Merkur Futur Polished Chrome

I had been using a plastic Wilkinson Sword Classic so decided to treat myself to something nice. the Futur caught my eye as it looked solid, and was adjustable. I was not sure to go for the satin chrome or the gold version but settled on the matt chrome. I ordered a sample pack of blades and put a feather into it. People keep mentioning you work up to using a feather blade so I skipped passed all the working up part and it was the first blade I tried. WOW! I was not expecting it to be so heavy. When I put it down on the sink it went CLANK! which surprised me I was not used to it after using a plastic body safety razor for so long. I'm not used to different brands of blades so I put the Merkur Futur on setting 1 to try it. I was extra careful and took things slow very aware that this famous feather blade was considered very sharp compared to other brands. I used Trumpers violet shaving cream (Something I need to get used to as used to shaving gel)and a badger brush. The lather no matter how much I worked it felt awful thin and my face did not really feel protected but I think that was me not used to a thinner lather. I could "hear" and "feel" the difference immediately. I started to shave with no pressure and let the weight of the Futur razor do the work it was a relaxing experience. I only had a day’s stubble and I'm fair haired so I doubt my growth is anything super strong/coarse (I don't know the method that men compare how coarse their beards are with each other.......) I was used to shaving with a cheap safety razor so I was not too worried about adjusting the angle of the blade as I shaved. When I finished I felt I needed to go over my face again with a new lather so perhaps (If I was not doing anything wrong) the 1 setting is very very mild and I need to up it a little for a slightly aggressive shave. (Being able to do this is a great feature) I'm prone to a few spots still in my later 30's from time to time, so I was delighted I had no nicks/cuts after shaving and that my skin was not agitated. No razor burn at all which is a good sign. All in all, very very happy with my new purchase and will enjoy taking my time shaving instead of trying to rush out the door in the mornings and shave as fast as possible.

The Merkur Futur is the first safety razor I have ever bought. The combination of a good soap and a great razor makes shaving a pleasure. Highly recommended.

The Merkur Futur razor is heavy, but shaves beautifully. I cannot wait to see how it will perform with a 3 days beard. My first impression is - absolutely fantastic, as expected. Kudos to the shaving.ie for their excellent service!