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I Ordered Another Razor...Again... Merkur Futur Adjustable Razor!

Hey all,
I've sold my Futur:confused:
I never warmed up to it. In the end, the the head was huge and just felt uncomfortable & unnatural. A pain to use!
I still give my Pearl Flexi the #1 spot in "my" adjustables.
With part of the proceeds of the Futur, of course I ordered something else, LOL!:
A Razorock Lupo 72! My favorite non-adjustable is the Lupo DE aluminum so I opted for a slightly more aggressive Lupo in Stainless steel. If it's as good as the aluminum Lupo, I'm certain that it will be a favorite and my daily driver. I'm sure that at some point I'll also own a Game Changer and a Mamba as well since I believe that Razorock makes the best quality razors for the price that the charge. I really really like their products!
Anyways, I'll post a follow-up when I get it.
LRod
 

Star_Wahl_Clipper_Treker

Likes a fat handle in his hand
I am ready to finalize my review on the Merkur Futur today, as I've used the razor for a solid week, and ran two different type of blades through it. I've got some new opinions, and new information, the Merkur Futur is like a rollercoaster, you better strap yourself in, cause its gonna be a wild ride for sure!

These are BIC Chrome Platinum Blades...
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And these are the heavily acclaimed Gillette Nacet Blades
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This is the only blade reveal shot that I have on the Bic blades
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And this is the blade reveal shot I have on the Gillette blades
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As I continued to shave more with my Bic blade, it was almost as if the blade was possessed. The first shave went awesome, the 2nd shave was almost garbage, even though it was good, then the 3rd shave went better, but with so much tugging of the hairs, I figured, either the blade was already dull after the 3rd shave, or Bic's are just not working out in my Merkur Futur. I figured at this point, for sanity sake, I just need to toss the Bic blade, and replace it with something new.

With all the talk on the forum about Gillette Nacets, you'd be under the impression that they are the best razor blade ever made! So I have a report for you, I tried out a Gillette Nacet blade today. And the good news regarding the blade, it provided me a very smooth shave. I however, screwed up bigtime, and had my soap to water consistency, completely out of wack. I had so much soap in the dam thing, it was a glue gooey like consistency, and I used it, and I got razor burn!

First time I ever got razor burn since the beginning of my shaving journey. Its so much harder then you think, getting the amount of soap, and water, mix ration proper. I've been doing so well for so long, I didn't think I'd make this mistake, but wow did I ever. But I think the main point here, is the Gillette Nacet's most certainly were an improvement on the blade side of things, I achieved a much smoother shave using a Nacet, just like everybody else talks about, so they are not wrong!

Its IMO, that Gillette Nacet's are the blades to use in the Merkur Futur, and I will be doing this from now on, until I run out, and have to return to the Bic's, or use my Feather's. When you look at the pictures showing the smooth handle on the Futur, your first assumption is going to be, its going to be hard holding that thing when my fingers get soapy aint it. I can officially confirm, soapy fingers, and this smooth handle, do not mix!

While wet fingers don't seem to matter much with this smooth handle however, soapy fingers do matter, and you must watch out for that. But as long as you don't have soapy fingers, you shouldn't have issues with the Merkur Futur. And yes, its always going to be tricky getting that fat head under your nose to get those tricky hairs. But, if you been wet shaving for awhile now, you should know how to get around that, its not a big deal guys.

I am going to drop my rating on the razor from 5 stars, to 4.5 stars. Soapy fingers and smooth handles do not mix, if your not careful, you can nick yourself, or get weepers, causing crimson rivers to flow down your face. So you must watch out for that. And considering that the Futur doesn't work well with every blade type, thats also a minus.

In conclusion:
I still think that the Merkur Futur is an amazing razor, don't get me wrong! I absolutely love it, and I still do! And unlike LRod who sold off his Futur, I will not be doing that! But 2 issues don't make a right with a razor, and if its got any issues, I am going to be honest about it. I still think its an amazing razor that I will continue to love, but its not a perfect razor. So take that as you will. Do I still recommend this razor? Yes I do! But please be aware of the issues, and you will do just fine. Use Nacet's!!!

Here is a new shave den photo I took, showing my new Merkur Futur in its happy little stand, in the Captains Choice Cobalt lather bowl, all warm and cozy...
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I am ready to finalize my review on the Merkur Futur today, as I've used the razor for a solid week, and ran two different type of blades through it. I've got some new opinions, and new information, the Merkur Futur is like a rollercoaster, you better strap yourself in, cause its gonna be a wild ride for sure!

These are BIC Chrome Platinum Blades...
proxy.php


And these are the heavily acclaimed Gillette Nacet Blades
proxy.php


This is the only blade reveal shot that I have on the Bic blades
proxy.php


And this is the blade reveal shot I have on the Gillette blades
proxy.php



As I continued to shave more with my Bic blade, it was almost as if the blade was possessed. The first shave went awesome, the 2nd shave was almost garbage, even though it was good, then the 3rd shave went better, but with so much tugging of the hairs, I figured, either the blade was already dull after the 3rd shave, or Bic's are just not working out in my Merkur Futur. I figured at this point, for sanity sake, I just need to toss the Bic blade, and replace it with something new.

With all the talk on the forum about Gillette Nacets, you'd be under the impression that they are the best razor blade ever made! So I have a report for you, I tried out a Gillette Nacet blade today. And the good news regarding the blade, it provided me a very smooth shave. I however, screwed up bigtime, and had my soap to water consistency, completely out of wack. I had so much soap in the dam thing, it was a glue gooey like consistency, and I used it, and I got razor burn!

First time I ever got razor burn since the beginning of my shaving journey. Its so much harder then you think, getting the amount of soap, and water, mix ration proper. I've been doing so well for so long, I didn't think I'd make this mistake, but wow did I ever. But I think the main point here, is the Gillette Nacet's most certainly were an improvement on the blade side of things, I achieved a much smoother shave using a Nacet, just like everybody else talks about, so they are not wrong!

Its IMO, that Gillette Nacet's are the blades to use in the Merkur Futur, and I will be doing this from now on, until I run out, and have to return to the Bic's, or use my Feather's. When you look at the pictures showing the smooth handle on the Futur, your first assumption is going to be, its going to be hard holding that thing when my fingers get soapy aint it. I can officially confirm, soapy fingers, and this smooth handle, do not mix!

While wet fingers don't seem to matter much with this smooth handle however, soapy fingers do matter, and you must watch out for that. But as long as you don't have soapy fingers, you shouldn't have issues with the Merkur Futur. And yes, its always going to be tricky getting that fat head under your nose to get those tricky hairs. But, if you been wet shaving for awhile now, you should know how to get around that, its not a big deal guys.

I am going to drop my rating on the razor from 5 stars, to 4.5 stars. Soapy fingers and smooth handles do not mix, if your not careful, you can nick yourself, or get weepers, causing crimson rivers to flow down your face. So you must watch out for that. And considering that the Futur doesn't work well with every blade type, thats also a minus.

In conclusion:
I still think that the Merkur Futur is an amazing razor, don't get me wrong! I absolutely love it, and I still do! And unlike LRod who sold off his Futur, I will not be doing that! But 2 issues don't make a right with a razor, and if its got any issues, I am going to be honest about it. I still think its an amazing razor that I will continue to love, but its not a perfect razor. So take that as you will. Do I still recommend this razor? Yes I do! But please be aware of the issues, and you will do just fine. Use Nacet's!!!

Here is a new shave den photo I took, showing my new Merkur Futur in its happy little stand, in the Captains Choice Cobalt lather bowl, all warm and cozy...
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It's picky with blades, the big head makes it difficult on some parts of the face (this is important for most!), the handle can be slippery and you can get nicked!
4.5 rating?
For me it had enough faults that made it a big "No"!
Too many good razors out there that wholly do what they're supposed to without any of those negatives. The only plus I saw with the Futur was the blade loading system which I found really good. I think that this razor is a niche razor and I know that some people do like them. Personally for me it gave to much work to make it enjoyable.
 

Ron R

I survived a lathey foreman
I am ready to finalize my review on the Merkur Futur today, as I've used the razor for a solid week, and ran two different type of blades through it. I've got some new opinions, and new information, the Merkur Futur is like a rollercoaster, you better strap yourself in, cause its gonna be a wild ride for sure!

These are BIC Chrome Platinum Blades...
proxy.php


And these are the heavily acclaimed Gillette Nacet Blades
proxy.php


This is the only blade reveal shot that I have on the Bic blades
proxy.php


And this is the blade reveal shot I have on the Gillette blades
proxy.php



As I continued to shave more with my Bic blade, it was almost as if the blade was possessed. The first shave went awesome, the 2nd shave was almost garbage, even though it was good, then the 3rd shave went better, but with so much tugging of the hairs, I figured, either the blade was already dull after the 3rd shave, or Bic's are just not working out in my Merkur Futur. I figured at this point, for sanity sake, I just need to toss the Bic blade, and replace it with something new.

With all the talk on the forum about Gillette Nacets, you'd be under the impression that they are the best razor blade ever made! So I have a report for you, I tried out a Gillette Nacet blade today. And the good news regarding the blade, it provided me a very smooth shave. I however, screwed up bigtime, and had my soap to water consistency, completely out of wack. I had so much soap in the dam thing, it was a glue gooey like consistency, and I used it, and I got razor burn!

First time I ever got razor burn since the beginning of my shaving journey. Its so much harder then you think, getting the amount of soap, and water, mix ration proper. I've been doing so well for so long, I didn't think I'd make this mistake, but wow did I ever. But I think the main point here, is the Gillette Nacet's most certainly were an improvement on the blade side of things, I achieved a much smoother shave using a Nacet, just like everybody else talks about, so they are not wrong!

Its IMO, that Gillette Nacet's are the blades to use in the Merkur Futur, and I will be doing this from now on, until I run out, and have to return to the Bic's, or use my Feather's. When you look at the pictures showing the smooth handle on the Futur, your first assumption is going to be, its going to be hard holding that thing when my fingers get soapy aint it. I can officially confirm, soapy fingers, and this smooth handle, do not mix!

While wet fingers don't seem to matter much with this smooth handle however, soapy fingers do matter, and you must watch out for that. But as long as you don't have soapy fingers, you shouldn't have issues with the Merkur Futur. And yes, its always going to be tricky getting that fat head under your nose to get those tricky hairs. But, if you been wet shaving for awhile now, you should know how to get around that, its not a big deal guys.

I am going to drop my rating on the razor from 5 stars, to 4.5 stars. Soapy fingers and smooth handles do not mix, if your not careful, you can nick yourself, or get weepers, causing crimson rivers to flow down your face. So you must watch out for that. And considering that the Futur doesn't work well with every blade type, thats also a minus.

In conclusion:
I still think that the Merkur Futur is an amazing razor, don't get me wrong! I absolutely love it, and I still do! And unlike LRod who sold off his Futur, I will not be doing that! But 2 issues don't make a right with a razor, and if its got any issues, I am going to be honest about it. I still think its an amazing razor that I will continue to love, but its not a perfect razor. So take that as you will. Do I still recommend this razor? Yes I do! But please be aware of the issues, and you will do just fine. Use Nacet's!!!

Here is a new shave den photo I took, showing my new Merkur Futur in its happy little stand, in the Captains Choice Cobalt lather bowl, all warm and cozy...
proxy.php
Interesting review you did on the razor and accurate IMO, as for the bic razor blade I ran into a similar conclusion as yours.
The first shave was excellent and after that it seemed unpredictable or not consistent like other sharp blades. Maybe they are designed for 1 shave? who knows, I don't use them hardly anymore.
 

Star_Wahl_Clipper_Treker

Likes a fat handle in his hand
Interesting review you did on the razor and accurate IMO, as for the bic razor blade I ran into a similar conclusion as yours.
The first shave was excellent and after that it seemed unpredictable or not consistent like other sharp blades. Maybe they are designed for 1 shave? who knows, I don't use them hardly anymore.

Thank you Ron, very much appreciated!

In my view, consistency is key, thats what I am looking for. And the Bic blades really let me down with my Merkur Futur. I think the Bic's work better in my Rex Ambassador, and in my Feather AS-D2. But they are not good for my Merkur Futur.

And while I am sorry to hear it in the end, I do so appreciate knowing that you and I, have had the same conclusions regarding the razor. I think we both agree that the Merkur Futur is a solid razor. But, its not a perfect razor, it does have its drawbacks.

And as we've seen from our friend LRod, for some, its an absolute deal breaker. And sometimes I forget that when it comes to some razors, that issues I might have, but I can work around, might actually be complete deal breakers for other's. I am just glad that I got the information out there.

But yes, consistency, here's hoping I will have that with the Nacet's. But from all the reviews already well posted on B&B about the Nacet's, people claim that consistency is great with the Nacet's, up until they are dull. Which perfectly makes sense.

BTW, I saw your SOTD post, yep, once you've used that blade all they way till death, its time to retire it, and slap a new one in there. Keep being amazing buddy, I appreciate you!
 

Star_Wahl_Clipper_Treker

Likes a fat handle in his hand
That shaving den is expanding for sure! Great write up by the way!😊👍💈

Thank you so much Butch! I like to be informative and entertaining with my reviews. Sadly, I fear that my finalized review this time around, was a little less positive then usual. But, I have to be honest, regardless if its positive or negative.

And you know what the funny part is about the Shave Den? I don't have enough counter space to show all the soaps that I have, so most of the soap is stored under the sink lol. I got so much stuff, it would even use most of the space of my desk where I take pictures.

But you and I both knew that was going to happen, the ever expanding rabbit hole, gotta love it! :lol:
 
Hey all,
I've sold my Futur:confused:
I never warmed up to it. In the end, the the head was huge and just felt uncomfortable & unnatural. A pain to use!
I still give my Pearl Flexi the #1 spot in "my" adjustables.
With part of the proceeds of the Futur, of course I ordered something else, LOL!:
A Razorock Lupo 72! My favorite non-adjustable is the Lupo DE aluminum so I opted for a slightly more aggressive Lupo in Stainless steel. If it's as good as the aluminum Lupo, I'm certain that it will be a favorite and my daily driver. I'm sure that at some point I'll also own a Game Changer and a Mamba as well since I believe that Razorock makes the best quality razors for the price that the charge. I really really like their products!
Anyways, I'll post a follow-up when I get it.
LRod
I also think they look unwieldy and disproportioned…not my style but others love them. I agree the head looks bulbous for no reason and the handles... Happy shaves.
 

Star_Wahl_Clipper_Treker

Likes a fat handle in his hand
I also think they look unwieldy and disproportioned…not my style but others love them. I agree the head looks bulbous for no reason and the handles... Happy shaves.

You think that is bad? Have you had a look at the long discontinued Merkur Vision razor? It was basically the big daddy of the Merkur Futur razor.

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It used a butterfly design, you know, razors with bay doors? And people had so many problems with the Merkur Vision, that they had to discontinue it. Merkur didn't want to spend the costs to just fix the issues with the razor, sad. One of the biggest issues people had with it, they couldn't get the dang blade out of it lol!
 
I respect different views, but I think some of us are being too hard on the Merkur Futur.

For me, the Futur shaves best when slightly riding the cap (handle held slightly higher). There is a sweet spot on the handle angle that is sublime.

For me, the Futur doesn't seem to have a strong preference for blade brands, though I'm a little surprised we who are sitting in judgment are testing a Futur without at least one shave with a Merkur blade.

For me, the Futur is insanely aggressive. I suggest the mild Merkur blade might be a good match.

Random thoughts on the Merkur Futur,
 

Star_Wahl_Clipper_Treker

Likes a fat handle in his hand
I respect different views, but I think some of us are being too hard on the Merkur Futur.

For me, the Futur shaves best when slightly riding the cap (handle held slightly higher). There is a sweet spot on the handle angle that is sublime.

For me, the Futur doesn't seem to have a strong preference for blade brands, though I'm a little surprised we who are sitting in judgment are testing a Futur without at least one shave with a Merkur blade.

For me, the Futur is insanely aggressive. I suggest the mild Merkur blade might be a good match.

Random thoughts on the Merkur Futur,

Since the only Merkur blade I own, is the single one that came boxed with the razor, I don't want to use it, cause its literally the only one! The only blades I actually own in numbers are, Feather, Bic, and Nacets. I've only been wet shaving for two months. Its actually amazing how much gear I've gotten in that amount of time.

But I thank you for your insight as a Merkur Futur owner, this is what I am looking for right now, I want more Futur owners to post their results, as well as their pictures. I don't want things to be one sided, or two sided, I want multiple sides posted. But I of course, can only speak on my own experience. And I know this forum has a lot of Futur owners, just not all of them are posting here.

Thanks for the recommendation though, but I don't want to tarnish my one and only stock Merkur blade. It has more value to me staying wrapped in the box the razor came in. But you never know, maybe down the road, I might pick me up a 50 pack of those.
 
You think that is bad? Have you had a look at the long discontinued Merkur Vision razor? It was basically the big daddy of the Merkur Futur razor.

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It used a butterfly design, you know, razors with bay doors? And people had so many problems with the Merkur Vision, that they had to discontinue it. Merkur didn't want to spend the costs to just fix the issues with the razor, sad. One of the biggest issues people had with it, they couldn't get the dang blade out of it lol!
Another razor that looks like an odd ball. I am not a fan of their design team..their trying way too hard to be futuristic and modern; it’s all lost on me no matter how good they shave.
 

Star_Wahl_Clipper_Treker

Likes a fat handle in his hand
When are you going to get a good razor like the Assured?

I have a Rex Ambassador, it don't get much better then that, unless you somehow got your hands on a Rocnell Sailor razor. But even if you could afford a Rocnell Sailor, good luck trying to get a hold of one. They are so rare because of low production runs. As soon as they are available, they are instantly gone again, from all those who sniped them out from under ya lol!
 

Star_Wahl_Clipper_Treker

Likes a fat handle in his hand
enjoy my merkur futur; indeed aggressive, so a little extra care when shaving.
super efficient razor, for sure!

View attachment 1453131

Oh my gosh 😍😍😍😍😍

Thank you for bringing such emense beauty to my thread, I absolutely love your gorgeous Merkur Futur razor, this just made my day. Now I am going to eat some mac and cheese, which will also make me happy some more hehe. I couldn't agree more with what you said about he Futur as well. Excellent choice, excellent razor, excellent photo!
 
Apologies, the video where I saw a guy put the top cap on the wrong direction, that was a different video and I don't remember which one that was. For some reason my mind wants to lead to GeoFatBoy, maybe it was one of his video's, God knows I've watched a lot of them.

Never wake up a sleeping wife unless its an emergency, otherwise you will become the emergency.

No, I was just sharing that video above, cause that is the one I last watched, and I found it really informative, on how to take apart a Merkur Futur razor, how to clean it, oil it properly, and put it back together. One thing he didn't oil though, and I would have, is the spring. But other then that, I think he did awesome, and I will be doing the same.

I was honestly amazed at how dirty his Futur was to be honest. I always have the policy, after the razor has been used, remove the top cap, blade, wipe everything down, allow to dry on a paper towel, then put razor back together hours later, hang on the stand. The thing I am curious to know is, did he get that much grime buildup despite cleaning after every use, or is that from never cleaning the razor.

It looked like dried toothpaste on there didn't it? Probably just dried soap I am guessing. Either that, or that man has hard water like you can't believe! You know, like untreated well water or something lol.
Probably never cleaned the razor. Mine still looks gorgesly polished even after 10 years.
 
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