Building kit for 14 year old.

[DEgeezer]

Sorry, but please don't buy him a Qshave (if we're talking about the Futur clone here). I almost had to go on iron supplements. I think it's a nice design and they even have a modern black version, but the blade support isn't great, it's a bit chattery and seasoned wet shavers agree that it's aggressive even on the lower settings. The issue could be quality control because there are a lot of complaints about blade alignment as well, but either way, I think it's not an optimal razor for beginners.

You make it sound like a Qshave is a lethal weapon. I didn’t find that true at all. I've had no issue with blade alignment, or chatter, and the lower settings do not seem aggressive at all.
Admittedly I no longer use it because with my arthritic thumbs I have trouble gripping the Qshave's smooth handle. That is why I settled on a Rex Envoy, which has great knurling.

 

[Mike M]

I have done this a few times now and I have found a few things to be true for young shavers.
1) They prefer creams to start as they are easier to lather. TOBS and Proraso are particularly popular.
2) Synthetic brushes take no breaking in, dry quickly and are easy to take care of.
3) Keep razors simple, Muhle, Rockwell, Edwin Jagger are popular starting razors for a reason. I know a lot of people say "If only I'd started out with a Lupo 95 OC/ Wolfman/ Timeless" but the reason we got there, if ever, was the journey we took and we seldom finish where we started.
4) I know you said you have many blades start with the popular ones.

We need to remember that although we are obsessed with shaving they are, for the most part, not obsessed with shaving. For them it is a chore to shave but you will hopefully provide your son with a more enjoyable way to shave, maybe he will catch the bug, or maybe not, that will be up to him.

 

[MovingToMars]

You make it sound like a Qshave is a lethal weapon. I didn’t find that true at all. I've had no issue with blade alignment, or chatter, and the lower settings do not seem aggressive at all.
Admittedly I no longer use it because with my arthritic thumbs I have trouble gripping the Qshave's smooth handle. That is why I settled on a Rex Envoy, which has great knurling.

The Envoy has a similar head shape, right? Beautiful piece, the grip looks amazing. I'd love to have an Ambassador one day.

The biggest issue with the Qshave (or Ming Shi 2000s) is quality control. I've seen some guys here on B&B describe the chatter I experienced and how easy it was to press the blade down with a finger and I've also seen some reviewers on YouTube adjust the Qshave to a lower setting because it was too aggressive for them, but this razor still has rave reviews. That popularity and the fact that even owners of the real Merkur Futur recommended it was the reason I bought it. (Despite the smooth handle, which I agree is a pain in the butt. I wrapped a rubber band around it for grip.) I really like the curved angles of the cap and I agree that on lower settings it doesn't seem aggressive at all. However, I used to cut myself pretty severely, precisely on those lowest settings. I'm talking 0.5-2. And I don't mean micro-cuts either, I mean the type of cuts that immediately start dripping blood, having to shave over bloody skin because it spread so quickly, pressing down with pieces of toilet paper to try to get the bleeding to stop, white towels streaked red, that sort of thing. My shaves usually weren't that much of a horror show, but I'd have at least one bad cut with the Qshave, consistently. It would mostly happen on skin over bone with sparser growth where I really needed a lower setting. For the rest, I'd pick a setting like 3 and that never gave me problems, strangely enough. Bumps and mosquito bites were chopped clean off though, so I can't even imagine what my Qshave would do to kids with acne.

It's not quite a lethal weapon, but I've been slightly anemic for years, so my Qshave hobby would have made my GP sigh in exasperation anyway. Luckily, ever since I stopped using the Qshave I haven't needed the first aid kit at all. I think I've used 6 different razors since then? Two vintage Techs, a King C Gillette, a Baili BR179 TTO, a Yaqi Katana and a standard Lemonwald. I've used sharper blades and milder blades. Sure, I've had a couple of those teeny tiny dots and I've nicked myself once or twice, but nothing that actually bled. My Qshave scars are now fading nicely. And I am really, really glad I didn't give up (thanks to B&B, actually). The joy is back and I'm also getting better results all the time.

I had no issues with blade alignment in my Qshave either, but that's a common theme in reviews. Many people received a dud that shaves more aggressively on one side than on the other. Mine didn't have that particular issue, but there clearly is a problem with blade support somehow. (And yes, I always assembled the razor upside down, dropping the blade into the cap first.)

I think the Qshave is a fun buy for wet shaving fans, especially those with heavier beards. But I don't think it's suitable as a gift for teenagers, because quality control leaves a lot to be desired. You can't be sure you're not handing a lemon to a beginner and a beginner wouldn't be able to recognize a faulty razor. They'd probably assume they were simply doing it wrong, just like I did. Eventually, they might buy a cartridge razor and spend thousands of dollars over the course of their life on overpriced sub-par shaving equipment. That's why I'd say, either buy the real Futur, or get a popular 3-piece from an actual brand so you can trust the product is good.