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One side of Merkur Futur has more blade exposure

I've been shaving with my Merkur Futur for about 6 months now. After about two weeks, I noticed what appeared to be uneven blade exposure on each side. I thought I was seeing things but today I was able to confirm it. The audio feedback on the side with what appears to be a tiny amount more blade exposure is considerably louder than the other side, which results in a more mild shave.

There doesn't appear to be a difference in blade gap on each side, but just exposure. Just this second I determined the reason. After placing the blade in the bed and snapping in the top cap, if I take my fingernail and place it against the sharp edge of the side of the blade, I'm able to move the blade ever so slightly with a light nudge.

Has anyone else experienced this?
 
It's unfortunately a common issue with merkur.

I've had many over the years and this is a major qc issue at merkur.

The progress is my favorite razor however, out of 8, 4 have had issues.
 
It's unfortunately a common issue with merkur.

I've had many over the years and this is a major qc issue at merkur.

The progress is my favorite razor however, out of 8, 4 have had issues.

While this is a thread for a problem with the Futur, I've also had problems with my Progress. I bought one several months ago and still haven't used it. You might find these threads interesting:

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showth...now-50-29-on-Amazon-com?p=8071438#post8071438

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showth...n-Amazon-Price-Alert-42?p=8070126#post8070126
 
Contact the manufacturer in writing (email) and attach picture(s) of the problem. They will/should take care of this.

I did and to their credit, they're going to replace the cap and bridge. I was amazed that they said this was the first they've heard of it.
I'm pretty sure I've read that this isn't that uncommon with the Futur.
 
Have you tried a few different blade types? I have seen this problem on a variety of razors, and I realized it seemed most evident when I was using Astra SPs. I think some portion of the tucks in my 100 pack of the Astras are just a tiny bit off and require more adjustment than my other blades.
 
Have you tried a few different blade types? I have seen this problem on a variety of razors, and I realized it seemed most evident when I was using Astra SPs. I think some portion of the tucks in my 100 pack of the Astras are just a tiny bit off and require more adjustment than my other blades.

It looks like there's more blade exposure on one side with every blade I've used. What's more aggravating to me is that with the top cap locked in place I can still move the blade with a slight nudge of my fingernail. That indicates that the edge can move while I'm shaving.
I'm going to take it apart before the replacement arrives and see if a spring or some other part was out of alignment. I'd also love to do that with my Progress as it was sold to me calibrated to start at setting 5 rather than 1 as the lowest setting. There are instructions around the web for re-calibrating the Merkur Progress but I'd actually like to shave with it awhile before I fool around with it.

I really wonder about what type of quality control they have at Merkur.
 
While this is a thread for a problem with the Futur, I've also had problems with my Progress. I bought one several months ago and still haven't used it. You might find these threads interesting:

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showth...now-50-29-on-Amazon-com?p=8071438#post8071438

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showth...n-Amazon-Price-Alert-42?p=8070126#post8070126

Sorry, I should have mentioned I have also had 3 Futur's. One had good alignment, one had a slight blade gap issue but was OK to use and one had too much exposure on one side and the difference was night and day.

The vendor did nothing about it (they have since gone out of business) and I preferred my Progress so gave the Futur to a friend who uses only one side of the razor.

I've also had a Barber Pole that had too much exposure on one side.

My point is to illustrate how poor QC is at Merkur. I've never experienced this with any other razor manufacturer.
 
Sorry, I should have mentioned I have also had 3 Futur's. One had good alignment, one had a slight blade gap issue but was OK to use and one had too much exposure on one side and the difference was night and day.

The vendor did nothing about it (they have since gone out of business) and I preferred my Progress so gave the Futur to a friend who uses only one side of the razor.

I've also had a Barber Pole that had too much exposure on one side.

My point is to illustrate how poor QC is at Merkur. I've never experienced this with any other razor manufacturer.

You should have conacted Merkur directly. From what I've read, the warranty used to be 10 years and is now 2, but I'm not 100% certain. I sent them an email Sunday night, and received a response on Monday morning that they would be mailing a replacement cap and bridge for an exchange of the old one
 
You should have conacted Merkur directly. From what I've read, the warranty used to be 10 years and is now 2, but I'm not 100% certain. I sent them an email Sunday night, and received a response on Monday morning that they would be mailing a replacement cap and bridge for an exchange of the old one

Yup, I contacted Merkur. First time, they sent a top cap.
It didn't fix the issue so they asked for photos (which clearly showed the problem) but then denied there is anything wrong with it.

Same thing happened with a brand new Progress! They totally denied anything was wrong with it. My communications had reached the head of Marketing and he just denied there was anthing wrong. Luckily in that case, the vendor replaced it.
 
Yup, I contacted Merkur. First time, they sent a top cap.
It didn't fix the issue so they asked for photos (which clearly showed the problem) but then denied there is anything wrong with it.

Same thing happened with a brand new Progress! They totally denied anything was wrong with it. My communications had reached the head of Marketing and he just denied there was anthing wrong. Luckily in that case, the vendor replaced it.

They should have realized that just a new top cap wouldn't fix the problem. They needed to send you a brand new top cap and bridge combination that matches up and was pre-tested by Merkur. The old bridge is the base plate with attached spring and screws right out of the razor.

They sent me instructions about removing the bridge. I noticed on their box instructions that they state all adjustables should be regularly lubricated with machine oil, so I'm happy I now know how to remove the bridge. I just have to figure out how to disassemble the Progress now.

By the way, my long handled Progress was sold to me improperly calibrated and starts at setting 5. There's also a small nick in the base plate. After 2 exchanges, Amazon asked if I wanted a 50% discount on the razor to keep it. I accepted as I can take the difference and apply it to a short handled Progress when it goes on sale. I'm just wondering if it's worth the aggravation to keep dealing with what appears to be a lack of quality control at Merkur.
 
Yup, I contacted Merkur. First time, they sent a top cap.
It didn't fix the issue so they asked for photos (which clearly showed the problem) but then denied there is anything wrong with it.

Same thing happened with a brand new Progress! They totally denied anything was wrong with it. My communications had reached the head of Marketing and he just denied there was anthing wrong. Luckily in that case, the vendor replaced it.

Well, a few weeks ago Merkur sent me a new top cap and bridge (that's the piece with the thread that that goes through the spring), but not a new base plate (the piece the bridge goes through) or a new spring. Guess what? It didn't fix anything. I have the same problem.
When I tap the cap, I hear a click as if it's moving ever so slightly, and I can still move the blade under the top cap a few millimeters by putting pressure on it with my fingernail. Just like before, when the blade is first locked in, one side has a few millimeters more exposure.
I still get a great shave with the Futur, but one side results in a little less audio feedback. It's just very frustrating.
 
Had the same issue with my 37C. You better have a killer camera man, because even though the problem was STRIKING on mine (even with the low-end camera that I have), I had to send them A LOT of emails till they finally sent me another faulty cap. It annoyed me for 40$, I can't imagine how you'll feel about that expensive razor you have.

Some easily disregard that type of issue, or maybe just don't look for/see them, and they get great shaves out of Merkurs. But I'd say it's not a brand for the pathologically demanding customer (which I am, althought I'd rather not).
 
Had the same issue with my 37C. You better have a killer camera man, because even though the problem was STRIKING on mine (even with the low-end camera that I have), I had to send them A LOT of emails till they finally sent me another faulty cap. It annoyed me for 40$, I can't imagine how you'll feel about that expensive razor you have.

Some easily disregard that type of issue, or maybe just don't look for/see them, and they get great shaves out of Merkurs. But I'd say it's not a brand for the pathologically demanding customer (which I am, althought I'd rather not).

I'm the same way when examining newly purchased merchandise. It has to be perfect. Unfortunately, I've learned that's almost impossible with Merkur. As far as the cost goes, I got a good buy on the Futur. Massdrop had a sale for about $52, and I selected the chrome version.

I also had to exchange my Merkur Progress three times from Amazon direct due to handle nicks, head imperfections, a cracked yellow handle cap, improper calibration, etc. The last one was calibrated to start at setting 5 and had a small ding in the base plate. I gave up after Amazon offered a 50% discount if I would keep it. I relented as none of this would actually affect the shave. Today, after inserting a new Wilkinson blade, I noticed that (once again) there's more blade exposure on one side with less audio feedback when shaving from the other side! I still got a great BBS shave, but I don't know what's up with quality control at Merkur.

As I stated in another thread, can you imagine the US Gillette factories in the 1950's and 1960's ever releasing products with this lack of quality control?
 
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