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Thursday, March 29, 2018

Lord Platinum Class Vs. Feather Blades and P.R.A.

I have been applying my P.R.A. (progressive razor aggressiveness) process with great results. (For more information on PRA, see my article on Sharpologist.com.)
My Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements DOC

I've currently had three shaves with my Lord Platinum Class blade. This blade isn't dangerously
sharp, so my use of my mild Double-Open-Comb (DOC) razor was limited to the blade's maiden shave. Then as is my custom, my razor progression went next to my 1965 Gillette Tech. This razor, too, was only needed for shave number two.

My '65 Tech Head on the PAA handle.
Then this morning I used my Parker Variant (set to one) for the third shave on this Lord Platinum Class blade, and a pleasant shave it was!

Contrast that to my prior blade, which was a Feather brand. Because it's a sharper and more irritating blade, I took several shaves with the DOC before switching to the Tech. Even then, the shave with the Tech was a bit too aggressive for my skin, so I returned to the DOC for a couple more shaves.

Then I returned to the Feather-Tech combination for a couple more shaves before finishing the blade's useful life in my Parker Variant. (By the way, since my PRA article was published on Sharpologist, I've relegated to my closet razor box my Ming Shi 2000S, the Merkur Futur imitator, because though good in its own way, one edge of the razor was slightly more aggressive than the other. The Variant offers as good a shave and is more uniform in the relative aggressiveness of its edges.)

Parker Varian
I should note that I found the Feather to be as durable as any of my other brands, which is counter to the experience of some others, who say that the useful life of the Feather blade is relatively short. I do admit that I recycled the Feather blade after the fourteenth shave -- not because it's useful life was anywhere near done; I could have easily gotten seven or more shaves from the blade. However, the shaves were consistently a bit irritating from the first to the fourteenth, so I figured it wasn't worth stretching the number of shaves.

It was much better to put the Feather blade into the blade-recycle can, and pull out a blade that is much more comfortable for me to use. The Lord blade was a welcome relief.

Happy shaving!


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2 comments:

  1. TGatzaJrApril 2, 2018 at 8:27 AM

    A couple of things I dislike about the Ming Shi 2000S is the side edge of the blade is about 1/4" from the side of the razor (I didn't actually measure it.) This dead space is annoying and at times difficult to compensate for. Secondly, I found that if I rotate the razor to far up where more of the cap is on the skin it tends to create friction and stops the razor dead in it's tracks.

    The razor as a whole does give a good shave and I love the adjustability of it. However, it's like driving an army tank. I was curious if you experienced the same thing with yours and if the Parker Variant does the same?

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    Replies
    1. Doug HansfordApril 2, 2018 at 12:42 PM

      Yes, a drawback of the Futur design and copycats is the width of the razor head being significantly larger than the width of the blade's cutting edges. This does take some working around. And no, the Variant from Parker does not have this issue. In my experience, the Variant has a smaller, more manageable head and offers a high-quality shave. Its adjustability is similar to the 2000S in that its mildest setting is somewhat moderate, not uber mild. The Variant, like the Merkur Progress, does however have the ability to be set to very aggressive settings, if desired.
      My personal preference is to use the Variant set between 1 and 3 depending on the blade type and number of shaves for which it has been used.
      In sum, many consider the Variant to be a top-drawer option, a first-class razor. That is also my opinion.

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