Merkur Futur

A - W

A - W

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I recently acquired one of these razors and have been using it for a week or so. Set on four with a personna blade in.

A few observations are that it is big and probably the heaviest razor I have used and own.
With its size I am ok with the WTG pass, but for the XTG passes seem to all to pot as I cannot seem to find the right angle, or get around my nose etc without nicking/cutting myself.

Is it just me or is the blade more exposed/larger gap between blade and guard at the bottom then usual?
See image to try to show what on earth i am talking about!

141022974_6c0a43c018_o.jpg


I'm aware it is the early stages of a new razor but I'm struggling a touch, do I need more time and patience to master. The noise is also different and sounds very good.

The weight of the thing does help slicing through the whiskers.
 
The gap between the blade and the guard bar is quite large, the blade is also quite angled, the futur seems to curve the blade more than most other razors.

I only use mine set on 3, which is aggressive enough for me, compared to my Slim Adjustable which I have set on 6.

I like the futur and actually find it a very easy and forgiving razor to use, it's probably my favourite of all my razors to use.

Give it time, you will get used to it.

As a comparison, here is a picture of both my Merkur Futur and Gillette Slim Adjustable, both loaded with a Feather blade for demonstration purposes.
The futur is set to 3, The Slim is set to 6. I would say the blade gap in the futur is 3 times as big as in the Slim.

merkur-vs-Slim.jpg
 
Thank you for the reply, you have confirmed I wasnt going mad.

I will turn it down a notch ad keep trying. Patience for me.
 
I use mine on 3 for first pass with the grain, then 1 on second and third across the grain. I find that shortish strokes make it work under nose and corners of face I go against the grain with same short strokes. The sound is great it lets me know I am cutting hair. When I dont hear the noise that is an indication I will probably get a nik.
It was my go to until I found my Grand dad's Clix 500!
 
I use my Futur set at 2 to 2 1/2...I have very tough whiskers,but with a feather,Permasharp or a Gillette sharpedge yellow,I get a BBs shave in three passes every time....I use light ,almost zero pressure for each pass......Great razor........So good I bought my son one as well.....

One thing I have noticed, is the blade cuts more mildly at one side to the other, and it doesn't matter what the make of blade is, or how carefully I put it in the razor.....This difference in aggression between the opposite edges of the blade, did annoy me at first, but it does in fact have certain advantages, for instance in sensitive areas such as under the nose......
 
The gap can be quite big on those. I use mine at 2.5. It seems to be my sweet spot.

The noise the futur makes when cutting is brilliant. I love these razors.
 
Agree with above. I set mine at 3. I used to switch it down to 1 for against the grain until an accident involving wet soapy hands and much blood means that I now NEVER change it with a blade inside.
 
I never adjust any razors mid shave, I've never really seen the need to.

I know some people find it helps, but it's not something I've found necessary to do. I certainly wouldn't do it with the Merkur Futur anyway for exactly the reason Paul mentions, it's a recipe for disaster.
 
I suppose being a soldier made me careful, I always change setting with rinsed hands and by holding the sides of the head. Never even came close to a slip. If anything the handle needs a little tighter grip to adjust. Like anything habits can be dangerous. Maybe playing with fire. Its like carrying a round in the chamber. If you know what to expect you'll always clear the weapon before you let it leave your hands.
 
Thanks for the comments chaps. I'll dial it down to 3 and see where I go from there.
I felt like a five year old on sports day all nervous every time I get near my nose.
 
This was my first DE razor. The blade gap is very large and it is not the most forgiving razor. In saying that, if you have a bit of growth it is excellent, using it every day was a big no-no for me, too fierce for my sensitive fizzer.
 
Ranger I felt the same about it as a daily, I tried it with a sharper blade. (Was using a red personna switched to a Gillette Yellow) and it seemed to mellow a little. I am not sure and this sounds counter intuitive, but it worked. On another note the Clix I was telling about is a very mild one. Maybe I did feel burn a little. :) I also have a slim and I can't seem to master it. Its my birth year razor so I keep in a box and admire it every so often. I think gap can be deceiving. the blade curve is what effects me most.
 
What I find that I want to do on my 1st pass is remove as much beard as possible . To do this in the mildest way i use a low(mild) setting 1-2. After this 1st pass I want to get as close a shave as possible- which is now easier because I've removed most of the beard with the 1st pass. So i use a higher(harder) setting 3-4 and I get a milder-close shave because most of the beard is gone when I switch to the higher setting.
Seems to work for me.
 
ishmael said:
Ranger I felt the same about it as a daily, I tried it with a sharper blade. (Was using a red personna switched to a Gillette Yellow) and it seemed to mellow a little. I am not sure and this sounds counter intuitive, but it worked. On another note the Clix I was telling about is a very mild one. Maybe I did feel burn a little. :) I also have a slim and I can't seem to master it. Its my birth year razor so I keep in a box and admire it every so often. I think gap can be deceiving. the blade curve is what effects me most.
Click to expand...

I forgot about the blade curve Ishmael. You are right, this and the gap can make for a close, in my case too close!, shave. The Slim is IMO the best there is / was, virtually matched by a Black Beauty. Strange but fun how different all our tastes are.
 
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