Gentlemen, For the past month I've been enjoying great shaves with my EJ D89L. I'm completely happy with my purchase however I'm very curious about the adjustable razors and I have a few questions. What recommendations can you offer for a first adjustable razor? What seperates a good adjustable from a great one? Are all the adjustables about the same with the biggest difference being the user? Are they worth the money? Also, can I get a closer shave with fewer passes with an adjustable? Any suggestions are greatly appreciated! Thanks,
There will be a lot of answers from a lot of people I think. My advise would be to not pay crazy money for a Fat Boy. My recommendation for a NEW adjustable is a Merkur Progress because that is the only modern adjustable I have used, although there is the Futur and Vision to consider. My recommendation for a USED adjustable is a Gillette Super Adjustable. I have used the Fat Boy and the Slim and I think the S/A is better. Just say NO to the PAL Adjustable Injector. I have not tried the Schick Adjustable yet.
Jeff gives good advice, but I do have a few differing thoughts... New (modern) - Jeff recommends the Merkur Progress. I've heard lots of good things. I've never used one. I do own the Merkur Futur and love it, as many others do. Vintage - I have, use, and like both the Gillette Slim and Gillette Fatboy. My nod goes to the Fatboy only because it is a bit beefier. Both are very fine razors, though. Can't go wrong with either, unless you wind up paying crazy money (as Jeff puts it) on a Fatboy. Check out flea markets, yard sales, even antique stores. I found one of my Fatboys in a case for $2 at an antique store. Their out there. Just gotta find 'em. "Good" is in the face of the user. As mentioned, you'll get yea and nay votes for any of the above. Ask 99 people what shaving product to get and you'll get 100 different answers. :happy102 Closer shave with fewer passes? I don't. I have numerous DE and SE razors. I take three passes plus a touch up with every one of 'em. Some do get a bit closer, some are a bit more comfortable. What I like others can't stand - the Gem MicroMatic Open Comb comes to mind and is one of those you either lover or hate razors. Bottom line only you can find what works best for you. So go buy a razor, any razor. Give it a go. If you don't like it, sell it here at the Den, then go buy a different one. If you do like it, go buy a different one anyway, just to have.
I have to agree with both Jeff and Steve. For used I find that the Gillette early Super adjustable with the long black handle IMHO, the best Gillette. I too have never tried a Progress, I've heard they were excellent. I though have a Futur and find it a stellar shaver. Ever though it is very big it is so well balanced and Nimble. I also enjoy the Merkur Vision, it is an absolutely massive tool , but very well balanced. It also delivers a mighty fine shave but is a little pricey. You really can't go wrong with any adjustable out there.
Except the PAL adjustable injector. That thing is a turd... For vintage, I like the slim adjustable. I refuse pay the flavor of the month prices for a fat boy. The slim can often be had for a reasonable price. For a new adjustable, I like the Futur much more then the Progress. Like all Merkur razors, it has its issues, but overall it's an excellent albeit large razor.
I have a progress and love it I set mine on 3 then shave for 3 passes. I then adjust it down to blade buff. Hope this helps.
Lesson learned I wanted an adjustable asked for a Fat Boy and bought one since it was my only razor at the time i love it. Before that i used my bros merker slant. With that said i used a slim handle 3 piece that was a franken razor found it shaved real nice also. If i had the patience to do it all over i might have went after a slim on ebay=cheaper. As a newb to the DE world until i try many different razor the one thing i come back to no mater what i use will be the technique,angle,finding the grain of beard growth. The buying urge will always be there and this is the place to find the answers to our shaving questions. Good luck in finding your next razor. B
Thanks for all the replies. I'm taking all of your comments into consideration. I'm going to take a look at a one of the Merkurs. I might spoil myself and order a Vision sometime next week. I'm going to see if any of our members have one they're trying to sell. If not, I'll just order one. I'll post an update when I decide. Thanks again.
As a noob to DE, I love my Futur. I think that since I've used an electric for so long, it made me be more careful and let the razor do the work. I am still messing with settings, but I mostly leave it set at 2.5. I choke up on the razor right now. I'm turning into a junkie, so I might get a few more razors, but the Futur is great!
i've had a pretty good time experimenting with adjustables i've found, both on the bay and in antique shops. i like the fat boy over the slim since it just fits my trigger finger much better. i think it's one of the finest shavers i rotate thru. but searching for that perfect shaver is what makes it fun
I wish you luck on finding a second hand vision, at a reasonable cost (I tried for around a year with no luck) I found that Westcoastshaving had the best price with free shipping. I actually saw a couple of used Visions sell on the bay for more than new. It's a good razor.
I've sold all of my adjustable razors. Well, a progress and a slim. I find the adjusting useless- in the end you're going to use just one setting so why not the a razor with a fixed gap that you like best.
That's fine if you can find one with the right gap right off. If not, you're buying this razor - nope that doesn't work. How 'bout this one? Nope. Gotta buy another. This one? Still no. Back to the hunt. With an adjustable, buy one, take a few shaves to get it dialed in, BOOM, you're in. Of course, that assumes you don't want to collect razors and can be happy with only one.... happy102happy102
I use a Slim and a Super Adjustable in my rotation. There's not much difference between them, maybe none. The adjustment feature is less about getting it right than not getting it wrong. For me, anything higher than 5 or lower than 4 is wrong on either razor--rough shave and not very close either. I prefer the handling of smaller, simpler razors like your DL89 (mine is a Muhle) or a Tech. I can maneuver better in tight spots (think around the ears and under the nose), and the differences among blades are more obvious. The number of passes to get a good shave is the same with all my razors. So at some point I'll probably sell one or both of my adjustables. That said, it may be worth trying an adjustable to satisfy yourself. It may be right for you. Or you might consider an open comb instead. They're just as maneuverable as a Tech or a DL89, and, as a bonus, using an open comb seems to encourage better technique.
I love being able to dial down on my progress and fatboy for my finish pass. My EJ DE86 was great for the first two passes, but I couldn't finish off without it getting a little rough. I just tried an adjustable injector for the first time yesterday, and found myself dialing it up with each pass, so like always, YMMV.
