![]() ![]() Most examples of the R41 are just ridiculously aggressive–though a design tweak in 2011 did “tone it down” slightly. Sometimes I think that using the Muhle R41 open comb razor is only good for manhood-measuring contests. Plus, if you’re looking for an adjustable double edge razor and can do without the futuristic-looking design, there are a number of excellent alternatives. Plus the Qshave is a fraction of the price of the Merkur (to be sure, design and engineering shortcuts have obviously been taken with the Qshave, calling its long-term durability into question). The thing is, for me, the Qshave Adjustable shaves me better than the Merkur Futur! The adjustment window is less biased toward the “aggressive” end of the range and the handle seems to fit better in my hand. I’m amazed that Merkur has not publicly and aggressively pursued some kind of litigation against Qshave. As you can see from the image below, the Qshave Adjustable (right) is very similar to the Merkur Futur (left): Recently Qshave started selling a Futur clone, the Qshave Adjustable. “I think the head is too large, the adjustment range is biased too far on the “aggressive” side, and the smooth handle is slippery in my wet fingers (a common complaint mentioned in other reviews).” Personally, I think a lot of this razor’s popularity owes itself more to the futuristic design than to its actual performance. And, as the name suggests, the design goal was to make a futuristic-looking razor. The Merkur Futur has been around since about 1985. But there are plenty of other shave soaps that are equal (or better) in quality and performance, for a (sometimes much) lower price. Oh, it’s an excellent shave soap all right, don’t get me wrong. The thing is, it doesn’t really deserve its reputation anymore, IMHO. Insanely expensive and sometimes difficult to get ( MdC website, Maggard Razors, and West Coast Shaving for example), MdC is often regarded as a luxury shave soap with an almost-mythical reputation. Martin de Candre (“MdC”) shave soap may be the first “super premium” artisan shave soap, at least in the modern sense, having started in the 1970’s. Note: Amazon, Grooming Lounge, Smallflower, and West Coast Shaving links are affiliate. But is the reputation (and price) of some of them deserved? Here are five wet shaving products that I think are over-rated. A few have become “legends” in one way or another. There are a lot of great wet shaving products.
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