Merkur Progress Adjustable Safety Razor, MK-500001

This is my 3rd adjustable razor and 4th Merkur. I have a Vikings Blade Emperor and a vintage Gillette Fatboy. I really love the adjustable razors. My thoughts are they can be dialed in better for each user and once you find the perfect blade for that razor it’s as good as it gets. I started with this on a setting of 1. I’m up to 4.5 and that’s as high as I’m going because that just a sweet spot for me. So far I’ve only used Astra SP blades for 3 shaves each. Tomorrow will be #3 with the current blade and it’s off to the next blade to see if the shave is any better which frankly will be difficult to achieve. I have never tried a Merkur future but this blows away the VB Emperor and I like the weight a little better than the Fatboy. I’m also a big fan of the Merkur 37c slant but I think the shave with this is just a little better. You don’t need special instructions (at least one review suggested) to reassemble. Look at both sides of the head and it will be self explanatory. It’s not that hard to know when it’s tight (from another review) just tighten until it feels snug then look at the setting. It’s on one at that point. As for disassembly, really, how hard is it to take anything apart? I started wet shaving long ago in the early 80s and learned (sometimes the hard way) with my dad’s Fatboy (now the one I own) and at this point probably own 25 DE razors and actually use 5-6 of them. I’d have to say at this point this is right up there with my 1955 SS red tip as one of my favorites. This could be a great razor for a beginner so long as you start low (1 would be good) on the setting and work up. The weight as I said earlier is fantastic. Zero pressure and it’s spot on with a good blade. Love the balance of this razor and the bright chrome finish is gorgeous. This will continue to be my daily razor at least until I find the perfect blade match and after that it will get lots of turns in the rotation. I really don’t see it being replaced at all unless Jagger or Muhle does a similar product with their head design. So if your looking for a adjustable my advice is simple, get this one unless you don’t own a slant bar yet. That should be every newbies 2nd razor. This should be #3. It’s fantastic and you can’t go wrong with it.

I own 9 double edged razors ,and this, combined with a feather platinum tipped stainless blade works great. All of my razors including the Merkur 180 long handle , Edwin Jagger De89, Merkur Futur do a good job on the first 2/3rds of my face. My neck is a different animal altogether. I never really noticed how hair grows at different angles and thickness in different areas of the face until I went old school wet shaving. I always left stubble on my neck no matter what I did or what blade I used (mostly Feather stainless platinum). My Gillette Pro glide did no better but I never really checked. In and out in one pass and done. Now wet shaving is more of a science. You really get to know your face and beard. This is the only razor that could get my neck just on both sides of the trachea. These whiskers grow sideways or horizontal and my neck gets razor burn quite easily. So a need a sharp effective razor that can do the job in 2 passes and this does it with no problem when dialed on the 2.5 setting or sometimes 3. Beyond 3 with a Feather blade the nicks start to come. Its still not 100% baby smooth in that area but significantly improved. We all know with wet shaving their are all sorts of variables such as pre shave prep, shaving cream, wetting with a good brush and hot towel, showering before shaving or even while showering if you have a mirror there. I've tried most of it and in the end the Progress is a winner. Size adjustability build quality weight distribution all contribute to a nice close shave. Before you even shave you'll know what I mean. After you shave there is no question about what razor comes on your next trip. This is the best all around razor. I will try the slant razor next. I like the Futur but its big and I won't even think about the Vision until they bring it's bulk down. I can go in setting one for most of my face and between 2-3 for my problem neck area. Solves my shaving crisis. Thanks Merkur this is a remarkable shaving instrument.

Un rasoir très agréable à utiliser. Le coût d'achat sera amorti par l'usage de lames jetables, bien moins chères que les rasoirs multilames en plastique et bien plus écologiques. Le bouton à la base permet de régler la dureté de rasage. On peut changer en cours et faire une première passe douce et la suivante plus dure pour un rasage au plus près. J'ai aussi le modèle "Futur" de Merkur, plus contemporain de dessin, très bel objet, mais pas moyen de le régler en cours de rasage avec les mains pleines de savon. Ce modèle est d'une bonne prise en main, assez long, assez lourd. Un bel outil qui nécessite toutefois quelques essais prudents avant de trouver ses marques. Mais après le rasage devient un vrai plaisir tous les matins ! Je recommande cet achat avec un bon blaireau pour préparer la peau. La aussi, économique à la longue : plus de bombes de mousses onéreuses et peu écologiques. EDIT : après plusieurs mois d'utilisation, ce rasoir fait preuve d'une bonne efficacité et fiabilité. Si vous avez des contours de barbe à dessiner (moustaches, favoris...) qui nécessitent de la précision dans le rasage, ce rasoir n'est pas adapté car la tête est assez épaisse. On se tournera alors vers un modèle non réglable de type Edwin Jagger dont la tête est plus fine et maniable. Pour un rasage sans fioriture par contre, le Merkur est parfait.

Bu tıraş makinesi, taban kapağındaki delta işareti (üçgen), kafa kapağındaki çizgi işaretine doğru şekilde yerleştirilse bile, ilk tıraştan itibaren yanlış hizalama sorunları yaşayan tıraş makinelerinden biridir. bu sorun bende ciddi jilet yanıkları, çentikler ve cildimin ağlamasına neden oldu. Montajdan sonra bıçak tıraş makinesinin içine yerleştirildiğinde sorun açıkça görülmektedir. bıçağın sol tarafından taban plakasına doğru aşağıya doğru bir eğilim olduğunu açıkça görebilirsiniz. bunu iade etmenin bir yolu var mı?

This is just a lovely razor. It has the virtue of adjustability via the plastic knob of an unknown ancient colour. Using this numbers 1 to 5 can be selected. This corresponds with 1 to 5 mild to aggressive. I normally start at 3, with the grain. Then 2, across the grain, and 1, against the grain. This gives me a baby smooth shave every other day. It's relatively easy to set the dial before a pass but difficult to see the numbers. I can't say the razor is easy to hold. It is heavy, and feels very substantial but it is smooth metal, it gets slippery and is easy to drop. The other drawback is the plastic knob. Apparently a lot of people don't like it and there is even a brass or stainless steel replacement ( an Opgress) which can be had for an unlikely sum of money. Personally I think the knob is great. Nobody can say what colour it is. Objectively it's yellow but it could be old ivory or an off white or cream. Whatever, I really love it. The Progress came out in 1955, it's 66 years old. I think this knob makes it look like something out of the 30's. It's exquisite, delicately curved on the bevels and embellished with the Merkur crest on the bottom. Lovely, and this razor is a lovely old thing and a piece of precision German engineering at the same time. I highly recommend it.

Ho iniziato ad usare i rasoi di sicurezza da qualche tempo e ne possiedo variati modelli. Dopo aver acquisito una tecnica di rasatura decente, ho deciso che, anche per sfizio, era arrivato il momento di un regolabile e anche per una questione estetica , ed essendo un soddisfatto possessore di due altri rasoi Merkur, la scelta è ricaduta sul Progress. Il rasoio è molto bello e soprattutto ben costruito. La qualità dei materiali e della cromatura sono di alto livello:nessuna sbavatura o residuo di lavorazione. La lametta risulta perfettamente centrata a tutti i livelli di regolazione. È quindi esente dal difetto che alcuni hanno rilevato. Il settaggio della ghiera, a nottolino perfettamente serrato corrisponde a +. Ho provato il Progress, per la prima volta, il giorno dopo il suo arrivo, armato con una Gillette Platinum; regolazione 2,5 per la prima passata di pelo e 2 per la seconda passata di pelo traverso. Ha fatto fuori una barba di 3 giorni senza alcuno sforzo, scorreva e cantava, portandosi v ia tutto. Con due passate e piccoli ritocchi il risultato è stato per me incredibile...il miglior risultato sinora ottenuto con i DE in rapporto all'impegno ed alla tecnica adottati nella sbarbata. Sembrava andare col pilota automatico, e che fosse il rasoio a guidare la mano. 33 anni di multilama, quando farsi la barba era una seccatura, dimenticati in due passate. Vista la facilità di utilizzo (che richiede comunque una certa tecnica), la sua solidità, la possibilità di essere dolcissimo o aggressivo secondo la regolazione prescelta, ne fanno un rasoio che può essere quello definitivo, che può accompagnare le nostre sbarbate per anni. Tra i regolabili a costi "umani" è sicuramente quello che garantisce un uso adatto a chiunque, non essendo troppo aggressivo come è, invece, l'altro regolabile Merkur:il Futur. Per me promosso a pieni voti.

This high quality razor is solid feeling and has lots of adjustability. A pleasure to use for sure.