New to adjustable DE but Straight experience question

Have an odd question based on years of straight experience but vexed by a DE.

Just picked up a Merkur 700 Futur DE and various blades. Noted a bit of razor burn on the neck which was the primary reason for ditching cartridges for a straight.

Assuming the irritation is due to poor technique and excess pressure at this point but have something if a counter-intuitive question.

The Merkur is an adjustable from rookie to insanity. I am at about a 2 for now and noted a little audible feedback while shaving. I have to say one of the odd parts of a DE versus a straight is the feedback. A straight tells me audibly how the shave is going and where to adjust.

Am I going over conservative on the adjustable setting? Asking after reflection since I am curious if I may want to go more aggressive (5-6) since I’m used to the feedback from a straight instead of dialing the Futur back to a 1 or so.

Thoughts?.

I would leave it at a 2 and try to change the angle to experiment with the feedback.

I personally have trouble more with a DE or Rolls Razor because my hand/wrist angle is different and relying on the muscle memory of a straight doesn't work.

I don’t own a futur, however I do own and use Gillette Fatboy and slim regularly. With the adjustment settings on mine I normally will run around a 7 for a normal shave. If I want aggressive I will crank it to 9 for ATG pass but with no pressure! I think the issue you’re having is multiple problems. Likely technique, low setting and thin lather. My personal experience is I need a thicker layer of lather with DE than I do with straights. Hope this helps.

The futur is quite aggressive, 2 is a good start point.
When you get a few shaves in try 3 or 4 on second or third pass.
Nice razors.

Sent from a moto x far far away

With DEs, like straight razors, it is all in the angle and pressure. I do not have a Futur but a Gillette Fat Boy and could never shave at the 9 setting until I learned to shave well with a straight razor. I am thinking the straight razor taught me the importance of angle and pressure. You probably just have to experiment a bit with angle and pressure to find the sweet spot.

Bob

So did shift the “wrong” direction with the Futur- went a tad more aggressive from 1.5 to 3.

That along with being more aware of using a lighter touch and had the best shave so far this AM. With a bit more blade exposed, I seemed to have better feel and feedback. No as good as a fresh straight but darn fine and much quicker.

Started this DE experiment as a more convenient way to travel but this may become my daily option...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by RMC_SS_LDO

So did shift the “wrong” direction with the Futur- went a tad more aggressive from 1.5 to 3.

That along with being more aware of using a lighter touch and had the best shave so far this AM. With a bit more blade exposed, I seemed to have better feel and feedback. No as good as a fresh straight but darn fine and much quicker.

Started this DE experiment as a more convenient way to travel but this may become my daily option...

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If you find the right combo of DE and blade you can get a shave so close in quality to a straight razor it can make you question using a straight at all IF shave quality is the main factor in shaving for you.

Glad that things are improving. It is a different technique, but there are many common things.

Good luck.

I keep my Fatboy on a three. It took me a while to get the proper angle down but once I figured it out it’s great. I think most people who have an adjustable DE find the setting they like and usually leave it there.

Will take a bit more practice but have settled in for now. Quick shave this AM before getting on the road and great results! Quicker than a straight, close and no irritation with a travel brush and some Proraso red...

Like the adjustable option but agree that I could see setting it and leaving for some time. For now, about a 3+ seems to be about right for me with Astra blades but have a sampler pack on the way. Once I get a better feel for the technique, I could see opening up even more to a 4-5 on the Futur simply because I like the feel and feedback.

Appreciate the suggestions and tips from all- the DE is a new and interesting change of pace!


/r

Allen

Quote:

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Originally Posted by thebigspendur

If you find the right combo of DE and blade you can get a shave so close in quality to a straight razor it can make you question using a straight at all IF shave quality is the main factor in shaving for you.

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That is the main reason for trying out the DE. I have to have a close shave daily (military) and traveling with a straight is a nuisance and time consuming. I enjoy the "ritual" of using a straight but it is more time consuming and taking them on the road is tough. Add to that, when in need of a good shave grabbing a new DE blade seems much more convenient that breaking out the stones and pasted strops to wake up a tired straight. Yes I have several in the rotation but beginning to appreciate the simplicity day to day.

SWMBO will be perturbed if the DE thing leads to a whole different RAD affliction!

/r

Allen

How do you hone your rolls razor? I know it has a hone, but when it really needs a full honing of the blade do you do it yourself with other stones, or send it out?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Smyth

How do you hone your rolls razor? I know it has a hone, but when it really needs a full honing of the blade do you do it yourself with other stones, or send it out?

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Unsure what you mean with a Rolls, other than a brand I am unfamiliar with... I have used straights for years and hone them myself.


/r

Allen

Aloha!

OP, I have Razor Burn experience with the Futur knock-off razor the Q-shave. The issue is with the knock-off is that the BLADE REVEAL is UNEQUAL if you are not careful from one side to the other. THUS, if you choose 4 as your blade reveal, one side may be 2 and the other may be 6. So one side you are fairly mild and the other you are really aggressive and if this catches you off guard, you can razor burn yourself quite easily, especially with an aggressive blade like a Feather.

But you also really have to watch your pressure coming from disposable razors. When you can choose your own blade reveal, you MUST let the RAZOR do the work. Period. If you push, you will burn your skin as a newbie to DE. Over time you will get a feel for it, and your skin may get a bit more resilient to a sharp single blade with more reveal than a disposable.

So when you pop that cap on top of your blade in the Futur, look carefully at EACH side of the DE and make sure the blade reveal is exactly the same on BOTH sides. If not, CAREFULLY tap and twist that cap until it is the same blade reveal on BOTH sides. It can be finicky. At least on the Q-Shave. But it's worth mentioning on that Futur as the engineering is very similar.

Because of this issue with the adjustable razors, I always recommend a mild FIXED blade reveal like the Merkur 34c or the Edwin Jagger DE89 for DE Newbies coming from disposables. Both of these razors have fairly mild fixed blade reveals that work great for most blades and most skin types of newbies. I doubt you could burn yourself even with a Feather blade in either of these models unless you PUSH the razor. It's much harder to burn yourself with a mild blade reveal fixed razor than an adjustable. But watch that skin pressure in either case! Adjustable razors can be nice, but make sure both sides are equal in reveal and watch those aggressive settings until you get used to a DE!

Good luck!

-Zip

Quote:

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Originally Posted by RMC_SS_LDO

Have an odd question based on years of straight experience but vexed by a DE.
.....

Thoughts?.

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Thoughts... Yes, the world of DE razors is vexing.
I have half a handful and they are all just a bit different.

ONE is so much better than all the others but I cannot tell you why it is better.

About the Merkur Futur Adjustable Double Edge. Good razor ignore the numbers normal is
not five and I think they go backward from my expectations. The blade angle is hard for
me to detect.

The angle on the Futur needs more adjusting than the DE I like and can feel best.

Shop for the head not the handle... <------ my advice.
Merkur, Muhle (Mühle), Parker, Feather, Edwin Jagger ..... and more.
Some makers get the head from one of the above brands and sell their brand and their handle.

I think the head on my favorite is a Muhle head.
Mostly the heads do not have markings that I can decode.

Yes there is a need to be cautious RAD included DE razors.
Slant, open comb, closed comb, microcomb, butterfly, adjustable ....

Yep RAD

Quote:

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Originally Posted by RMC_SS_LDO

Will take a bit more practice but have settled in for now. Quick shave this AM before getting on the road and great results! Quicker than a straight, close and no irritation with a travel brush and some Proraso red...

Like the adjustable option but agree that I could see setting it and leaving for some time. For now, about a 3+ seems to be about right for me with Astra blades but have a sampler pack on the way. Once I get a better feel for the technique, I could see opening up even more to a 4-5 on the Futur simply because I like the feel and feedback.

Appreciate the suggestions and tips from all- the DE is a new and interesting change of pace!


/r

Allen

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Not to add any confusion since you seem to be getting along with the Futur now. An idea for finding a good angle on a DE is to place the head flat on your face with the handle parallel to the floor. Then lower the handle till you just feel the blade on your skin. That should give you a good starting point. That angle varies from DE to DE slightly and with an adjustable may even vary slightly as you change the settings. It's all in the angle and lack of pressure on the blade.

Bob

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Smyth

How do you hone your rolls razor? I know it has a hone, but when it really needs a full honing of the blade do you do it yourself with other stones, or send it out?

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I could type a lot but easier to say read this!

http://straightrazorpalace.com/honin...de-honing.html

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ZipZop

...But you also really have to watch your pressure coming from disposable razors. When you can choose your own blade reveal, you MUST let the RAZOR do the work. Period. If you push, you will burn your skin as a newbie to DE. Over time you will get a feel for it, and your skin may get a bit more resilient to a sharp single blade with more reveal than a disposable.

So when you pop that cap on top of your blade in the Futur, look carefully at EACH side of the DE and make sure the blade reveal is exactly the same on BOTH sides. If not, CAREFULLY tap and twist that cap until it is the same blade reveal on BOTH sides. It can be finicky. At least on the Q-Shave. But it's worth mentioning on that Futur as the engineering is very similar....

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The learning curve is not from disposables but from straights. I have deduced that my initial issues were thanks to poor form with too much pressure and poor angle.

The pressure or touch is still something I'm getting used to; completely different touch compared to a straight. The mass of the Futur seems to be an advantage now that I'm aware of it.

The thing that has surprised me is the shift to a more aggressive setting improved my feel on proper angle. I suspect that if I was coming from a cartridge to a DE starting more conservative would make more sense but for me, an initial conservative setting encouraged more pressure when hunting for the angle. Going more aggressive did wonders for me to feel the edge, something I am accustomed to with a straight.

As for the choice of razors/heads, I admit I opted for the Futur based on reviews, being adjustable and aesthetics- I wanted the option to adjust it, it was well reviewed by most and I liked the looks of it. The only complaint (if I could call it that) would be head is "tall". That combined with a big nose has made for a learning curve but no issues so far! The head seems dead square so my issues were undoubtedly operator error...

I also have a couple of vintage Gillettes already that were gifted to me with more comb to them and have a sampler pack of blades on the way. I am already on the lookout for a good condition Gillette Slim to continue to experiment and learn!


/r

Allen

Quote:

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Originally Posted by RMC_SS_LDO

That is the main reason for trying out the DE. I have to have a close shave daily (military) and traveling with a straight is a nuisance and time consuming. I enjoy the "ritual" of using a straight but it is more time consuming and taking them on the road is tough.

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I can relate to that, as I am in a similar situation.

After years of straight shaving, I recently brought out my old Futur safety razor again and found that the Futur, like the Mühle open comb razor that I also keep as a standby, can give excellent shaves, comparable to straights.

I bought this razor more than a dozen years ago and for a while it had become my daily razor, before I retired it and eventually switched to straights.
But when travelling, the convenience of using a safety razor is appealing, and after reading some comments about the Q-Shave clone, I was tempted enough to use the orginal Futur again and compare it against a newly purchased Q-Shave.

The Futur’s design makes it more top-heavy than most safety razors, and I quickly remembered that the Futur requires minimal pressure when dragging it across my face, as the weight of the razor head does most of the work. I can go up to the maximum setting of 6 without discomfort, but the law of diminishing returns applies and the results are not necessarily much better than those with a setting of 4 or 5.

When the razor was in daily use, I had stepped up over several weeks to the highest comfortable setting and then worked my way back again to the lowest setting where I could get comparable results.
This technique seems to work well if one wants to find an adjustable razor’s “sweet spot” and this way I had settled eventually on 4. If I should choose to use this razor regularly again, I might however go a little bit higher this time.


With respect to the Q-Shave that arrived a few days ago, the razor looks near-identical to my Futur, somewhat shinier than the matte chrome original, but is considerably lighter (Futur: 122 g/4.3 oz vs. Q-Shave 91 g/3.2 oz). That also means less weight in the head and therefore requires a minuscule amount more pressure than the orginal that requires virtually none.
Blade alignment on the Q-Shave has previously been commented on, but I have no issues with the specimen that I received and quality appears to be quite good, even though the razor lacks the weighty feeling of the original.
The 25% lower weight of the Q-Shave in the same form factor can be explained by the material for the Futur that is advertised as (heavier) brass, while the Q-Shave appears to be made of 25% lighter Zamak that over time has the potential to fall apart if impurities in the material are not removed before casting, which is ultimately a question of quality control during manufacturing.


I hope this information is useful to you.


B.

I looked at the QShave due to the price point, but opted for the Merkur instead. As mentioned, didn't want to contend with quality questions adding to the learning curve. The Merkur seems very well reviewed but unique with its own challenges.

So far, so good and pleased with the results with a little learning!

/r

Allen

Quote:

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Originally Posted by RMC_SS_LDO

I looked at the QShave due to the price point, but opted for the Merkur instead. As mentioned, didn't want to contend with quality questions adding to the learning curve. The Merkur seems very well reviewed but unique with its own challenges.

So far, so good and pleased with the results with a little learning!

/r

Allen

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Aloha!

Some of those Q-Shaves are reviewed extremely well, while others (like mine) have that pesky blade reveal issue. Caught me totally off-guard and it was the razor burn from hell with a Feather blade. I can get the Q-Shave to line up evenly on both sides, but it takes some tweaking.

I must also apologize for mis-reading your original post. I was multi-tasking and thought I had read you were coming from a disposable. Coming from a straight changes the dynamics considerably.

-Zip