Thank you for the great video, I wanted to add what my barber thought me: the first pass is always in the direction of the whisker growth, the second must be against it (in Italian is Pelo & Contro Pelo). That always works for me.
I love the fact that vintage razors--some in my collection are pre-WWII--still give great shaves almost a century later. I am saddened that Gillette abandoned the DE market after dominating it for so long by putting out fantastic products. Can you imagine what they could do if they decided to compete with the likes of Merkur, Muhle, EJ, etc.?
You are being delusional. Gillette cannot compete with those DE SR makers. Gillette is owned by P&G now. P&G are pure garbage and do not have the know how to make DE SR. When Gillette was dominant, P&G did not own them. Just look at the King C. Gillette SR that released a few years ago. It has a Merkur head if I am not mistaken. Proof that Gillette has to make deals with other companies so they can produce their razors. Look at what P&G did to Shulton’s Old Spice. For being a lawyer, I expected you to know more.
Agree totally. I love Kais, especially in my milder razors. They seem to be a great pairing with my Merkur Slant. I have tried the Personnas, and they work fine, but I think that the Feathers are, pound for pound, the sharpest and smoothest for my beard. That said, I stick to Astras in my more aggressive razors.
Kai, if you can get them reasonably price, are like laser beams...i did one pass with one and was scared that i almost didnt need an AGT pass to finish it off.
I use both Feather and Astra and Astra are my go to everyday blade because I find them smoother and more forgiving than the Feather. The feather I use mostly when I've left it a few days.
I too own a Futur and several other DE razors. When I first got my Futur and loaded it with Merkur or Feather blades, my poor skin learned some lessons, if you don't know what you're doing, the Futur and a Feather blade can nick your face to death. I'll give up the Futur when I quit shaving altogether. Nothing does as good a job; as long as you know what you're doing. :o) I tried Astra blades, I thought that they were dull and got even more dull very quickly.
Gillette has always been famous for comfort. That is it's notoriaty. Fatboys are a little over rated in my opinion because of the collectability factor. I have a 59 fatboy, a 62 slim adjustible, and a 69 short handle black beauty adjustible. Personaly I get the best shave from the black beauty. Which is opposite thinking from other experienced wet shavers. The settings are the same, but just smoother, and efficient. After all thats the name of the game.
This is a great video. Lots of useful information on products as well as your razor comparison. I just started using my dad's fatboy, and am experimenting with various blades. Thanks for a great video.
Thanks! I still love my Fatboy. I like Feather blades in my Gillette adjustables. If you decide that you want a modern adjustable, one of my favorite razors is the Merkur Progress (modified to be a Mergress/Digress). I would put the quality of the shave on par with the Fatboy and much cheaper!
I disagree. To me, there is very little difference from blade to blade. The type of razor is more inportant when it comes to people who are new to DE shaving - since blade gap/exposure can make any sharp blade feel harsh. And even more important is the technique. Proper pressure, angle and passes that take the direction of hair growth will determine whether you experience irritation.
Got a haircut once at the old Trumpers on Curzon Street in London (now sadly gone). Traditional London barbers with oak panelling and individual booths. All the old guys in white jackets. They do one after shave called Trumpers Essence of Limes. Worth it, if only for the bottle. PS: You need to like limes.
One thing I wonder about is that if one has 5 setting and the other 9, then perhaps 1-1, 2-2 etc do not correlate as equal. It might be that 1-1 correlates but on the other end 5-9 correlates as equal. Nice video though, you're a good presenter.
I mean this with all due respect, but did you watch the whole video? I concluded in the end almost exactly what you just stated. I completely agree with you. When I filmed this I had just received both of these razors and had used them only twice. In fact, it was during the video that I first noticed that the razors have completely different settings in terms of being 1-5 or 1-9. Of course they would be different! But, I didn't notice ahead of time, forged ahead and admitted I was wrong.
Why did you compare setting 5/9 to setting 5/6. I would think the futur would obviously be more aggressive because the fatboy wasn’t near its max like the futur was.
My top 4 Merkur 34C, Rockwell 6S, Masamune Nodachi and Futur... As for the blades, Feathers are very (almost too) sharp for the first 1-3 shaves, then they can settle down. In contrast, Astra SP are not as sharp but generally 'smoother' on shave 1 and they remain sharp and smooth up to day 7 or longer. I prefer Feathers myself.
Nice video! But if you want to be fair you must trying it one more time and set the fatboy at the same scale analogical as the Merkur. That means if the Merkur has its highest setting on 6 and you put it on 5 (one scale before its highest ) you must set the fatboy at 8 (because it's highest is 9 and that's one scale before its highest for that razor ).Thanks!
I have a Gillette fatboy I love it. This guys does a great job with the shaving lather. To me its the hardest part of DE shaving getting the right consistency with the shaving lather.
So true, especially with Musgo Real shave cream that damn thing is an exact science. I saw 4 drops sprinkle on it after I wanted to stop adding water, ruined it, it just ruined it.
In my haste as a new de shaver I bought a pack of 100 Derby's from Amazon for £9 but there they sit unopened. The Merkur blades get such bad feedback I haven't even bothered trying the blade a friend gave me. I haven't tried the other varieties of Gillette blades but the Silver/Blue seem to hit the spot for me anyway. I think they are reasonably priced in the USA. Strangely enough I'm waiting on a Merkur Futur in the post any day now.
Nice past vs present The only flaw I seen in this battle, you even seen it in the beginning. the blade exposure was very different. Maybe this would be a better using a proportional scale and forget the numbers. For ex. 59 at 8 vs Futur at 5.
In the end we all win, both seem to be great razors, I would like a Merkur Futur in satin and I'll locate a 1961 Slim that hopefully won't cost too much...collectors be damned! Great video, it is difficult to compare settings but not impossible.
"I may have been talking out of my ass I'm a lawyer cut me some slack" most honest lawyer I met lol If your practice law in Philadelphia I'll hire you if needed haha
I have to tell you all - I used the Astra Razors on Saturday, and IMHO are they sharp. I thought I had the right angle on my head and ooops! But my face came out perfect and thought I had the same shave with two passes as I did with Gillette blues with three. What a blast!
You're right. I didn't realize that before I shot the video. I completely agree with you. It was a case of poor research prior to filming. The razors were new to my den and I only noticed the different scales as I was shooting the video. Oh well, every vid can't be perfect and I don't pretend to be an expert.
Excellent DE vs. DE, I enjoyed this a lot as I am presently contemplating a Gillette vintage adjustable and a Futur. Thanks for sharing, I shall subscribe.
As odd as it may "seem" at first you should run your first pass at the LOWER setting and the second pass at the HIGHER SETTING. I have BOTH of these razors.
Hi Kurtis and welcome to DE shaving! A good starter razor might be an Edwin Jagger DE89. It is a very comfortable shaver and is very attractive. For a more affordable option, consider one of the offerings from Maggard Razors. I have the MR3 and MR6 and they are great razors for under $20. If you are new to DE shaving though, I would encourage you to watch Mantic59's videos on RU-vid to get a good understanding of all the elements of a good shave. The razor is just the first step! Enjoy!
No, it is a double edge. They are actually quite nice to shave with. I have video of one on my channel. It's like a superspeed head with a really long handle.
I don't need an adustable, because the Gillette Super Speed flare tip I have has the perfect angle and blade exposure for me. And I've tried fat boy, slim, and black beauty adjustables.
Amen brother, I'm a feather guy as well. I hear all this talk about Astra, Gillette, and Wilkinson's sword, but I have tried all of them and they don't compair to the feathers. Everyone's growth, sensitivity, and facial features are different; but for me its feather for the win.
Agree on the Feathers. I've tried about 6 different brands now and always find myself coming back to the Feathers. There may something better out there, but I've yet to find it. I don't know what an Allen block is. Please explain.
John, Alum is a mineral and when applied to the face it acts as a toner and helps to stop the bleeding on minor nicks. It is also useful if you need a little extra grip for your razor - just wet your fingertips and rub them on the alum block, keeps the fingertips grippy even when wet. Pretty great stuff.
Loved the Doctor Who music at the beginning! Also, would you be able to tell me approximately what setting on the Fat Boy is equivalent to the lowest setting on the Futur? I've heard the Futur's low end is still pretty aggressive, in fact I saw a ranking chart of blade gaps where the Futur's lowest was higher than the Fat Boy's highest, but I know blade gap doesn't tell the whole story.
I think you'll like the Fatboy and get more use out of it than the futur. If you are interested in a Merkur adjustable, I recommend the progress (or, even better, the Mergress - available at Lee's Razors online). Most agree that it is superior to the Futur.
There is no standard for aggressiveness for the settings for these razors (unless Merkur, Gillette, and other companies got together and talked to agree on such a standard but I highly doubt it). A "3" setting on one razor may be more aggressive on a "3" setting for another razor.
I guess the 2 razors cannot be compared using the numbers. 6 graduation against 9. The aggressiveness ratio for each graduation is about 11% vs 16%. A setting of 3 will give a 33% aggressiveness on the fatboy vs 50% on Merkur (in theory of course). In this video the Merkur seems to be set to a higher aggressiveness than the fatboy.
Havent tried a Fatboy, but I do own a genuine Futur, and the settings are very agressive...6th setting looks like 1/8" of an inch wide gap! I worked my way up to three (astra greens and feathers) and i do two passes, WTG and ATG. (Some spot problem areas at back of jaw and under the jaw requires some buffing and a "diagonal pass") and that gives me BBS finish. Mind you, this is with Cremo tube shaving cream, and the second pass is done with residue of the first with some re-wetting. Granted, the Futur can be unforgiving of bad technique, specially with feather blade, but a light touch and coming in with a shallower angle, will give you an irritation free shave. I am also a laywer.😂
I have the futur AND a 59 fat boy...they are so different in conception and design...I love both of them, but for different reasons. Comparing the two is like the difference between driving a 67 Camaro and a 2017 Ferrari.... I think the futur on the lowest setting is comparable in aggressiveness to the fat boy on 7...
Went to see my tax guy today to do my taxes...been pretty stressed all afternoon. Saw this video of you and it made me laugh. Nothing like a little laughter to de-stress Now I think I can go to sleep...Thanks
I haven't. I once tried Gillette 7 o'clock greens and it was so tuggy I just threw the other 4 blades in the trash (probably would have liked them in the R41 ... one of which is in the post as we speak!). I appreciate the suggestion. I don't mind giving Gillette blades another "pass." If you said try Derbys or Merkur blades, then I know you'd just be taking the piss :)
“Skewed Comparison”. The Vintage Gillette Fat boy has 9 settings the numbers are in sequence but a dot take the place of the even numbers and so the odd numbers are all that is there with a dot between each odd number. Nine settings. The Merkur Futur Has 11 settings. All the numbers are in sequence but there are dots between the numbers witch are setting as well. Hence 11 setting on the Futur. A more accurate comparison would be to set the Gillette Fat boy at 5 and the Merkur Futur on the dot between 3 and 4.
JL Kessler I enjoyed this video anyway JL. None of us have the electronic laser measuring equipment to do the most accurate comparison possible on these two fine razors. I have shaved with both razors and their both a pleasure to shave with.
I have a Merkur Futur and the Gllette Slim. For head shave i prefer Gllette Slim on setting #9 with ASP. Because Merkur Futur more agressive, than Gillette, even on setting #3.
I'm not on Facebook but I dip in and out of RU-vid and Badger & Blade for general advice and just for entertainment. The world of de shaving has alot of interesting characters and I'm enjoying the learning curve. I'm building up quite an arsenal of blades while I'm finding my feet so I doubt I'll ever be at a stage where I'll have only Derbys besides my early experience of using them wasn't that bad ; although whatever I know now I knew even less then. Is the Futur head a problem on the lip.
If you have to shave every day, buy a mild razor and pair it with a sharp blade. Something like a 50s superspeed or a fat handle tech. If nobody will give you crap for having a pretty blue razor with stars on it, a lady gillette is one of the smoothest razors I have ever tried.
The matte-polished Futur is not slippery at all. And I've shaved a few times with the Futur so far at 2,5 and it already feels sharper than the Gillette at 9 and I haven't nicked myself a single time with the Futur so far. The Merkur blade seems top notch. This comparison between Futur at 5 and Gillette at 5 is erroneous. You should compare the Futur at 6 and the Gillette at 9 because then you compare them at their respective maximum blade exposure.
I would try that, but I cut slingload on the Futur about a year ago. I agree that the handle isn't as slippery as some might think. I found that keeping a little alum on my fingertips kept the slippage to a minimum. I disagree on the Merkur blade - there are far better blades out there IMO. Appreciate your comments!
If you want an aggressive treat -- try the iKon Tech. It makes the Mühle R41 (and all other aggressive contenders) seem like a pussycat. The iKon Tech will give you an extremely close shave, once you master how to use it.
Have you tried the Gillette Silver/Blue razor blades, I use a Muhle R41 but I find the feathers tend to rasp my neck whereas the Gillette S/B is as close a shave but not as punishing.
I own and use 6 different DE razors and the Futur is the most aggressive. While it looks pretty the head is large and is very hard to get into places like around the nose. Not an ideal razor for a DE newbie and many that have been doing this a while don't like it either. You certainly don't need an adjustable razor to get a bbs shave. Personally, I like my Futur but it's nothing great (not to mention it's the most expensive razor I own) and if somebody asked whether they should get a good Fat Boy or the Futur, if given a choice of these two, I'd recommend the Gillette. Less clunky and more forgiving.
riskinhos the more you open your mouth the more idiotic and clueless you sound. Such anger lol. Then of course the anti-American line has to get dropped in for no reason other than to show you're an utter moron. I'm starting to think you are a 17 year old because that is about the level of maturity in your posts. Best of luck to you.
Is the Merkur safe to use and foolproof? Or do you have to get use to it before it gets easy? I am asking in comparison with Gilette fusion proglide razors or other commercial razors you would find at the department store.
Amis Stiti They are all designed to be safe, but nothing is foolproof - user error will always influence the shaving experience. With practice it gets super easy, but not as easy as the cartridge razors you will find from Gillette, etc. The benefit is not ease, DE shaving can be cheaper, provide better results and is far more customizable to your skin and beard. The Gillettes are a one size fits all solution that work for many, but not all. They didn't work for me, so I tried everything until I found DE shaving.
Nope, the lady Gillette is a twist-to-open double edge razor that takes normal DE blades. The handle is long to accomodate leg shaving, and the blade exposure is very mild.
Now that I am living in Germany, I have been finding plenty of room in the budget to do just that. Great beers here in Europe. By the way, my favorite razors are not adjustables and neither of these is my favorite adjustable. Actually, I prefer the Merkur Progress (mine is a modified version, called a Mergress) and since this video I have traded away the Futur. The head was just too unwieldly.
The settings won't be identical, they are two different designs, different mechanisms and different manufacturers. You cannot compare like in this manner.
Fat Boy all the way..I read on one site where they used a feeler gauge to check the reveal end for end and on both sides. I wonder what it would read on each razor.
Lots of variables. Some are adjustable, which means you can adjust the gap between the blade and the safety bar for a more or less aggressive shave. Others are fixed, so the blade gap is constant. Some have open comb safety bars and others have closed combs - which change the shaving experience as well. With some standard, non-adjustable DEs, the angle of the blade is steeper or more shallow and sometimes even "slanted," which gives an even more different experience. That's the fun in trying different razors to see which variation works best for each man's face.
I've never tried Feather blades because they're expensive and I'm afraid I might like them. Since I got into safety razors to save money, I will continue to avoid Feather blades.
Kip Diskin Good question. I have the green pre-shave which is supposed to double as a balm. Works just fine for me, but I have a go-to balm these days (Aveeno Active Naturals ASB) so I don't bother with matching balms. One less thing to decide in the morning.
I cant comment too much on the Gillette Fatboy except for the part that it is made of chromed brass so it is more durable. I do have the Merkur Furtur, it is pretty aggressive. I agree that the head is rather large, wish it was a slim profile like my Merkur 34C but it is not adjustable nor as aggressive. Great video, thanks for the comparison as I was contemplating the Gillette model.
I am 20 years old and I'm interested in starting to use a safety razor. What model do you recommend that I start off with? I don't know whether I should start with an adjustable or not as I'd prefer one that is not very aggressive. What did you start with? I'll be sure to subscribe to your channel. Thanks for the info!
Get a Rockwell 6C. 50 dollars or so but it comes with 6 adjustment plates so you can experiment. Also, theres some discout codes that brings the price down
my skin would be raw with in gowns and bumps everywhere if the razor made that sound I have baby skin and have to be pretty delicate. nice video the futur is pretty aggressive
Polsilver Super Iridium as feather sharp but I don't like them at all for some reason. My Ted Pella PTFE coated SE lab blades are insanely sharp but settle down to be smooth for about 7 or 8 shaves.
I've owned them, but I sold them off.. Sorry. I don't really like them all that much to be honest with you. My advice would be to buy a slim in the $30-35 range as it shaves a bit better and is just as durable.My favorite gillette adjustable is actually the 80s super adjustable with the plastic bits in the head which is funny as I've owned stuff like toggles.
You don't seem to be aware that those two scales are totally arbitrary and independent. Never a five on one razor was meant to be identical to another razor's five. It's like arguing a heater is better than another one because its 30 degrees Celsius is hotter than the 30 degrees Fahrenheit of the second heater.
Just watched and I don't think this is a fair comparison. The Futur at 5 is its next to most aggressive setting, and the already milder Fatboy is set to the middle of the road. At a minimum if using the Futur almost wide open would be to have the Fatboy set to 8.
Just a great video. I'm 65 years old and want an adj. This was a big help. But most of all i love your comment about your ass and you being a lawer. Just love it. Are you in miching by any chance?
It's not that you are off your rocker. The point is; they are two different designs and the settings for each razor were not set up to mirror each razors gaps (aggressiveness). They both have settings that are less and more aggressive. It's really not relevant. I would not try to correct you to be a jerk. You brought out a lot of other points that make a lot of sense. If one razor works better for you then, that's the better razor.
"An Alum block. Alum, or aluminum potassium sulfate, is a crystal which actually has many uses. In the case of shaving, it's used as an antibacterial and astringent, and as a styptic for small razor cuts or nicks." - Badger & Blade
I bought it from a friend on the forums for around $100. They're out there. Hope on The Big Shave on FB and ask someone to let you into the Human Drift - its a BST forum where people sell Fatboys all the time.
I happened upon one in a shave group - sold to me by a friend. They are pretty common, but finding one in good condition, and at a fair price, can be a challenge.
