Merkur Futur Love it/Hate it

Discussion in 'Safety Razors' started by dougr, Jun 22, 2010.

  1. dougr

    dougr Well-Known Member



    Welcome to TSD and to the L/H Futur thread which at over 100 posts and almost 4,000 views is the place to be. You bet the Futur is well named and does it all. For those of us who are a bit older, taking your thumb and popping the top of the razor off with no effort is a gift. Cleaning and changing blades are simple. It is functional with the dial a blade and works well with the least expensive blades....thankfully. So enjoy your razor and the many comments on this thread. We are happy to have your comments so thanks for not being a lurker and joining in with your experiences. Doug
     
  2. dougr

    dougr Well-Known Member

    Jeff, I do not think you are going to have a problem if you cranked your Fatboys up because the heft, head design, and longer handle of the Futur seems to even things out and add balance so the razor does the work and you just concentrate on feel and angle. I have never gone above 4 and noticed a slight difference in the two razors I have because there is a difference in the seating of the head by a few mm's. So a setting of 4 on one razor is a setting of 3 on the other IMHO. Doug
     
  3. Mynorx

    Mynorx New Member

    I have read that you can't compare settings so a 5 on Futur will not be the same on Vision or Progress.
     
  4. Allen-Edmonds

    Allen-Edmonds Member

    I also found 2 is a good setting. Below 2 it doesn't seem to shave properly. I initially started at the bottom, thinking I wanted the gap less. It turns out that even opened up it is not overly aggressive, keeping the angles correct.

    Ya, AE makes my favorite shoes. Recently I have been wearing my Redwing boots though... foul weather.
     
  5. Racso_MS

    Racso_MS Enjoy Your Shave

    The Futur is rather unique due to it's size and really hard to compare with any other razor. It's similar to the Barberpole in that it is a love/hate razor. You will really love it the first shave or want to sell it. The size puts many off, but I'm a firm believer in TECHNIQUE. If you have the basic technique of shaving with a DE down, you can shave with any DE. BUT, you just have to pay particular attention to detail with razors like the Futur and the Barberpole.

    Some have indicated a problem with the finish and said it's rather slippery, but I haven't found that to be the case. Follow the basic rules of shaving, find a blade that works for you in the Futur (experiment) and you will have the shave of a lifetime.

    Merkur Rules... :happy108
     
  6. mike72

    mike72 Member

    So far its ok I've only shaved twice with it so I'm still trying to learn it.
     
  7. MarkStar

    MarkStar Well-Known Member

    Love mine. :happy093

    Been using it almost exclusively for ~5 years. Even though I've worn a beard for the last few, I still use it to shave my neck.

    Finally took a picture. Hope you don't mind if I share it here. :cool:

    [​IMG]
     
  8. dougr

    dougr Well-Known Member

    Thanks for the picture Mark and you may be the longest Futur user so far in this Thread. We are glad to have your imput.
     
  9. NUMCKS

    NUMCKS Well-Known Member

    I had a Vision, which I did not like - much too big, poor ergonomics, head design made shaving upper lip darn near impossible, crazy aggressive at any setting...

    I recently picked up a Futur fully expecting to be in the hater camp. Tried it for the the first time this morning fully closed at "1" for starters. I have to say I was very impressed. It feels much more comfortable than I remember the Vision to be and was very smooth and not at all too aggressive - but effective - at the lowest setting. I'll slowly crank it up a bit to find my sweet spot. A pleasant and unexpected surprise.
     
  10. newb

    newb Resident Newb

    I really dig shaving with the future. I generally have a difficult time using heavy razors (ie merkur HD, EJ 89, Fatboy, New Merkur slants) heavy razors just seem to dig in and give me irritation. BUT The FUTURE is the exception. It gives me Smooth BBS shaves consistently. What I've noticed is that every blade I've used in it gives the same excellent results. From Derby's to feathers the results I get are equally good. What gives ? I'm starting to think that a rusty can jammed in a Future would give a BBS shave. Anyone else experience this with a future? For me the future isn't very choosy when it comes to blades.
     
  11. swarden43

    swarden43 "It's your shave. Enjoy it your way."©

    That's about what I've experienced with my Futur. Most blades just seem to work in this razor that don't do so hot in others.
     
  12. mike72

    mike72 Member

    I have one and so should everyone I love it!!
     
  13. dougr

    dougr Well-Known Member

    I am looking for another one either in gold or SS since I have the matte finish. The only blade that I have not liked in the Futur is the Feather. I am using the Red Personna right now and really like these as much as the Sharks, Bleues, and Dorcos.
     
  14. dougr

    dougr Well-Known Member

    Gabe, you may want to try different blades as well. Also, check the seating of your blade holder on 1 as shown in the pictures that I posted earlier. It is easy to see if the position of the blade holder is snug or a small gap which will also make the blade setting slightly different on different Futur razors. Also, some have found that their blade holder was 180 degrees off and spun it around for proper (factory) seating.

    Separately, I love A-E shoes especially when Nordstroms puts them on sale as they are one of the few quality shoes that still have narrow sizes.:happy088
     
  15. Monkeyboy

    Monkeyboy New Member

    The Futur has been my go-to razor for a long time. I usually have mine set at 2 or 3.

    I've recently started to try out some vintage Gillettes and they feel so much smaller and lighter in my hand that it's going to take some getting used to.
     
  16. dougr

    dougr Well-Known Member

    Welcome to TSD, Monkeyboy, and also to this discussion about my favorite razor.....Futur...I bounce around between 2 and 3 and split at 2.5 right now but do not change the settings during a shave like some like to do. I did make the mistake of putting the razor down next to something else I needed on the counter and had a nasty bite on the corner of my thumb. Do not want to do that again as those deep cuts take awhile to mend.::kngt
     
  17. Mynorx

    Mynorx New Member

    I always set my razors in front, with nothing else around it. I had one bite me, it wasn't that bad just peeled skin. I quickly learned my lesson.
     
  18. dougr

    dougr Well-Known Member

    you know several weeks later that place on the end of my thumb is still tender and skin peeling.....::kngt
     
  19. Infotech

    Infotech Active Member

    The Futur is still my favorite. Now if I could only find some more Iridium blades. I knew I should have bought 500 when they were available.
     
  20. Dandaman

    Dandaman Member

    I got a futur about 2 1/2 weeks ago and I really enjoy it. Unfortunately, the razor doesn't like me so much. I'm 2 1/2 years into this hobby and have tried a great many razors, blades, etc. I get good results with the majority of my tools. I'm hoping to find a good technique or combination, but several other razors are performing better for me than this one. If and when I have trouble, it's usually the neck, and it's usually irritation. The futur has been almost guaranteed to produce irritation so far. I've tried different blades, and the lightest touch I can manage, but... I think I'm gonna park it awhile and come back later.
     

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