Merkur Futur Satisfaction

The Futur is the first razor I bought, over 8 years ago. I've never looked back or tried any other razors; why should I, the Futur is the perfect razor. It, like most adjustable, can tame almost any blade. If you like it mild, set it on 1; want aggressive? Go to 6+. I keep mine set at 6 for most blades, 5 for some others
I do have about 20 other Gillettes, but they are strictly for show, even the adjustables.

Even the dreaded Merkur blade works fine in the Futur.

Tonights shave was excellent as expected now that I had it properly adjusted. Shaved on level 2 and it was right about where I wanted it.
Happy now...

hrairy said:

As a newbie I am looking for a mild razor. I had considered getting a merkur but I may wait until I have more experience under my belt.

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Try a Merkur 23C long handle instead of a Futur for a damn good everyday razor at a reasonable price. You won't be sorry you did.

The Futur was my first DE razor. I've had it since November. It is big and heavy and I like that about the razor. I had no problems shaving under my nose with it and use it for head shaves as well.

This razor is capable of delivering a very close and comfortable shave. I recently shaved with a Kai finishing on setting 3 and could feel NO stubble for about 18 hours. In fact the shave was a little too close if there is such a thing.

That being said, this razor is wonderfully balanced, more aggressive on setting 1 than 80% of the razors out there and capable of super close shaves. I've tried milder razors and they lack both the tactile and audio feedback of the Futur. You KNOW when that $!^(# is cuttin!

Since getting it i've picked up a fat boy and a feather popular. The Futur is still my everyday, go to, razor and I love the shaves I get. Recently I've tried progressive settings like 1.5 first pass, then 2 then 2.5. I've settled on 1.5 - 2 - 3 and get BBS every time. No weepers or nicks since I stopped flicking my wrist at the end of every stroke (took about 1.23 shaves to figure that out OUCH!!!)

Two thumbs up.

Yes I also noticed that the Futur gives more feedback than my other razors which is cool and surprising given the weight of the thing. I think it's because the mass of the cap is probably less than other razors.

Redneckwannabe said:

Tonights shave was excellent as expected now that I had it properly adjusted. Shaved on level 2 and it was right about where I wanted it.
Happy now...

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+1

Last week I jumped on a new futur, best decision I had that day. I only used it twice and was really surprised how it shaved with the supplied blade on a week and a half growth on my face. Gonna give it some work today and see how a setting 2 is.

Good to hear. Part of me wishes they had a short handle version of it though. I'm just used to a 34c and angling the shorter handle. Not a huge deal though.

Redneckwannabe said:

Yes I also noticed that the Futur gives more feedback than my other razors which is cool and surprising given the weight of the thing. I think it's because the mass of the cap is probably less than other razors.

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The blade is less fixed than other razors. Allows it to vibrate more = increased feedback.

hrairy said:

As a newbie I am looking for a mild razor. I had considered getting a merkur but I may wait until I have more experience under my belt.

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You'll want the Merkur 34C, it's not aggressive at all. Very face friendly.

Redneckwannabe said:

Good to hear. Part of me wishes they had a short handle version of it though. I'm just used to a 34c and angling the shorter handle. Not a huge deal though.

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You know what? If the Merkur folks are using a standard thread (12-24 or whatever) you could buy or build a shorter handle. I'll take a look at mine and see if I can measure the major diameter and threads per inch. You would, however have to watch out for the weight balance as a shorter handle would need to be heavy (or perhaps back weighted) to maintain the balance point.

Or...

http://www.weberrazor.com/products

paintflinger said:

The blade is less fixed than other razors. Allows it to vibrate more = increased feedback.

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+1

Redneckwannabe said:

Hello,
To the Merkur Futur users out there, how has been your experience with them? Do you still use it regularly?
I have a 34c and sometimes I feel I need something more aggressive and hopefully get a little closer of a shave. I think an adjustable is nice so I can try different settings. The Futur seems interesting to me.

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I prefer the Futur to the 34C by a good margin. I just can't get a BBS from the 34C. I can without issue with my EJ D89, Muhle R89 Twist, Feather AS-D1S, ATT S1, iKon Slant, etc... but not the 34C.

The Futur DID take some months to get to know. I did get weepers initially with every shave, but as time passed, I now get a BBS shave every time and never with any cuts/weepers/etc...

i am a real fan of the futur, it is the only modern razor i really like. i find it to be one of the most comfortable and closest shaving razors i have. i don't use it under my nose so the size of the head is not an issue to me. i use feather blades and increase the setting for each pass. 2-3-4 i have been using various NEWs lately, now i am thinking i better get the futur out of the drawer and back into rotation soon.

I use it. I tend to use razors for a couple of months before rotating. I like the futur, my reservation is it has no textured handle and it needs to be held carefully, but once I use for a week no problem.

Funky 34s said:

You know what? If the Merkur folks are using a standard thread (12-24 or whatever) you could buy or build a shorter handle. I'll take a look at mine and see if I can measure the major diameter and threads per inch. You would, however have to watch out for the weight balance as a shorter handle would need to be heavy (or perhaps back weighted) to maintain the balance point.

Or...

http://www.weberrazor.com/products

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I don't think the Futur is a candidate for a different handle.

The Futur followed my Progress as the second razor I chose, and did so quite quickly. I'm glad I did buy it because using the Futur demonstrated clearly some of the reasons I wasn't totally happy with the Progress.

Size mattered; I liked the extra length of the handle and in my larger hands, the barrel diameter added easier fine adjustments in angle and attack.

The 'loose' (*and it really isn't per-say*) grip on a blade the Futur presented is quite noticeable to the Progress. (I later learned the Progress has a unique sense of the blade in its grip than any other razor I've tried to date.) I like how the cutting edge of a blade in the Futur 'speaks' to me.

Both of these Merkur razors have huge scuppers for clearing cut hair and lather off the face. Something I didn't fully appreciate until I started to shave with iKons, R41, and the AS-D2... (Not that they seem to have any problem at all sluffing off, but it is quite a difference visually - and for someone clearing a couple week beard, possibly a very noticeable performance factor.)

Adjustability was a prime consideration when I purchased, and all three of the Merkur adjustables do so easily and to good benefit in tuning in a blade/result experience.

Congrats on discovering a very nice addition to anyone's kit, I'm happy others are discovering how nice it is. I also note, I liked the gold finish better (for me) than satin: for some reason, the smooth surface of the lacquered finish glides better on my face.

Great razor!! Big learning curve.

I got my Futur about two months ago, around the same time I got my Fatboy. I tried my Futur once and it left me with some ingrowns that I still am fighting. In the meantime, I've used the Fatboy dozens of times, and it has quickly become my favorite. I've been itching to try the Futur again, now that I feel my technique has improved drastically since the last attempt.

santamariasteve said:

I've never met an adjustable razor that I didn't love!

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+1