Is the Mekur Futur more agressive than all Gillettes?

**michiganlover** · 07-30-2009, 09:31 AM

Question of the day, is the Merkur Futur really more aggressive than all of the Gillette's ever made? See Here:

http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/index...Aggressiveness

According to this, the Futur @1 is almost as aggressive as a Gillette Adjustable @9!!!

If that is true, why would any newbie ever want to use one of these? It would seem to be Bloodbath City!

**GoldenMonkey** · 07-30-2009, 09:44 AM

It actually makes a fantastic beginner DE, IMO. When I made the DE switch it's what I went with, an dnever really cut myself. Just dial it down, and adjust as you get more comfortable using it, and you'll be fine. I started at around a 2 setting, and have taken it up as far as 4, but find I get great shaves at around a 2.5 to 3 setting, depending on beard growth.

**Prince** · 07-30-2009, 09:47 AM

I have both razors and while I've used my slim on 7, I've never taken my Futur past 4. I feel the Futur on 9 would be very aggressive.

**Vinny Bobo** · 07-30-2009, 12:22 PM

The Futur is more aggressive than any Gillette. With the Futur, I can hear the blade cutting the whiskers and when I get cut, I get cut worse than a Gillette razor. But I also get a closer shave.

**DanOK** · 07-30-2009, 01:10 PM

When I went back to wet shaving after thirty years the first razor I purchased was a Futur. The second was a slim adjustable, the same DE I used last in college. I would agreed the Futur is more aggressive than the slim but they both give great shaves. They are both in my permanent razor rotation. I have the Futur set at 2 and the slim at 6.

**michiganlover** · 07-30-2009, 01:10 PM

Originally Posted by Vinny Bobo

The Futur is more aggressive than any Gillette. With the Futur, I can hear the blade cutting the whiskers and when I get cut, I get cut worse than a Gillette razor. But I also get a closer shave.

Thanks for your response. I was looking for someone to confirm that the numbers on the Wiki page were not seriously out of whack.

It looks like you agree that the numbers are in fact correct.

So if I see a newbie using a Futur, and he is having issues, the razor very well can be to blame, as it is much more aggressive (even @ 1) than pretty much any other razor a newbie might happen upon.

**jpkunst** · 07-30-2009, 01:12 PM

I found the Futur much too aggressive, even at #1. I returned it after shaving with it twice.

**Chisholm** · 07-30-2009, 01:26 PM

I love my Futur and use it set on 2 with a Derby blade. Is there anyone brave enough to use one set on 6 loaded with a Feather?!!!! R.I.P!
Cheers,
Martin

**shyrlock** · 07-30-2009, 01:34 PM

On the lower settings a Futur is the equivelant of the old gillette adjustables on a high setting. I dont believe there can be a number to number correlation because every one feels a shave differently.
The Futur does a great job set on 2-3. It is shaving as close as any of the vintage razors there.
If you open the Futur up all the way to 6.5, you basically have a straight razor with a 90° handle.
I have been using a Futur since Y2K and it is absolutely my favorite DE.

**meglad** · 07-30-2009, 01:42 PM

I use the futur with a 2.5 setting on three passes then dial it down to a 1.5 for touchups! I have all the gillettes, fat boy, slim, red tip, fat handle tech (which is my favorite gillette) progress and a futur. The Futur is my go to razor that shaves absolutely wonderfully! I would highly recommend the futur to a newbie.

**glassmtn99** · 07-30-2009, 06:14 PM

I usually use my Futur on 1.75 or so. When I had a Slim, I set it on 7 or 8. While there is no direct comparison of settings, I think it is fair to say that the lower settings on the Futur (1-1.75) compare to some of the higher settings on the Slim (6-8). The Futur is a great razor. I think it gives me my best shaves.

eric.

rainman · 07-30-2009, 06:27 PM

Sometimes the gap isn't the same thing is what it feels like. I put my Super Adjustable on 9 and get a smooth shave that I don't have to worry about. I see hardly any people would reach the top of the scale on the Futur, with that matter the progress or the vision as well.

**scooby074** · 07-30-2009, 07:32 PM

Originally Posted by Chisholm

I love my Futur and use it set on 2 with a Derby blade. Is there anyone brave enough to use one set on 6 loaded with a Feather?!!!! R.I.P!
Cheers,
Martin

*slowly raises hand

I used to use my Futur with feather at around 2.5 and i was starting to get irritation and my shaves actually looked to be getting worse

After a WTG and AGT pass i had some pretty bad stubble.

So i said what the heck and cranked her up to 6.5

Actually im getting the best shaves ever with even less irritation. I dont know why this is working so good, youd think my face would be a bloody pulp but it isnt.

All i can say is give it a try. Go slow and concentrate on the shave as though you were using a straight. Make sure you have lots of lather!! Im currently using JM frasers cream, it gives a nice rich lather.

**DunEdinRanger** · 07-30-2009, 08:03 PM

Originally Posted by michiganlover

Thanks for your response. I was looking for someone to confirm that the numbers on the Wiki page were not seriously out of whack.

It looks like you agree that the numbers are in fact correct.

I'm the culprit responsible for those numbers. I measured twice, but still it is possible I erred.

Originally Posted by Chisholm

I love my Futur and use it set on 2 with a Derby blade. Is there anyone brave enough to use one set on 6 loaded with a Feather?!!!! R.I.P!
Cheers,
Martin

I have. I prefer an Astra, but routinely use the Futur wide open.

Originally Posted by shyrlock

O...
If you open the Futur up all the way to 6.5, you basically have a straight razor with a 90° handle.
I have been using a Futur since Y2K and it is absolutely my favorite DE.

That was my impression, though I don't use a straight. I believe someone may called it a straight on a stick.

Originally Posted by scooby074

*slowly raises hand

I used to use my Futur with feather at around 2.5 and i was starting to get irritation and my shaves actually looked to be getting worse

After a WTG and AGT pass i had some pretty bad stubble.

So i said what the heck and cranked her up to 6.5

Actually im getting the best shaves ever with even less irritation. I dont know why this is working so good, youd think my face would be a bloody pulp but it isnt.

All i can say is give it a try. Go slow and concentrate on the shave as though you were using a straight. Make sure you have lots of lather!! Im currently using JM frasers cream, it gives a nice rich lather.

I never tried it at 2.5, I started it wide open. The only razor I've used that gives more audible feedback is the GEM 1912.

**Koss** · 07-30-2009, 08:11 PM

Originally Posted by Chisholm

I love my Futur and use it set on 2 with a Derby blade. Is there anyone brave enough to use one set on 6 loaded with a Feather?!!!! R.I.P!
Cheers,
Martin

Yeah, I have. I put it past 6 as high as it will go and then shave that way for the first two passes. Thats with the grain, then across.

Then set it down to 3 or 3.25-3.50 for against the grain.

Then 2.25 for touch ups on my lower neck line and whatever other places I missed.

To me its not even a big deal.

**luvmysuper** · 07-30-2009, 08:18 PM

Well, then I guess I'm not sure of what would be the purpose of a 1 to ?? adjustable razor that no one would adjust above about a 3. Does that make sense? What I mean is - if people generally get a blood letting above a given number, then why not make that given number the top end instead of ~= midrange?

**SiBurning** · 07-30-2009, 09:05 PM

I don't know if blade gap is the best way to compare razors. There seems to be something much more complicated going on.

So I started writing stuff for a post--something about comparing the curvature of the head against the implied curvature between the safety bar and head--and realized this would be a pretty interesting engineering task. You have the curvature of the head, flexibility of the face, a safety bar that could be below or above the curve set by the head. I actually went looking for a french curve to check this out, and that might work if our faces were inflexible, but...

So, does anyone know of any published engineering data on the design of DE razors?

The only other thing I'd add is that the Merkur Futur seems to be designed on a different principle than the HD. The HD is more like the Gillettes, but not quite. This is fascinating. Oh, yeah, I'm a bit bored at work these days.

**glassmtn99** · 07-30-2009, 09:12 PM

Well, then I guess I'm not sure of what would be the purpose of a 1 to ?? adjustable razor that no one would adjust above about a 3. Does that make sense? What I mean is - if people generally get a blood letting above a given number, then why not make that given number the top end instead of ~= midrange?

Because my amp goes to 11.

eric.

**sir_towel_rack** · 07-30-2009, 09:34 PM

Never owned a Gillette so can't speak of Futur<->Gillette. I will someday try a Gillette though. I learned on a Futur and I'm not convinced it's a good beginner's DE. I struggled a lot with it.

I love it now though. With a Feather I can't even feel the blade cutting, which is good since it's not tugging, it's like I'm just wiping the stubble off. But I can sure hear it... it sings

Another thing to consider, on lower settings you can't do much with the blade angle, you either make contact, or don't, so you have to pay extra attention to make sure you're not just wiping off the cream with the safety bar. Higher settings let you customize your angle. I'm not ready for the Futur @6 yet, I don't yet go over 2.5 with any blade.