A very, very telling shave from the very first stroke. Nothing alarming nor intimidating to speak of announce. However, it was a shave that gave me a lot of information on how the 175++ worked paired with the MR top cap. To get directly to the point and not create a somewhat borderline half-ass answer on the performance end of things via my perspective. Was it an excellent shave? Yes, it was. Was it a comfortable shave? Yes, it was to a certain degree (I’ll expand upon this answer briefly later). Was the shave significantly better over the original top cap? Honestly, no. And that is a good thing meaning in its original set up, the 175++ that is, feels more comfortable and smoother than the MR equipped version. Also the original top cap presents a less likely event of a mishap in giving meself a nic, cut and simply drawing the red liquid from under the epidermis. To expand slightly on the comfort issue, the situation is this. The gap is constant throughout all blade gaps as the MR caps purpose is simply to increase blade feel on the skin relative to one’s adjustment in angle of attack which the MR caps purpose provides with its narrower design. In essence, it gives the user a wider window over the original configuration for cutting adjustment and quite simply if one simply prefers more blade feel as the cap exposes more of the cutting edge and the steels dead area past the cutting edge to the beginning edge of the MR cap. Naturally, the perception on skin is you’re getting more blade feedback because of that wider reveal across the length of the blades exposure however, you really do not get a gain in cutting efficiency. You can play and experiment more with the MR cap but, you won’t necessarily increase the cutting performance on the gaps progressively. I think the MR top cap could provide a minimal gain in the lower gaps as it will heighten the feel and expose more of the blades edge to those less aggressive base plates depending on +/- blade exposure per RR’s spec sheet for the Next Level line up of said base plates. With this much gap and positive blade exposure on the 175++, the gains in performance are very minimal if any gain is perceived by users as the standard set up is really optimal as per my findings & experience. In other words, it’s nice to have the MR top cap if one wants to gain a higher adjustment window compared to the original but, one will not obtain better or greater cutting efficiency as the 175++ is already a fairly aggressive performer in its standard state. I hope that made sense somehow as that’s the best way I can describe it from the seat of my pants here. I will say that the shave was excellent and from the very first stroke I knew that my forgiveness window is slightly turned down with this shave over the prior shaves with the original top cap.
I managed to give myself a few weepers this time around taking on 2 days worth of whiskers but, no nics or cuts and my skin felt smooth to the touch with very little discomfort. A tad of heat around the chin but, gone with a cold water splash, alum pass and a healthy splash of witch hazel & aftershave. Supple and comfortable to the touch 30 minutes later. I will say that with the MR top cap, I could see a performance gain for those that have whiskers that grow more parallel to the skin in helping get the leading edge of the blade under those hairs that lay flatter on the skin than with those who have hair that grows more outwardly or straighter as I have a flatter growth pattern on my neck near the Adam’s Apple area and this razor went through them with relative ease. No clean up passes or buffing required in that specific area.
Overall, for me the original configuration of the Next Level 175++ with standard top cap set up is optimal and more than enough for my specific shave needs as it provides a very healthy blade exposure yet still offers really good smoothness & comfort. It can bite of course just like most razors can however, the 175++ is a very efficient performer that can handle the most aggressive of growth patterns and multiple days of whisker growth without a single issue. It rinses out quickly & thoroughly, is easy to maneuver anywhere on the skin and is a very comfortable and easy razor to assemble & disassemble when required for blade change outs or cleaning. I can’t tell you that it’s a Wolfman WR2 in performance as I’ve never experienced one. What I will say is that this is a very capable razor in use from daily users to once or twice a week shavers that delivers consistently good shaves and top notch results. And for the $$$, this razor is a solid winner any way you slice it. Granted, I prefer their offerings in the higher gap sizes especially for me the 135+ is the sweet zone, there are plenty of options in the Next Level line up that will satisfy an overwhelming majority of shavers both new & old to their specific shave needs and satisfaction.
