Open-Comb Razors.

[Teddyboy]

Greetings.

I am not a newbie but I rarely post. I was wondering if anyone could articulate for me the benefits of an open-comb razor. To me they look like something invented during the Spanish Inquisition but with so many people declaring their love of the Muhle R41 I just had to ask.

FYI, my razor 1 is Muhle R89, razor 2 38C; blades are Red IPs, Gillette Yellows/Greens and Sharks.

Thanks for your attention.

[kingfisher]

I think part of the theory is that more lather remains to cushion the blade because of the openings?
Some people say it helps when you have hairs that grow very close to the skin.
Others say it helps with maintaining a proper angle because if you begin to get too steep it will leave tracks in the lather.

I've tried open combs and I can't see that they offer me any benefit over a regular safety bar. In fact, I prefer the latter. Others will chime in soon to tell you that open comb razors rock the world, but they don't do anything for me.

[neverender2113]

I have neck hairs that grow flat against my skin, and the open-comb is better at grabbing these than many straight bar DE's I've used. I'm currently testing out one of the razors that's open-comb on one side and straight bar on the other; I do my WTG passes open-comb to whack more hairs and use the straight bar to protect against irritation on my XTG passes.

[sam o'reilly]

If I haven't shaved for a few days I prefer an OC. If I'm shaving 3 or 4 days in a row I'll stick with the other kind.

[gearchow]

I don't notice anything too different between open comb or safety bar as far as shaving goes. How the individual razor establishes the blade angle and exposure seems to me to be the biggest factor. Although, all of the open combs I have are vintage and seem to be fairly aggressive at least to me.

-jim

[rajagra]

An OC is more aggressive between the teeth than at the teeth. So you get the best of both worlds - the teeth safely govern the path of the razor, but the gaps present the naked blade so it can cut unhindered.
I'm not sure it makes a huge difference on one day's growth, but if I was using a DE on several day's growth it would be my OC.

[nymtber]

Open comb mows down the hair faster on the first pass, and does help with tricky neck hairs.

Otherwise, really not much difference in shave quality, IMO. If I toss a Gillette 7 O'clock Yellow into my Super Speed, I get a wicked close shave with 2-3 passes. I can achieve the same shave with my NEW and most any decent blade, but there is more irritation with lesser blades. I kind of think the safety bar actually pops hairs up just a little bit, allowing them to be shaven off smoother.

My NEW is my favorite razor for efficiency, but I prefer the SS still because, well, the TTO mechanism is a lot easier and safer to use, IMO. I interchange them both, along with an older triangle slot ball end Tech (which is due for a rotation soon...). I even toss in an SE once in a blue moon :) I shave every other day, and sometimes two or more days in a row. For every day, I would use a Super Speed. Mild, low irritation, and with a sharp blade, BBS is possible without much work.

[Mako72]

If I haven't shaved for a few days I prefer an OC. If I'm shaving 3 or 4 days in a row I'll stick with the other kind.


An OC is more aggressive between the teeth than at the teeth. So you get the best of both worlds - the teeth safely govern the path of the razor, but the gaps present the naked blade so it can cut unhindered.
I'm not sure it makes a huge difference on one day's growth, but if I was using a DE on several day's growth it would be my OC.


I think this is where I stand. I tend to use a Safety Bar type razor for everyday shaves. Give me a weekend with no shaves or a weeks growth and I prefer the Open Comb.

In truth I think that is why the Open Comb razors were designed that way. I don't think most people turn of the century shaved but maybe once or twice a week. I would imagine most men of the time got a straight shave one day a week at a barber and then picked up maybe one more day a week with a Gillette if they owned one. IIRC, the original Old Type Ads were for a "Years worth of Shaves" on ten blades, or something close to that effect. I think over the intervening years its has become more of a demand of society to show up clean shaven, much in the ways that deodorants, bathings, mouthwash, etc have become standards that a hundred years ago were pretty much marketed towards the higher ends of society.

Just my take.

Jay

[Gordy2]

I just acquired an OC Fatip and found it really gave me a nice close shave. Lays the skin down and pops the hairs up. Some call them aggressive, the Fatip in particular, and to a point they are or can be, but not as aggressive as the R41. If you like a variety of razors, an OC is a good one IMHO, especially for a few days growth.

[Sledgehammer39]

Its something you should just try and see if you like. The OC's can be found for pretty cheap (vintage).