See My Latest Article on Sharpologist.com -- August 3rd

I have another (brilliant) article scheduled to be published on Sharpologist.com on August 3rd.

Don't miss it!

Happy shaving (and reading)!

A Shim in My Snap-together Two-piece Razor

As promised yesterday, I shaved this morning with a reverse shim in my Ming Shi 2000S razor, a Chinese instrument based on the original Merkur Futur design.

Sold to me by Maggard Razors, the Ming Shi 2000S razor is based on the original
Merkur Futur design, but with some slight changes including added lather slots.

With my edge-less shim in place between the top cap and the shaving blade, I took a down-up shave followed by a third pass and some clean-up strokes.

My down-up passes were set on one, the razor's mildest setting. My third pass, as much as possible strictly against the grain, was set to two, and then additional, final under-jaw clean-up strokes on three.

The outcome was a very good shave (as expected). I did have two minor wounds due to careless cockpit error, not equipment failure.

So the bottom line on today's trial is this:

If you have a two-piece adjustable razor -- one whose design is based on either of Merkur's razors, the Progress or Futur --  and your adjustable is just too aggressive for you on its mildest setting, then a reverse shim may just be the solution to make your adjustable razor ideal.

Happy shaving!

Revisiting the Futur-design Razors Equipped with a Reverse Shim

I'm officially on the record as being a big fan of adjustable razors.

They offer the opportunity for a one-size-fits-all instrument that is good for any beard, any face, any blade, and any usable blade condition from new to thirty shaves.

The one fly in the ointment has been that most adjustables don't dial down mild enough for some users or some blades. However, for some two-piece adjustables such as the Parker Variant or the Merkur Progress, that problem has been solved with the idea of the reverse shim, which is an edge-less blade sandwiched between the top cap and the actual shaving blade.

Now that I employ the magic of the reverse shim, my Parker Variant is now a beloved go-to daily shaver -- ideal for any blade in any usable condition as well as any beard and face!!!

Reverse shims (or tape strips between top cap and blade) probably won't work for one-piece (that is, twist-to-open) razors such as the vintage Gillette adjustables. They certainly aren't a great option for my 1963 Gillette Slim.

The remaining question is will a reverse shim do the trick in two-piece razors with the snap-in top cap? This razor design was pioneered by the Merkur Futur, and, with the expiration of the Merkur patent, has since been adapted by Chinese razors such as the Q Shave or the Ming Shi 2000S.

Tomorrow's shave will be with the Ming Shi 2000S, employing a reverse shim, to evaluate the practicality of decreasing the minimum aggressiveness of a Futur-based razor design. (Photo courtesy of Maggard Razors, where I purchased my 2000S.)

I will test this tomorrow. I've already queued up my 2000S with a reverse shim and a blade, and will give it a go. Of course, I'll  share my thoughts in this blog afterward.

Stay tuned and happy (reverse) shimming!

Love the One You're With...

According to the '70s music group, Crosby, Stills and Nash, "If you can't be with the one you love, honey, love the one you're with."

This advice applies to double-edge razors (DEs) as well.

Many DE users spend much time, money and energy shopping, buying and trying DEs to find one that is just right for their face and beard. My recent successful experiments turning my Parker Variant into the one-size-fits-all razor that I've always desired, has got me thinking....

Many if not most two- or three-piece razors can be tuned, their aggressiveness adjusted, to be razors that almost anyone can love.

Now, of course, I maintain my stated preference for adjustable two-piece razors like the Variant for the following reasons:

• The infinite adjustability from mild to wild allows me to compensate for blade-sharpness degradation as it evolves through its life cycle.
• The adjustability allows me to increase the aggressiveness of the razor easily during the shave as I make final clean-up strokes to achieve my desired shave closeness.
• The two-piece design (as contrasted with the one-piece TTO adjustables) allows for razor aggressiveness tuning using tape or shims (as discussed in previous, recent articles in this blog).

But I started pondering potential improvements to the shave character of several non-adjustable razors that I've relegated to my bedroom-closet razor box. These razors include the Rimei RM2003 and my 1965 Gillette Travel Tech.

My '65 Travel Tech is just a touch too aggressive when paired with a sharp new blade.
It's a candidate for tape strips or a shim between the top cap and blade.

For me, these three-piece, non-adjustable razors are just a touch too aggressive to be all-purpose shavers -- and the Rimei is more aggressive than the Tech. So I'm going to experiment with a single shim between the top cap and the blade (a so-called reverse shim) to make their shave character a bit more tame.

This Rimei RM2003 is a touch more aggressive than the Gillette Tech.
At least a shim and perhaps a thin tape on the underside of the top cap,
between it and the blade, might do the trick to tame this cat to my satisfaction.

For those out there for whom these razors are too mild, they could try a shim (or two) between the blade and the baseplate, which would make the razors' shave character more aggressive.

As a reminder, a shim is made from an old DE blade that has had its edges trimmed off with scissors. 

An alternative to using a shim, which adds another piece of hardware to the razor assembly, is to add tape (one layer or more as needed) to the underside of the top cap or on top of the baseplate to either respectively decrease or increase the aggressiveness of the razor. Because the tape is in the middle of the top-cap-and-baseplate "sandwich", it tends to become a semi-permanent part of the razor -- almost never needing replacement.

By tuning or de-tuning the aggressiveness of your razor to meet your needs, you can avoid having to find one you (might) love right out of the box, and, instead, love the one you're with.

Happy shaving!

A Confirmation that the Reverse-Shimmed Variant is a Great Move

My first shave with my reverse-shimmed Parker Variant was described in my previous posting. And a great shave it was!

This Parker Variant is now the only DE razor that I use!

But one great shave doesn't tell the whole story any more than a good opening paragraph portends a gripping novel.

The real tests come when using various blades that are known for their out-of-the-wrapper sharpness. This includes some of those in my large-inventory cache such as Astra Superior Platinum, Personna (blue as well as red) and Shark.

So this morning I opened a fresh Astra blade and put that into my Variant -- along with the reverse shim inserted between the top cap and the cutting blade.

Bottom line: another great shave!

Today's shave was the first of what I believe will be many shaves that confirm the potential of the Parker Variant to be the ideal razor for every DE user. For most it is ideal right out of the box. For a minority of users, who need a razor with a less-aggressive shave character, all that is needed is some strips of tape applied to the underside of the top cap, or a reverse-shim inserted between the top cap and the blade.

As a result of these trial shaves, I have further simplified my at-hand inventory of razors. There are now only two:

• I have my Parker PTB barber's straight razor for various hair trimming such as the back of my neck.
• My Parker Variant is now the only DE razor that I keep at hand. (The rest are in my razor box in a bedroom closet.) The Variant now (with the added reverse shim) has the aggressiveness range to address all my shaving needs including early shaves with very sharp blades.

Further confirmation of the adjustment range of my Variant with come with first-blade-use shaves with Personnas (both red and blue) and Sharks. I can hardly wait!

Happy shaving!

The Parker Variant: Making it the Best Razor for ALL Users!!!!

As you may know from reading my many articles, for a long time I've thought that the Parker Variant adjustable razor is the best affordable adjustable double-edge razor (DE) razor available. In fact, it just may be a prime candidate for the best DE razor, with no qualifiers. Simply the best.

Parker Variant with the charcoal handle.

But there was (past tense) just one fly in the ointment. For those users with skin that is extremely susceptible to tiny nicks or for some who wanted to use the sharpest blades (Feather brand), at its mildest setting, the Variant was perhaps just not quite mild enough.

Parker Variant with the satin-chrome handle.

But I found the simple solution, which I used this morning. As a matter of fact I'm still basking in the quiet satisfaction of a truly close and comfortable shave -- one of my best ever.

What has taken the Variant from a very good razor to the best is the addition of a shim -- a reverse shim to be more specific.

A reverse shim is an edge-less blade inserted between the top cap and the blade that actually does the shaving.

A reverse shim makes a DE razor less aggressive. A normal shim (referred to simply as a shim, with no preceding modifier) is placed between the blade and the baseplate, and makes a DE razor more aggressive.

The shim is made by taking an old DE blade and trimming off just the cutting edges with a pair of scissors.

Unlike a DE blade used for cutting whiskers, a shim doesn't wear out and can be used indefinitely.

If you're considering a new DE razor -- and perhaps the only razor you'll ever need -- consider adding the Parker Variant to your shave den. Click on the graphic above to shop for your Variant.

Happy ideal shaving!