Thread: Merkur 1904 Open Comb vs. Gillette slim Adjustable

After a happy year with straights I just had to know about the possibilities with safety razor shaves. I've probably gone as far as I'll go with DE razors (yes - two is enough) so a Muhle R41 and a Merkur Slant are probably not in my future. Fact remains that shaving with DE blades is a real breeze with some good open blade experience under my belt (or over my strop).

Yes - the Merkur 1904 is a mild razor and, yes, with the right blade it offers a fine shave in three passes. If not the irritation-free equal of a straight razor it is nevertheless great in the hard spots (jawline and neck patches for me) and very easy to use. Setting an angle is a breeze, feedback is loud and clear and a safe shave isn't even an issue. The razor is clean, close and forgiving under its own weight and a fresh blade over three passes.

Yes - the Slim Adjustable has a big following for a reason. Mine, 52 years old, is a fine shaving instrument. Having experimented with a range of settings (one setting for an entire shave, same as a straight - ) I came to #6 as slightly more aggressive than the Merkur and near-equal to a straight. While both do a fine job all-around I give the advantage to the Slim. A two-pass shave on a one-day growth is every bit as good as three passes with the Merk open comb. If i wanted to get real picky I'd dial back to #5 (or even #4) for a third pass but what's the point? A two pass shave with this magnificent device has me smoothly shaven and essentially irriatation free. By the way, rather than always employing a straight draw up or down I use a little sideways slip-slding with these razors to very good effect. A canoeist would know the technique as a "J-stroke".



I'll get more involved in blade selection over the rest of this year but, so far, blade-for-blade, the Gillette Slim Adjustable presents a lot of range and precision for a little bit of dough. I could try another dozen razors but I have my doubts the performance deviations will be tremendous.

That's all I got.

I have had a similar experience. I picked up a Gillette Superspeed a couple of months ago out of curiosity. I ended up liking it. About a month ago I came across a Gillette Fatboy and have been testing it out. I really enjoy the aDjustability. DEs are great and will keep on using them along with my straights.