Who hates their VISION?

[xgunterx]

As much as RAD is kicking in, I would never give €110-120 for a Vision.
For that money you can find several nice vintage razors.
I just ordered today the 38C, 12C and the 39C for about the same.

I think I'll give my wife a good neck massage and tell it then.

 

[Corey]

How do you find shaving with your Vision? Like I said earlier Ive been looking at it for a long time and deciding whether or not to get one. How long have you had it and how many shaves it has done?

At first, it's a bit daunting. The razor is easily bigger than any other razor I have by a fair bit. The extra size and weight force more concentration on applying as little pressure as possible because it's really easy to have a lapse in concentration and get a little sloppy. On its mildest settings it's surprisingly gentle. Wide open, it's a beast. I've done two full aggressive shaves with a Feather blade, and it'll easily cut your shaving time in half. It'll also cut your cheek, your nose, your ear, and anything that resembles a partially raised surface with any slip of concentration at that level.

Once you get used to the size, weight, and balance, it's surprisingly agile and quite capable. The one thing that throws me off of using it in a more frequent rotation is the size of the head. It makes shaving under the nose and in tight areas a real pain in the ***. It's taller and wider than any of the Gillette TTO heads and takes a little strategic planning to hit all the areas of the face.

To give you an idea of size compared to other Merkurs:

As you can see, the Vision is a monster in size, dwarfing the other razors, including the sizable 38C and Futur. Surprisingly, the Futur is very close in weight to the Vision. It's a dense little beast.

 

[HoratioCaine]

I rarely shave with my Vision, and when I do, I keep it closed down to its smallest gap; anything else is just too aggressive for my tastes. Given that, I don't even use it as an adjustable, so I miss out on half the point of having the razor in the first place. For that kind of money, I'd just as soon buy a top-of-the-line Edwin Jagger DE; the fixed heads are as aggressive as I want a razor to be, and they're made excellently. If I want to spend less, there's always the 38C. I see no need for adjustability, personally, although a TTO option is nice, I grant you.

 

[mmack66]

DE 2 & 3-piece, SE 1912s & their ilk, non-adjustable Injectors. KTS(keep things simple); more complex, more problems. Could TTOs, adjustables, etc. be solutions to problems which do not exist?

Nope. Vintage Gillette TTO's and adjustable razors are finely crafted and have never needed periodic lubing or tear down and rebuilding. I have razors that are 60-80 years old that work as well now as they did when they came out of the factory.

 

[TonyH]

I've always used my VISION set wide open, and that's how it went bad. I clean it every week, but have never changed the adjustment and it got stuck. NOTHING would un-stick it. Stupid plastic parts.

 

[Kratos]

Man, am I glad I didn't spring for one of these. That's too much money for a razor with no history behind it, anyway. Just goes to show Most Expensive doesn't always equal Best Product. Ask anyone who had to take their brand-new Beemers and Mercs to the shop after a few months, a couple years back. Not what I would expect or feel I deserved, after paying top dollar.

 

[bbsupersport]

Glad I read this thread!

 

[Jason T.]

Im just wondering why the Futur seems to get a better write-up than the Vision. I mean both are adjustable except the Vision is TTO and the Futur isn't. I must admit im a bit upset to read a lot of badness about the Vision as its a razor I really wanted.

 

[markb]

I have a Vision and get great shaves with it.

No complaints so far..

 

[Jason T.]

Why not just cut to the chase and get a truly quality razor ... a vintage Gillette? There are dozens of models that were made with far superior workmanship than some of the dung on the market today and many can be bought for half the price of said dung.

Ive already bought one off eBay - A Gillette Fatboy. What I was saying is prior to getting the Fatboy Ive had my eyes on the Vision for a long time.

 

[klstclair]

I've had my vision for a few years now and have really enjoyed using it. No problems so far... Knock on wood since it is my daily shaver and I have found it to be consistent set on about "O". It does have a good bit of heft which seems to work for me.

Kevin

 

[REB]

A victim of RAD, evidenced by a collection that includes Fat Boys, Rockets, SS Blue Tips, a Classic, a HD, Long and Short Progresses, and Visions, I still find the Vision the most comfortable to use. To date it’s been problem free, perhaps a benefit of suffering from both un-medicated ADH and RAD. I enjoy taking the time to disassemble, tinker, lubricate and reassemble. Have a collection of small, visually and tactile appealing devices and not endlessly mess with them….impossible!

 

[kingfisher]

What Guido said.


And no, I don't think TTO solved a problem that didn't exist. I really like changing blades on a TTO better than on a 3-piece. Agreed that a 3-piece razor is the ultimate in simplicity. I also think they're more elegant and beautiful. But every time I change a blade it bothers me.

So I find myself using my Superspeed more and more.

 

[inspectoring]

I have gone through 3 replacements from Truefitt and hill and all of them sucked. They have gotten so many returns that now Merkur customer service has told the vendors the following standard response (same one I got after 4 emails)

Hello,

I sent an Answer to you on 3/31/09.

Because of the tolerances in the mechanism for adjusting the gab of the blade both sides of the razor never will be 100 % equal.
In my opinion, what you see is within the normal tolerances.

It gets better - now my 3rd one is sitting at Truefitt and I am waiting for a replacement. I will update you guys on what is going on with it.

The gap is ALWAYS uneven and is not fixed by taking it apart.

If you don't believe me - just call Truefitt and ask them to send you one that is not uneven after they have personally inspected it.

I am willing to bet you will be hard pressed to find one and they will not try to sell you that razor.

 

[spinyeel]

There is absolutely no excuse for a lack of quality control in the manufacture of such an expensive product.None at all.

 

[SRock]

why not just cut to the chase and get a truly quality razor ... A vintage gillette? There are dozens of models that were made with far superior workmanship than some of the dung on the market today and many can be bought for half the price of said dung.

+1

 

[scottish steve]

It is a disgrace, no doubt. Plastic parts in the most expensive off-the-peg razor in modern history? I think Merkur get away with it because the "lifestyle" market, which I believe is the majority of the buyers of this item, don't know enough about shaving to notice the uneven gap and never adjust it. Let's face it, most guys don't know what a good shave is, or even own a brush, never mind checking out the Vision Surgery!

 

[Seamaster]

I'd just send it back to Merkur if you're unhappy with it, and keep doing so until you get one you are happy with.

The V-I-S-I-O-N scale on mine in incorrectly calibrated (same fault I've had on every Merkur adjustable I've owned), but it's not enough for me to get exercised about. The gapping is fine, as is the mechanism, but I hardly ever use it. I prefer fixed heads. My HD and Slant do me very nicely.

Pity that such an expensive gift sits in my razor rack unloved, though.

 

[ateace]

All this goes to support the K.I.S.S. approach to things:

Keep
It
Simple,
Stupid!

I really love my fixed-head Merks (not without their QC issues, either), but I'm not really drawn to their adjustables.