Thought I'd try something a little different for this video. A short close up review of the Merkur Progress long handled razor. Kevy Shaves on Instagram - / kevyshaves
Some people do not like the plastic dial on the “Merkur Progress” and swap it with a metallic one. A matter of personal taste. This plastic dial brings back memories of my childhood in the 60's. This kind of creme-colour plastic was used almost everywhere in the 50’s and 60’s, they were so popular in Europe. I remember knobs of old radios, of vinyl-disk players, of our first tv, of car dashboards and plenty of other things with exactly these milky yellowish plastic dials and knobs. In this sense it is definitely a real vintage item. Without it, the “Progress” would lose its authenticity. Keep in mind: even if the “Merkur Progress” is still produced and available today, it came on the market in the 50’s, like the famous “Gillette Fatboy”.
Great comment Patrick! A lot of people don't like the plastic dial. I don't mind it, it does add to it's vintage feel and look and you're correct, the Merkur Progress has been around since the 1950's. hard to believe, I think most people think it's a modern razor. Cheers. Kevy 😀
Still helpful after all these years. I’m glad I didn’t get the pliers out….no instructions in the box in how to open. Thanks!!! Looking forward to this new adventure in shaving.
Just waxing nostalgic by going back and watching past vids of Kevy's channel. This review was a very pleasant surprise. It was presented with the same honest, and unassuming attitude that Kev uses during his shaves. Enjoyed very much.
I just got my merkur progress few days back, shaved with it yesterday and very satisfied with the shave. This video was also helpful with the notch part where the marks have to line up.
LEMBOCHI PRODUCTIONS Thanks. It's a very good razor. Good to hear that you like it. Yes, the notches need to be on the same side for the settings to work properly. Cheers. Kevy 👍
I've had my progress since the mid 80's. Despite being chipped on on all four corners and having lost a little chrome from the top cap, the zinc casting hasn't dissolved (contrary to shaving forum wisdom) and it still shaves really well.
Thanks very much for the presentation. I have never seen a razor with this type of configuration and I appreciate the detailed breakdown and reassembly. :)
Kevy, you can always use a bright red nail polish with a tooth pick to color the little notch & the triangle arrow in red to see it better to match the marks up with less guess work & color the little dot in red to see it better also ,,,,,,the bottom of the handle looks like a imprint of a little Frankenstein looking head on the white plastic handle....!
Kevy, I can't believe you're doing a Merkur Progress review. A week ago through G-mail, you recommended that I try a Merkur Progress or a vintage adjustable. Well. . . on Sunday night, I found out that I had the high bid for a Merkur Progress on U.S. Ebay at $32.51 ! The person selling it just didn't care for it, (my gain). It will arrive by post on Saturday; I can't wait. I've been shaving with a "shimmed razor" for a couple of months now and even though I was getting a decent shave, I was always trying to rig the razor with a better shim to get the blade gap a little better. Now that the Progress is coming, I won't have to deal with that nonsense anymore. Thanks for your advice and the new Merkur Progress video. Well done. Andy
That's fantastic news Andy. I'm sure you'll like the Progress. It's worth tryingdifferent blades and settings at first to see what works best for you and your skin/beard type. I've found that setting 3 for the first pass then adjusting to setting 2 for the 2nd & 3rd passes works great for me. Please let us all know how you get on with it when it arrives. I'm excited for you!!!
Thanks, Good Review.. I have this razor and one note the aggressiveness goes beyond the number 5 to the + markings.. I use the +1 and +2 aggressiveness levels.. Good job
Actually Kev I think you will find the adjuster moves the top up and down to get the blade exposure the handle is simply the surface the screw pulls down on. So the top is fully down against the handle when at position 1. When the adjuster is unscrewed it allows the top to move up so exposing the blade edge in the blade gap by ''un-bending' the blade.
Excellent demonstration. Thank you. Have you come across one similar (Merkur Progress I have amongst my collection) but with all-plastic (creme colour) handle and base of the head?
Progress is my first real razor. (aside from the dollar store razor experiment) Loving it. Smooth even at very high settings. Highly suggest an adjustable as a first razor. Most beginner razors are too mild. Very happy I didn't go that route.
Kevy Shaves I’ve had my eye in one fir a while. I didn’t like the Futur too much as the head was too big for shaving upper lip, but I love my 34C and G
hi kevy brilliant video as always, how would you compare the progress to the Gillette slim adjustable? it's my favourite razor at the moment but am looking into the progress. cheers mate
I would say they are both great razors. I would say the Progress on its highest setting will give you a more aggressive shave than the Slim on its highest setting. So the Progress might just win overall in terms of versatility in my opinion but it's great to have a vintage Gillette in your shave den. Cheers. Kevy.
Excellent video, thank you Kev. Have you come across a Merkur Progress, three-piece, cream-colored bakelite handle and baseplate, 43.3g, adjusting ring on top? Will try to send you photo.
I noticed that in the Merkur catalog the numbers are separated by dots. Both yours and mine are separated by lines. Do you know if that's just a cosmetic or has the razor been updated/refined?
I found nothing but great comments on the Progress Razor. I have one in my Cart at West Coast Shavings. I've not yet clicked the "Buy Button", but I likely will.
+Kevy Shaves: I placed my order thru Amazon last evening; it was eligible for free next day so I took advantage of that. I already have my Long Handled Progress :>) I really like the heft of the razor and will likely use it for tomorrows shave.
Hi Kevy, Just a helpful hint for your viewers who perhaps have bad eyesite. If you look under the head there is a number 1. The plate has the number 2. Both numbers should be on the same side when screwing together. ie: 1 on top of 2. Cheers, Steve in Fife.
I am thinking of buying a Merkur Progress Short Handle, when you remove the top head of that Razor, you see the metal bar that has 3 holes, can that be removed for cleaning the razor.
Dear Kevy, I'm very new to safety razors, having used cartridges for years but decided to switch because of ingrowing hairs and shaving bumps. My facial hair's quite coarse but the skin is sensitive. Given that I'm likely to use only the 1-3 settings, would your recommend the Merkur Progress, a slanted-blade razor or something else? With many thanks!
Hi William. Good question. Good to hear you're shaving the right way! I would say the Merkur Progress would be perfect for your needs. You can use it on the lower settings with a mild blade until your skin gets more used to this way of shaving. It will get better as time goes on and your technique improves and you try different blades. Blades can make a big difference to how a shave feels. It's good to get a mixeture of blades to try out to see which ones work best for you. Slant razors are good but I think an adjustable razor like the Merkur Progress or the Parker Variant would suit your needs better just now. Hope that helps. Kevy 👍
@@kevyshaves4109 Many thanks, Kevy, for your fast and very useful reply. I'll go for the Merkur Progress, as you suggest, and try a 'selection pack' of blades to see which suit me best!
I have merkur progress but for the first 5 turns it does not move much but if I take another 5 turns it moves a lot. So it is like 10 turns. Is it true for you also or is my merkur defective?
Hey Kevy. Just wanted to ask you. Do you take the blade out after every shave and you clean the razor through out? Or you just dampen it with a cloth? What is your maintenance process?
I take the blade out after every shave and rinse it under the hot water tap. Then I just leave it out to dry on a piece of tissue or kitchen roll for a few hours, then put it back in its wrapper and store it in a small plastic box with all my other blades I've used before. I rinse the razor under hot water and then towel dry it and leave it dissembles for a day or two befor putting it back together and putting it back in the cabinet I store my razors in. Every few weeks I'll clean my razors with a soft toothbrush and some hand soap, rinse it off and then repeat the above process. Hope,that explains it. Cheers. Kevy 👍
I would rather use this razor than the Muhle R41. You can turn it down on the setting dial so that you can have a mild shave or a more efficient shave. You can't do that with the Muhle R41. Kevy 👍
