The merkur futur

slimjim5751

slimjim5751

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289
This is the best razor i have owned, Put a decent blade in it like 7o'clock yellow or a Feather blade, it will give a straight razor a run for its money. Set the razor to what's comfortable for your skin, and you're all set. Be warned don't let your attention stray and mind what you're doing, and it will give you the BBS we are all looking for. Some people say Changing blades is an accident waiting to happen, don't listen to them, Changing the blades isn't dangerous, The blade stays were it is put and does not move. Adjusting is easy 1-6, 1 is very mild and so on if you need it on six you must have a face like Desperate Dan :shock: . Hold the razor like any other and it won't slip out of your hands. It's perfectly balanced. You don't need to apply any pressure to the futur it does it for you. I recommend this razor to a newbie and an experienced DE user. ;)
 
I thought Mantic preferred the Progress? I'd recommend a Progress (either model)
as better starting out.

The Futur is my least favourite adjustable, I find it rather aggressive and too big
- and I like aggressive and long handled razors!

I was keeping it in reserve for occasions where I need to remove a couple of days
stubble but the 39c now looks after that task.
 
Thanks for the review:

here's what I had to say in the recent adjustables thread:

The best razor for getting my neck area completely smooth is without question a Futur. This isn't due to its adjustability, but simply because it weighs so much.
A Futur has a certain learning curve (no beginners razor!), so at first you turn your neck into raw steak before things start clearing up. After that, it cuts the neck hairs closer than anything else.

The Futur is a ruthless efficient tool, but has one big drawback IMO: its weight and bulkiness prevent me from feeling the contours of my face, making the overall shave a less pleasant experience. It puts just too much steel between my hand, the blade and my cheeks. That's why I prefer a precision instrument like my fixed head Mühle.
 
Thanks, SlimJim. It is a great piece of kit. Edit: Mods, not sure if I should have tagged my 'review' onto Jim's?

I'm still not sure if I find it a bit ugly or really beautiful. I mean it's not as obviously attractive as my everyday Merkur HD, or as full of character as some of the vintage Gillettes you see knocking about. But one thing I can say for certain about my new Futur is that it shaves very well indeed.

I used it for the first time today. This thing is solid, heavy, but in such a refined way. It's certainly doesn't look timid, especially when its armed with a shiny new Feather. But nor is it as aggressive as some people make out - proceed with caution (I set mine at 1.5 to start with) and stay focused, and you'll find it almost sympathetic: " Listen pal, just hold me at the right angle, concentrate, and I'll take care of the rest."

And it did: a quality finish on cheeks and chin, and very satisfactory results on my temperamental neck area. Better than my Merkur 34c? Too early to tell, but the shave was smoother. Problems removing the blade-changing cap? None. The only thing I felt it was missing - and I really am nit-picking, here - was a reassuring 'click' on going up a setting. And to think I nearly chose the Progress...
 
Your welcome N.A. ;) I have a 38c as well so i alternate, but the futur is my favorite, At the moment i am road testing a 1950's Every-ready so i will pen some anecdote in the near future.
 
The Futur is a great razor. Takes a bit of getting used to, and to find the right setting for your face, but once you have that, it's really excellent.

Ian
 
Morning, Jim! What kind of shave does the 38 give you in comparison with the Futur? Any major/noticeable differences?
Click to expand...

I use a 7 o'clock platinum in mine and get a great shave, tried it with personna platinum but did not like them ( by the way mine is a barber pole) so as to weight you can notice a bit but all in all i get a great shave from both
 
I've had my Futur about three years now - started with it as a first DE razor - I still love old gillettes and others and regularly use them all, but in any period I always go back to the futur when i want a really close shave.

There are lots of gainsayers who dislike the blade change method but its only a question of getting used to how a razor works and thats half the fun I think.
I dont find the handle slippery, unduly, and its weight really does do a job on the thickest beard.

Something that does get overlooked on this razor is the amount of " headroom" this razor has. Not as a badge of honour but its always good to try any adjustable on it highest setting . With the Futur out of a possible 1-6 with any degree in between which is nice, i havent gone above 4 ! and even that time you feel the gap in the head to razor blade. Whilst it wont be for everyone i would say its going to cope with anyones preference for aggressiveness in their razor and works superbly well with a " dial-down each pass " method of shaving.

Its a sleek panther of a razor and the sound it makes is great :D
 
A great razor. A bit heavy on the hand, well balanced, good grip (handle) length, gives the impression of a understated tool but boy, make the mistake of adjusting it to 5 or 6 and you're in serious danger...
I've never had problem changing blades, but I feel you need to be really careful not touching it on the sides when lifting or moving it.

Once you get the adjustment right (2-3 should suffice most users), have correct technique, apply little pressure and make proper lather, you'll unlikely to ever go back.

Overall: Highly recommended.
 
I do love my futur and i do have to admit it does a better job of going through my tough bristles than any of my straights do, i throw in a super iridium whack it up to 6.5 and off i go bbs with no nicks and a bit of irritation.

A superb razor that has been one of the few to give me a bbs shave.

As for why i moved onto straights hmm, i suppose the possibility of a better shave and the whole kudos behind using one.
 
I used a Futur for the first time last night and to quote NakedApe

Naked Ape said:
Proceed with caution (I set mine at 1.5 to start with) and stay focused, and you'll find it almost sympathetic: " Listen pal, just hold me at the right angle, concentrate, and I'll take care of the rest."
Click to expand...

This is exactly how I feel about my shave with this razor. I opened it and was comforted by the heft of this razor. It's a proper working tool even if it is a wee bit on the futuristic (sorry) looking side.

I popped in a feather and started on a setting of 1 which was absolutely fine for 1st pass but then had to move up to 1.5/2 for the 2nd pass as I didn't feel that the 1 setting was doing anything on the 2nd pass. I set it to 6 just to have a look and ............... well lets just say, I don't think I'll be needing to set it at 6 any time soon. That exposes a lot of blade.

I had a couple of blood spots but this was down to just getting used to this razor in regard to weight and size.

Now more importantly, for me. The shave was close and comfortable. Not as close as with my HD but for the majority of the shave this was on the lowest setting. I didn't expect BBS anyway but what I got was the best balance between closeness and comfort that I have ever had. even taking into account the teething problems, the irritation/burn was minimal and passed within 15-30 mins of the shave with some Boots ASB. Today my skin feels great, no sensitivity at all.

I can see this becoming my main razor but I will always use the HD too. I find it's the old "one is a cruise missile and the other is an old warhorse" situation between the 2 razors. Both are great but they both have their pros and cons.

Cons I say? Well yes. The Futur's only con for me was the size of the head. I know I will be able to work round this after a few shaves but the head on this razor is big.

Overall very very happy. close comfortable shaves ahoy and as also stated in an earlier review, the sound this razor makes is wonderful.
 
Well I've just returned home after and after a weeks shaving with the Edwin Jagger, which is pretty great I'm really looking forward to going back to the Futur!

Its a clear winner for me.
 
Had this razor for just under a week now, my thoughts so far.

The weight is just right and well balanced, which I find helps to achieve a very comfortable manipulation of the razor whilst shaving, I’ve no issues with it slipping out of wet/soapy hands beyond any other razor.

The size of the head for the first shave led to a pause for thought, but after the first couple of shaves I would say I treat it the same as my EJ Chatsworth, it’s just a bit bigger. It hasn’t required me to change my technique in shaving under my nose, just have to bend it a bit further out the way... ;)

Adjusting the blade setting is a simple operation, I’ve started on number 2 and it’s giving me a noticeably closer shave than the EJ so will make small increments after every week but can’t see me going above 3.5/4. I’ve read some reviews that have stated that they would like to feel a click in the movement between number settings, can’t see this being a problem as once the number has been selected it would be hard to knock or twist it further within normal use.

Changing the blade will not require a book for dummies.

The sound of this bit of kit in use has rightly been described as a rasping sound as it cuts through the whiskers. For me this has changed from slightly disturbing to rather reassuring.

If I had to sum this razor up in one word it would be CLINICAL, Clinically bloody good.
 
Is anybody worried about the spring-loaded mechanism that holds the blade and the top head in place? I fear that after a few years' use, this may either fatigue and break, or simply become floppy (PigCat no).
 
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