I think my new Futur was not assembled "correctly" at the factory .

[wquiles]

I have been noticing that although my Futur has a reputation for being more aggressive than other adjustables, it just felt to me "too" aggressive, even in the lowest level. So after removing the blade(!!!), I played a little with it.

So I first took some pictures/close-ups, of my Futur on its lowest setting, which is slightly less than "1" - note that the blade cover leaves a "gap" with the base, even at this lowest level (these are the "before" pictures):

By pressing on the blade cover, I notice that besides there being a fairly large gap, there was significant downward travel before the assembly touched bottom. So upon searching some more, I found and watched this video on how to disassemble the Futur (NEVER attempt with a blade in place!):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuDCHb9-uJ4


During re-assembly, I tried pushing harder, until the assembly touched bottom, and sure enough, I was able to go down more, a full extra turn, before re-engaging the locking pin. I then took these pictures (these are the "after" pictures), again starting at the lowest possible level:

Notice above the very significant reduction in the blade gap, and on the clearance once the cap is in place. Now, in this "correct" assembly position, when I open the gap to slightly over 6 (the max), now the gap of course grows larger as expected:

Does anyone else with a Futur also has that "large" gap on "1" like I showed in my first picture? Or does your Futur has a lower/smaller gap like in my "after" pictures?

Will

 

[Mick]

The handle was not past the stop so #1 was beyond #6

This video will help you understand

 

[wquiles]

The handle was not past the stop so #1 was beyond #6

Right - that is exactly what I am trying to say. But that was the way my new Futur arrived from the factory. I would have never expected that the head was a full turn "above" what it should have been

I am glad I just did not give up on my Futur too early, but I also wonder if mine is just a very rare case, or if this happens more often?

 

[Foyle]

I used to have a Futur. The factory definitely assembled it incorrectly. It looks like your re-assembly efforts corrected the problem. The surest way to tell is this: With the cap off, the blade bed should sit all the way down in the razor head when the razor is adjusted to its lowest setting. You can tell if its all the way down by viewing it from the side. The pics in post #7 on this thread will show you what I mean. http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/273036-Futur-owners-uneven-blade-gaps-is-this-normal

 

[Mick]

Right - that is exactly what I am trying to say. But that was the way my new Futur arrived from the factory. I would have never expected that the head was a full turn "above" what it should have been

I am glad I just did not give up on my Futur too early, but I also wonder if mine is just a very rare case, or if this happens more often?

Just someone not paying attention or being rushed during the assembly.

I bought a Penhaligon's Opus 1870 EDC a few weeks ago and they did not put the sprayer on the bottle. You'd think that at $120 a pop for a small bottle of "stink'em" someone would have looked.

 

[wquiles]

Awesome - that pic on post #7 showed "exactly" the problem my Futur had. Thanks much for the link

That also answers my other question: my Futur is "not" the only one coming from the factory this way. Makes me wonder how many give up on the Futur too quickly due to this "problem"?

 

[Mick]

I think they call the ones assembled that way the R-Futy-one

 

[wquiles]

I hear you loud and clear man!

My face was almost on fire this morning with razor burn after shaving with my Futur (of course still on the wrong setting), and that was it - I "had" to do something about it. I am glad I am not "completely" crazy and that this is (unfortunately) a potential problem with the Futur. I am now "really" looking forward to trying again the Futur tomorrow morning on the "real" level 1, instead of "past 6" as I used it before



I went ahead and uploaded the picture from that thread (credit to the original poster infabo), and I am posting it here, to keep this thread more "complete". Here is the way to tell if the particular Futur has this "problem" or not:

 

[rajagra]

It's scary to think they might be coming from the factory this way.
It takes a strong grip to assemble them properly by hand. If there are women assembling them they might not have enough strength.

When reassembling (or when checking a newly bought Futur) check it is put together properly. It takes quite a lot of strength to squeeze the head enough to tighten the handle all the way. If you have it one turn too loose, you effectively have settings 7 through 12 instead of 1 through 6. I wonder if this is why a few people think the Futur is very aggressive.

 

[chilliman64]

thanks for this wquiles. I have checked mine and all seems to be in order. this was the first DE razor I bought in Oct last year. I haven't used it in a few months now but may give it a run tonight, for old times sake.

 

[celestino]

Wow, what an experience! Good thing you tried to figure it out before you did some significant damage! Good luck.

 

[wquiles]

thanks for this wquiles.

You are welcome

Wow, what an experience! Good thing you tried to figure it out before you did some significant damage! Good luck.

The razor burn from this morning was tough - hopefully tomorrow it will be a lot smoother

 

[bakerbarber]

I didn't know the Futur came apart.

I took mine apart after reading this thread and gave it a thorough cleaning. It adjusts much smoother now and had a surprising amount of gunk and whiskers inside.

I knew the VISION needed to be stripped down and maintained, but I didn't know the Futur came apart.

You guys are great!

I had a stellar shave with my Futur this morning which I haven't used in months.