Best mild adjustable razor? (2024)

I've been using a Merkur Progress on and off for about 8 years and its currently my daily shaver.

At its lowest setting (completely closed) its slightly more aggressive than a Merkur 34c or Muhle R89.

A comfortable, smooth shaver while being very efficient.

Hi Bud,

I would second that Fatboy thought of yours. The Fatboy has slightly milder settings compared to the Slim.

Lower settings (1-3) are mild for me. Tech-like even though the Tech actually has more gap than the Fatboy - but I think the Fatboy has different blade exposure, but I cannot confirm.

The heft of the razor is awesome.

Just my 2ct. Enjoy!

Guido

Of my 3 adjustable razors (Gillette Slim, Gillette Fat Boy, Rex Ambassador) the Slim and Fat Boy are equally mild, and thoroughly enjoyable. My father taught me to shave on a Gillette Slim, and it will always be near and dear. The Rex is a work of art, considerably more aggressive, and delivers a shave that lasts a long time.

But my favorite mild razor is the Rockwell 6S, which Rockwell markets as an "adjustable." And rightly so. It has 3 base plates that give 6 different levels of mildness. I personally use plates #3 and #4. Rockwell's site currently shows Black Friday pricing of up to 50% off. I gave both my sons a Gillette adjustable and a Rockwell 6S. They both prefer the Rockwell.

May I close with this advice? Grab that Fat Boy. It will remain with you for life. You'll love it, especially if you prefer hefty razors. Then pick another razor. Variety is the spice of life.

I would suggest the merkur progress or the Rockwell 6C/6S.

Both phenomenal razors!

If you liked the Slim and want milder, a Fatboy is a logical next step.

I don't know if it would be "better" than either of those, but a Tatara Muramasa is probably the mildest adjustable you can get. Very smooth. If you like heft, the stainless steel provides it.

Any good adjustable should go from mild all the way to wild.

If you want higher end, I'd suggest the Tatara Muramasa and the Blackland Osprey. Both are mild at the lower settings.

I didn’t like the Fatboy that I had. The blade didn’t feel like it was clamped well enough. My Slim feels more comfortable. It’s a shame because I think the Fatboy looks better than the Slim.

Out of those, Rex Ambassador, Yaqi Final Cut, Pearl Flexi, Homelike Taiga, Whityle adjustable, Qshave Futur clone, Heritage Gibbs and Gibbs, by far the smoothest/mildest shave I had was from the Taiga followed by the Flexi and Gibbs.

FWIW ---

My Flexi, at "1", is too mild for me to use. At "2", with an Astra blade, it gives a comfortable shave, comparable to a DE89.

Somewhere between would probably suit you.

. CHarles

Bang for the buck: Progress

Elite indulgence: Rockwell 6S

tm3 said:

Bang for the buck: Progress

Elite indulgence: Rockwell 6S

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With respect, the 6s is considered a Bang for Buck adjustable to many. It's not even in the discussion if you want to talk about Elite Indulgence for an adjustable.

Bud2024 said:

In your opinion, what is the most mild and comfortable adjustable razor? I’m good with either new or vintage recommendations. The only adjustable I’ve ever tried was the Gillette Slim and I liked it. Are there any better options? I was thinking of picking up a Fat Boy because I typically enjoy heftier razors, but I wanted to hear your thoughts. On the non-adjustable side, I most enjoy using my Henson AL13 (mildest version) and my Supply SE, for reference. TIA!

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There are two current production options that use the same type of adjustment mechanism used by Gillette in their razors from the 70s and 80s like the Super Adjustable.

The first, that I own, is the Razorock Adjust (rebranded Baili) that is a bargain at under $15. Italian Barber sells this, it's also sold by Stirling for a similar price under a different name. It's range is definitely on the mild end of the spectrum and it works well for me. The other is the Rockwell T2 adjustable that is also on the mild side. Both of these have a number of positive reviews on B&B. The Rockwell is currently on sale for $120. Note that the T2 is a TTO adjustable like your slim. The Roclwell 6S or 6C are three piece razors with three different bottom plates that allow you to vary razor aggressiveness.

Of course one could also seek a vintage Gillette Super Adjustable. Believe the adjustment mechanism is similar to that of your Slim.

idjekyll said:

With respect, the 6s is considered a Bang for Buck adjustable to many. It's not even in the discussion if you want to talk about Elite Indulgence for an adjustable.

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Sure, all of this is a YMMV thing.

I consider stainless steel with a 3 figure price tag elite, but others may consider it pedestrian. OP asked for opinions.

I had a Gillette slim, never got along with it. I wish I did, I really liked the engineering of it.

First pick would be a Rockwell 6s
Second pick would be a merkur progress, settings between 0-1/4 turns.

+1 to the Tatara Muramasa. I've got 2 (SS and ti) and they're both mild but efficient for me on settings 1-3. 4 has a little blade feel and 5 is reasonably aggressive. Blade selection really matters, though. I tried mine with Personna Lab Blues and Astra SPs and didn't get great results. Moving up to sharper blades (Kai or Feather) made a huge difference and now it's one of my favorite razors.

I definitely prefer the Muramasa to the Progress. As @DE Steve mentioned, the Progress at its lowest setting is a bit more aggressive than the 34C, and the head profile is pretty thick. The Muramasa is easier to get into tough spots and you can definitely dial it down to a lower level than the Progress.

I prefer the lightness of the ti, but of course it's super expensive and only released in small batches once a year or so. The SS performs just about the same at a much more reasonable price, especially when they're on sale (like they are now).

I would say that the Progress is very mild at the lower settings, and reasonably mild at the higher settings.

I do my WTG pass on higher settings and my ATG and cleanup passes on lower settings.