Yaqi Avanti. A Stainless Progress, finally....

[GlazedBoker]

My opinion - and only mine - each to their own - the Avanti pretty much exemplifies why I boycott Yaqi - such a shameless copy. Okay, this is based on a classic razor that's been kicking about for decades but their copies of - for instance - Blackland razors could potentially put off the manufacturers that are spending money on R&D and innovation. Their copy of the Progress even has the wee triangle alignment mark on the cap. Since I'm making myself unpopular - I don't get the fetish for stainless steel razors - most of my favourites are aluminium - that's just my choice - but you commonly read posts saying - It'll last a lifetime - yes, so will aluminum if you look after it. What are you planning to do with the razor? - cheers - I.

With all due respect but, you answered your very own question. Choice or preference doesn’t need to be explained nor justified for you to understand or accept one’s reasoning for said purchase. It’s a hobby and opinions are varied from one extreme to the other. Most importantly, they’re all subjective with no wrong or right answer. I don’t question your position on your preference of aluminum over another alloy because in the greater scope of things, it’s irrelevant and honestly, it’s none of my business which just really means that I simply don’t care. No one deserves an explanation nor are they entitled to one. Personally, I’ll never question an individuals choice. It’s their right to do and go about as they please.

A good evening to you.

 

[GlazedBoker]

A good shave from the Avanti last night. I started on setting #3 but, about 3-4 strokes in I did feel that the Bic blade was beginning to lose its edge. I went up from there to setting #4 and eventually finished the shave at setting #5. I coaxed the blade right to the end and it delivered a near BBS finish though, I did give myself some skin disturbance as I buffed around the chin removing some stragglers. The heat gremlins hung for a bit but, were gone after a nice bracing splash and about 30 mins or so. I will say that the shave was still quite comfortable as the Avanti helped me in holding the blade rigidly and still giving a relatively smooth feel on both face & neck. Wasn’t a complete BBS but, it certainly was a DFS+ for sure, minus the heat.

Next on the shave menu will be a shave comparison. I’m looking forward to seeing the OG Progress show its pedigree against the Yaqi newcomer.

Great shaves to all…

 

[GlazedBoker]

Put the Merkur Icon up against the fledgling upstart and I'll be honest, it was a lot closer than I thought it would be. Both gave me a really close & comfortable shave that had me at BBS in 2.5 passes. The shave was later in the evening yesterday at roughly 6:30pm. And as of this writing it's now 6:00am the following morning and my face still feels as smooth and whisker free as when I shaved. The feel in hand was nearly identical between the Progress & Avanti as they are similar in weight though, the Progress is lighter by a couple of grams against the Avanti. During the shave, one can't tell the difference which is which if you were blindfolded at the start. Shaving wise, they're a lot more similar than different whilst I did feel a slight bit more of blade feel or presence with the Progress and at equal settings, the Progress was more aggressive. To me it was almost about a half to two thirds ahead of the Avanti in equal settings providing more tactile feel of the blade on skin over the Avanti. I made no compensation for the less aggressive feel of the Avanti against the Progress and both were set to #5 and finished on both at setting #3.5 once the shave was to my satisfaction.

All in all it was simply a fantastic shave from both. In terms of aesthetics, make up, quality of look & feel, the Avanti feels like the more polished and premium looking razor and that's a fact because, it is. Blade alignment is precise and a non issue with the Avanti and not so much for the Progress as mine has to be fiddled with a bit to get equal alignment and blade exposure on both sides. No biggie but, a flaw nonetheless and it has to be noted. Another is the ease of movement on the adjustment dial on the Avanti over the Progress. Obviously, the Progress is an older model and the threads show significant wear where the chrome plating has deteriorated over use & time. So, the feel on the Progress is not as smooth or quiet compared to the Avanti with its superior alloy construction.

I'll do another shave face off but, this time with the Mergress before putting in a total summation on how the Avanti fairs against the legendary Progress/Mergress.

Great shaves to all...

 

[OrangeSport]

Put the Merkur Icon up against the fledgling upstart and I'll be honest, it was a lot closer than I thought it would be. Both gave me a really close & comfortable shave that had me at BBS in 2.5 passes. The shave was later in the evening yesterday at roughly 6:30pm. And as of this writing it's now 6:00am the following morning and my face still feels as smooth and whisker free as when I shaved. The feel in hand was nearly identical between the Progress & Avanti as they are similar in weight though, the Progress is lighter by a couple of grams against the Avanti. During the shave, one can't tell the difference which is which if you were blindfolded at the start. Shaving wise, they're a lot more similar than different whilst I did feel a slight bit more of blade feel or presence with the Progress and at equal settings, the Progress was more aggressive. To me it was almost about a half to two thirds ahead of the Avanti in equal settings providing more tactile feel of the blade on skin over the Avanti. I made no compensation for the less aggressive feel of the Avanti against the Progress and both were set to #5 and finished on both at setting #3.5 once the shave was to my satisfaction.

All in all it was simply a fantastic shave from both. In terms of aesthetics, make up, quality of look & feel, the Avanti feels like the more polished and premium looking razor and that's a fact because, it is. Blade alignment is precise and a non issue with the Avanti and not so much for the Progress as mine has to be fiddled with a bit to get equal alignment and blade exposure on both sides. No biggie but, a flaw nonetheless and it has to be noted. Another is the ease of movement on the adjustment dial on the Avanti over the Progress. Obviously, the Progress is an older model and the threads show significant wear where the chrome plating has deteriorated over use & time. So, the feel on the Progress is not as smooth or quiet compared to the Avanti with its superior alloy construction.

I'll do another shave face off but, this time with the Mergress before putting in a total summation on how the Avanti fairs against the legendary Progress/Mergress.

Great shaves to all...

View attachment 126210

I think that's convinced me... a better finished Progress in superior material

 

[GlazedBoker]

The Mergress & Avanti went a round here and it is just more of the same as it was with the previous shave with the OG Progress in terms of shave performance & results. However, there are a couple of things that the Mergress does better over the OG Progress with only one negative against the Mergress that I can think of. First, blade alignment is significantly better in the Mergress as I don’t have to play with the blade to get it aligned equally in the razor. The eyeball test proved it to be near spot on at least to my expectations. Second, the dial movement is much cleaner & smoother vs the OG with virtually no noise or squeaking from the adjustment mechanism. More than likely that might just have to do with the wear & tear that is more prominent in the OG Progress than anything else. The Mergress is only about 2 years old so, parts are still relatively good and wear is much less likely. The negative is the overall balance of the Mergress as it feels a bit more handle heavy over the Progress. The adjustment know most certainly has something to do with it as it is rather large and adds some significant weight to the overall razor which includes changing weight bias towards that end. Nevertheless, it shaved exceptionally well and shared nearly identically the gap size discrepancy from the Progress over the Avanti. Not a detriment to the Mergress nor an advantage over the Avanti as it simply has a more blade feel at each subsequent blade gap size over the Avanti. That can be a plus for some and a negative for others. Depends on one’s preference and their experience with said razor(s). If a more aggressive shave stance is preferred from low to high between the 3 razors, in my experience the Merkur offerings will give the user exactly that without sacrificing much at all in overall comfort, ease of use and in general shave performance. The Avanti still stood well against both iterations and delivered equally as good shave results as the beloved Progress & Mergress respectively. Not a single bad shave although it was on ly one round apiece.

In conclusion, I will say that the advantage that the Avanti has over both of the Merkur’s is in overall general construction, quality & fitment. For the first time that I can recall in using a Yaqi razor, they actually nailed it in overall product quality on its first time out. The alloy is superior, the tolerances are just about perfect and ease of use is equal to the Merkur offerings. Granted, the price is the biggest obstacle and the most glaring of negatives for potential users as it is made in China which is synonymous with cheap & underwhelming quality. It is a hefty price for nearly $175US shipped & delivered to one’s door. As for the other side, one can acquire the Progress for nearly 1/3 the price and receive one of the best & affordable adjustable razors. However, that does come with a substantially far inferior alloy with quality issues that can be quite disconcerting especially when your face takes the brunt of those negative attributes. Still, for those in the economical camp, it’s a viable option that can provide very good years of service and one can actually pick up another just as a back up or individual components to suit their needs. The Mergress on the other hand, not so advantageous. True, it offers a modicum of improvement over the original but, new it will run you near the same price as the SS Avanti and the latter still has the advantage in terms of construction and the quality thereoff of said razor. Clearly one gets value with the Progress that is significant but, not so much with the Mergress if any at all. The clear winner for me and it’s just my opinion and the evaluation of the Merkur duo compared to the upstart Avanti is the Yaqi Avanti. It’s simply superior in total craftsmanship from top to bottom. Blade rigidity is better, adjustment dial is smoother and easier to manipulate and it will outlast the Merkur options by decades if not centuries. In the overall scope of cost vs value against any and all manufacturers when it comes to high level alloys & construction, the Yaqi Avanti in my experience exceeds the criteria to meet the requirements of a premium razor regardless of its country of Origen or manufacture.

Yes, it’s worth it in my eyes and just my humble opinion. Great shaves to all…

 

[Johnny Bravo]

The Mergress & Avanti went a round here and it is just more of the same as it was with the previous shave with the OG Progress in terms of shave performance & results. However, there are a couple of things that the Mergress does better over the OG Progress with only one negative against the Mergress that I can think of. First, blade alignment is significantly better in the Mergress as I don’t have to play with the blade to get it aligned equally in the razor. The eyeball test proved it to be near spot on at least to my expectations. Second, the dial movement is much cleaner & smoother vs the OG with virtually no noise or squeaking from the adjustment mechanism. More than likely that might just have to do with the wear & tear that is more prominent in the OG Progress than anything else. The Mergress is only about 2 years old so, parts are still relatively good and wear is much less likely. The negative is the overall balance of the Mergress as it feels a bit more handle heavy over the Progress. The adjustment know most certainly has something to do with it as it is rather large and adds some significant weight to the overall razor which includes changing weight bias towards that end. Nevertheless, it shaved exceptionally well and shared nearly identically the gap size discrepancy from the Progress over the Avanti. Not a detriment to the Mergress nor an advantage over the Avanti as it simply has a more blade feel at each subsequent blade gap size over the Avanti. That can be a plus for some and a negative for others. Depends on one’s preference and their experience with said razor(s). If a more aggressive shave stance is preferred from low to high between the 3 razors, in my experience the Merkur offerings will give the user exactly that without sacrificing much at all in overall comfort, ease of use and in general shave performance. The Avanti still stood well against both iterations and delivered equally as good shave results as the beloved Progress & Mergress respectively. Not a single bad shave although it was on ly one round apiece.

In conclusion, I will say that the advantage that the Avanti has over both of the Merkur’s is in overall general construction, quality & fitment. For the first time that I can recall in using a Yaqi razor, they actually nailed it in overall product quality on its first time out. The alloy is superior, the tolerances are just about perfect and ease of use is equal to the Merkur offerings. Granted, the price is the biggest obstacle and the most glaring of negatives for potential users as it is made in China which is synonymous with cheap & underwhelming quality. It is a hefty price for nearly $175US shipped & delivered to one’s door. As for the other side, one can acquire the Progress for nearly 1/3 the price and receive one of the best & affordable adjustable razors. However, that does come with a substantially far inferior alloy with quality issues that can be quite disconcerting especially when your face takes the brunt of those negative attributes. Still, for those in the economical camp, it’s a viable option that can provide very good years of service and one can actually pick up another just as a back up or individual components to suit their needs. The Mergress on the other hand, not so advantageous. True, it offers a modicum of improvement over the original but, new it will run you near the same price as the SS Avanti and the latter still has the advantage in terms of construction and the quality thereoff of said razor. Clearly one gets value with the Progress that is significant but, not so much with the Mergress if any at all. The clear winner for me and it’s just my opinion and the evaluation of the Merkur duo compared to the upstart Avanti is the Yaqi Avanti. It’s simply superior in total craftsmanship from top to bottom. Blade rigidity is better, adjustment dial is smoother and easier to manipulate and it will outlast the Merkur options by decades if not centuries. In the overall scope of cost vs value against any and all manufacturers when it comes to high level alloys & construction, the Yaqi Avanti in my experience exceeds the criteria to meet the requirements of a premium razor regardless of its country of Origen or manufacture.

Yes, it’s worth it in my eyes and just my humble opinion. Great shaves to all…

View attachment 126283

Thank you for the honest and insightful review.

 

[GlazedBoker]

Thank you for the honest and insightful review.

Cheers amigo....

 

[brit]

The Mergress & Avanti went a round here and it is just more of the same as it was with the previous shave with the OG Progress in terms of shave performance & results. However, there are a couple of things that the Mergress does better over the OG Progress with only one negative against the Mergress that I can think of. First, blade alignment is significantly better in the Mergress as I don’t have to play with the blade to get it aligned equally in the razor. The eyeball test proved it to be near spot on at least to my expectations. Second, the dial movement is much cleaner & smoother vs the OG with virtually no noise or squeaking from the adjustment mechanism. More than likely that might just have to do with the wear & tear that is more prominent in the OG Progress than anything else. The Mergress is only about 2 years old so, parts are still relatively good and wear is much less likely. The negative is the overall balance of the Mergress as it feels a bit more handle heavy over the Progress. The adjustment know most certainly has something to do with it as it is rather large and adds some significant weight to the overall razor which includes changing weight bias towards that end. Nevertheless, it shaved exceptionally well and shared nearly identically the gap size discrepancy from the Progress over the Avanti. Not a detriment to the Mergress nor an advantage over the Avanti as it simply has a more blade feel at each subsequent blade gap size over the Avanti. That can be a plus for some and a negative for others. Depends on one’s preference and their experience with said razor(s). If a more aggressive shave stance is preferred from low to high between the 3 razors, in my experience the Merkur offerings will give the user exactly that without sacrificing much at all in overall comfort, ease of use and in general shave performance. The Avanti still stood well against both iterations and delivered equally as good shave results as the beloved Progress & Mergress respectively. Not a single bad shave although it was on ly one round apiece.

In conclusion, I will say that the advantage that the Avanti has over both of the Merkur’s is in overall general construction, quality & fitment. For the first time that I can recall in using a Yaqi razor, they actually nailed it in overall product quality on its first time out. The alloy is superior, the tolerances are just about perfect and ease of use is equal to the Merkur offerings. Granted, the price is the biggest obstacle and the most glaring of negatives for potential users as it is made in China which is synonymous with cheap & underwhelming quality. It is a hefty price for nearly $175US shipped & delivered to one’s door. As for the other side, one can acquire the Progress for nearly 1/3 the price and receive one of the best & affordable adjustable razors. However, that does come with a substantially far inferior alloy with quality issues that can be quite disconcerting especially when your face takes the brunt of those negative attributes. Still, for those in the economical camp, it’s a viable option that can provide very good years of service and one can actually pick up another just as a back up or individual components to suit their needs. The Mergress on the other hand, not so advantageous. True, it offers a modicum of improvement over the original but, new it will run you near the same price as the SS Avanti and the latter still has the advantage in terms of construction and the quality thereoff of said razor. Clearly one gets value with the Progress that is significant but, not so much with the Mergress if any at all. The clear winner for me and it’s just my opinion and the evaluation of the Merkur duo compared to the upstart Avanti is the Yaqi Avanti. It’s simply superior in total craftsmanship from top to bottom. Blade rigidity is better, adjustment dial is smoother and easier to manipulate and it will outlast the Merkur options by decades if not centuries. In the overall scope of cost vs value against any and all manufacturers when it comes to high level alloys & construction, the Yaqi Avanti in my experience exceeds the criteria to meet the requirements of a premium razor regardless of its country of Origen or manufacture.

Yes, it’s worth it in my eyes and just my humble opinion. Great shaves to all…

View attachment 126283

Awesome review and pics Gus.beautiful razor.

 

[GlazedBoker]

Just food for thought within the confines of the wet shave hobby and the razor artisan makers both domestic & internationally. I have to admit that the line in terms of quality & craftsmanship has narrowed significantly on the perceived capabilities on what and how some of these overseas manufacturers have stepped up their shave manufacturing game to another level of product refinement especially within the Asian Continent and more specifically Mainland China. They’ve always produced more to the side of quantity over product quality for years and have been quite successful in flooding the consumer market around the globe with cheap/affordable shaving products, specifically razors that have been mostly miss more than hit. However, there has been a change in the last couple of years that has seen a shift into real quality production control from the Asian manufacturing field that has started to produce some extremely high quality razors at very competitive pricing. Yes, 90-95% of their offerings are more clones or duplicates of other existing razors out there and by far & large are replicas of some iconic razor tools in existence. Originality is not their forte and to be honest, there hasn’t been anything original minus a couple of artisan makers that have brought some real engineering & design implementations that have been of any positive influence or progress in razor development.


Of course everything I stated above is mostly opinion based on just my personal usage & experience on both sides of the manufacturing spectrum in using both razors produced here & abroad. The Yaqi Avanti has been one of those razors that has benefitted from the Chinese manufacturing conglomerate in stepping up quality, alloy & craftsmanship within the wet shave razor niche producing market. It’s nothing innovative as all they did was produce a replica of an iconic razor from Merkur that has been with us for the most part original in its entirety for the last 6-7 decades. All that was done was it was made entirely of a higher grade alloy (316 stainless steel) to near exacting tolerances in fitment and precision. Nothing extraordinary had to be accomplished or a new design from the ground up as I’m sure Merkur has the capability of producing such a razor to equal if not better standards that Yaqi did with their Avanti-Progress replica. They choose not to and the Chinese/Asian producer said why not and we as wet shavers receive a better quality product with arguably better performance at a very competitive price point. I know, the CCP controls practically all of the manufacturing divisions under their sole control and unfortunately, the government reaps the far majority of the benefits of production vs the independent manufacturers and small machine shops that receive a stipend for their efforts. And history has shown what the CCP can do to a people as it has been in front of our eyes to see for decades and history has shown that they mean business in controlling a people and a nation with a heavy hand. The politics of the situation is not the point I’m trying to relay here. It’s the mere standard that in our niche hobby, overseas manufacturers have seen what a well produced product can do and deliver from observing and yes copying many of the effective procedures that are used in producing quality razors both here in the States as in the European Union. Basically, they’ve caught up to the standards & procedures that the rest of the premium razor making industry have applied for quite a few years and see that consumers are willing to pay a premium for a well produced premium product. I’m not saying that razors will now be skyrocketing in price from the Asian continent but, their prices for these goods have slowly but, steadily have increased as their overall quality in alloy & production has progressed forward.

Many are divided in this field concerning the copying and duplicating of other products from designers & makers that infringes upon intellectual property of those said designs. And the arguments are strong from both sides of the fence without question. Unfortunately, all one can do from here is shake a fist at China in frustration because quite frankly there is nothing anyone can do including the World Trade Organization as China gives the rest of the world the proverbial single finger salute. Or, simply just not purchase any shaving products from them and that is no easy task as they have influence around the globe with how they have flooded the market with product and have a significant say in the world’s overall economy.

One can chose and it’s their right to purchase or not purchase goods from China. I respect those that stand on the grounds of making a concerted effort in not purchasing from them. They are willing to spend the extra in buying products made in the USA and conversely for those that solely buy from the European Union that reside in that part of the world. I also see that many can’t afford the premium costs that makers charge from those respective countries like the US & Europe for their domestically produced razors. They also look for quality and peruse value just as vehemently. It’s a conundrum and finding clarity where all could agree upon is almost a near futile endeavor.

So, the Yaqi Avanti while looked upon as a copycat or rip-off of another manufacturers design went ahead and produced a better overall product from top to bottom and those that have acquired one like myself have reaped the benefit of that process. Would it have been better if Merkur produced their iconic razor in this premium alloy? Arguably yes, but, until if and ever that Merkur decides to produce one, we will never know. In the meantime, the Yaqi Avanti is one heck of a razor that takes a back seat to no one in its overall execution. It’s better than the OG in every metric that one can bring up though price is subjective and one can probably buy 2-3 Merkur Progress razors for the price of just one Avanti. When on sale though at about a 20% discount, it’s even a much better value and I think at the regular price now it’s a decent deal.

Just my humble opinion & thoughts on this really good razor.