I’m actually due for a shave today and am really thinking of using the futur that I have today on the 3.5 setting but will use one of my preferred blades right now the ASCO Orange. It’s a lot more mild than a feather but might give me a better idea. Depending on how well the shave goes I will probably use it with a fresh feather blade down the line also just to get an even better idea. The clone may have even taken on the improvements too since it appeared very many years after mine was released and bought. I have heard they are quite decent but as with a lot of the cheaper ones perhaps longevity isn’t on their side nonetheless you have had a good run with it and it sounds like you are looking for something else to try anyway.

Sounds like an angle I like to shave at for the most part. My hair is fairly straight but grows in a few different angles on my neck so it makes it tricky to maintain that WTG (with the grain), XTG (across the grain), and ATG (against the grain) shave which always leads to irritation if I don’t so I can imagine how tricky it would be to have curly beard hair, it sounds like a bit of nightmare. If it works for you then who is to argue.

Refreshed Observations: I forgot to mention that the Futur razor appears to have brass in the handle which usually weighs a good amount too. I recall one of the things I didn’t like about the Futur was that there is a bit of play in the head that doesn’t help to keep the blade straight. It kinda pivots a bit from left to right if i hold the top cap from the blade tab sides and gently torque the handle left to right which was always a bit of a worry for me. When I bought mine there was no such thing as a chrome or gold coated ones. It was the Satin finish or nothing.

This razor has a weak blade clamping system by design and over the years the tension rods can maybe weaken over time too. There is a good deal of blade chatter for a few reasons the spring tension clamping and also for the fact that there is very little to hold the edge of the blade tight to the top cap aside from that narrow bar (the thrust plate in the middle of the head where the tension rods are) in the middle which means you will hear the blade a lot more as you shave your hair which some people refer to as blade chatter. Depending on the person this could be a good thing or a bad thing. The good thing is that its pleasing to hear but the bad is that it may cause a lot of vibration and flex in the blade which doesn’t always lead to a pleasant and comfortable shave. Despite all of the above it actually shaves quite well. I’m not 100% if Merkur made some changes and improvements after I bought mine (I vaguely remember something happening many years ago) but this is my observations.

Revised comments: I took some time to look into the Qshave clone. I believe it is a little thinner and from my research is a little lighter too. The Qshave is actually 88g which places it within a comfortable weight class to replace as many razors come in at the same weight if not heavier which is good news for you. So where does that leave you? You could very easily buy the Merkur Futur and have a heavier and similar razor that is a step up in quality whilst being the same razor you know and love whilst being a heavier, more substantial in the hand, better balanced and made to a higher standard of quality.

In the meantime have you also tried cleaning your razor. They are very easily to disassemble and to reassemble. Just take note of which way the parts were set before you took them apart and lay them before you in parts as it was when it was assembled. It could just be surface rust. You could use an old toothbrush and some dish soap in warm water to clean it or if you’re lucky enough to have an Ultrasonic cleaner you can use that also.

I particularly like the Athena razor myself as well as the Ares but the Ares being an open comb might not work out for curly hair although I can’t say for sure. The Athena is 118g and very smooth but efficient. Another good razor is the Blackland Blackbird which is 94g. You can get the blackbird in the original plate or the lite plate which is more mild and also various metals, finishes and also different handle lengths. It’s a very popular razor which I would class as efficient also.