After wanting this razor for a long time and being a big fan of my 38C I really wanted to like this razor. The increased blade angle was a stroke of genius and worked wonders, but ultimately, even on the mildest setting I found it to be too aggressive for me. I understand that my skin is prone to irritation few can imagine. My go-to razor atm is a vintage Gillette 'slim' and for an adjustable, it's way milder using my standard Astra SP blades all the way up to KAI and Feather blades. But for the Progress, I found this long version too heavy and slippery to be my daily driver. I will be keeping it in rotation and dialing it down with a different blade perhaps, but for now I'll be going back to the slim adjustable.

I bought this razor as my second DE razor. My first razor is the 34C Heavy Duty. I use the Progress and 34C in rotation. This is a hefty razor and I like the long handle. The plastic knob is cheap and of poor quality with rough edges. It shaves well although the head is a little less manoeuvrable. Whilst adjustable, I keep on setting 2 or 3.

This was the first Progress model I purchased, and fell in love with it so much, purchased the shorter handled version (Classic).

Its a wonderful performing razor, easy to load (as long as you pay attention to the marks on the razor head and body), and you can adjust it to suit your needs. This razor can be adjusted to be mild or aggressive as you need.

I like both the long and short handled version, and both perform the same. That being said, please know that because of the way the razor is made, numbers from one razor to the next will vary ie. 3 on my razor may be a 5 on yours. However, find what works for you and stick to it.

The handle is very nice, and although it looks a bit slippery, its still nice to hold and I haven't dropped it once. The plastic ivory knob is a nice finishing touch.

Overall, I love my Progress. I own the Futur and the Vision 2000, and the Progress is still up there.

Thanks Mensbiz for the free samples as well!

I love this razor! Its well weighted and the long handle is a pleasure to work with.

Changing blades is simple and easy, and I don't mind it one bit!

Although the adjustment knob is plastic, I dont mind it. Its kind of "retro" looking.

Its shaves great! Overall I would highly recommend this razor! Love it!

I've been using this long handled version of the Merkur Progress for almost a week now and even though I've got small hands I find it's much easier to wield than the regular-length handle version (which I've had for about a year). The Merkur blade which came with it, although it gives a reasonable shave, doesn't come up to the standard of a Feather blade, which gives me a much closer shave than other blades MensBiz sells and lasts far longer before needing a replacement. There's about a half inch difference in the length of the handles of the regular and long handled versions but even though it's not a great deal, it's amazing the difference the extra length makes. It's a fairly aggessive razor but it's adjustability enables a first time user to set it at it's least aggressive and increase the blade angle/exposure to suit. I've got nothing apart from some bathroom scales with which to weigh both versions of the Progress, and the calibration of the scales is such that an accurate weight comparison can't be made. Weighing one against the other in both of my hands, they both "feel" about the same weight. To be sure, they're both hefty razors and little, if any, pressure is necessary to give an excellent shave. The weight of the razor itself is all that's necessary. All in all the Progress long handle is a very fine, precision made German piece of engineering. It's a joy to use. Highly recommended.