Travel Double Edge Safety Razor, River Lake RZ700 Long Handle Adjustable Classic Safety Shaver Razor (Razor with Protective Case,Black)

I typically have a bias for long-handled, very heavy weight razors. I like the "feel" of such razors - it's sort of like how some people like the "sports car" (light, aluminum, speedy) feel vs. others like "the luxury cruiser" (HEAVY, substantial, plush) feel.All people have their own preferences for their own reasons: it just the nature of "being a person." So, now that you know my own preference, here's the gas: I love this razor. And I mean **LOVE** this razor.I love this razor because the basic design is very functional. No issues with attack angle, the gap (aggression) adjusts smoothly, and blade changes are easy. The learning curve is almost nil. Cleaning and storage quite simple, too. I bought this razor for travel after trialing a more "substantial," inexpensive adjustable that proved to be utter junk.Now, I wish I had bought this razor first.I have read reviews suggesting this razor is a clone of a much pricier German brand.If a clone, the people doing the cloning did a great job: I have one of the pricier German razors (nickel, non-adjustable, butterfly-open blade change: it is my primary, daily-use razor). I can attest to that razor being really darn good.Well, this razor is really darn good, too: this little guy now goes on every trip, vacation, or overnight stay.Only caution: the handle is smooth, so paying attention to ensuring your razor-hand stays dry will help keep your face tidy and your shave crisply close.

From what I understand, this design is a knockoff of some of the other adjustable safety razors out there. That's why it's a fraction of the price. My concern with the lower price was quality. It seems to be well made. The top of the head of the shaver pulls out (no screw to undo) and then pushes back in. It works just fine but I haven't had it long. I was getting ripped to shreds by my old safety razors to the point where I was considering going back to being ripped off using a cartridge razor. My life from age 16 to 51 has been an ongoing quest to find the best shave for the cheapest price. I think I've now found shaving nirvanah!! There are 6 settings and you just turn the handle to go through them. I am at setting 1 and at that setting I get a close enough shave for me but best of all,at least at 1 it's very difficult to cut yourself. I think as I get more comfortable I may try a 2 but either way...I am so happy!!!Update: May 11, 2019 I still love the razor but you must be very careful adding/removing blades. Maybe it's just me but I never got cut messing with blades with my old butterfly razor but this one is difficult to safely add remove blades. I just got cut twice pretty good today. I would still recommend this razor especially if you have problems finding a double edged safety razor that doesn't leave you with cuts on your face but just be careful you don't get cuts on your hands instead. LOL. Note: I had originally given 5 stars but I'm reducing to 4 stars because of this seemingly bad design flaw. Happy Shaving.update March 2020. I have finally figured out a way to take the danger out of changing blades with this razor. I take a hand towel and grab the top of the razor with that when I pull the top off to change the blade. This way if anything slips, I won't get cut. With that issue taken care of, this product goes back up to 5 stars. Every other double edged safety razor I've owned has cut my face to shreds. Not this one, I truly love it!!!!

UPDATE:It is now 2/14/2023 and I have been using this razor since 2019. I have other safety razors and have stopped using them in favor of this one. It is that good, imo. The only major annoyance I have is it is slippery when wet so be sure to keep your hands dry. (If they would knurl the handle, it would be great). Another minor con is it does collect shaving soap and gets white chalky build-up over time. You will need to take it apart every once and a while and give it a good scrubbing with an old toothbrush or something of that sort.Again, I have been using this razor since 2019 (4 years now) and it has not rusted nor "worn out" in any way. The adjustment knob is still sturdy like when it was new.My original review from 2019 is below:This clone appears to be different from some of the earlier clones out of China. How do I know? Because I weighed it and it is heavier than the other clones (like QShave). This clone weighs in at 107 grams, while some of the older ones were around 90 grams. (I included a picture of the razor on my scale). The original Futur weighs in at 126 grams, so this clone is closer to the original and heavier than the QShave. This implies that it has been redesigned at least once. (The Chinese usually mass produce clones and sell them under different names. I would be surprised if there were two different factories producing these. Although, sometimes in China you will see clones of clones (lol). If one clone maker sees another clone maker making a big profit, they will get in on the action. Then it becomes a battle of the clones).The adjustment dial on this clone feels pretty well made. There is enough resistance so that it isn't going to accidentally come off the setting. People in the past complained that the Ming Shi/Qshave clones were too easy to turn and felt a bit janky. I am not really getting any janky feeling from this one. I did take it apart and give it an alcohol bath and removed some of the blue gunk on the threads (probably some sort of lubricant from the factory). So perhaps it would turn easier if I had not cleaned it. But as I have it now, it actually provides a good bit of resistance and feels solid. I am going to open it up every so often and put fresh oil on the threads.I loaded this razor up with a Personna blue and had a shave. I had about 2 days of growth and started on setting 4. I found that to be satisfactory. I typically get "tugging" on my chin hair with any razor I try and I noticed a little bit of that today even on setting 4. To be fair, it could be the Personna blades as they are about middle of the range in sharpness. (Feathers have given me the closest shave in my life, but I am scared to try them on this razor until I get used to it).Now for the cons:- No knurling on the handle, but this is a problem with the original.- When I take the pieces apart, I see brass shining through around some of the joints implying the chrome coating was sloppily applied. I included pictures of this.- Changing blades is a pain. I have been using a butterfly razor and I much prefer that over the 2 and 3 piece designs.- The blade sticks in the top cap meaning there's no way to remove it without (very delicately) using my fingers and grabbing the SHARP end. Another trick is to use the razor itself and push on the edges of the blade. This works, but I shouldn't have to do that. (To be fair, different blades may fit slightly differently and it could be the Personnas fit a bit tight).Conclusion:I am a wet shaving newb, even though I've been shaving 25 years. I still have a lot to experiment with and a lot of blades to try. I do not own the original Futur so I cannot compare it, but this razor feels to be a very solid introduction for me into adjustables. As I said in the "cons", the machining and coating could be better, but I expected as much for $10. You're not going to get top notch machining for that price no matter where it's made. I would prefer solid 304 stainless steel, but it ain't happening for this price.

The quality on this razor is top-notch. I can’t speak to its similarity to the razor it is based on, but I have used many other safety razors and this one is the best by far. Excellent performance and easy to clean with a quick rinse.