Is the Merkur Futur really THAT aggressive?

Paisley E said:

I've read good things about the Progress and would love to compare it to my Futur. From what I understand, the range of adjustment, from mild to wild, is greater.

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Futur is the most aggressive adjustable you can buy. Even at the lowest setting it is more aggressive then many non adjustable DE razors.

The Progress is one of the least aggressive adjustable on the market. Taken all the way out it is like the Futur set around 2.

Both compliment each other as they are both so different.

Both are very smooth shavers and a pleasure to use.

Here are a few of my adjustable razors (need to take a newer pic with all of them)

I use my Futur daily. I keep the setting at 4 and get a great shave with two passes and touchup. I recently bought my birth-quarter Slim adjustable and I used it for a week or so but it just didn't give me as good a shave as the Futur. When I started "fixing" my Slim shaves with a Futur pass I tossed in the towel and went Back to the Futur for good.

Personally, I love the weight and length of the Futur. But then again, my first razor when I started wetshaving was Merkur Barberpole 38C so I've always used long, heavy razors. Even thought I don't find the Futur to be slippery, the only thing I'd change about it is adding the knurling from my 38C to the Futur handle.

turtle said:

Futur is the most aggressive adjustable you can buy. Even at the lowest setting it is more aggressive then many non adjustable DE razors.

The Progress is one of the least aggressive adjustable on the market. Taken all the way out it is like the Futur set around 2.

Both compliment each other as they are both so different.

Both are very smooth shavers and a pleasure to use.

Here are a few of my adjustable razors (need to take a newer pic with all of them)

Click to expand...

Thank you Turtle. Sounds like a long handled Progress may be excellent for me, since I do love my Futur set at 1. It would be great to be able to dial back the intensity a bit for the second pass.

Clearly another YMMV

I use my Progress at 3 to 3.5

I've been using my Futur at 2

Today I used my Futur at 1 on my head today with no nicks, something i have been unable to do with any of my other razors except a Quattro.

BTW, the closeness and longevity of the shave is second only to my R41

Long live the Futur

DEGuy said:

The Futur: I found the flatness of the blade in the head, the unevenness of the blade gap (edge is not evenly aligned above bar--one has to fiddle with it to get better alignment--C'mon Mekur), and the snap-fit head to be negatives for me.

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Because the chrome had started to deteriorate badly on the top of my satin Futur and the underlying Zamak alloy as well, Merkur sent me FOC, a new top and blade base. A bit of a knack to replacing the blade base as you have to push it down very firmly while unscrewing the handle (to clear the adjustment limit peg). The blade gap is much more even on the new pair than the original and seems better finished, so I think they have improved it. Mine is about 2 1/2 years old. There was a fair bit of gunk and limescale on the thread, thread socket and alignment sleeve, so I packed it with teflon/silicone grease. It adjusted far more smoothly than it ever had. I just took it apart yesterday to check and after three months, it is now staying as clean as a whistle.

When I am at my French house, I have water that is off the end of the hard scale, so it is difficult to keep razors clean. The Gillettes are easy, as the nickel plating is so good that you can use Cillit Bang bathroom lime scale remover but I spoilt a Parker using that, so you have to be careful with it.

Wilson

turtle said:

Futur is the most aggressive adjustable you can buy. Even at the lowest setting it is more aggressive then many non adjustable DE razors.

The Progress is one of the least aggressive adjustable on the market. Taken all the way out it is like the Futur set around 2.

Both compliment each other as they are both so different.

Both are very smooth shavers and a pleasure to use.

Here are a few of my adjustable razors (need to take a newer pic with all of them)

Click to expand...

YMMV, but I think the Futur and Progress are very similar. I have two of each and use all of them on 3 to 3.5 The head design is very similar if you look from the end. The Futur may have a larger gap, but I think the real measure of aggressiveness is where the edge of the blade lies, when you draw a tangent line from the cap to the guard.

The Futur was the first modern DE razor I bought when I left cartridges and came back home to DE shaving. It is still my favorite, although the Progress is a very close second. If Feather made a S.S. Progress I would buy it in a minute.

it took me a while to get the hang of the futur but once I managed to handle it I would gladly give away all my other DE razors, and I have a closet full of them. I am or was, by my own admission, not the world's best DE shaver and I admit that I have had more nicks and cuts than I would dare to admit. Upon using the futur, my technique improved, my shaves became closer and I am, in general cut free. I think my biggest beef is the handle, it's polished silver and it slides around in your wet hand.

I was PIFed a Futur and I love it! I personally find it less aggressive than my Fatboy and possibly even my slim. Of course, as with any razor, it really is the pairing with the blade that is the true test of aggressiveness (not to mention technique). I had one of my best shaves yet with the Futur last night. I paired it with a Personna blade and I barely felt anything with the alum afterwards. With that said, I definitely feel that it is helping me maintain a light touch when shaving. It feels all kinds of aggressive but I just haven't had the irritation from using it that I get from other razors.

Julian, I agree about the handle. They could make a burled handle to help with grip.

I bought a piece of dark blue textured self adhesive real leather used for recovering camera bodies and have put that on the handle. It has stayed on very well and makes the Futur much easier to handle. I still don't like it very much. My Ikon Hybrid is about as aggressive as I care to go.

No its not agressive but i only shave in gear one
its for me the most save way of shaving
if the merkur futur was promoted like the Gillette it was for sure the most selling wet shaving aquipment world wide.

Well i have just bought my first De razor and looking at this post i might have bought a beast as people was saying that its ment to be the best one to buy Merkur Futur Razor Adjustable Razor so i think im going to cut myself real bad with this one i will let you know next week how i get on with it

I bought the Futur, used it once, and decided it just wasn't compatible with my style. On the upside, I traded it to a forum member who was excited to try it.

I used to own one, but settled for the Vision 2K. I thought it was just about right for me at the higher settings. I just didn't use it enough to keep it, so I sold it.

"

Is the Merkur Futur really THAT aggressive?"

All I can say is I've had two, a brushed finish and a gold finish, and both of them tore my face up big time!!

Both of them I sent back to Amazon.

The Futur is an aggressive razor, especially on the higher settings. It shaves beautifully, but I think you need to have reasonably good technique to be able to use it well. And even then, it isn't for everyone.

If I had to choose one razor to use indefinitely, it would be this one.

It's aggressive in the sense that the flex of the de blade comes into play with it.

I have to pay more attention with the futur than with my 2011 R41 and 2013 .

I think the aggressiveness reputation comes mostly from being more aggressive than its Merkur brandmate, the Progress. I got the Futur when new to DE, and it was difficult for me. After putting it away for a couple of months and honing my craft , so-to-speak with my Progress/Mergress I found it manageable and agreeable, but I still use a lower numerical setting than on my Mergress, which is still my favorite.

WinstonSmith said:

I bought a Futur but it went missing. Last I heard, it was blitzkrieging it's way through the Sudetenland.

Do not scoff at the tales of Futur aggression, and do not let it near your French soaps.

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I regularly use it with Pré de Provence soap and find that they get along well. Maybe because both are post-1945.