Option Five DE Razor

[SweeneyTodd]

@Sausage
If you want to try the "Futur" there are these blatant rip offs from china:
https://goo.gl/tfcdJ9
Reputedly, they shave very well...
From memory, the Futur, I didn't find particularly aggressive at the lower end of the scale.. When wound open, I still can't remember it being aggressive... Not r41 like anyway... I do recall it being cumbersome to use though and struggled on the top lip as the head is huge!
I did not have any trouble loading blades...

Curiously, although I can get on with just about every razor one way or the other, the Futur just doesn't like me. It's not exactly aggressive, but I feel that the blade is somehow over-exposed at the higher settings. The Option 5, on the other hand, is mild but efficient, and I like mine very much.

 

[Eeyore]

@Sausage
If you want to try the "Futur" there are these blatant rip offs from china:
https://goo.gl/tfcdJ9
Reputedly, they shave very well...

I personally would never pay for a razor whose design was stolen from another company.

I hope that the Chinese firms either bought the design, or pay royalties. Somehow I think they don't.

As for the O5; looks interesting from the pictures, but probably too bulky and heavy for me.

 

[PLANofMAN]

I personally would never pay for a razor whose design was stolen from another company.

I hope that the Chinese firms either bought the design, or pay royalties. Somehow I think they don't.

As for the O5; looks interesting from the pictures, but probably too bulky and heavy for me.

I've heard that the Chinese version is the better of the two, quality wise. Funny if true. I do know that the Chinese version is brass, compared to the original's zinc.

As for legalities, the Merkur patent on the Futur expired long ago.

 

[Str8Mug]

I actually have an Option 5 razor that I purchased in Nov 2016. Very efficient and not a bad looking razor honestly. I thought it would be a slippery mess, but it actually feels grippier when it got wet. Never slipped out of my hands once. Shaved with it for a full week with a Kai blade, great results everytime. Not mild at all, more mid - aggressive, like a 2 or 2.5 on a Futur or 3 on a Parker Variant, for me at least. Girlfriend loves it. Uses it all the time, her favorite de and the only one she feels comfortable with. It's a nice razor. No complaints.....

 

[Morecolor]

I thought about the O5, but equivalent to a futur on 2.5.
To aggressive for me..

 

[slapo]

I got one using a discount code for a friend, but I'm tempted to keep it for myself, as I now have some doubt whether he'd want to move away from cartridge razors...
Granted, this is probably in a different league compared to whatever it is he was using before. Worst case, he can PIF it back to me. ;-D

 

[Str8Mug]

I got one using a discount code for a friend, but I'm tempted to keep it for myself, as I now have some doubt whether he'd want to move away from cartridge razors...
Granted, this is probably in a different league compared to whatever it is he was using before. Worst case, he can PIF it back to me. ;-D

Nice gesture on your part. It's very efficient and smooth. Like I said before, my Girlfriend loves it. She's a cartridge person herself for the legs and underarms. But when I offered it to her to try it, she was surprised at how well it shaved. It's pretty much hers now, which I don't mind.

 

[Uncle Bertie]

Just bought one on the bay. It's going to be fun trying it out.

 

[Str8Mug]

Just bought one on the bay. It's going to be fun trying it out.

I think you will actually enjoy it. It definitely is different, but it shaves quite well. I've used GSB's, Kai, Polsiver and Bolzano blades with the OptionFive and have gotten very good results. Looking forward to your thoughts on it. Keep us posted....

 

[slapo]

I have to say, it shaves very well, but it looks and feels cheaper than $10 Baili razors. The way it's put together makes me think that should plating wear off in some places, corrosion would get it quickly despite best efforts.
Ended up keeping it for myself and got a QShave Futur clone for the friend. Looks more solid and it's adjustable.
The Option Five is decent and I appreciate how easy it is to load/unload the blades, but perhaps the next version could look a bit more refined for the money it costs.

 

[SweeneyTodd]

Anyone still persevering with this razor? Mine is about to get 3 days of use, and I hope it shaves as well as it did last time I used it.

By the way, am I correct in believing that the people making and/or selling this quietly folded their tent and stole away, as they seem to have disappeared completely from view?

 

[Str8Mug]

Anyone still persevering with this razor? Mine is about to get 3 days of use, and I hope it shaves as well as it did last time I used it.

By the way, am I correct in believing that the people making and/or selling this quietly folded their tent and stole away, as they seem to have disappeared completely from view?

Going on 2 years with this razor. I haven't used it since early 2017 but, as I stated before, the Misses loves this razor and not a single issue during that time. No wear or malfunction of the razor at all. And it's used 2-3 times a week when she does her thing. Holding up very well so far.....