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Whatever happened to the Merkur Vision razor?

Some time ago I remember a razor called the Merkur Vison. It was a combination of an adjustable razor and a twist-to-open butterfly head. I was rather intruiged by it after coming across it in a Google search, but I have read somewhere it is no longer made.

To me that looked like Merkur's killer flagship razor as it offered the best of all worlds; heavy handle, adjustability and an idiot-proof blade loading mechanism. I wonder why Merkur killed it off?

Has anyone used the said razor and if so were you happy with it?

Jason.
 

nemo

Lunatic Fringe
Staff member
For me it was too big, too heavy, and too aggressive. I'm not sure why they even made it, what with their Futur and Progress adjustables. I'm contemplating selling my V2000 when the price hits stratospheric levels. :wink2:
 
It was not a good seller for Merkur so they discontinued it about 5-6 years ago. Too big and hard to get into tight areas. Also you had to take it apart to perform routine maintenance.
Vision.jpg
 
It required frequent maintenance and was prone to mechanical problems. It's very heavy, and is not the best razor for an elderly man, or for an arthritic hand. It's over-engineered.

I still have mine, however, and would never sell it. In spite of the negatives, it's an efficient shaver and I like it.
 

Messygoon

Abandoned By Gypsies.
It was not a good seller for Merkur so they discontinued it about 5-6 years ago. Too big and hard to get into tight areas. Also you had to take it apart to perform routine maintenance.
View attachment 1323327
First laid eyes on a rough example on the ‘bay. Loved the aesthetics! But subsequent research indicated users found the razor cumbersome to maintain, and the plastic internal parts (visible in @nemo video) are a wear issue. I passed.

For me, it is the 1973 Triumph Spitfire of razors. Every time I see one, the head turning looks make me want to roll my R’s (if only I could). But I have no desire of ownership.

50801200-94AB-4C7E-8EDE-11B11C61DF8D.jpeg
 
"Overengineered" sums it up pretty well. Too heavy, clumsy and complicated. Not really an improvement on their other offerings.
 

FarmerTan

"Self appointed king of Arkoland"
First laid eyes on a rough example on the ‘bay. Loved the aesthetics! But subsequent research indicated users found the razor cumbersome to maintain, and the plastic internal parts (visible in @nemo video) are a wear issue. I passed.

For me, it is the 1973 Triumph Spitfire of razors. Every time I see one, the head turning looks make me want to roll my R’s (if only I could). But I have no desire of ownership.

View attachment 1323568
Yes, lovely to look at, but I have no desire to turn a wrench on a car anymore.
 
I wanted one the first time I saw a photo. I love adjustables. So, I waited on tge bay and bought an NOS example.

Opened it up, held it for about 30 seconds, thought "nope" and put it back in the box. The box is on a shelf. Somewhere.

It is the size of a baby rattler. I just didn't see the need to use an NOS one just to say I tried it.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk
 

FarmerTan

"Self appointed king of Arkoland"
I wanted one the first time I saw a photo. I love adjustables. So, I waited on tge bay and bought an NOS example.

Opened it up, held it for about 30 seconds, thought "nope" and put it back in the box. The box is on a shelf. Somewhere.

It is the size of a baby rattler. I just didn't see the need to use an NOS one just to say I tried it.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk
Sometimes (usually) I have NO IDEA what I have bought until it's in my hands. Pics probably don't do that thing justice. It seems MASSIVE... Until I owned a Fatboy *giggle* I figured it was big. In hand it's just a little thing. Heavy, but kinda short to me.
 
Sometimes (usually) I have NO IDEA what I have bought until it's in my hands. Pics probably don't do that thing justice. It seems MASSIVE... Until I owned a Fatboy *giggle* I figured it was big. In hand it's just a little thing. Heavy, but kinda short to me.

Hey Dave you cannot knot the Fatboy's, :lol1: :lol1: :lol1: As I have Fatboy's and a Merkur Futur that's what got me into Badger & Blade. It was Set on 6 with a feather blade, now that thing is aggressive it about skinned me boy was my face sore and bright red.

I put a beetroot to shame and a few years later use straights full time, yes I use the Fatboy for a rush shave if I'm in a hurry. But I will never give up my straights.
 
R

romsitsa

It was quite pricey and not really user friendly (it's huge and if I remember correctly the manual suggested regular disassembly and cleaning), so I'd say it didn't sell well.
 
I had one for a few weeks. My complaint was that it was too aggressive for my taste and I could not fit the razor under my "substantial" nose. I had to use another razor to shave my mustache area. I did not mind its weight even though it was the heaviest razor I owned. However, the slightest pressure on the razor resulted in a cut or nick.

Here is a video showing the steps needed to clean the razor. The razor came with instructions on how to clean it and the video depicts this. As I recall, the razor had instructions to disassemble the razor whenever you inserted a new blade. Plus, you were to "decalsify" the razor periodically if you had hard water.

 
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G

Guest2023

I had one.I didnt like its futuristic look and bulky head. Actually, it turned out to be a superb razor for me. Although I hated its weight, it gave me effortless, smooth shaves.

It has a chronic maitenance problem due to the absence of water drainage. You have to disassemble and dry the inner center rod every time you use it.
Except that, I think it is a great razor.

The fact that it had been the only adjustable modern TTO razor till Rockwell T came out is a good enough reason to mourn its death.
 
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