Merkur Vision 2000 problems

[DUC251]

Hi Everybody,

I recently purchased a Vision 2000 and am encountering problems in regard to blade gap and exposure.
One edge seems to be about 2 steps up in aggressiveness than the other.
Others have described similar problems and Thanks to B&B I found the thread on "Vision Surgery".

However there is a problem with tearing down this "visionary" piece of ....... German ingenuity.
Mine doesn't have a set screw under the adjuster ring.

Any advice in regard to fixing my issues with this DE and further teardown are highly appreciated.

Cheers

 

[michiganlover]

Any advice in regard to fixing my issues with this DE and further teardown are highly appreciated.

Not the advice you want to hear, and also probably not 100% helpful, but honestly: RETURN THIS *** RAZOR FOR A REAL ONE!! In my opinion, the size, heft, lack of durability, and frequent maintenance required make the Vision a total joke as razors go.

For the amount you spent on the Vision, you could buy 2-3 great quality razors that are vastly superior to the Vision. You could have even bought a high end Muhle with a fancy handle.

I am not sure you are aware, but the innards (that make the TTO mechanism work) on this razor are plastic; it's simply not built to last long term.

Edit: Welcome to Badger and Blade!!

 

[JeffOlson]

The Vision looks pretty cool to me, and I wouldn't be afraid to own one, but I would try to return your broken one for one that does not need surgery or perhaps a different razor...

 

[Samjax]

I own a Vision 2000 myself...and while Michigan's "***" may be a bit harsh (mine has been trouble free) - it's fair to say that if you're going to spend $150+ on a razor - knowing what I know now - the Vision wouldn't be in my Top 10. His advice in buying 2 or 3 different razors is also good advice. If you're looking to go with an adjustable that won't give you headaches and feels good in your hand - a new Mergress is pretty nice. I have the Mergress LH and it is very hard to fault - it does everything pretty well.

 

[vocalistbob]

Well SOMEBODY's got to stand up and defend the Vision without apologizing at the same time.

First of all, the shaving experience with the Vision is unique; the Futur is very similar, but the Vision is better-balanced (for me, anyway). I always feel like I am in control of the razor, despite its bulk and weight. I know people criticize it for being plasticky, but it would have been impractically heavy if the parts were all metal. Cost isn't always the reason for using plastics instead of metal; sometimes it's a weight issue; ask any car manufacturer. So far (I've had it a year), I have encountered zero problems. If it breaks or falls apart on me in a year or two, I may change my opinion, but for now, it gets a lot more use than my two high-end Muhles with fancy handles...

 

[Samjax]

Bob...your opinion no longer counts. You haven't been mentally stable since the whole UFO "visited by aliens" thing.

 

[GDCarrington]

True the razor would weight a lot if it were metal and some great razors have a high level of plastic composition (Later Schick Injectors and the Krona, some GEMS, etc). However, sadly this is a razor that has a lot of discussion on the forum about mechanical issues. I have not owned one or used one so I will not praise or bash it.

How long have you had the razor? If it is a short time, I agree with Jeff on trying a return if it is a defect within a reasonable warranty period.

 

[retturn2blades]

Lots of complaints on the new built razors. That's why I resist buying them. I hate to spend three times the money for less quality than an old vintage razor offers.

 

[Smoothy]

The Vision looks pretty cool to me, and I wouldn't be afraid to own one, but I would try to return your broken one for one that does not need surgery or perhaps a different razor...

That's the advice I would give as well and, from what I have heard, Merkur (or the Vendor) usually agrees to replace the faulty razor, especially as this is their top-of-the-line DE product. I own one myself and am very pleased with it (although I prefer its smaller brother, the Futur), the shaves are great, balance is, for me, near-perfect.

 

[Bobbers]

I own a Vision or 2 and think it is a very good razor. It is in my rotation and look forward to using it every time I get to it. I have large hands and a lot of the other razor do not seam to fit as well. As far as the set screw only razors made for the first few years had the set screws later models of the Vision 2000 did away with the set screw. Plus that set screw is a little tricky. The size was very small and the allen wrench to fit it was hard to find, if you used the wrong size you could strip the set screw. Also if you did not take care of the razor the set screw would become loaded up and not want to come out. For a while I had both models with and without the set screw. The razor it self disassembles and assembles really easily. The ones I have sold and the one I currently have work perfect. If after you disassemble and put it back together it still does not align correctly you can always email Merkur directly I believe the persons name is Ann and she is really nice and easy to deal with. I had an issue with a different Merkur razor and she helped me out.

Now of course some of the statements above are my opinion. And we all know opinions are like a--holes every one has one.

 

[Foyle]

I don't know why people complain about the Vision being plasticy. Only a few of the internal bushings are made of nylon and if you look at how the razor is built this is a good thing. It keeps dissimilar metals from seizing making the razor impossible to adjust or disassemble. Check out the video and see just how little "plastic" is really in the razor. It also makes for smooth, quite operation. There are a grand total of three nylon bushings in the razor. The other seventeen or so parts are made either of brass, aluminum, or zinc alloy and surely the spring is made of steel.

If yours is defective you can contact your vendor or Merkur directly. There are tons of threads here praising the great service that Merkur has rendered.

 

[DUC251]

YOU GUYS ROCK.

I didn't expect so many replies in such a short timeframe.

I am dissapointed because the razor appears to be a step or two down from my Futur (for twice the price).

The Futur seams somewhat cheap, but gets the job done very consistantly.
The Vision simply looked cool and considering how good the Futur was I thought I'd be "moving up".

I'll be calling Merkur tomorrow.

Good to have a reliable 59 Fatboy as a "backup" (getting the job done for 53 years, - 50 of which it rested in storage, ... my favorite anyway)

 

[JeffOlson]

That is a great video! I had not seen that before. It makes me more interested in the Vision.

 

[michiganlover]

There are a grand total of three nylon bushings in the razor.

Gillette Fatboy- plastic parts = Zero
Gillette Slim- plastic parts = Zero
Gillette Super Adjustable- plastic parts = Zero

If Gillette can make a stellar adjustable razor without any plastic parts, you are going to have a hard (perhaps impossible) time convincing me that plastic parts somehow belong in an Adjustable razor (especially when those parts are threaded).

 

[Predict]

Trade it for a progress/mergress.

 

[vocalistbob]

...and do you think that a modern Gillette razor would be devoid of plastic parts? Not likely.....

 

[Foyle]

Gillette Fatboy- plastic parts = Zero
Gillette Slim- plastic parts = Zero
Gillette Super Adjustable- plastic parts = Zero

If Gillette can make a stellar adjustable razor without any plastic parts, you are going to have a hard (perhaps impossible) time convincing me that plastic parts somehow belong in an Adjustable razor (especially when those parts are threaded).

Well, the Gillettes clock into position and believe it or not they sometimes get over-clocked or break or seize up all together. It's a different kind of mechanism than Merkur uses and the Gillettes don't break down for cleaning like the Vision does. True, some have survived several decades but there are probably a lot that didn't and wound up in the trash. Besides there are a good number that are failing even now. There are plenty of threads here where someone can't adjust their Fatboy anymore.

You know, lots of really high quality mechanical devices use nylon or teflon threaded bushings because they provide smooth operation and reduce the risk of seizing. The coarse threads are very durable, much more durable than the torque that will be applied to them as they are used in a razor. As you will note, the problem with the particular Vision in question has nothing to do with the nylon bushings. It's probably a defective casting of the blade bed.

I love my Futur and I'd really like to get a Vision someday.

It would be nice to read a thread like this where the only thing posted was helpful advice rather than trashing the OP's purchase.

 

[retturn2blades]

Gillette Fatboy- plastic parts = Zero
Gillette Slim- plastic parts = Zero
Gillette Super Adjustable- plastic parts = Zero

If Gillette can make a stellar adjustable razor without any plastic parts, you are going to have a hard (perhaps impossible) time convincing me that plastic parts somehow belong in an Adjustable razor (especially when those parts are threaded).

+1 Zinc and plastic don't excite me. And I think those Merkurs take about 100 twists to open and close the doors.

 

[Samjax]

I purchased my Vision at Mens Direct earlier this year - he told me at the time that if anything - ever - went wrong with it; that he would replace it at no charge. Check with your vendor and see if they will do the same.

Once again, I've had no problems with mine and it shaves wonderfully - not sure if it was my best purchase - although it was my "very first" high dollar DE purchase. It shaves from mild to wild depending upon how wide you open it up.

 

[DUC251]

Again, Thanks to everybody who chimed in.
I agree, it's probably a casting issue. The finishing of the head doesn't seem to be very German.
Since I can only brake it down to the "4 parts stage" the only thing I can see is that one of the doors is somewhat sticky. Which would explain that one side of the blade gets pulled down earlier than the other thus the uneven exposure.
But then there is also too much slop in the blade alignment.
The way the blade is held in place initially seems contradictory to getting a precise alignment.
In regard to a possible warranty claim, my vendor told me to contact Merkur directly.
I'll give it another try on Monday morning, they were closed yesterday (4pm).