No need to dissasemble the Futur. When your done shaving, swirl the head around in some rubbing alcohol, this will dissolve anything internal build up and keep your razor working great.
I've spent a few weeks trying to come to grips with my Futur, changed up from a cheap Chinese DE. My issue is with the weight, making it clumsy and difficult to not over apply too much pressure. My neck is very sensitive and even with zero pressure the pure weight of the Futur is too much for my neck. The risk is if I grip the Futur too lightly then the head can move around and accidents may occur.... I switched to an Edwin Jagger and can't believe the difference.
The Futur can give a very close shave, and around the face it's great, but for me I cannot take it anywhere near my neck. Perhaps it's my technique, but having tried for weeks I can't subject my neck to more torture.
I guess it's a great razor if you can 'tame the beast', but from reading about the Futur it seems to be down to personal technique and skin types.
The alcohol (IPA might be best) will certainly dissolve glycerin left over from soap. However, if you are in a hard water area, alcohol will not dissolve calcium deposits. My water in France is hard enough to knock nails in with. Everything that gets that water on it gets limescale. Shower cleaner works well to remove this but I would suggest using very carefully on the Zamak castings as it can corrode Zamak. Just a small amount on an old toothbrush and wash off quickly. Shower cleaner is fine on the plated brass parts.The other problem if you are always dipping in alcohol, is that it will dissolve any lubrication you put on the threads and you may find the adjustment getting very squeaky like mine did.
Wilson
You recommend cleaning in India Pale Ale (IPA) Seems like a waste of good beer.
I think it takes a while to get used to the Vision and Futur siblings. Early on, I always got terrible irritation and nicks at anything above 2, but these days, I can crank my Futur up to 6 with little or no irritation (depending on the blade I use) and get a BBS with 2+ passes. I think blade angle is critical, but I also think you need to pay attention to make sure that the entire head is flush to the skin at all times. These are touchy razors, but if you're patient and get used to them, you will be rewarded.
I understand there's a big love-it-or-hate-it thing with the Futur, but my question is much more specific: is the "1" setting really much more aggressive than any non-adjustable razor? I'd like to start with a **slightly** more aggressive shave and work my way up, not jump right to something that's going to remove hunks of flesh if my attention lapses for a second.
Any thoughts?
Yes it is. You could drive a car through the blade gap.
But it still shaves quite smoothly. I used it on #4 before becoming a Slant lover. I'd like to say it's as close as you can get to a straight razor shave without using a straight razor.
For those who would like a modern adjustable but would find the Futur too aggressive, there is always the Merkur Progress Adjustable, both long and short handle. I had an issue with mine from flaking chrome plate but that may not be typical, even though it has been reported by others. The Progress is much milder than the Futur.
Wilson