled.
The Progress has more weight. The Progress in it's lowest setting is approximately 3- 5 in the Slim. The Slim is made of bronze which means you could replate it. Merkurs are made of Pot metal and not as durable.
I have all mentioned models and have been using my Mergress a lot lately. As mentioned before, you have a severe bend in the razor making the adjustments vary as much as you need them to.
I highly recommend adding a Progress/Mergress to your den.
I highly recommend adding a Progress/Mergress to your den.
I love the Slim but probably prefer the Super Adjustable. The Progress is not one of my favorites.
I have a Slim, FB, and two Mergresses (short and long handled).
I am the original owner of both the Slim and FB and have shaved with them since I bought them quite a while ago. I have had the Mergresses for about two years.
All are great razors. However, the Mergresses provide a smoother shave for me. If I have to rate my adjustable razors in order of preference they would be as follows:
All of the razors can be made as aggressive or as mild as you want. However, even at the higher settings the Mergresses seem to provide a smoother shave.
I am the original owner of both the Slim and FB and have shaved with them since I bought them quite a while ago. I have had the Mergresses for about two years.
All are great razors. However, the Mergresses provide a smoother shave for me. If I have to rate my adjustable razors in order of preference they would be as follows:
- Mergresses XL and regular Mergress. Both are great.
- FB
- Slim
- Black Beauty
- Toggle
All of the razors can be made as aggressive or as mild as you want. However, even at the higher settings the Mergresses seem to provide a smoother shave.
