Hello, Hope everyone is doing well! Wondering if anyone has used this Van Der Hagen Adjustable? I have the Merkur Futur and it is shockingly similar but 1/3 the price of a Futur. Thanks for any info or experiences! https://www.vanderhagen.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=59_61_85&product_id=180
Looks like one of the Chinese copies of the Merkur Futur, probably the Qshave. Van Der Hagen gets many of its razors from Weishi.
IIRC there were quality issues with the qshave vs the mingshi so clone or not if Van Der Hagen had it made to their own QA standards and not the normal Chinese factory standards it could be a better razor for that reason alone.
Thank you for all the replies, I kinda wondered if it wasn’t the Chinese knock off. I’m still curious to get one just to test against the Futur I have. Then put out a review between the two.
I have the merkur potato peeler and the Vand der Hagen knock off. I like the knock off better. It's not as aggressive and offers more usage of the different levels of shaving. With the Futur I have to start at 3 or 2 and be real careful there and work down to 1.5 and than .5. I would get razor burn and weepers with some blades. With the knock off I can start at 5 or 4 and work my way down. With the "Gillette 365 in the knock off I get the closest shave of any razor/blade combo I have tried. I have a butterfly Van DER hagen, a Merkur 38c, both the merkur progress and future and a slant bar Parker. Not a grand collection by any means but they are all very different razors. I have tried 75 or more blades and so far these are my favorites: Gillette 7 O'Clock Super Platinum Voshkad Zorrick Gillette 365 Gillette Silver Blue PermaSharp Kai Parker (#1 in Parker Slant bar!) ViJohn Shark Stainless/Chrome/Platinum Euromax Dorco Titan I have only been wet shaving 3 years and I am just discovering what a huge difference soaps make. It sure gets confusing! One soap will work great with one blade and not another and the same can be said with brushes. I'll Shut up now. How this helps.
The thing to keep in mind about Van der Hagen is that its hardware consists of rebranded razors and brushes from other companies, starting with Weishi 9306 and its long-handled variant and expanding from there. It's not a criticism of the company; it began as a soap-and-cream seller and doesn't have the manufacturing capability to produce its own razors, brushes, stands, etc. Its main product line is inexpensive soaps and shave creams, and costs on those can't be kept low if investing in the infrastructure needed to make razors in a market that has ballooned in the last decade and a half. That doesn't mean the rebrands are garbage. As John pointed out, the Merkur Futur knock-off is arguably better than the razor from which it was copied. For my skin and whisker type, I find the Astra Superior Platinum, Tiger and TATRA Platinum, Treet Black Beauty, and PolSilver Super Iridium work best, with Voshkad, Ladas, and Gillette Nacet as close seconds.
Van DER Hagen is an American company isn't it? Also have you tried the Tiger black Beauties? Both the Tiger and Treet were way too mild for me but I keep a few tucks on hand to trade with.
Here is a link to a company that's sells lots of Blades and at decent prices: https://www.razorbladesclub.com/razorblades/
I bought a 100-count pack of the Treet Black Beauties years ago that I've only used a couple of tucks from, and I love how sharp they remain even after seven straight days of shaving. I remove the blades after every use and pat them dry, then leave them in open air until the next use. That way I minimize the odds of the blade rusting, and sometimes I'll do a quick dip in 91% rubbing alcohol solution and air dry, to extend longevity. I haven't yet tried the Tiger Black Beauties, but I ordered a tuck from that web site you linked to along with a tuck of ink-stamped Astra SPs, and I'll see how they compare to the Platinums.
