Open comb razor, which one?

Hello everyone,

I'm a bit stuck in that i want to buy a new open comb razor. I've narrowed it down to two. The Merkur 41c 1904 or a Fatip Picollo. Can anyone please advise me?

Thanks in advance.

The 1904 is going to be one of the mildest open comb razors

The Fatip is gong to be one of the moat aggesssive open comb razors

You have picked two extremes.

Hope this helps you decide or find another one model that suites what you are after in an open comb razor

Thanks for the reply. Since i know nothing of open combs, could you give me some examples of razors inbetween the two i picked out? Just to give everyone an idea, i want something that is a little more aggresive than a merkur 34c. The slant i already have and don't get along with it.
Cheers

The 1904 should be a bit more aggressive then your 34c and might be a good first step into open comb razors. Open comb is just a design it does not mean it is going to have more blade exposure as you have seen from your more aggressive slant which is a safety bar razor.

There are several razors that use the same head as the model 1904 if you want to get something with that style head but a different style handle.

Merkur:
1904
11c
12c
15c
25c

Muhle:
R41 (2010 model)
R101 (2010 model)
R102 (2010 model)

I'd meet more in the middle of those two and pick up a Gillette New OC. If you find it too harsh, move to the 1904, and if you find it not aggressive enough, then move to the Fatip.

Thank you for educating me Turtle. One question though, what is the benefit of an open comb? I had thought it would make for more aggresion, but as we know, i'm not too clued up.

Hard to go wrong with the Gillette New OC...of course it's a "vintage" and not truly "new" as mentioned in your post.

It is just a different style of razor. I think they are attractive. More masculine. They look like they can do the job. I guess you could say they are just cool.

Do you just want to try different razors or do you want to build a razor rotation like most on here have done?

OR

Do you want just one razor that you can use day after day and get a great shave from every time?

It is all about what YOU want.

As Turtle said, any of those are fine OC's to start with. By "New" do you mean new of the shelf, or just new to you? If the latter, there are also vintage alternatives, although a bit more aggressive:

Gillette New Long Comb
Gillette New Short Comb
Gillette New Improved
Gillette Old Type

Just want to try something different turtle. I have a few razors that i use, but the only open comb i do own is far too aggresive to actually use. It was my grandads and he 'modified' it for his tough beard. I guess i would like one that i could use everyday, but wouldn't necessarily use everyday, if that makes sense.

There really isn't a correlation between being open comb and being more aggressive (i.e. more blade exposure). There are mild and aggressive examples available. The vintage Gillette OC's are generally more aggressive than their later safety bar models, and that's where I think the reputation comes from of OC's being more aggressive. The open comb itself does has one direct attribute, and that's that lather can flow away a little more easily from the razor as it's being wiped off by the blade. One other typical difference is that effective the blade angle on your face is usually more shallow, and this results in more of a cutting vs a scrapping type angle, which I think is more effective in general at cutting hair, and avoiding irritation.

Beyond those basic differences, their allure is mostly about how they look .

Could you post a picture of it? Now you have me curious

Brushstick said:

Just want to try something different turtle. I have a few razors that i use, but the only open comb i do own is far too aggresive to actually use. It was my grandads and he 'modified' it for his tough beard. I guess i would like one that i could use everyday, but wouldn't necessarily use everyday, if that makes sense.

Click to expand...

I think i have posted a pic of it here before. Basically he used solder or brazing to 'flatten' the cap, meaning that the blade isn't curved and sits totally flat. I only used it once (my first DE shave) and it cut me to ribbons. I have no desire to use it again, it's now a family heirloom lol.

I would go with one of the ones I listed as they are going to be the mildest open combs. If you like the handle on the 1904 run with that one otherwise grab one of the other models listed. The Muhle is out of production so you might have a hard time finding a NOS one of them. The fit and finish of the Muhle is going to be superior to any others (they are just higher quality).

I have a Muhle R101 and really like it a lot. It is a sweet razor to shave with and it has the same head as the one used on the 1904 you are considering.

Interesting! That sounds pretty much like the 2011 R41! . As Turtle said, his choices are probably the best for you to start out with.

Brushstick said:

I think i have posted a pic of it here before. Basically he used solder or brazing to 'flatten' the cap, meaning that the blade isn't curved and sits totally flat. I only used it once (my first DE shave) and it cut me to ribbons. I have no desire to use it again, it's now a family heirloom lol.

Click to expand...

Brushstick said:

I think i have posted a pic of it here before. Basically he used solder or brazing to 'flatten' the cap, meaning that the blade isn't curved and sits totally flat. I only used it once (my first DE shave) and it cut me to ribbons. I have no desire to use it again, it's now a family heirloom lol.

Click to expand...

i would love to see a picture of this. Where did you post it?

Did they change the head on this model when the 2011 R41 came out, or is there any chance this is still the 2010 head? Obviously I don't know how to tell the difference between them.

turtle said:

I would go with one of the ones I listed as they are going to be the mildest open combs. If you like the handle on the 1904 run with that one otherwise grab one of the other models listed. The Muhle is out of production so you might have a hard time finding a NOS one of them. The fit and finish of the Muhle is going to be superior to any others (they are just higher quality).

I have a Muhle R101 and really like it a lot. It is a sweet razor to shave with and it has the same head as the one used on the 1904 you are considering.

Click to expand...

It maybe i posted it elswhere. I'll dig up the pics and post here later when i'm on my desktop.