open comb vs not open

[shaveme]

could somebody describe the difference in shaves from a open comb gillette and a not open comb gillette?

Thanks,
Michael

[shaveme]

so not responses........

does this mean no difference?

[Slant-Fan]

so not responses........

does this mean no difference?

Do a search for open comb and you will find threads describing how people feel about one or the other. I like some open combs as I find it easier to get the correct angle but I shave with bar guards as well and I like some of them too . As far as the difference, it is hard for me to find the words. The best thing to do is get an old Gillette and give it a try.

[fritz]

so not responses........
does this mean no difference?

Oh no! There truly are some differences. I don't know about others, but I found myself at a loss for words of how to describe them. So I was hoping someone else would answer...

Imagine a straight razor, with the edge sliding along an area of skin which has no whiskers, toward a forest of whiskers. When it reaches the whiskers, it slices them off right level with the skin. Now, add a solid safety bar that touches your skin just in front of the edge. Now, when you come to the whiskers, they must be first bent over by the bar, and then after the bar passes, they can spring back up to be sheared by the blade. Now, if your whiskers are long, stiff, and dense, then the bar will start to ride up some, lifting the edge away from your face, and so not cutting the whisker right down at the skin level. What the open comb does is effectively remove half or slightly more of the safety bar, leaving open slots where there is no bar at all, but at the same time, the remaining teeth on the comb act like a safety bar to help keep you from digging the blade into your skin, which of course, you CAN do with a straight razor! If the teeth are relatively thin and slightly tapered, then they will tend to push most of the whiskers slightly sideways into the open part, instead of having to roll over them.

So the open comb works much better than a solid safety bar if you have long, dense, tough whiskers. If you don't, then it will still work as well as a straight safety bar. Some people say a little better, even.

So why not make all razors open comb? Well, cost of manufacturing an open comb can be higher. Really nice open combs (where the teeth are fine and tapered) are subject to bending/breakage if the razor is dropped, etc. And most people now shave pretty much every day, so don't have especially long whiskers. Gillette made all their razors open comb until about the 30's or so. Before that, many men only shaved once or twice a week. (Gillette, of course, really promoted the idea that a REAL gentleman should shave every day -- sold more blades that way!)

[Haiku]

Oh no! There truly are some differences. I don't know about others, but I found myself at a loss for words of how to describe them. So I was hoping someone else would answer...

Imagine a straight razor, with the edge sliding along an area of skin which has no whiskers, toward a forest of whiskers. When it reaches the whiskers, it slices them off right level with the skin. Now, add a solid safety bar that touches your skin just in front of the edge. Now, when you come to the whiskers, they must be first bent over by the bar, and then after the bar passes, they can spring back up to be sheared by the blade. Now, if your whiskers are long, stiff, and dense, then the bar will start to ride up some, lifting the edge away from your face, and so not cutting the whisker right down at the skin level. What the open comb does is effectively remove half or slightly more of the safety bar, leaving open slots where there is no bar at all, but at the same time, the remaining teeth on the comb act like a safety bar to help keep you from digging the blade into your skin, which of course, you CAN do with a straight razor! If the teeth are relatively thin and slightly tapered, then they will tend to push most of the whiskers slightly sideways into the open part, instead of having to roll over them.

So the open comb works much better than a solid safety bar if you have long, dense, tough whiskers. If you don't, then it will still work as well as a straight safety bar. Some people say a little better, even.

So why not make all razors open comb? Well, cost of manufacturing an open comb can be higher. Really nice open combs (where the teeth are fine and tapered) are subject to bending/breakage if the razor is dropped, etc. And most people now shave pretty much every day, so don't have especially long whiskers. Gillette made all their razors open comb until about the 30's or so. Before that, many men only shaved once or twice a week. (Gillette, of course, really promoted the idea that a REAL gentleman should shave every day -- sold more blades that way!)

Very good explanation, very good. Thanks.

I have a belief/theory/suspicion as well that an open comb will compel the skin between the teeth to bulge slightly and thereby force the hair to stand up straighter. In other words, the comb does the same thing as stretching the skin. Certainly Gem (in the 1920's I believe) advertized their razors as having a design that acted like a barber's fingers to stretch the skin. Their design was a version of an open comb. One does not need pressure to compel the skin to bulge, it will do so simply with the weight of the razor.

In other words, open combs tend to shave closer than straight bar razors and they are very often marketed as suitable for men with coarse or tough beards.

[shaveme]

great explanation! thanks for the help

michael

[VR6ofpain]

Gillette made all their razors open comb until about the 30's or so. Before that, many men only shaved once or twice a week. (Gillette, of course, really promoted the idea that a REAL gentleman should shave every day -- sold more blades that way!)

Very interesting. Thanks for the info Fritz.

[Smedley]

Very nice explanation. Thanks!

[Leisureguy]

This post provides a comprehensive answer. I've been shaving with a Gillette NEW, which has the blade raised above the comb, and I'm liking it a lot. I have a Gillette Sheraton (TTO open comb late 30's) on the way and am eager to give that a go.

[copperhead]

Thanks for the info. Can anyone suggest what open comb razor to buy?

[redbike]

The Gillette NEW that Michael mentions above is an excellent start. It's easily available on eBay and not really a collector's piece. Plenty more to move to if you like the shave you get with it.

Enjoy,

jim

[fritz]

Thanks for the info. Can anyone suggest what open comb razor to buy?

Well, if you don't want the vintage ones Michael posted, but a new (as opposed to NEW) then my choices (all Merkur) would be the 38C if you like hefty, long-handled razors, or the 1904 Classic if you prefer lighter, shorter-handled ones, or the Long-Handled Classic, if you want lighter but long-handled. Note that ALL 3 of these razors are available in straight safety bar OR open comb, and you should be careful that you are ordering the open comb version.

[Leisureguy]

As noted in the post I referenced, the Merkur line uses the blade edge resting directly on the comb design (like the first Gillettes) rather than the drop-shoulder design of the Gillette NEW IMPROVED and Gillette NEW designs, where the blade's edge is above the comb. I prefer the latter in practice.