We’ve got the Merkur Futur on the block today. The adjustable safety razor has been around since 1983. Tweak the exposure of the razor, how close it is to the bar, and you set the aggressiveness of the shave to match your grooming needs.
It gets the job done quite well, especially for those that like to make multiple passes while shaving. This is exactly why we’re looking at the Futur with today’s review.
Merkur-Razor Adjustable Futur Brushed Chrome Safety Razor
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The Merkur Futur is a two-piece adjustable razor that adopts a more contemporary minimalist design. Its body is made mainly of metal available in three colors: satin chrome, polished chrome, and polished gold plating.
The body is about 4 inches long, and weighs in at a hefty 4.4 ounces or 125 grams. That’s pretty long and heavy for a razor, even when compared to other models made entirely of metal.
The Merkur Futur also features a wide cutting head that is almost twice the width of the handle itself. The thing that sets it apart from other razors, however, is its top plate. You pop it off instead of using a screw to attach it to the main body.
This greatly reduces the time needed to replace the double edge razor blades, and further emphasizes its modern design.
You can also rotate the neck of the Futur to adjust the aggressiveness of the shave. It features six settings, with 1 being the most forgiving and 6 offering the most aggressive shave.
Go low for the first few passes against thick, bristly hair. Go higher for finishing up with a smoother shave.
Many retailers bundle other items with the Merkur Futur, like extra razor blades, a leather pouch, or a travel brush to name a few. These pad the price of the Futur, depending on what’s included in the package.
We Like
- Looks and feels very premium
- Satisfying heft for heavier grips
- Pop-top lids make replacing blades easier
- Very sturdy-feeling body
- Covers a lot of skin with each pass
- Long handle is good for big hands
We Dont Like
- Pretty expensive for an adjustable razor
- Slippery grip when wet and soapy
- Replacing the blade feels risky
- Adjusting blade length also feels risky
- Hard to shave under the nose
- Heft requires a firm, steady hand
OUR IMPRESSIONS
So what can you expect from the Merkur Futur? Here’s our take on what this hefty, smexy-looking razor has to offer.
Looks and Feels Luxurious
The Merkur Futur epitomizes masculine beauty with its form and function. The smooth contours of the body, the solidly built design, and the sleek metallic colors all make for an extremely satisfying item to possess.
Even the hefty weight of the Futur reflects power and reliability. It’s heavy, coming in at 125 grams, providing a nice feel when you pick it up from its mount. The Futur even manages to look modern and futuristic, despite the age of its design.
You wouldn’t think you’re holding an adjustable razor that was first sketched up way back in 1983!
This does come at a price, however. The razor itself, without other add-ons like a leather pouch. The satin chrome and polished chrome versions tend to be cheaper, while the polished gold variant costs a little more.
The Futur not as expensive as designer razors, but it is definitely on the higher end of the price bracket of consumer-level safety razors. The thing is, we feel the price is justified. The Merkur Futur just feels so satisfying to use and to look at.
It’s like a little bit of furniture that adds to the aesthetic appeal of your grooming utensils.
Shave Large Swathes with Each Pass
The Merkur Futur isn’t just a fancy-looking piece, though. It gets work done, thanks to its huge cutting head and adjustable razor settings. Got a thick beard? Turn the dial to one, apply facial cream foam, and start swiping away.
Turn the dial up higher to go against the hair and get a cleaner, smoother shave. You can cover a lot of skin with a single pass, removing a substantial amount of facial hair in less time. The long handle also makes the job a lot easier for those with bigger hands.
It gives you a lot of room to work with, while the heft of the body helps counterbalance the force you apply on your face.
Like many other adjustable razors, though, we do encounter a bit of a problem when working with the upper and lower lip. It takes a bit of work to shift the nose out of the way and get the cutting head in the narrow bridges of the lips.
You can eventually get those hairs, though it’ll take a bit of effort to smoosh the razor head right in there. This is why we recommend toning down the aggressiveness of the blade when working with the lips.
The Merkur Futur, however, works best with multiple passes of the blade. Like we mentioned earlier, going through the various settings and swiping the blade through leads to the best results.
All you really need is the of pressureto “glide” the razor on the skin, especially when you set the razor’s dial all the way up to 6. You don’t need to apply pressure, as the Futur’s weight is substantial enough to get the hairs for you.
We Feel Nervous About the Moving Parts
The pop-top head, the twistable neck, and the sleek body all make us feel particularly nervous. Replacing the razor is particularly nerve-wracking the first few times we did it. You need to apply quite a bit of force popping the top off and then popping it back in.
All it takes is a slip of the finger, and you risk a nasty cut if you get careless. This is why we encourage you to be especially careful when replacing the head. Practice popping it on and off without the blade inside.
This will help you gauge just how much force is needed while helping you develop your own method of replacing the razor.
Then there’s the razor’s body and the twistable neck. First off, the nicely polished body is great to look at. Not so great when you have soapy or foamy fingers looking for purchase. Second, you have to twist the neck of the razor to adjust the closeness of the shave.
This is literally a slippery problem if you haven’t washed and dried your hands. This is a problem that you simply have to live with when it comes to the Merkur Futur. We were tempted to slip the body inside a rubber sleeve to get a better grip, but this totally defeats the sleek and sexy look of the Futur.
All we can say is that be careful while using the Futur. It’s a great deal safer to use than a straight razor, true. But still, we encourage users to wash and dry their fingers before picking it up. Nothing so complicated.
We just ran our fingers under the tap before pinching a towel to get rid of excess moisture. We would just feel a bit more confident using the Merkur Futur if it had a better grip, but this is one time where ruining form for the sake of function is just not acceptable.
When you take all things into consideration, the Merkur Futur is a very good razor to have on hand. Its heft and length make it feel very substantial to hold, while its timeless design makes it an attractive addition to your grooming kit.
The adjustable razor settings help you set the aggressiveness of the shave, while the pop-top cap makes replacing blades easier. We are a bit worried about the potential for accidents due to slippage, as well as the durability of the razor’s moving parts.
Still, the Merkur Futur is an angled razor that’s well worth the price tag. It’ll take good care of you if you take good care of it!
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