hi i just purchased the merkur futur , and was wondering if anyone had any tips to getting started , i am used to disposible bics, so its a huge changed for me , i find the razor heavy, wich im sure i will get used to , but what i found the hardest was how to i achive a 30 degree angle ???, and how do i know if im shaving at the rigth angle please help thank you
merkur futur any tips
- Thread starter CHR_13
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I never had a problem with the angle. Usually you can feel the blade of the Futur, so if you can feel it you're holding it at the right angle. It also helps to listen as you cut. The Futur seems to magnify the sound of cutting each whisker.
The best advice I can give about the Futur is to not get crazy and turn it up to 6. The Futur was my first DE razor and I felt that 2 or 3 wasn't cutting close enough. I bumped it up to 6 and destroyed my neck. Since then I have learned to get great shaves on my neck with the razor set at about 1 1/2. Don't be afraid to go over sensitive areas multiple times (lathering after each pass of course) on a low setting.
The best advice I can give about the Futur is to not get crazy and turn it up to 6. The Futur was my first DE razor and I felt that 2 or 3 wasn't cutting close enough. I bumped it up to 6 and destroyed my neck. Since then I have learned to get great shaves on my neck with the razor set at about 1 1/2. Don't be afraid to go over sensitive areas multiple times (lathering after each pass of course) on a low setting.
The Futur was my first DE razor and still the one I use. I tried the Hefty Classic but the handle was too small for me and it did not have enough heft to it (all IMHO, of course). The main advice is to set it low and keep it there. Do not screw around with the adjustibility while you are learning to use it. Mine is set to 1.5 and has been left there ever since. Don't worry so much on the angle - it should be apparent when you have it about right. The head, safety bar and feedback that you get sound-wise from the razor all lead to the angle setting itself and it will not take too long to dial it in. I find I get the best results with minimal pressure and letting the weight of the Futur do the work. Mimic the amount of weight you feel when you do the S-N on the neck to keep it consistent.
Be careful changing the blade - the head popping off to change it is a little funky. You can use a towel over the head if it makes you feel more comfortable. Other than that, just stick with and use a consistent rig (blade type and soap) until you get your prep down. It might take a couple weeks to learn to get consistent, smooth shaves. It took me a bit to get over the curve, but the shaves just get better each day ever since. Congrats on the choice of a nice razor.
Dennis
Be careful changing the blade - the head popping off to change it is a little funky. You can use a towel over the head if it makes you feel more comfortable. Other than that, just stick with and use a consistent rig (blade type and soap) until you get your prep down. It might take a couple weeks to learn to get consistent, smooth shaves. It took me a bit to get over the curve, but the shaves just get better each day ever since. Congrats on the choice of a nice razor.
Dennis
I can't make any futur-specific comments, as I've never used one (though, I may go there someday) but I will give my 2 cents worth re: blade angle (please note: I'm a relative novice, so you can choose to take my advice/opinions with a grain of salt, if you wish). You should be able to feel if you are at the right angle: if the blade is too close to parallel with your skin, you won't cut any/much hair and will just feel the razor slide over your lathered skin; if the blade is too close to perpindicular with your skin, then you will feel it digging in a little (this is bad - when blades dig in you may bleed, and most of us don't like that much). Like much of the wetshaving expereince, you have to experiment a little but you should be able to feel when you are at approximately the right angel (and you should be able to feel when you are at the wrong angle too). The audio clues, as mentioned by McNutt, can also be helpful. If you don't hear the little "pop" of hairs being sliced, you either have th blade too parallel to your skin, or you have no hair where you are shaving. On the other hand, if you hear a dragging, sratching sound (that's the best that I can describe it) then the blade is too perpindicular to your skin.
The other general advice that i can offer is as follows: very, very light pressure (even support some of the weight of the razor if you find that your shaves are uncomfortable); slow down and think about what you are doing (in my experience slower and more thoughtful shaves are more enjoyable experiences and better shaves); pay attention to the direction of hair growth and adjust two-,three-, or four-pass methods accordingly (for example, my with-the-grain pass on my neck depends on which side of my neck - on the right side my WTG pass goes from SW to NE, opposite for the opposite side - if I were to do a N-S pass as my first pass I am almost shaving against the grain, and it is uncomfortable).
The other general advice that i can offer is as follows: very, very light pressure (even support some of the weight of the razor if you find that your shaves are uncomfortable); slow down and think about what you are doing (in my experience slower and more thoughtful shaves are more enjoyable experiences and better shaves); pay attention to the direction of hair growth and adjust two-,three-, or four-pass methods accordingly (for example, my with-the-grain pass on my neck depends on which side of my neck - on the right side my WTG pass goes from SW to NE, opposite for the opposite side - if I were to do a N-S pass as my first pass I am almost shaving against the grain, and it is uncomfortable).
CHR 13, Got a name???
One--you will adjust to the heavier handle. Just give it some time. Be sure while adjusting to use almost no pressure. Let the weight of the razor apply all of the pressure you need.
Two--be sure to start off with merkur blades as they are more forgiving and not nearly as sharp as Feather blades or some of the Sweedish Gillettes. The Merkur blade will give you the best sharpness to comfort ratio you want when starting to use this razor. Be sure to throw the Merkur razor blade that came with the Futur away and use a new blade. Also set your Futur razor at a setting of no higher than 2 for a few weeks to get the hang of the razor. Once you become comfortable with the Futur, you can bump it up to 3 or 4 or 6 if need be. Once you find a comfortable setting that gives you good shaves, STOP!
Three--in order to get the proper blade angle, start by putting the razor parallel to the floor and slowly lower the handle till you feel the razor begin to cut through your whiskers. If you do this in a quiet room (no water running), you can actually hear the whiskers being cut. This is the proper blade angle.
Good luck with your new purchase and feel free to ask more questions.
One--you will adjust to the heavier handle. Just give it some time. Be sure while adjusting to use almost no pressure. Let the weight of the razor apply all of the pressure you need.
Two--be sure to start off with merkur blades as they are more forgiving and not nearly as sharp as Feather blades or some of the Sweedish Gillettes. The Merkur blade will give you the best sharpness to comfort ratio you want when starting to use this razor. Be sure to throw the Merkur razor blade that came with the Futur away and use a new blade. Also set your Futur razor at a setting of no higher than 2 for a few weeks to get the hang of the razor. Once you become comfortable with the Futur, you can bump it up to 3 or 4 or 6 if need be. Once you find a comfortable setting that gives you good shaves, STOP!
Three--in order to get the proper blade angle, start by putting the razor parallel to the floor and slowly lower the handle till you feel the razor begin to cut through your whiskers. If you do this in a quiet room (no water running), you can actually hear the whiskers being cut. This is the proper blade angle.
Good luck with your new purchase and feel free to ask more questions.
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- #6
my name is chris
ty very much for ur advise i just shaved yesterday usually i shave every second day , so i will take ur workds of advice an apply them next time i shave , also i have another question is it ok to shave eveyday ??? it may sound silly but i have sensitive skin and get some razor burn espcially around my neck also some incrown hairs, its it better to get titng my faces used to shaving everyday or keep it at evey second day ??? thanks again for ur time
ty very much for ur advise i just shaved yesterday usually i shave every second day , so i will take ur workds of advice an apply them next time i shave , also i have another question is it ok to shave eveyday ??? it may sound silly but i have sensitive skin and get some razor burn espcially around my neck also some incrown hairs, its it better to get titng my faces used to shaving everyday or keep it at evey second day ??? thanks again for ur time
CHR_13 said:
Your face does get acclimated to shaving once you have a normal routine. You will find out what your face tolerates once you start shaving. If you are changing to every day shaving use a less aggressive blade.
Chris,
How often you shave is, in my opinion, something that you must figure out on your own. I have a heavy, coarse beard so daily shaving is necessary if I am not going to have one of those "beards" that I would describe as a If-Brad-Pitt-Looked-Like-This-Chicks-Would-Think-It-Was-Sexy-beard. However, like you, I have sensitive skin and when I was using a M3 and can 'o foam (about 1.5 months ago) my neck was ALWAYS bad. As a result I didn't shave every day. However, since switching to a DE I find that my neck is FAR less irritated (and seems to be getting better every day) and I now shave every day. Experiment. If you find that your neck needs time to heal, then give it time to heal... and if switching to a DE means that you get less irritation, then maybe you'll want to shave daily.
How often you shave is, in my opinion, something that you must figure out on your own. I have a heavy, coarse beard so daily shaving is necessary if I am not going to have one of those "beards" that I would describe as a If-Brad-Pitt-Looked-Like-This-Chicks-Would-Think-It-Was-Sexy-beard. However, like you, I have sensitive skin and when I was using a M3 and can 'o foam (about 1.5 months ago) my neck was ALWAYS bad. As a result I didn't shave every day. However, since switching to a DE I find that my neck is FAR less irritated (and seems to be getting better every day) and I now shave every day. Experiment. If you find that your neck needs time to heal, then give it time to heal... and if switching to a DE means that you get less irritation, then maybe you'll want to shave daily.
Despite the advanced stages of my RAD, I have yet to acquire either the futur or the vision. Compared to an HD or a super speed, I find the head of my 1-9 fat boy a bit too large for my liking, so I can't picture myself using either of these Brobdingnagian razors.
Then again, I'll probably buy them both.........
Then again, I'll probably buy them both.........
ouch said:Despite the advanced stages of my RAD, I have yet to acquire either the futur or the vision. Compared to an HD or a super speed, I find the head of my 1-9 fat boy a bit too large for my liking, so I can't picture myself using either of these Brobdingnagian razors.
Then again, I'll probably buy them both.........
Now THAT'S a word I wouldn't want to try and say after a few too many drinks.
Come to think of it, I can hardly even say it at the moment, and I'm sober!
Nice word ouch.
