My first Impression of the Ming Shi 2000 Futur Clone

Discussion in 'Safety Razors' started by Norseman, Oct 10, 2017.

  1. Norseman

    Norseman misunderstood Dark Lord of the Sith

    First I would like to state for the record that I have only used this razor once, hence the title of this thread ;-) But I do plan on using this razor this whole week to really get the feel for it.

    I am currently away on what is known in the Norseland as fall vacation. School is out this whole week and me, the Sithlady and our two young padawan daughters has left for our little house in the «deep fjords»
    The Ming Shi 2000 is the only razor I have brought with me and I plan on using this every other day.

    Before I left I dusted off my «old» Merkur Futur and had a shave with it, just for comparison.
    I started it set on level 6 for the first pass and went for level 5 and 4 for the next two passes. I don’t think I have ever had a bad shave with the Futur and this shave was no exception.

    With todays shave I was curious if the Chinese clone would live up to the original. As a Sithlord I have always had a difficult relationships with clones. But I will not let old predjudices colour my impression of this razor.
    By look and feel alone I have to say it gave me a great first impression. It has the same great balance and grace as the original. In fact I would not been able to tell them apart if it did not lack the brushed surface look of the Merkur Futur. The Ming Shi has a more polished look to it

    I loaded the Ming Shi with the green Astra blade. This is a blade that always perform well, no matter the razor and ought to be a safe choice when testing any new addition to the shave hoard.

    I have read on more than one occasion that these razors may have problems with an uneven blade alignment. I am happy to report that I did not see, nor detect any such problems during my shave.

    I used my trusted Sir Irisch Moos stick together with my new synthetic mini brush. The SIM stick is alway a solid performer and the brush has been a pleasant surprise. It looks good, works well and as a travel brush I cannot think of a better match.

    I started this shave on the opposite end of the spectrum compared to my Futur shave two days before.
    I started on level 1, but found that too mild for my liking and dialed up to level 2 and then 3 before the first pass was complete.
    On the second XTG pass I used level 4 and ended up going ATG on level 6 for my third pass.

    I had a wonderful shave. The razor is very smooth and comfortable and my impression after one shave is that the clone is less aggressive than the original.

    As with most razors at this size, getting a close shave under the sneezer is always a challenge, but for me that also serves as a reminder to be thorough in that area. More than once I have found myself having a tiny Chaplin stash under my nose when I got to work.

    That being said, I enjoyed this shave a lot more than I did the before mentioned Futur shave. But that is probably placebo talking. You tend to expect less from a $6 razor than you would to from a $60 equivalent.

    If I where to draw a conclusion after just one shave I would recommend it to every one. At this price it is Rocky Balboa coming in from the street and knocking out the Apollo Creed in the very first round. Very impressive and unexpected.
    I have alredy ordered one more and plan on getting a few more after that. I plan on giving a few away as secret santa gifts to the poor souls at work using Gillette Fusions :)

    7DB5A9C6-315B-403F-BC67-0C3FDC7ABF18.jpeg
     
    RazorDr, AGHisBBS, jimjo1031 and 11 others like this.
  2. DesertTime

    DesertTime Well-Known Member

    Excellent write up. I used a Futur exclusively for over six years. They are terrific razors.
     
    Norseman likes this.
  3. PanChango

    PanChango Not Cute

    Nice write up.
     
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  4. Missing Lynx

    Missing Lynx Well-Known Member

    Interesting, nice job.
     
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  5. Jim99

    Jim99 Gold Water Shaver

    Excellent review!
     
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  6. Norseman

    Norseman misunderstood Dark Lord of the Sith

    Thanks alot Gentlemen. I typed it out on mobile and didn’t realise I had typed out this wall of text until I was more or less finished.
    Hopefully I wasn’t rambling too much :)
     
    Jim99 likes this.
  7. Jim99

    Jim99 Gold Water Shaver

    Your review was very helpful and I'm now considering purchasing one of these razors.
     
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  8. RaZorBurn123

    RaZorBurn123 waiting hardily...............

    Nice write-up. Have a fun vacation!!
     
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  9. Jorvaljr

    Jorvaljr Operation Daytona 8000

    Great job. I bought one a couple of months ago and I have loved shaving with it.
     
    Norseman likes this.
  10. jimjo1031

    jimjo1031 never bloomed myself

    Nice review and I also get nice shaves from this razor.
     
    Norseman likes this.
  11. Norseman

    Norseman misunderstood Dark Lord of the Sith

    Thanks. To quote a local saying, it is raining kittens and Kenneths outside so the vacation itself could be better. Thankfully I still got reasonably good 4G coverage and can catch up on some good TSD threads to keep me company. :)
     
    RaZorBurn123 likes this.
  12. Dansco

    Dansco Well-Known Member

    Nice review :signs097:
     
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  13. Norseman

    Norseman misunderstood Dark Lord of the Sith

    It is still pouring down like crazy where I am at the moment and after a quick hike in the mountain I soon discovered that I am in serious need for a new rain jacket/hard shell.
    I was soaking wet after only a kilometer and what better way to get the warm again than by taking a shower and a shave.

    This time I started with the razor on level 6, and once again I find the Ming Shi to be less aggressive than the Merkur Futur on the same setting. But to be fair, I did use two different blades for this comparison. Astra in the clone and GSB in the Futur.

    I do believe the latter to be the sharper blade of the two, but I do find them very similar with regards to smoothness and I am not sure how much this will influence the perceived aggressiveness of the razors in question.

    That being said, I still think the Ming Shi’s performance is excellent. I really enjoy shaving with this razor. It is very smooth and surprisingly easy to use.
    I have read reports from people that find it a bit too slippery when wet and that they are often living on a prayer when shaving or changing setting or blade.

    I have not found this to be a problem and think the «grippiness» on the handle is more than adequate.

    If I’m looking for faults, I will probably say that level 6 is probably not the sweet spot for me. During the shave, everything feels great and I even went ATG on my neck without receiving a single weeper.
    Post shave on the other hand I do feel a slight tingling on my skin when I really concentrate :)
    Nothing that could be fixed with a decent AS balm, unfortunately I only brought a balm from Bulldog.

    The razor also has a tendency to clog the room between the blade and the base of the razor with lather and shaved whiskers. Not a major issue, I’m sure. But worth mentioning.

    At the end it is worth mentioning that I did get a few small weepers on my chin. The razor offers terrific audio feedback and when you loose yourself in the dance you can only blame it on the boogie.

    TL: DR Another great shave using the Ming Shi Futur clone.
     
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  14. RazorDr

    RazorDr Member

    Mingshi2000@$6 v Muhle R89@$60
    Mingshi2000 quality shine even put besides supposedly top notch Muhle quality R89. Both are of good quality, shave very well, but prices are 10x different. As Merkur futur clone, Mingshi shave extraordinary smooth starting from setting 0.5~1.5(very mild, good for beginner to start with) to setting 3~4(very efficient even for 4days whisker) to 5~6(not yet required so far even for my head hair shave). My sweet spot is 4 after a month of usage,ultra smooth shave and efficiency without even single nick.
     

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  15. T_I

    T_I Active Member

    Thanks for the report and the last picture, now I know the handle is longer then the regular short handles. I've just ordered 2 adjustable butterfly razors, was thinking of buying one of these as well. (there are loads of brands with the same clone, even a black qshave.
     
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  16. Sara-s

    Sara-s This Pun for Hire

    I also have a Ming Shih and like it a lot. It weighs about 25% less than the Futur. I din’t know if that is why it gives a milder shave, but I suspect it. I also love the fact that its adjustability is continuous. I set mine at 2.5.
     
  17. Grick

    Grick Active Member

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