Merkur Futur Clone....My thoughts.

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

  1. RyX

    RyX DoH!

    Read the first post by Neal @NCoxSTL , then jump to the end. If you read months worth of the thread, there would still be inside jokes left to be explained. During you first post, list your gear and what you'd like to improve or explore. From there The Crew will sweep you along, offer advice, poke fun, laugh with your jokes, and welcome you as a brother.
     
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  2. NCoxSTL

    NCoxSTL AAACK!

    That's a great summary of the 30DC.
     
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  3. RyX

    RyX DoH!

    AGHisBBS, P.L.Green and NCoxSTL like this.
  4. Bird Lives

    Bird Lives Future Root Beer King of Turkey

    Haven't used my M-S 2000 since Christmas Season when I got it....
    I got my first real Ever Ready early Lather Catcher razor shortly there after and got swept back 100 years again.:happy108:
    I'm crazy for those centenarian razors!!! And for GOOD REASON!

    But back to the subject at hand...today my wife mentioned the Ming-Shi and asked if I ever shaved with it....It was supposed to be a stocking stuffer from her last Christmas....I broke it out and reviewed it a couple days before Christmas though...:happy097: What could I do? :lyrtuy5:.....Andrew's Shop has such good service...it got here so fast!!!! And you know......:char039: ......I'm supposed to wait til Christmas morning?...:shocked003: I don't THINK so!!!

    Anyway....fast forward to today....so upon reflection.....I remember I was actually VERY impressed with it....I'm amazed I haven't stepped out of the SE/Injector bag long enough to even look at it again ...Soooo

    Today's Shave:
    Using this ultra modern unmentionable, I couldn't go with the TOST LE brush....so I used the Barbasol which acquitted itself admirably I might add!
    image.jpeg

    3 pass Perfect BBS...on setting 4....I have to be honest....I call em as I sees em......Todays set-up was perfect.....From the Barbasol thru the Ming-Shi to the Aqua Velva.....Perfection! Could not be improved upon!!!
     
    Last edited: May 13, 2018
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  5. RazorDr

    RazorDr Member

    Same here, I try to order many for gift sets since Jan18 after tested one myself to great satisfaction, shaving & built quality is superb at $4 comparable to Muhle, but wholesaler & sellers kept saying no stock. Rather frustrating.

    Qshave, River & Yintai seem to have plenty of stock now but price has since increase from past $4 to $13. Im trying to aproach factory directly but its tough with communication.
     
  6. RazorDr

    RazorDr Member

    Have tried Mingshi 2000 for over 6mths, its my 1st choice razor now esp when beard & hair is overgrown after 4-5days. It will be torturing to shave long hair with other razor.

    At setting 4.5, it always work wonder to mow down any length of whisker & head hair without clogging even after many passes. Never has single burn & cut, alignment still good, satinfinishing like new, overall a perfect razor can't believe at $4. So Muhle R89 is cold store now. Lost my open comb R41 in mail, but this Futur clone is good enough to meet all my daily needs.

    Getting used to the smooth handle & heavy weight, could shave with swapping wet hand now. Could do very quick shave by now, WTG, XTG almost smooth, still not master ATG yet. But the BBS effect is gone, not sure why. May be expectation is getting higher.
     
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  7. T_I

    T_I Active Member

    At the moment I'm awaiting 2 adjustable and 1 regular butterfly razors. Was tempted to buy a clone as well, as I like the looks, but at $12-20 I'm waiting until I know if I want to test another razor or not. (already spent 105 euro in 2 days on 3 razors ;) ) It's still top of the list now.
     
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  8. RazorDr

    RazorDr Member

    Too good to miss man, the clone quality was superb that i would believe its genuine if the packaging was printed Merkur. Shaving is matching Muhle quality. You can consider getting a Merkur Futur for long term usage, for me, even the clone is simply solid to satisfy all my needs..

    Now i could shave from 1~6 easily, 6 if i wanted real bbs.

    Butterfly razor shaving lack that solid feeling, likely due to that vibration.
    Butte
     
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  9. RazorDr

    RazorDr Member

    Its 1yr passed and seem no one is discussing on this excellent futur clone razor.

    I got a legendary open comb R41 recently to shave my usual wk long hair & whisker. Its really very effective giving BBS in WTG alone, but not as aggressive as its been famously commented for shredding face. Not a single cut or nick.

    However it simply feel so coarse, lot of blade vibration, like scrapping my scalp compare to the ultra smooth futur/mingshi at setting 5~6.

    So i switch back to futur, it took a few more passes to clean up same length requiring XTG for BBS, but shaving experience is simply excellent & silky smooth.

    So Mingshi/futur has proven its worth in smooth shaving experience, better than R89 & R41 which are both great razors too.
     
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  10. Nem22

    Nem22 Well-Known Member

    It took me a while to read everything ... I had both and I prefer the original to the copy: the weight and the build quality make the difference (and the product is European too!)
     
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  11. IAmTheJody

    IAmTheJody Gillette-i Master Staff Member

    Better than an R41?? YMMV indeed.
     
  12. jmudrick

    jmudrick Type A Man

    Yup sure will. My R41 is kept for reference only. Tugmonster.

    Sent from my Google Chromebook Pixel (2015) using Tapatalk
     
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  13. IAmTheJody

    IAmTheJody Gillette-i Master Staff Member

    If there ever was a YMMV scenario, I guess this is it. My 2011 MÜHLE R41 is probably the king of shaves in my rotation, especially when paired with a vintage 1960s Schick Stainless blade, Feather blade or BIC blade. But then again I have never used a Futur or a Chinese clone of one so I guess I really can't compare the two totally different types of razors.
     
  14. jmudrick

    jmudrick Type A Man

    TBH no you can't.

    Some of the issues with the R41 may reflect differences in casting. My R41 examined closely shows it has far less bottom support ie larger clamp distance than it appears it should. That may explain some of the tugging i get with it. IMHO QC at Muhle and Merkur leave a lot to be desired and I find criticism of Chinese efforts on that basis amusing.

    Sent from my Google Chromebook Pixel (2015) using Tapatalk
     
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  15. WhyAreYouMe

    WhyAreYouMe Active Member

    I have these fake Futur's. The brushed satin is the Ming Shi 2000s. It's the lightest weight with the worst finish. The black one I'm not sure what it is. It does have that extra ring at the handle tip for grip I suppose. The gold is the heaviest and is made of brass and has the dial numbers engraved instead of just printed on. I bought it from Cadet for $30. The gold is the one I tend to use of the three. The original Futur I had didn't impress me as far as finish and blade gap/exposure.
     

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