Arguably among the most aggressive razors, though efficient sounds more accurate. Having used all three, here's my humble opinion: The Futur is the most efficient of the three. At stage 3 you get the closest shave imaginable, with almost any blade. You can hear and feel each whisker cut off. I occassionally get a few nicks but nothing serious. Thanks to its heavy weight, the razor does all the work without skipping. The Merkur Slant is almost as heavy as the Futur - 110 vs 120 g. Having heard how aggressive it supposedly is, I was surprised how mild it is. Thanks to the slant bar it still cuts through the whiskers with ease. Still, it requires a bit more work to get the same results as with the Futur. But it's more mild than the Futur and I don't nick myself as easily. I dare say it's a good beginner's razor and I don't get all the talk about its aggressiveness. The R 41 is definitely more aggro than the Slant but not quite up there with the Futur and weighs only about 90 g. Only loaded with a Feather blade can I get the same results as with the Futur. And even then, I have to work harder to get all the whiskers and pay more attention to skipping. If I use anything less sharp than a Feather, I just can't clean up my trouble spots. All in all, I can recommend all three razors. My favorite: the Futur as it yields the closest shave with any blade. If you're a novice, get the Slant. Yes, I said it. Get the "Sledgehammer."
I agree with you. The Futur is one of my favorite DE's. I sold my 39c off a long time ago. I just didn't feel it sliced the whiskers any easier than a normal DE and I got better shaves from lots of other razors. The R41 works pretty well for me at a steep angle but sometimes gives me a little irritation that I never have to worry about with the Futur.
Thanks for the input. Considering the small blade gap, the Slant cuts better than how it would cut with a straight bar and the same small blade gap imho.
What is interesting is that the Future is effective with all blades. I use Voskhod blades, soft and tolerant
