Based upon my general preferences in double edged razors, I shouldn't own, much less enjoy using, the Merkur Futur. I gravitate towards smaller, nimble and efficient razors, and I'm not particularly fond of adjustables. The Futur is efficient, so it meets that criterion, but no one would call it small or nimble. At one point I even sold my Futur because it just didn't fit my image of an ideal razor, but when I saw one on the BST a few months ago I couldn't resist the urge to buy another one. I will say that my current Futur is the matte finish version and as such manages to address one of the issues I had with the polished version - it doesn't feel as if it might slip out of my hand. Maybe that's just a mental thing, since I'm not sure how much grip is lost with the polished finish, but I'm much happier with the matte finish.
Despite its bulk and odd looking geometry, the Futur glides effortlessly over my face and neck. Most days that I use it I set it on 4.5 which yields a BBS or near BBS shave with no drama whatsoever. I've never had a cut, nick or irritation from a Futur shave. Occasionally I open it all the way up, but then I do have to pay more attention. If I manage to irritate my neck with one of my other razors, I lower the dial to 3.5 and use the Futur until the irritation subsides. The other adjustable razors I've owned are the Gillette Black Beauty (back when it was a current model) and a Merkur Progress. Neither one provided me with the comfort and efficiency of the Futur. I know that there are some high end adjustable razors out there these days, but I'll probably just stick with the Futur as my one adjustable.
Despite its bulk and odd looking geometry, the Futur glides effortlessly over my face and neck. Most days that I use it I set it on 4.5 which yields a BBS or near BBS shave with no drama whatsoever. I've never had a cut, nick or irritation from a Futur shave. Occasionally I open it all the way up, but then I do have to pay more attention. If I manage to irritate my neck with one of my other razors, I lower the dial to 3.5 and use the Futur until the irritation subsides. The other adjustable razors I've owned are the Gillette Black Beauty (back when it was a current model) and a Merkur Progress. Neither one provided me with the comfort and efficiency of the Futur. I know that there are some high end adjustable razors out there these days, but I'll probably just stick with the Futur as my one adjustable.