Curiosity (RAD) has got me thinking Adjustable!!!

Discussion in 'Safety Razors' started by Dave Paskowski, Sep 5, 2013.

  1. Dave Paskowski

    Dave Paskowski Active Member

    I get very consistent shave with a Polsilver Super Iridium DE Blade in a Gillette New LC. So what would be a good starting point for an Adjustable? Would a Slim be good?
     
  2. feeltheburn

    feeltheburn Well-Known Member

    Any of the Gillette adjustables give me a good shave. I don't think you can go wrong with any of them. If the Slim looks good to you, I say do it.
     
  3. Dave Paskowski

    Dave Paskowski Active Member

    What would be a good setting to start with?
     
  4. Weeper Warrior

    Weeper Warrior Well-Known Member

    If you like the shaves with the NEW LC. The shave should feel very similar to the Slim on 2 or 3. IMHO. Then keep trying a step up one setting the next shave, if you feel that a setting was to harsh for you go back. You have found your sweet spot.:cool:
     
    Dave Paskowski likes this.
  5. Dave Paskowski

    Dave Paskowski Active Member

    Sounds good. Now I have to find a Slim Adjustable. I have another month to trade maybe then I'll snag one.
     
  6. swarden43

    swarden43 "It's your shave. Enjoy it your way."©

    Here's my advice for adjustables:

    Shave 1 - set at 3, make all your passes, evaluate
    Shave 2 - set at 4, make all your passes, evaluate
    Shave 3 - set at 5, make all your passes...
    Shave 4 - set at 6 ... you get the idea

    NOTE: For the Merkur Futur, start at 1, then move up by 1/2 each day. The Futur is different in that each setting does not click into place, it's "fluid" (for lack of a better word) to allow for micro-adjustments.

    Continue to click it up a notch until you hit that one setting that is just a tad too aggressive, back it down one notch, and there ya go - your sweet spot.

    Now some folks start wide open at 9 for the first pass, then dial it down for each pass there after.
    Some start mild for the first pass, the crank it to wild for the last.
    Me, locked at 6 (for all my Gillette adjustables) for all three passes. My Futur stays between 2.75 and 3.

    That's the great thing about an adjustable, set to what you want when you want it. But again, I would follow the advice above for your first half-dozen shaves; that will certainly give you a feel for the difference of each setting.
     
  7. Bryan Miller

    Bryan Miller Active Member

    My recommendations for the Futur:

    Start at 6.5 and never look back! Super comfortable with max blade exposure and decreasingly so the lower the adjustment :) YMMV
     
  8. johnus

    johnus Well-Known Member

    as its an Adjustable. Use more than one setting for your shave. Go with a mild setting for you WTG 1st pass. Then go a bit higher for your XTG pass; then once it's all knocked down go with a still high setting for your ATG pass.

    Remember to open (and then close)the head each time you chg the setting.
     
  9. blanka

    blanka I will not eat my shaving products. Promise.

    With my Fatboy, I've always had great success doing my face passes on 3 or 4, with my neck passes on 1.
     
  10. swarden43

    swarden43 "It's your shave. Enjoy it your way."©

    Certainly not what I would advise to a new user of an adjustable, but it is your shave....
     
  11. 178-bplatoon

    178-bplatoon Well-Known Member

    A "Slim" might be easier to get at a reasonable price, but I'd try for a "FatBoy" as I favor BullDog type handles...I'd set it on 3 or 4 to start....Another advantage to an adjustable is changing the setting to suit a particular part of your face or to suit a particular pass(WTG,XTG or ATG)....:)
     
  12. HolyRollah

    HolyRollah BaconLord

    Having owned both the Slim and the FB for some time in the past, I developed a preference for the FB.
    Both razors gave very nice mild shaves. I started at the '1' setting when I first started using the Adjustables, then eventually kept both at the 'max' setting.
    I preferred the feel and weight of the Fatboy, but both shaved very similarly. As mentioned earlier in this thread, Slims can be found at a lower price on ebay than most of the Fatboys.

    1962 Slim:
    [​IMG]
    1960 Fatboy:
    [​IMG]
     
  13. feeltheburn

    feeltheburn Well-Known Member

    Last week I used a Super Adjustable and this week it's been a Slim. Both with Feather blades. Both giving me great shaves. I've been finding the setting doesn't seem to matter all that much if I'm paying attention to my blade angle. On anything from 3-7 at least, I end up with pretty much the same shave at the end. I think all a lower setting does for me is keep me from getting the blade angle too steep if I get sloppy (i.e. handle too close to face). If that happens, the guard bar hits my skin and pulls the blade away from my face. Some guys like (or maybe need) a steeper blade angle on the WTG pass so a higher setting on the first pass might benefit some folks. On the XTG and ATG passes, I don't know why you'd want to go steeper. Doing that usually gives me razor burn and weepers.
     

Share This Page