What's new

futur: aka thumb scalpel...

well it happened - went to adjust the futur and whammo - 2cm lac to my left thumb;

truly scalpel quality - nice clean edges; linear; proceeded to bleed the next HOUR - even after pressure dressings!! finally stopped to the point where i could dermabond myself;

so now the revelation - use ONE hand to change the setting!!!

i have a hand towel next to the shave sink - i place the head of the razor on the towel- ONE HANDED - and twist the handle to the desired setting -

dont know if anyone else does this, but after that lac, there's a reason you recap used needles ONE HANDED - so why not adjust a futur ONE HANDED???
 
Sorry to hear about your misfortune. My first razor was a Futur and I never could get it to work for me. I finally sold it. Fortunately I never managed to cut myself like you did, but I was always worried about it.
 
You held the razor head in the middle where the blade is? I hold it at the ends
and twist the handle. Much safer.
 
Easiest way to adjust the razor is to push the head onto a towel and twist the handle, that way the thumbs and fingers are away from the head of the razor.
So far I have managed to escape with my digits intact.
 
OUCH! Sorry to hear that! I hear a lot about this happening unfortunately. Just keep your hands dry when adjusting, or take the blade out.
 
This is but one of the many reasons I've never had any interest in trying a Futur. I hope you heal swiftly. Best of luck.
 

johnniegold

"Got Shoes?"
Next time, try putting the head of the Futur on a towel or wash cloth (I keep a dish towel folded in half on the sink counter-top) and just turn the handle when adjusting.

The Futurs, especially with the polished chrome finish, are notorious for their lack of grip.


Edit: In other words, what Andy said. :biggrin:
 
Wow, sorry to hear about your mishap. Its good that you posted this though. Its a good heads up, and a reminded to be careful. That razor has a blade that can cut you so fast and deep, you probably won't even realize you've been cut for a few seconds. :wink2:
 
It must be a Zen thing. My next door neighbour when I was a lad was a glazier and he taught me never to be afraid of sharp edges and they don't cut. He taught me to carry sheets of glass by the edges.

I treat my Futur and all the others with the same contempt and so far have never cut my hands. Face yes, but hands no.

No towel, flannel, delicate gripping by the edges. Just know it can bite and everything is fine. A loose grip on the Futur head is more likely to slip and it's the slicing motion that'll bite you.

Don't try this at home unless you've known a glazier!

Gareth
 
I've been using the Merkur Futur quite a lot recently, just occasionally switching back to the Gillette Fat Boy. I seem to get consistent good shaves from the Futur, i try not to fiddle with the settings, before i put my blade in i set the Futur to 7....well past 6 any way then put the blade and cap on. Its a really good close shave.
 
well it happened - went to adjust the futur and whammo - 2cm lac to my left thumb;

truly scalpel quality - nice clean edges; linear; proceeded to bleed the next HOUR - even after pressure dressings!! finally stopped to the point where i could dermabond myself;

so now the revelation - use ONE hand to change the setting!!!

i have a hand towel next to the shave sink - i place the head of the razor on the towel- ONE HANDED - and twist the handle to the desired setting -

dont know if anyone else does this, but after that lac, there's a reason you recap used needles ONE HANDED - so why not adjust a futur ONE HANDED???

You have my sympathies. I did a similar thing to my index finger last year. I've learned my lesson. It's amazing how deeply you can cut with a safety razor.
 
Spent twenty minutes and used this scrap piece of plastic pipe - the following pics show how to make dealing with the Futur safe:thumbup1:
 
Spent twenty minutes and used this scrap piece of plastic pipe - the following pics show how to make dealing with the Futur safe:thumbup1:

This is a great idea, but I can't for the life of me understand how their is any benefit to a razor that causes so much trouble and requires such strange rituals to make it work. I don't believe for a minute that it can possibly shave better than my Gillette TTO which is clearly superior in the safe handling department.
 
The weight of the Futur is a real advantage...besides, the safety sleeve makes blade changes with 3 piece razors safe as well.:001_smile
 
The weight of the Futur is a real advantage...besides, the safety sleeve makes blade changes with 3 piece razors safe as well.:001_smile

I'll have to try one eventually. I know this is a razor that has its fans and I have to admit I think the chrome version is dead sexy but I'm just not apt to buy one for that kind of scratch without knowing if it would be a keeper or not.
 
Had to read up on the Futur to make sense out of this. It may be a heck of a shaver, but it's hard to understand how that accident-waiting-to-happen adjustment mechanism could be a necessary part of the design. That pop off cap seems kind of strange, too.
 
Had to read up on the Futur to make sense out of this. It may be a heck of a shaver, but it's hard to understand how that accident-waiting-to-happen adjustment mechanism could be a necessary part of the design. That pop off cap seems kind of strange, too.

Unless you have to constantly fiddle with the adjustment, finding a good setting and leaving it there is the advantage of adjustable feature....and the top cap is one of the few DE designs that encloses the "unsharpened" sides of the blade.
 
Top Bottom