I have been an extremely satisfied Merkur Futur user since October 2013 with no expectations of any razor being better.
That, till my Muhle R41 Version 2013 arrived.
The Muhle R41 Version 2011, although universally feared for its aggression, was was also equally revered for its quick, efficient shave. In the 2013 revision, Muhle has simply extended the top cap to reduce the amount of blade exposed to minimize flexure and chatter of the blade. Needless to say, the results are astounding. The razor NEVER nicks you, unless you behead something. The 3-4 day old blades, even though increasing tuggy, never chatter and grab skin, thereby minimizing irritation and redness.
I thought of replicating this same performance in the Merkur Futur with the added advantage of being able to adjust blade gap to suit my requirements.
If you unscrew the handle and remove the blade holding compartment and turn it over, this is what you see :
While the top cap secures the blade about 1.5 mm from the edge, the bottom plate secures the blade almost 4 mm from the edge. This allows the blade to chatter and flex a little as it cuts the hair while it passes over the bumps and curves of your face. This chatter also provides the enhanced acoustic feedback that we are so accustomed to with the Futur.
However as the blade begins to lose its edge, it tends to feel increased resistance on cutting through hair. As higher force is required to achieve this, the blade tends to flex increasingly and follow a slight grab - cut - release pattern as it mows down your beard. This increased chatter accompanied by a louder acoustic feedback also tend to leave the skin red and irritated in the contoured patches of your upper lip and chin.
Now to applying the Muhle R41 V2013 success recipe to the Futur. Both razors hold the blades reasonable straight without curving it, the Muhle a little more rigidly.
I therefore devised two shims for the Futur, cut out of used blades. One is the same width as the top cap (middle) and the second one, about a mm shorter (right). A standard blade is to the left of the image for comparison :
These are then assembled on the bottom assembly of the razor head with the narrowest shim lowest, wide shim in the middle and the blade at the top. The top cap was snapped into position. Here are the images with the entire set up in place as seen from below :
As desired by me, the blade is now more rigidly held in place, minimizing in-operation flexure, play and chatter. The blade gap is automatically increased by about 0.5 due to the shims. So I can theoretically shave at 7 when set at 6.5.
The razor becomes an extremely focussed, controlled, aggressive shaving machine like no other. It is smooth, efficient and fast, requiring fewer passes to achieve desirable results. I experienced fewer patches of irritation (alum check) and almost no red patches. Needless to say, the shave lasts about an hour longer before you can feel the faintest of stubble.
Oh, and for the flipside, it has lost its acoustic loudness and is a lot more muted.
Of course YMMV but i would like to see you fine gents try this out and share the feedback.
Here is another image of the setup with a different point of view and lighting.
That, till my Muhle R41 Version 2013 arrived.
The Muhle R41 Version 2011, although universally feared for its aggression, was was also equally revered for its quick, efficient shave. In the 2013 revision, Muhle has simply extended the top cap to reduce the amount of blade exposed to minimize flexure and chatter of the blade. Needless to say, the results are astounding. The razor NEVER nicks you, unless you behead something. The 3-4 day old blades, even though increasing tuggy, never chatter and grab skin, thereby minimizing irritation and redness.
I thought of replicating this same performance in the Merkur Futur with the added advantage of being able to adjust blade gap to suit my requirements.
If you unscrew the handle and remove the blade holding compartment and turn it over, this is what you see :
While the top cap secures the blade about 1.5 mm from the edge, the bottom plate secures the blade almost 4 mm from the edge. This allows the blade to chatter and flex a little as it cuts the hair while it passes over the bumps and curves of your face. This chatter also provides the enhanced acoustic feedback that we are so accustomed to with the Futur.
However as the blade begins to lose its edge, it tends to feel increased resistance on cutting through hair. As higher force is required to achieve this, the blade tends to flex increasingly and follow a slight grab - cut - release pattern as it mows down your beard. This increased chatter accompanied by a louder acoustic feedback also tend to leave the skin red and irritated in the contoured patches of your upper lip and chin.
Now to applying the Muhle R41 V2013 success recipe to the Futur. Both razors hold the blades reasonable straight without curving it, the Muhle a little more rigidly.
I therefore devised two shims for the Futur, cut out of used blades. One is the same width as the top cap (middle) and the second one, about a mm shorter (right). A standard blade is to the left of the image for comparison :
These are then assembled on the bottom assembly of the razor head with the narrowest shim lowest, wide shim in the middle and the blade at the top. The top cap was snapped into position. Here are the images with the entire set up in place as seen from below :
As desired by me, the blade is now more rigidly held in place, minimizing in-operation flexure, play and chatter. The blade gap is automatically increased by about 0.5 due to the shims. So I can theoretically shave at 7 when set at 6.5.
The razor becomes an extremely focussed, controlled, aggressive shaving machine like no other. It is smooth, efficient and fast, requiring fewer passes to achieve desirable results. I experienced fewer patches of irritation (alum check) and almost no red patches. Needless to say, the shave lasts about an hour longer before you can feel the faintest of stubble.
Oh, and for the flipside, it has lost its acoustic loudness and is a lot more muted.
Of course YMMV but i would like to see you fine gents try this out and share the feedback.
Here is another image of the setup with a different point of view and lighting.
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