The Parker Variant

It is a very well made razor, but it is definitely more aggressive and heavier than the Merkur Progress. The settings on both razors are not congruent, in my opinion.
Good luck.

I will keep that in mind, thanks, last time I shaved with a Progress was -well- quite a long time ago. The other Merkur adjustable that I have tried, the Futur, is aggressive enough for me at 3.5 or 4.

I have and had both razors. Although the grip on the Variant was slightly better than Progress/Megress, IMHO, the overall fit and finish, weight and razor presentability went to the Megress. The shaves were very similar....there is something I just can't put my finger on when speaking about the Variant. It has all the hallmarks of an excellent razor, but it's just not. This is probably one of the strangest things in that I have no reason not to like the Variant, I just don't. This should probably go in the "razors you tried to love.."

I will give you this, if you don't have an adjustable like a megress/Progress/Parker Variant and you wanted to try one but hate how the plastic knob looks, get the Variant. If you could care less about the plastic knob, consider the Parker Variant. If you want a "quality piece," you have some extra loot, and you have to get a Megress/Progress/Parker, get a Megress.

2 shave in...it's a keeper. Might end up being my travel razor.


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It is a very well made razor,

I had to return first Variant due to bad alignment one side had larger gap than other side. The second Variant is Ok I had to push down the cap toward side and hold to tight it. It is aggressive but good and depend of blades too, Astra SP does not get along with Variant felt like shaving with chipped blade, but Astra on Merkur 34C awesome. So yeah the quality isn't that great at all and my understanding Parker is known for that.

I left my progress in a motel room while on a work trip. I ordered one of these to replace it. I personally think the grip is way better than the progress and the fact it doesn't have that god awful plastic nob on the end of it is also a bonus. For 57 and change it's well enough made and the heft is nice. I find this to be more aggressive than the progress and concur with the other post that the settings are not tit for tat between this and the progress. Overall I think this is probably the best Parker razor that has come in the den and the only one currently and many of the Parkers I have owned over the yeears tend to be gifts to new wet shavers. This one I will likely hold onto.

Didn't want to like it. It's a Parker. I'm a stainless steel razor snob right?

I gave the original one I had away to a new wet shaving friend, only a couple shaves in, after my last post in April.

I have been using it pretty much exclusively all July after picking another up. The only other razor I have used that shaves as smooth, comfortably, and as close is the SB .95 Timeless. Smoother than the Blackbird, Wolfman and Charcoal L2. Haven't tried the Level 3 yet though.

It's interesting that the Timeless hails from the Merkur Progress family as well.

Didn't want to like it.

It's interesting that the Timeless hails from the Merkur Progress family as well.

That Progress profile is what drew me to the Timeless as well. Not sure what it is about that shape, but you are 100% correct in that it delivers a superbly smooth, comfortable, highly efficient shave as both the Progress and Timeless can attest.

Must fight the temptation to purchase a Variant...

I've had only one shave with mine but so far, so good. I don't know what the metal is. I hope it's brass, as I read somewhere, particularly the head. It's plated with a matte silvery plate though some are painted black. It shaves the same as the Progress or, in my case, the Mergress, though the blade exposure likely differs between the two, that is, a 3 on the Progress might be a 2 on the Variant or vice versa.

I ordered it because I always liked the Mergress but the quality control at Merkur was disappointing. The heads are made of zinc or pot metal. The coatings have gotten much better but can still flake off if the razor is dropped. The blade exposure is always a little uneven from side to side. By no means would I call the Variant a finely-calibrated precision instrument but it seems an improvement to me, and you don't get a plastic knob, which has been a drawback for many with the Progress.

It's a good razor, a very good razor, and it's $57 at Maggard Razors compared to $70.50 for the regular Progress. (Maggard is one of my favorite vendors but I have no affiliation to them).

Given that the Variant, in my view, is at least as well made as the Progress, and very likely a more durable object, I recommend it if you're considering an adjustable. You won't be disappointed.

Yes, it certainly isn't as well crafted as my Timeless or Charcoal but it does shave very nicely. Really it's an improved Progress and at least an equal if not a bit better built than the Mergress & Digress for half their price.