Time for a adjustable?

**justpursuit** · 03-02-2008, 09:13 PM

Hello all, i am thinking about getting an adjustable but am unsure if it is worth it for the range that they provide that is usable. So i have a question, what setting do you think is about the same in aggressiveness as the HD and SS red-tip (my two razors) on the progress and futur? Then what setting do you think is the max usable on the progress and futur?

Everyone please piece this together for me.
Thanks for the help.

-ed-

Other adjustable suggestions welcome, please provide same info too if you know!

**Suzuki** · 03-03-2008, 06:43 AM

FWIW, I'm not a big fan of the adjustables, of the ones I've tried (HD, Slim and Progress), the Progress was the best of the bunch.

I found that a Progress set to around 3 was about the same as my HD or Classic. I have used the Progress as high as 4, but found this to be a little too much.

I've since sold off all of my ajustables.

So, my vote is that the adjustables aren't worth it and its better to find a fixed-head that works well for you - but there are lots of adjustable fans out there.

The good thing about the HD, Slim or Progress is that they're easy to sell if you buy one and find its not for you. I don't hear a lot about the Futur and haven't tried one myself.

**mozart** · 03-03-2008, 06:46 AM

I would say that the Futur on it's lowest setting is about equivalent to an HD. Dialing up will give you a razor that is a lot more "aggressive". Dialing it all the way up scares the hell out of me. I should know as I have cut myself very badly with a fully opened Futur. Just this morning, I had my Futur set to "only" 2, and I cut myself when I set the razor down on the skin to begin a stroke. That was because the blade edge is almost fully accessible at this low setting already.

You can shave with the Futur fully opened, provided you use the top cap as a primary guide to find the proper blade angle. It's almost like using a straight (however, my experiences with straights is very limited). When you place an opened Futur with the safety bar first, you may well get a chunk taken out of your skin. Personally, I think the useful range for a Furur is about up to setting 2.5 or 3.

Hope that helps.

Best - MM

**redbike** · 03-03-2008, 09:36 AM

Originally Posted by justpursuit

Hello all, i am thinking about getting an adjustable but am unsure if it is worth it for the range that they provide that is usable. So i have a question, what setting do you think is about the same in aggressiveness as the HD and SS red-tip (my two razors) on the progress and futur? Then what setting do you think is the max usable on the progress and futur?

Everyone please piece this together for me.
Thanks for the help.

-ed-

Other adjustable suggestions welcome, please provide same info too if you know!

I have a red-tip and several Gillette adjustables. My guess is that the adjustables set at 5-7 are the equivalent to a red-tip. There's no doubt that the red-tip is heavier than the other Gillette superspeeds, but there's been a lot of discussion here on whether the blade angle or exposure is significantly different than with other superspeeds.

Good luck,

jim

**danstar250** · 03-03-2008, 02:41 PM

All I can say is...Before you give up on adjustables you've got to try a late 50's vintage Gillette Fatboy. Personally I think they shave like hot butta'

**Christoph** · 03-03-2008, 07:30 PM

is the late 50s fatboy any different than the fatboys that came after them in the early 60s. I think mine is early 60s

**thirdeye** · 03-03-2008, 07:33 PM

Originally Posted by Christoph

is the late 50s fatboy any different than the fatboys that came after them in the early 60s. I think mine is early 60s

The 1958 D4 and 1959 D1 thru D 4 can be dissasembled.
The rest until the end of the run in 62' could not be dissasembled.
They where all the same in build.

**Christoph** · 03-03-2008, 07:39 PM

But does that have an effect on the way it shaves?

**thirdeye** · 03-03-2008, 07:46 PM

Originally Posted by Christoph

But does that have an effect on the way it shaves?

No it does not. The shave is the same.

**Silb3r** · 03-03-2008, 10:14 PM

The cost of the Progress combined with its aftermarket value probably justify just giving it a shot--there's really no way of knowing if it will work out unless you give it a shot...

**justpursuit** · 03-05-2008, 07:10 PM

everyone thanks for the help. still open to more thoughts...

-ed-

**jds32** · 03-06-2008, 10:12 AM

I've finally gotten settled using an HD and Dorco blades. I only get 3 great days out of the blades, but at $0.10 each who cares? I have some Derby's that are just too much for me in the HD.

So, I've ordered a slim. Goals/aspirations:

Tame the Derby's
Different cut on different areas of my face

We'll see how it turns out.

**Prince** · 03-06-2008, 10:23 AM

I like my Slim adjustable. I go with a 5 or 6 on the 1st pass, then turn it down to 1 or 2 for my remaining passes.

Works like a charm. In fact, I've considered getting rid of my other razors and just using this all the time.

**jds32** · 03-11-2008, 07:20 AM

Originally Posted by jds32

I've ordered a slim.

Well, that was a grand experiment. I received the slim and gave it a shot. I've been using a Merkur HD and have gotten quite comfortable with it. The slim didn't do so well:

Pros

nice handle. I really like the size and length
easy to change blades

Cons

poor shave quality
the adjustment range didn't work for me. Not fine enough control
doesn't rinse clean nearly as well as the HD

So, I'm glad I tried it. I appreciate my HD more than ever. For folks interested, I recommended giving one a try - it might work great for you. As for me, I'm back to my HD. I guess the slim goes on ebay.

Joe