Merkur Futur Clone....My thoughts.

Discussion in 'Safety Razors' started by Rich Daverson, Apr 8, 2017.

  1. RazorDr

    RazorDr Member

    The incredible low price for such a well make chrome razor from Aliexpress is incomprehensible, not to mention it even incl intl shipping cost. The lowest i could find in Alibaba website Taobao is us$4.5 for China domestic market. Even factory wholesale price for above 100pcs is $3 excl shipping. International shipping fees wise for razor, UK Conaught site is asking >$20-60 to ship Asia, while Amazon US is asking $5. So what you are paying in US barely cover Intl shipping fees. Realistically, it will be a waste of time hackling for lower price with ebay seller. For a hamburger price you get a free shipping top quality futur clone from China, its a deal beyond imagination.
     
  2. Jim99

    Jim99 Gold Water Shaver

    Uncle Ding is a seller on eBay that advertised the Merkur future clone, but shipped a cheap TTO instead.
     
    RyX, AGHisBBS and Dansco like this.
  3. Dansco

    Dansco Well-Known Member

    Agreed. I bought one straight away last night after seeing the price. Immediate decision made.
     
    RyX and RazorDr like this.
  4. jmudrick

    jmudrick Type A Man

    I found the same situation when the Tian Li blades (not the Blue Blade) were selling for less than $4/100. This was equal to the wholesale price.

    Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk
     
    RazorDr likes this.
  5. RazorDr

    RazorDr Member

    When you receive your futur clone, Share your experience. Even at $10~20 i think its still a great bargain.
     
    RyX and Dansco like this.
  6. Dansco

    Dansco Well-Known Member

    Still on its way. The standard delivery took up to 3 weeks. But yes, of course I will!
     
    RazorDr and RyX like this.
  7. ilts

    ilts Well-Known Member

    Just Received My Ming Shi 2000 Yesterday And Did My First Shave This Morning And Am Very Pleased , Set On 4 It Was Very Smooth And Comfortable ,Almost A BBS Finish Next Time I'm Going To Move Up To The #5 Setting And See How That Goes. For $10.00 Shipped What's Not To Like. Have A Great Day! Steve
     
    DaltonGang, RazorDr and RyX like this.
  8. RazorDr

    RazorDr Member

    $10 is real good bargain isn't it, barely cover intl shipping cost.

    Many review Merkur futur as very aggressive not suitable for newbies. I personally find this clone actually very mild, more mild than R89 and haven't got any nick or burn so far except first shave due to slippery handle. Its extremely effective at setting 4, my sweet spot, yet to require any higher setting. After some experience, i could shave quite fast, doing long passes and XTG, ATG.

    I think its a great razor for newbies too if they will to start with setting1 that is impossible to nick, and gradually adjust up as they gain experience. At $10 for such quality razor that deliver great smooth shave, it will convert most newbies to wet shaving.


    Anyone feel the same?
     
    DaltonGang and ilts like this.
  9. DaltonGang

    DaltonGang Ol' Itchy Whiskers

    My wife is still loving hers. Her only complaint is the texture of the handle. It's a little slippery, while trying to shave in the shower.
     
  10. Bookworm

    Bookworm Well-Known Member

    Paint some plasti-dip on it?
     
  11. DaltonGang

    DaltonGang Ol' Itchy Whiskers

    Naa, that would ruin the look for her. She likes pretty things. If she breaks it, I have a spare waiting.
     
  12. RazorDr

    RazorDr Member

    I read that some guys actually put a rubber sleeve (remove from ball point pen), while another use rubber bands on it for good grip. You can find some beautiful one for her liking.

    Some even use black electrical wiring rubber sleeves that can clad tightly to handle after heat treatment. But woman will freak out seeing you ruinthe bbeautiful satin handle.

    Im gradually get used to the handle curvature design and have no issue with the slippery anymore.
     
    RyX likes this.
  13. Bookworm

    Bookworm Well-Known Member

    Heat shrink tubing. Comes in lots of colours, not just black. White, silver, red, yellow, orange..
     
    RazorDr, DaltonGang and RyX like this.
  14. RyX

    RyX DoH!

    My Ming Shi 2000S is projected to arrive Monday. Should I find it slippery I'll head to NAPA. I have an injector with an aluminum handle that is irreplaceable and on the slippery side. Worth the investment to protect the hardware.
    It's available in colors? After a quick search it also comes in Clear!
     
    RazorDr and DaltonGang like this.
  15. DaltonGang

    DaltonGang Ol' Itchy Whiskers

    I will look into that. thanks
     
    RyX likes this.
  16. RyX

    RyX DoH!

    Got my Ming Shi 2000S in the mail today. I purchased it from @Linuxguile Andrew's Shave Shop. Our TSD member/vendor included a tuck of Ming Shi DE blades and a tuck of 6 assorted DE blades. The razor arrived in a well packed NIB condition and two days ahead of USPS projected delivery.

    Having read about the issue of putting the cap on in the correct direction I paid attention when I popped it open. The blade sets well centered on the base and the cap clicks in place easily. When removing the cap to clean after shaving the blade was curved and clung to the cap. Took me a moment to get it out, but not a deal breaker. For folks that have an issue with the ends of DE blades hanging out of the razor, this unit covers them to avoid those nicked ears.

    Using a familiar soap - Route 66 with lanolin, Barbershop Hop scented, and a B-400 brush crafted by Tom @twhite fitted with a Tuxedo synthetic knot - my lather was optimal. I started my shave with a Personna Lab Blue blade in my usual pattern going N to S, WTG sideburns down to my jawline using setting .5, the lowest it would go. Continuing in a N to S pattern I completed my first pass from jawline to lower neck. Finding the angle of attack was easy because of the audio feedback. The beard reduction was not what I expected - minimal. My preference is for sharp blades in aggressive razors ; Feather Hi-Stainless in a Fat Boy set on nine. I relathered and adjusted the Ming Shi to setting 1.5. Second pass was S to N, ATG starting at my lower neck working upward. Still sub-par reduction. Relathered and my usual third pass - ear to nose and Gillette Slides on my neck XTG at setting 3.5.

    I didn't get my usual beard reduction that I call a DFS. To be expected the first time using any razor. I will continue to step up the settings and learning the best angle of attack. I am impressed with the quality of the build. Tight fitting, well machined, smooth adjusting, & nice finish. It's a large razor for the length of handle and the way the cap covers the ends of the blade. Hefty, too. The manufacturer may have lightened this clone as compared to the original Futur but it's got some weight. I did not find the handle to be slippery as some have reported.

    I'll continue using my new tool and seeing how it performs at higher settings. Maybe I'm spoiled after a month of using a Fatip, or the Fat Boy at wide open.
    Overall I'm happy with the purchase and looking forward to getting the best from my Ming Shi!
     
    sdguero, Jim99, DaltonGang and 4 others like this.
  17. RyX

    RyX DoH!

    Much better results today. Reset the Futur clone to a higher setting - 4-1/2. Taking short buffing like strokes on my WTG pass yielded satisfactory first pass reduction. Applied slightly wetter lather as the first dose tried to dissipate for my slower learning process. Keeping the same setting and feeling more confidant my ATG pass continued to reduce stubble, but with less audio feedback. Another soap up with the scritchy boar bristles and I could tell I was making headway. XTG action found little beard to catch. Not being one to chase the baby I stopped there. Alum was pleasantly quiet. No burn from the vintage alcohol based AS. As I was cleaning up the gear I noticed the adjustment had slipped to 4.75. There's no clicking, just a smooth resistance when turning the whole handle in relation to the base & cap. Final results rival a Fat Boy on Nine shave!
    I'm thinking I may give the month of November to my Ming Shi. Curious to see how it performs with a Feather Hi-Stainless and the Ming Shi blades provided by the manufacturer.
    SOTD 10302017.gif
     
    sdguero, Jim99, RazorDr and 2 others like this.
  18. RazorDr

    RazorDr Member

    Hi Ryx, I find bove 4.5 is very effective and smooth too. Some suggested go higher when doing the XTG, then higher again for ATG. I haven't find the need yet as 4.5 perform perfectly for me in all terrains and length. Everyone has their own sweet spot to explore. Do you find it very mild and gentle to skin compare to all your others razors, yet ultra effective?
     
    RyX likes this.
  19. HolyRollah

    HolyRollah BaconLord

    i never found the Futur to be especially ‘mild’ or ‘gentle’ - however it was one of the most efficient adjustables I’ve ever used. I really liked that razor.
     
  20. RyX

    RyX DoH!

    I was surprised at my lack of nicks or razor burn for only the second use. I wasn't trying to do damage, but after my first shave at lower settings I needed to see a performance upgrade. I'll continue to up the setting until this blade is done. Then I'll try it with a Feather. As to mild & gentle - riding the cap has been my method since being introduced to the concept. Better Angle of Attack and less scraping of skin so I rarely get irritation or razor burn.

    As a member of the 30 Day Crew there's a need to prove "Technique trumps tools" unless the tool is defective. This will be my Focus for the month of November. Though I get distracted and like a variety of soaps, brushes, and aftershaves - I can stick with one razor for a month of shaves. Since I every other day shave that only 15 repetitions. After that I ought to be able to pick this Clone up any time and get good service.
     
    sdguero, RazorDr and Linuxguile like this.

Share This Page