WOW - Futur compared to DE89

[kongar]

Wow! It's amazing how different a shave can be between two razors. I've got the same story as most, blah blah, found DE shaving and fell in love. I took the advice here and stuck with one razor and one blade for about 6 months. Based on recommendations that was a DE89, and I chose feather blades (ya bad choice - but I stuck with them). It wasn't long before I was getting good shaves. BBS was possible on my cheeks, but that came with a nick or two, and always irritation. And NEVER on my neck - that has been at best SAS. I had a feeling however, that I could benefit from a more aggressive razor. So I ordered my second DE razor - a Futur.

I have to say, it's like night and day between the two razors, and I'm really quite surprised at this result. Some comparisons for those newbies like me.

Things about the Futur I like:
The DE89 always had just a tad bit of drag and pulling. A WTG pass left substantial growth, and completely unsheared whiskers.
The Futur is like a lawn mower - nothing was left at a setting of 2. 1st WTG pass was as close as my second XTG pass with the DE89.
It seems to allow just a teeny tiny bit of flex on the blade which I think makes it easier on the corners of my face.
It feels different - something about the bar flattens or straightens out your skin just a bit more - again making a stroke more complete.
The Futur's weight - it is heavy, and somehow has a calming effect on my shave. Just let the razor do the work kind of thing...
The Futur does not pull or skip on ATG passes like the DE89 did.

Things about the DE89 I like:
The DE89 is smaller and easier to get hair in places like under your nose
The Futur has a slightly different angle to it and it takes some getting used to
The Futur has more crevasses and is a little harder to keep spick and span clean
The Futur (Satin finish) is slipperier than the DE89 chrome

I believe the DE89 is the better razor to start, and learn on. I think the Futur would have been a complete bloodbath and I would not recommend it. So I'm glad I started and learned on the DE89 and wouldn't change a thing. That said, now that my technique has improved, and I can handle a much more aggressive razor - I can't ever see myself using that Edwin Jagger ever again. The Futur opened up is a beast, and I've never had anything cut my facial hair so expertly. Thick facial haired guys need to move onward to a potential face slasher, so that their whiskers can be cut with precision.

I'm sitting here now with my first ever full face and neck BBS, no nicks, just a little teeny tiny bit of irritation. Man, this feels nice.

Just thought I'd share as stories like this have helped me over the past 6 months in figuring it all out.

Kongar

 

[Mick]

Futur is a nice razor and one that I will always have around here.

Just watch your fingers and thumbs around it.

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/266069?p=3690449#post3690449

 

[WetWhiskers]

Congrats!

It's great to read the success stories.

Ww

 

[kongar]

Congrats!

It's great to read the success stories.

Ww

I don't know if it's quite a success story. More of a "continual improvement, continually better shaves, and constant learning" Which is the pretty awesome part.

At first, I have to admit - I was pretty discouraged. There was a lot of blood, and things weren't working for me. But I'm glad I stuck with it. There's a million little tweaks that are specific to an individual's face and it's fun to discover them. And the shaves went from really bad, to ok, to pretty awesome. And they still keep getting better.

I've been happy with my results for a long time - but it just keeps improving much to my surprise. And I guess the point here is that I learned this week why you guys spend so much money on different razors, products, and blades. YMMV is said a lot of these forums, and they are very wise words.

Anyways, to anyone struggling - stick with it - it really gets better, and over time - you will continue to find improvements that just aren't possible with an electric razor or carts/goo.

Thanks Badger and Blade for teaching me a lost art!

 

[cheapmaltliquor]

My story is pretty similar to yours. Started with the DE89 and then bought a Futur and fell in love with it. I probably would have gotten rid of the DE89 altogether but I kept it to shave under my nose. Futur everywhere else, bring out the EJ for those pesky few hairs I just can't get w/ the Futur. Great bit of razor, I'll never part with mine.

 

[ShaneN.]

I'm curious if a slim adjustable would give you the same feeling in difference. I'm not really interesting in a futur for whatever reason but i really want a slim. I'm also wondering how my shimmed R89/de89 would do, in regards to along the same line of the original post.

 

[Leslie145]

Interesting thread - I recently turned 50 & along with my other gifts a Futur & a DE89 both arrived (my wife & friends know me so well), so I've had the opportunity to begin to get to know both - previous to this, my go-to was my 1963 I3 slim.

2 great razors, 2 completely different beasts, love 'em both.

DE89 - I find I can shave as quickly with this as I could with a M3 cart with never a weeper, nick or cut; lovely balance, really well made.

Futur (satin) - this I use when I have a little more time on my hands, as it needs to be treated with respect. Again though, lovely balance despite the weight, you just need to let gravity do the work. Haven't had the guts to go beyond setting 3 yet, but I don't think I need to (usually dial down to 1 & a half for XTG/ATG).

Permasharps used in both so far...

Preference? Really couldn't say; both cracking razors.

 

[kongar]

I'm curious if a slim adjustable would give you the same feeling in difference. I'm not really interesting in a futur for whatever reason but i really want a slim. I'm also wondering how my shimmed R89/de89 would do, in regards to along the same line of the original post.

Tell you what, give me a few more days with my Futur so I can really get a feel for it. Then I'll shim my DE89 and compare the results. That'll test if the difference is due to mere aggressiveness, or if there's something special about that Futur I yet don't understand.

 

[Ron Scott]

I now have 6 razors and have gotten to the point where 5 of them can give me BBS without irritation with the same time and effort. The so-called "mild" '56 Flair Tip still requires extra care to avoid razor burn for me.

Ultimately, if your using reasonable decent razors, its not the razor that makes the difference...

 

[ShaneN.]

Tell you what, give me a few more days with my Futur so I can really get a feel for it. Then I'll shim my DE89 and compare the results. That'll test if the difference is due to mere aggressiveness, or if there's something special about that Futur I yet don't understand.

Nice, good idea! I just love my little r89 and i've got a nice muhle razor stand on the way as well but it'd be nice to have the option of more aggressive shave. right now i'm liking the sharper blades in this particular head.

 

[Nadir M]

I will never part with my Futur or de89. Two great razors in my book.

 

[spaarky]

Hi
Had my first shave with my new futur and after using a cheap Parker DE for the last 18 months what a difference , don't get me wrong the Parker served me well in that time and helped me on my road to a great shave but think I'm in for a long relationship with the futur lol

 

[cheesepiece]

I haven't read the other posts but only the OP and I see many parallels between yours and mine.
I have the Merkur 34G, comparable to the 34C and indeed the DE89 / R89. My first razor and the only one I've really used. It's done 99% of my shaving the last four-five months, since I started.
I have ordered a gold futur. It sits at home waiting for when I arrive back from my travels. I bought it for the same reasons you already stated.
I have a patchy but coarse beard and felt the aggression may well be an improvement on the shaves I have been able to attain with the 34G.
I had trialled a Red Tip Superspeed some time ago and liked the result though vowed to master the 34G before I took on any other razors so I sold it on to remove the temptation. Anyway, the other day I spotted a fatboy on the bay and snagged that for £10. It needed a clean and wasn't identified by anyone else as a gem and I got it cheap. It arrived to me and I cleaned it up, sterilised it and cranked it up to 8.5, being brave. I don't know if the adjuster is broken but that's as far as it would go.
Fantastic feel. 1 WTG pass was as good as any WTG XTG combo I've ever had with the 34G. I don't intend on keeping the fatboy when I get home to my Futur, as long as the Merkur doesn't disappoint but I look forward to a first run to see if it achieves the same feeling I got from the fatboy. (EFFORTLESS)

Anyway, same experience as yourself with a different product but now I look forward to the Merkur even more.

 

[takeshi]

It's amazing how different a shave can be between two razors.

It's not just a matter of how different two razors can be but how differently they can work for different people as well. Good luck in your search for the ideal razor for you.