Is it any different or better than the Progress? A youtuber from the U.K. (can't remember name) who gives fair reviews said if you have one it is not worth getting the other. He did a side-by-side comp shave.
Strictly in terms of performance, not enough to really notice. The real differences are in the knurling and the lack of alignment issues that used to plague the Progress. I actually have both razors and I use them interchangeably.
I thought they would have fixed any alignment issues with the Progress way back in the 50s! I noticed no issues on mine, which I bought new 2 years ago.
Like I said, USED to have alignment issues, though I'm told the plastic knob remains a pain in the rear end for a lot of users.
For those who have used both, the comments I have heard is that shave-wise both razors are very similar. The main differences are that the Progress comes in two handle lengths with a plastic adjustment knob and smooth handle, whereas the Variant only comes in one length with a metal adjustment knob and knurling on the handle.
The alignment issue plagued ones made pre 2016. I can't say exactly how far back that was an issue from but the ones I was aware of including the one I originally owned that had the problem would have been at least as far back as early to mid 2000s. They could be manually recalibrated though to get the dot to line up correctly.
The 50s was a long time ago... Not sure why the pastic knob is a PIA for some -- you may not like the color, shape or material, but other than that, there is no issue that I have seen that would elevate it to PIA territory.
There was/is a whole cottage industry of metal replacement knobs for the Progress like the Mergress for example.
Yes, and I have never understood that. Not sure why Merkur doesn't just make an all-brass or all-stainless steel Progress. They would clean up.
I've not had a problem with the plastic adjustment knob on mine, other than its fragility relative to the rest of the razor. It might be the grade of plastic used now compared to earlier decades has changed.
For better or for worse? I bought mine new 2 years ago. Or, people in today's world just like to nitpick more than they did in the 50s.
Legend says he complained about the formula change to his Godfather: Who then made the CEO an offer he couldn't refuse.
