Just got a Futur and.

Well,
My Merkur Futur just arrived. Great!!!
Hmm... Not so great...

The razor itself looks just beautiful. Gold plating and excellent finish. However a couple problems.
The razor adjustment guide is flawed and only goes from 1 to 4.5, even though it should go to 6. I tried doing the "flip the blade holder piece 180 degrees" trick and it made it even worse.
Also there is some very noticeable play in the blade holder, a good 1mm or so of play, which, for a DE razor is quite extreme.

This is my third Merkur razor and all of them have quality control issues.
1) Merkur 180, bent handle and sloppy blade guide
2) Merkur Bakelite, looks awesome but it too has the same sloppy blade guide.
3) Merkur Futur, above stated problems.

By sloppy blade guide I mean that the blade is not aligned the same on both sides of the razor. I can loosen the handle a bit and wiggle the blade around and "manually" try to even out the sides... But isn't that what the blade guides are for anyway??


I thought "Made in Germany" meant quality? Has anyone else experienced poor quality from Merkur?

Yes, it happens with Merkur. If I were you I'd contact the seller and maybe get a replacement.

I wouId contact the seller and request a replacement. Curious though, after problems with previous Merkurs, why did you buy another?

Btw, i have had three different Merkurs and all three were solidly built and had spotless finishes.

Nomad1600 said:

I wouId contact the seller and request a replacement. Curious though, after problems with previous Merkurs, why did you buy another?

Btw, i have had three different Merkurs and all three were solidly built and had spotless finishes.

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Just personal preference to be honest. I thought the whole "made in Germany" thing would insure a quality product.
To go back a bit I knew a dear german woman, very old and she was a joy to converse with, and she would tell me stories about Germany and how they loved precision and perfection. She told me a german proverb or saying, which was, "Perfect is just good enough," for a german.

So seeing the Merkur brand and made in Germany I had high hopes for quality workmanship.
Maybe I've just been unlucky.

I think you beat the odds and got three duds. I got my Merkur Futur last week and it's already my favorite razor. Contact the seller, get a replacement, and take your shaves to a whole new level.

ThT sucks. Sorry to hear that. I'd be upset also. I Love the way it Looks. Very Simple and Modern looking. I almost made the leap on a Futur, but I'm too new to DE shaving to try it. I'll ask Santa for the Brushed one at Xmas!

I have heard of these problems alright and it is odd because to me MADE IN GERMANY is a sign of quality on anything made there and Merkur are really letting the side down.

My two Merkurs, 34C and 15C, are flawless as far as I can tell. I don't doubt your issues though.

Blades is what brings down the "Made in Germany" quality mark in my opinion. German blades have their fans, but they're not exactly churning out blades that dig into the popularity of Astra SPs, Polsilver SIs, the various Personnas and so on. And it isn't just about price, if it was most reviews should be "greatest blade ever, but too pricey", but they aren't.

I don't put that much weight to country of manufacture though, as there is plenty of high quality goods made in China, Taiwan and other typically doubted countries - the individuals who actually make things is another matter, I suppose you can trust Germany to treat their workers well.

breadstick said:

I think you beat the odds and got three duds. I got my Merkur Futur last week and it's already my favorite razor. Contact the seller, get a replacement, and take your shaves to a whole new level.

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I have purchased a total of 4 Progress razors (long handled) and 3 had horrible QC issues which led to sub-optimal results!!

Here are some pictures of the sloppy blade guide issues and the bent handle.

And a better one of the Futur blade.



Really love the look of these Merkurs but yeah, QC seems to be a bit lax.

These pictures are painful.

I think they skipped quality control altogether and decided to let the distributors handle replacements.

Woah... I may have to hold off on buying one now. I'd slice my face off with that. Lol

The blade guide issues look horrific. I have an older 38C and 39C, and while I can move the blade a bit before I tighten the top down fully, the final tightening centers and sets the razor properly in both. Looks like Merkur has slipped considerably in the last few years.

The Futur I owned had a bit of play in the head, as they all seem to have, but not nearly enough to actually affect the blade gap. Also, every Futur I've read about adjusts slightly after 6 or before 1, but I have not heard of one that failed to adjust all the way.

And that bent handle should never have left the factory, unless the internal mechanism (which it looks like there is the issue) was somehow bent in packaging or shipping.

I want to see the first company that makes a de razor and says: "Our design of the razor doesn't allow for an unequal blade exposure. We guarantee that".

I find this all kind of strange and funny...yet there was a lot of board backlash over the adjustable one from China.

Simply stated:

1. 90% of consumer goods from China are absolute c#%p. They may meet the bare requirements of the item in question, but there is no real quality or workmanship in anything hardly. I have stripped screw heads using a manual screwdriver driving the screw into soft pine. Their steel for mass production is laughable, and their QC for a lot of goods is virtually non-existent. There are some good and even excellent items made there, but that is the exception, not the rule.

2. Most products from Germany are well made and QC there is legendary. There are some poor examples, but they are the exception, not the rule.

Nothing unusual at all in scratching your head over a poorly made German consumer item. It is as surprising as the fact that a decent, low cost, well made razor comes from China. Both are exceptions to the ordinary rule.

I would say perhaps you better research a bit more of what exactly is coming from China these days. Just about everything we use, and yes even eat. try and find canned fruit and others not from China. Components for your car, Ipod and Apple products...you name it.

It all comes down to WHO in China makes it and who supervises them.

I would further submit that many of the shave hardware items that are held in high regards have some connections to China or India.

That being said I would love for the West to have a more active role in our goods but that is not likely to happen. Less we politicize the board against the rules.

Joe,

I agree we shouldn't politicize the board, so in the true B&B spirit we will agree to disagree on this. I will say that I am aware of the overwhelming Chinese content in many (most) consumer products and mass produced food items, and I plan and purchase accordingly to avoid same as much as possible.

I hadn't been to your site before. Nice site. I almost pulled the trigger on some Voskhods....and may yet do so. Good price.