D. Saad—January 24, 2020
I purchased this razor as a replacement for my Futur adjustable which was lost by the airlines. Futur was very nice so why didn't I purchase another? More on that to come, but now let me tell you my first impressions having used this Parker for the first time moments ago. The Parker is solid and shaves beautifully. The more aggressive settings work well for my first pass, dialing down to a less aggressive setting for subsequent passes gave me a baby smooth shave with no irritation. Now let's compare. The Parker is much safer. The blade adjustment mechanism is accessed from the base of the handle, not by swiveling the business end of the razor as in the Futur's case. I sliced my finger making a blade adjustment during a shave with the Futur. Also, the checkering on the handle made for a secure grip. Second, the head design on the Parker Variant is slimmer and less bulky, making it much easier to shave the upper lip and just under the nostril area. Finally, the razor's design makes it easier to clean and keep maintained. Some disassembly was required on the Futur to completely clean the razor compartment. The reason I tried this razor instead of just repurchasing my lost Futur was because of the way the company owner helped me with an issue I had on a previous purchase. He quickly took care of my issue and made everything very easy for me. We chatted and I mentioned I lost my old razor and he mentioned the Variant. Because of his personal attention and interest, I bought the Variant. Thanks Howie! Read more
Chris—January 4, 2019
This razor is awesome! I decided to make the change from disposable razors to a safety razor a little over a year ago. My reasoning was the cost of disposable and the coolness factor of the old school razors. I started out with the cheap $15 plastic feather razor with the supplied feather blades for ease of use and cost. When I finally figured out what i was doing with a safety razor I figured it was time for a upgrade. With so many options on the market i had no clue where to start so I started researching. Every razor seemed to have different shaves and different characteristics. I went back and forth between so many razors. I almost even got more confused. It finally came down to parker. Parkers have been around for a while, their cost didn’t break the bank and they have so many great reviews everywhere so that helped me choose a brand. Now to choose what parker? I went back and forth between was the 99r and the variant. I liked that the 99r had the butterfly but the variant was adjustable. I finally decided to fork out a little more and go adjustable. Not that the 99r would have been a bad choice but for the fact I could choose my shave with the variant. Im really glad i did too! My first shave with the variant i put it on the 4 setting. It was good for my face but irritated the h... out of my neck! The next shave i stuck with 4 on my face and cranked it down to 2.5 for my neck. It was the best shave of my life! I would highly recommend anyone who has never shaved or is newer to wet shaving to look into a adjustable safety razor. Not saying the non adjustable are bad but you might choose one thats not right for you and that would ruin the whole experience. With the adjustable if its too harsh you can just move it down to the next setting and shave away! Now for the razor. I chose the gun metal color. The razor looks awesome! The weight and balance feel great. The length is a little shorter than I expected but i had no issues while using it. I was a little worried about the loading of the blades over the butterfly but they are a breeze to load with the 2 piece design. Overall I don’t regret my decision one bit and would highly recommend this razor to anyone from beginner to experienced. Read more
Rob Clifton Amazon-Fan—January 19, 2018
Hopefully this comparison review might give you some extra information in your research and save you time. I started DE shaving about two years ago, so I not an expert, but have some good experience. My latest and most expensive razor purchase is the Parker Variant. I’ve bought and tried maybe ten-fifteen lower-cost razors previously and give away all but the top few. Shave: The Variant gives a great shave for me on level 3 with Derby Extra blades and Edge orange-cap gel. I got sbout at week of double-pass shaves from one 10 cent blade. Grip: I like that the Variant has knurling on the handle. It does help some. I hold the razor a bit higher though with my fore-finger above where there is no knurling. Build quaily and function: The quality seems good and functions and adjusts really well. Rinsing: I really like the long and completely open channels for rinsing, and do not clog or have reasonable potential to clog like the multi-blade disposables do. Easy to rinse and does not delay shaving. Loading a blade: Easy to load a blade. With the Variant hold the top cap by the ends then loosen about three turns, pull off the head, dump the blade, load a new blade over the screw and pins, hold the new blade on by the ends, load the cap back to the body with about three turns to bottom out, then adjust back to height setting. Adjustment: I grasp the razor head with thumb on top and handle between first two fingers. Twist the bottom of the handle. Appearance: My personal Variant that I bought has a matte finish that is a little more gold or amber than a sliver color. I like the matte finish for its slickness. The black coating on the handle of the Variant is a bit translucent and generally lighter than I thought, which doesn’t hurt its performance and looks fine. Under the nose: Not able to easily get all the whisker up high under my nose. I use another razor with thinner head to be sure to get them all. The Variant leaves the blade exposed on the edges, which you could cut your nose with the side of the blade if you are not careful enough. Safety-bar-comb: The Variant has a slight not-open skid pad, diagonal, and about 4mm wide. In conclusion, the Variant is a very good razor, handsome and manly (R-R-R) on the bathroom counter! It is not my favorite though. Happy shaving! Update: I found the Schick Injector and have a new favorite. I have a 60’s non-adjustable and a 70’s adjustable used from eBay with blades from Amazon. Fantastic blade life, easiest shaves, long blade life. I gave my Variant to a friend. Read more
