Merkur Futur Clone....My thoughts.

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

  1. Bookworm

    Bookworm Well-Known Member

    I have one, but I haven't been shaving regularly, so it's consigned to the pile of "when I get back to shaving at least every other day" razors. I've just been alternating OLD and Aristocrat.
     
  2. Der Koenig

    Der Koenig Member

    Thanks. I have a plan now. I think..
     
  3. matteob

    matteob Active Member

    I'm not big fan of Chinese knock offs in general but if it is decent quality and you like it that is all that matters. I'd be surprized if the casting tolerances are as good as the Merkur though.Last knock off I had was a Swiss army knife fake as a kid. It was crap. I got the real thing a few years later and I still have it today.
     
    Last edited: Jan 11, 2018
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  4. Bookworm

    Bookworm Well-Known Member

    Heh. I have Wenger swiss army knives, and they were lower quality than Victorinox. Both 'official' brands. I've seen crap chinese knives (most of them), and some decent ones. I have one made by Coast that actually holds a fair edge, and has solid hinges, pivots, and springs.
     
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  5. matteob

    matteob Active Member

    @Bookworm Only Victorinox for me. I may by one of these Wing Shui things out of curiousity. I am not an anti China snob if things are made to a high standard. They are a clever and resourceful lot with a long history of craftsmanship. Too many knock offs are garbage though. Also I don't like leeching off others innovation tbh. My new laptop which cost 1400 bucks came from there as did my daily carry Jinhao X750 fountain pen: 2 bucks on ebay and very sturdy and smooth writing.
     
    Last edited: Jan 12, 2018
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  6. Bookworm

    Bookworm Well-Known Member

    @matteob - I bought one, and it looks to be well made for the price. I don't consider it a knock off or counterfeit, simply because the original was so many years ago. It'd be like complaining about buying a Honda lawn mower because it's a knock off of the ones made 20 years before Honda even was a company. My daily carry fountain pen is two. Parker Vector stainless, and Jinhao 599. The Parker Vector even writes well on carbonless invoice books.
     
  7. RyX

    RyX DoH!

    I bought a Ming Shi 2000S, too. For $14.00 it's a great deal. Although I don't have a Merkur Futur to compare and won't for the much higher price, this clone is well built. The adjustment is smooth. The cap fits securely. It shaves well.
    If the clones came out during the copyrighted time period I'd not have bought one. Much like a Gillette Flare Tip and it's MicroTouchOne/ Weishi/ etc clones, the clones of the Futur may not all be the same. I've heard about problems with one of the others getting wobbly or off center.
     
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  8. AGHisBBS

    AGHisBBS Well-Known Member

    I have an earlier Futur clone, a Primeshave and it works great!
     
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  9. RyX

    RyX DoH!

    Neal @NCoxSTL retired his Q-Shave clone. I think he had a problem with something bent internally causing wobbles, squeaks, or misalignment.
     
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  10. RyX

    RyX DoH!

    A seller on the bay is offering three different Futur clones. Looks like satin finished brass at $49.99, polished brass for $62.99, and silver colored brass at $68.99. That's getting up into the price range of Merkurs. I don't recall, were the Originals zamak?
    Brass Futur Clone.jpg
     
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  11. John Ruschmeyer

    John Ruschmeyer Well-Known Member

    Has anybody noticed the Futur clones being in short supply recently? I had a couple in my eBay watch list and noticed they had gone out of stock. Then, when I checked on AliExpress, it seemed like a lot of sellers were also either out of stock or had raised the price, sometimes significantly.
     
  12. Bookworm

    Bookworm Well-Known Member

    Chinese sellers, and I believe even the manufacturers, go through binge runs. They sell off lots cheap, and if there is more interest, they jack up the price. Standard 'what the market will bear' tactics. They just don't know when to STOP jacking up the price. I've seen ebay stuff that was selling go up to ten times the original price, and then _nobody_ buys them.
     
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  13. DaltonGang

    DaltonGang Ol' Itchy Whiskers

    Heck, I paid around $8 each, for three Ming Shi 2000's, and for that price I would be fine with Zamak. I also started with a Q-Shave, for the wife. My wife has been using hers for many months, no problems. She is in love with it. She alternates between that and the Gillette Lady Starburst. Both Well made solid razors. We gave a couple of the Ming Shi 2000's away to relatives. They fast became favorite razors with them.
    I should have bought more.
     
    Last edited: Jan 25, 2018
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  14. DaltonGang

    DaltonGang Ol' Itchy Whiskers

    Here is a link from the seller I ordered my Ming Shi 2000's from. No increase in price yet, and she is very reputable. I made an offer of $8 and it was accepted, 7-8 months ago.
    https://www.ebay.com/itm/1525447298...9255-0%26rvr_id%3D1424558249325&ul_noapp=true
     
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  15. Bookworm

    Bookworm Well-Known Member

    Virginia Sheng seems to have a good reputation. I've also had good luck with ganvillage_green.
     
  16. DaltonGang

    DaltonGang Ol' Itchy Whiskers

    I have ordered many things from ganvillage_green, over the years, and have not had problems, until one $7 razor was lost in the mail. I politely let him know, he sent another, I left good feedback, and was promptly barred/blocked from buying/bidding on anything from his site/sites again. He operates many sites on ebay, out of China, Hong Kong, and I believe one in Taiwan. Oh well.
     
  17. Bookworm

    Bookworm Well-Known Member

    That's very strange.
     
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  18. P.L.Green

    P.L.Green Member

    I have just bought a QShave adjustable, but being new into classic wet shaving I cannot compare with other DE razors. So far it is working for me, still starting my learning curve, but way better that the disposables I have been using so far.
     
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  19. RyX

    RyX DoH!

    I invite you to join The 30 Day Rule / Focus Group. We are a bunch of New Shavers learning Vintage razors, and Vintage Shavers learning New razors. I have used a similar Merkur Futur Clone - the Ming Shi 2000S, and the leader of The 30 Day Crew used a Q-Shave. I'm sure we can offer hints and tips to help you develop your technique, and answer questions about blades, soaps, brushes, and all the other interesting gear.
     
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  20. P.L.Green

    P.L.Green Member

    I will, but going through the almost 800 posts will take a while. Thanks for the heads-up!

    Enviado desde mi Lenovo S60-w mediante Tapatalk
     
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