Adjustable razors

Discussion in 'Safety Razors' started by falconhal, Mar 8, 2020.

  1. falconhal

    falconhal Active Member

    If you guys had to recommend 1 adjustable safety razor, which would it be? It would see regular use. This would be my 1st adjustable.
     
  2. Terry

    Terry Tool Admirer

    I have limited experience with the newer adjustable razors.

    I like a vintage Gillette slim in good condition.
    A Fatboy is nice too, but they command higher prices.

    Although I set them on the highest settings, 9.
    So I can't really help much in the adjustment part.
    tp
     
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  3. falconhal

    falconhal Active Member

    Other than happening upon one at an antique store, is Ebay the only place to find vintage gillettes? Not worried about it being a collectible, really just want an adjustable option to shave with.
     
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  4. Terry

    Terry Tool Admirer

    Those and etsy.com are the more common places to find one.
    If you put out a WTB thread here, you might find an adjustable in good condition, at a good price.
    Especially if someone wants to be rid of one.

    Let me know how it goes for you.
    tp
     
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  5. falconhal

    falconhal Active Member

    I will, thanks for the help. Never heard of etsy so i'll have to check it out.
     
  6. Weasel640

    Weasel640 Well-Known Member

    I like the Gillette Slim also. Sometimes https://www.razoremporium.com will carry them. But if money is not an object I've heard great things about the Rex Ambassador from Razor Emporium.
     
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  7. gorgo2

    gorgo2 geezerhood

    The adjustable bug has long since burned out for me but I would suggest that while they all shave basically the same, the long or short black handles are nice. No experience here with post-Gilllette ones.
     
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  8. falconhal

    falconhal Active Member

    Looking to stay under 80 bucks. Right now just looking at options and what everyone recommends so i can ask for one for my birthday in June.
     
  9. John Beeman

    John Beeman Little chicken in hot water

    Antique stores, thrift shops, secondhand stores; all are good places to haunt. I’ve picked up several Slim’s for less than $15 that way. I even got lucky with a couple of FatBoy’s in a vendors’ mall where they were more interested in chalk painted furniture than razors.

    If you shop EBay don’t get caught up in over bidding. There’s razors for sale every day.

    New ones I really like are the Parker Variant and the Merkur Progress. I haven’t tried the Merkur Futur but it gets good reviews.
     
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  10. Edison Carter

    Edison Carter Well-Known Member

    I recently got a Gillette Slim, it is nice.

    My first DE razor was the Parker Variant, I like it a little better due to the greater audible feedback.
     
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  11. Mark Tyers

    Mark Tyers Member

    I have a clutch of vintage Gillette adjustables (fatboy, slim, super adjustable) and also a Futur. For me the best of the Gillette’s is the metal back super adjustable 108. The futur is completely brilliant but has a huge blade gap and shaves at a very different angle from the Gillette’s. It’s superb once you get the knack but be prepared for a bit of blood-letting along the way and please start at setting 1 (or you lose a lot of blood).


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
     
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  12. pj3r

    pj3r Well-Known Member

    I am more SE guy then DE, but if you want adjustable, far more better then any other adjustable is French Gibbs No15/17. Just briliant shaver!

    But... You will need to adjust the blade first. It only take few secondes, but it is good to know.

    But... Very soon, The Heritage Collections Shaving (https://heritagecollectionshaving.com/) will release their version. Amd it will take normal DE blades, so...

    Poslano sa mog SM-A600FN koristeći Tapatalk
     
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  13. DaltonGang

    DaltonGang Ol' Itchy Whiskers

    1. Gillette Fat Boy
    2. Gillette Slim Adjustable

    Mainly these two, because their performance is what all others are compared to, especially the Fat Boy. Also, if you decide to move on, and sell it, you will not have a problem finding a buyer.

    .
     
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  14. Enrico

    Enrico Popcorn

    Gillette Black Beauty .... very affordable and in my opinion a better shave the the Slim.

    :eatdrink013:
     
  15. johnnyflake

    johnnyflake Well-Known Member

    I own a Merkur Progress and use it often. I have had several others adjustables, such as the Variant, but, the best one for me, and the only one, I will always have, is the Merkur Progress.
     
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  16. SlowRoller47

    SlowRoller47 Active Member

    You can order a merkur clone from ali. I have the Rockwell model T and a vintage Gillette slim adjustable from 61. Hadn't tried the Gillette yet but the model t is a great razor.

    Verstuurd vanaf mijn GM1913 met Tapatalk
     
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  17. gwsmallwood

    gwsmallwood Well-Known Member

    I have quite a few (and have tried others, listed below). My favorite is hands down my Fatboy (although mine does have slightly higher than normal blade gaps). It's a great shaver that hits the sweet spot for me in terms of weight, handle length, and balance. The Progress is also a great option in the price range you listed. If you up the price range, the Rex Ambassador is awesome. If you would prefer 3-piece and don't need too much aggression, the Rockwell 6C could work. If you have big hands and don't mind a bit of aggression, the Futur (or one of the clones) is good. If you just like a bit longer handle without too much extra weight, the Slim or the Variant are good options. There are also quite a few new Chinese models that have come out recently, but I don't know much about them. There's also the Model T, the Barbaros Adjustable, and the New Taiga that I don't have any experience with.

    My suggested order based on the ones that I own.
    • Gillette Fatboy
    • Merkur Progress (short handle)
    • Gillette Slim
    • Gillette Super Adjustable (long handle)
    • Merkur Futur
     
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  18. Linuxguile

    Linuxguile dating an unusual aristocrat

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  19. BBS

    BBS Well-Known Member

    There are also other types of adjustable razors besides dial style ones mentioned so far. Some razors will allow for blade exposure adjustment i.e. how far out the blade extends from the edge of the cap. Though not advertised as such the Gillette Goodwill 160 is one example. A French razor named a Bohin is also another example of that and also an example of a razor that has a reversible base plate with different blade gaps for each edge of the plate. Rockwell makes a reversible base plate razor but only each side has different blade gaps then you have differential razors that each side of the plate have different blade gaps. You can flip which side of the razor you want to use mid shave if desired.

    My suggestion if you are willing to look beyond DE razors get a Schick injector adjustable razor. Unfortunately they don't make them new but injectors are really easy to shave with compared to DE razors when coming over from carts and the Schick Adjustable can use a single edge or twin blade and do both well unlike most other injectors. Twin blades are expensive but they last ridiculously long to the point the price per shave is about the same as a cheaper single edge injector blade. The twin injector blades are also some of the smoothest blades bar none for safety razors when used in a razor designed to take them like the Schick adjustables made from 1973 on. Those are easy to identify also since they have a blade lock on the handle unlike the earlier models.
     
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  20. NTR

    NTR Well-Known Member

    Hmmm. Future or Progress?
     
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