Parker Variant Adjustable Open Comb Safety Razor

Had to try the open comb Variant based on Geo’s video review. Already had the Variant closed comb and semi slant in my den. This open comb didn’t disappoint. Very smooth and super efficient with GSB blade used. Thanks Geo for everything you do for the wet shaving community. As always SN was super fast in shipping and always answers any questions I have.

I reluctantly gave in and finally made the purchase of this razor,to my surprise,top notch razor ,running right next to the 6C. BBS was achieved with a Feather blade on 2nd past. Great purchase ,love this razor.

Used with Astra Blue and gave an excellent shave, cut thought several days growth with no problem set at #5, then was able to dial it down to #3 for the rest of the passes and #1 for finishing up. Worked great and put together very well, in fact very good quality for the price. I believe it will work well with any blade so long as you adjust or tune it for that blade.

Very smooth and efficient! What I like most is that blade choice doesn’t matter once you figure out what setting that particular blade performs best with your face.

Reviews of this product were stellar across the web. Every individual exhibit is different, though. Maybe mine is that exception.

I've given this razor 1 month or more. The pros and cons have me rate it a 3.5 (rounded up to 4) stars. Here goes:

PROS
Material is very good - feels solid in the hand.
Gives a GREAT shave. Comparing to both Parker 96R & Feather Adjustable.

CONS - All related to the fact that it's not well built.
A) Turning dial to 1 feels like I'll break the razor - and that is a surprisingly aggressive setting, i.e., I could easily cut through 5 to 6 days of growth.
B) Dial sometimes screws tight at level 1, or can go well past level 1 to the point I cannot get to 1 again without assuredly breaking the blade, i.e., overly tight. (Is this blade-dependent?)
C) Given "B" above, there's no way to obtain a consistent setting--level 1 or otherwise--when changing out blades.
D) Too aggressive for its supposed range of function. I really thought this was a suitable beginner's product. I am not a beginner, and luckily so. I had hoped for the product as described by the shaving community.

All that said, the razor gives such a fantastic shave that I would still recommend it. It's that good! Unfortunately, it is just not for either beginners or those who want a mild daily driver shave. Mine simply cannot achieve a mild setting.