Review (5/5): Great razor that can be as gentle or aggressive as you'd like it to be
This clone of the Merkur Futur adjustable was way better than I expected. I've been using it for legs and underarms, primarily, for about 4 months. I find it to be built with good quality -- it provides a close shave, adjusts smoothly, and the head seems to be set pretty even on both sides. I found no issue even when shaving more oddly-shaped hills and valleys. I feel that the razor has pretty good grip as long as your hands aren't slathered in soap. It also comes with 5 high quality Dorco blades in a little plastic dispenser that can also be used to store used blades in a separate compartment until you're ready to dispose of it.
To clean and change blades, you have to be a little careful because you need to pop the top cover of the razor's head off to do it. I grab the handle firmly and turn the razor as though it's a tiny hammer, then use the other hand to gently pop/pivot the top cover off with the thumb and index finger.
One thing I learned from YouTube is that this and other Futur clones like the QShave -- you can adjust the head's gap width further, if you prefer a more aggressive razor. When you get to level 6, squeeze the entire razor head together then twist the dial clockwise again -- you will bypass the locking mechanism and reach level 1 again. You'll see the gap widen on the head. In this "mode", level 1 technically becomes level 7 and so on. I prefer mine this way, although the razor's perfectly good as it comes out of the box. To get back to the default gap width settings, move back to level 1 (i.e. 7), squeeze the head again and twist the dial counterclockwise until you're back at level 6.
I've not ever used a real Futur so I don't know how well it mimics that one in actual performance but, from what I understand, these clone razors mostly vary from the original in weight and minor design differences (apparently the original Merkur patent expired, making way for these clones). What I can tell you is that this one's a great deal for the money.
One other thing to note: This week, I began to really understand that we have a major condensation issue in our bathroom (There's no exhaust fan and only a tiny window.) While some other metal items began to show some rust, this razor is one of the few things that doesn't have a single spot on it anywhere. Given the price, that's definitely evidence of higher quality materials than I would have expected.