Above the Tie - Above the Crowd

sandstone · Aug 1, 2015

I agree that the vintage Gillettes are a very notable exception in this case. They are in a class by themselves and have withstood the test of time. I love my ATT razors and I shave with them probably 90 % of the time, but nothing would make me part with my Tech, my SuperSpeeds or my NEW LC.

Edit: the above comment is in reference to the previous post #1200.

dfoulk · Aug 1, 2015

Yeah, for me the vintage stuff is fun but I have yet to get as good of a shave from any vintage razor that I've gotten from my ATT. So whIle they can be had at a lower cost vintage razors aren't on par with the newer high end stuff as far as I'm concerned. That's just my opinion for what it's worth and I'm sure not everyone else will agree.

Englishpride66 · Aug 2, 2015

Thanks for the awesome info guys. As well as your insights on why it's worth it to spend more on a quality razor. You've pretty much sold me on it. Now I've got to figure out which plate to start with, I know r1/r2 is what's usually recommended I am intrigued to try a more aggressive razor. I've used a fatboy at 9 and the razorock jaws so how those compare to the ATT plates I have no idea. Being stationed in Japan I also want to try and get it right the first time as shipping times are a tad longer than CONUS.

Random Shaver · Aug 2, 2015

Englishpride66 said:
Now I've got to figure out which plate to start with

My advice would be to PM Stan with what you just told us and ask for his input about where to start. When I was considering taking the plunge, that's what I did. I told him about my shaving stable and solicited his feedback. He gave me a great suggestion, and while I wound up going with the next step up in aggressiveness when I placed my order, I was grateful for his feedback.

Kcnwea · Aug 2, 2015

Englishpride66 said:
Thanks for the awesome info guys. As well as your insights on why it's worth it to spend more on a quality razor. You've pretty much sold me on it. Now I've got to figure out which plate to start with, I know r1/r2 is what's usually recommended I am intrigued to try a more aggressive razor. I've used a fatboy at 9 and the razorock jaws so how those compare to the ATT plates I have no idea. Being stationed in Japan I also want to try and get it right the first time as shipping times are a tad longer than CONUS.

where in japan are you?

No1Up · Aug 2, 2015

dfoulk said:
Yeah, for me the vintage stuff is fun but I have yet to get as good of a shave from any vintage razor that I've gotten from my ATT. So whIle they can be had at a lower cost vintage razors aren't on par with the newer high end stuff as far as I'm concerned. That's just my opinion for what it's worth and I'm sure not everyone else will agree.

That's a shame man, I have some Gillettes that have out performed my ATT S2. The Slim set on 2-3 can just about turn any blade in to a smooth usable blade, where as the ATT slan will let you know if the blade is no bueno...

Englishpride66, you picked a fine brand and will soon be holding one of the most quality razors in the land, you will love it. The only problem now is what handle length and what plates. The cool thing about ATT is stan gives you the 30 day return.

shawnsel · Aug 2, 2015

Englishpride66 said:
Thanks for the awesome info guys. As well as your insights on why it's worth it to spend more on a quality razor. You've pretty much sold me on it. Now I've got to figure out which plate to start with, I know r1/r2 is what's usually recommended I am intrigued to try a more aggressive razor. I've used a fatboy at 9 and the razorock jaws so how those compare to the ATT plates I have no idea. Being stationed in Japan I also want to try and get it right the first time as shipping times are a tad longer than CONUS.

You might check out this list of Currently Manufactured DE Razors Ranked by Aggressiveness (you'll find both of your Merkur razors and RazoRock OC on this list) ... but I agree with "Random Shaver", ask Stan too.

Also, given you're overseas ... if you can't decide between two base plates, getting a 5 piece set gets you those two, plus a 3rd base plate at about half its price. I purchased an Atlas M1, R1, H1 5 piece set almost two years ago. My favorite changed from M1 to H1 in about 6 months, and recently I've been reevaluating them all ... and I'm not sure which my favorite is. It might not be the case for everyone, but getting the three aggression levels at once ended up being the best value for me. It's like having the benefits of an adjustable razor in a 3-piece stainless steel system. :thumbsup:

PMT · Aug 2, 2015

Stupid thing had better come with a good warranty, I just dropped $185 on one of those!

sandstone · Aug 2, 2015

PMT said:
Stupid thing had better come with a good warranty, I just dropped $185 on one of those!

Which one did you order? ATT has a 30 day money back, no questions asked guarantee, so if for any reason you decide you dont like your product you dont run any risk. The quality of material and manufacture seems superb to me and I cant see any reason why an ATT razor wouldnt last forever. FWIW, I am very satisfied with my ATT Kronos razor, my favourite plate being the S1, with the M2 running a close second. I hope you enjoy yours! :001_smile

ackvil · Aug 2, 2015

My first ATT was the S1 Kronos. I liked it so much I bought the S2 plate. These are just about my top razors today.

sandstone · Aug 2, 2015

ackvil said:
My first ATT was the S1 Kronos. I liked it so much I bought the S2 plate. These are just about my top razors today.

I have an S2 plate out for delivery as part of a trade I made with a fellow B&B'er. I don’t know what it is about the ATT slant design, but for me the smoothness, efficiency, and just plain ease of use of my S1 can’t be beat!

jcs266 · Aug 2, 2015

No1Up said:
The hair dryer analogy is almost on the mark. However the vintage Gillettes take this rule and spit in its face. A low cost Gillette can offer an incredible shave. My slim and Gillette Tech (techs can be found for $15.00) offer just as good shaves. That and since they have already lasted 60+ years they have the time to back up the quality statement. Don't get me wrong, if you have the money get an ATT, you'll be glad you did, it's fantastic in every respect, and priced right in comparison with other high end makers.

If I HAD to find something wrong with the ATT is that if you leave a wet blade in, rust will begin to take hold (crevice corrosion). If you then shave and cut yourself, you might open yourself up to some infection. Not a problem if you take the blade out and dry it, or use Deionized water...

In six months of daily shaving I've had no hint of corrosion at all with the ATT. I never dry the blade other than to blow the excess water out at the blade gap and wipe the razor down with a cloth. Only at blade change time (every sixth shave) does the razor come apart.

beisler · Aug 3, 2015

sandstone said:
Congrats on your Kronos R2! I'm excited for you and looking forward to hear how you like it. Cheers!

All I can say is wow--now I am gonna order the h2 ad s2--My beloved R41 might get pushed to the back of my rotation--ATT is That good.
And thanks Stan for making such a good product--You keep making them and I'll keep buying them :001_smile

BorderReiver · Aug 3, 2015

Just bought a used ATT M1 with atlas handle , does any body else have to hold the top plate when screwing on the handle to make sure it has even blade exposure.
The top plate with the two nipples hold the blade with no movement but it seems that the holes the nipples go into are slightly larger so it moves slightly.
Not sure if all of them are like this or I have a duff one.

matt267 · Aug 3, 2015

BorderReiver said:
Just bought a used ATT M1 with atlas handle , does any body else have to hold the top plate when screwing on the handle to make sure it has even blade exposure.
The top plate with the two nipples hold the blade with no movement but it seems that the holes the nipples go into are slightly larger so it moves slightly.
Not sure if all of them are like this or I have a duff one.

I have an M2 and have no movement between the cap and plate. You might have a bad setup.

sandstone · Aug 3, 2015

matt267 said:
I have an M2 and have no movement between the cap and plate. You might have a bad setup.

Likewise for my M2 and all my other ATT plates. I've used mostly Astras and Feathers in mine. Maybe a blade issue?

BorderReiver · Aug 3, 2015

matt267 said:
I have an M2 and have no movement between the cap and plate. You might have a bad setup.

Just tried turning the baseplate around but still a bit of play(although I'm sure I already tried that) , can you tell me if you just put your top cap onto the bottom plate without a blade do you get any movement , mines wiggles around and you can move it a mm ( not much I know ).
Besides that cant' fault the shave , not had a bad one yet.

BorderReiver · Aug 3, 2015

sandstone said:
Likewise for my M2 and all my other ATT plates. I've used mostly Astras and Feathers in mine. Maybe a blade issue?

Tried it with a personna ,feather ,yellow 7oclock and and a derby , the blades held perfectly by the top cap.

matt267 · Aug 3, 2015

BorderReiver said:
Just tried turning the baseplate around but still a bit of play(although I'm sure I already tried that) , can you tell me if you just put your top cap onto the bottom plate without a blade do you get any movement , mines wiggles around and you can move it a mm ( not much I know ).
Besides that cant' fault the shave , not had a bad one yet.

I'll give it a try when I get home.

shawnsel · Aug 3, 2015

I think my related thread may have brought this discussion to this thread ... so I'll offer some clarifications and notes on ATT's blade alignment:

No, it isn't a big deal. I'd definitely still buy my ATT set over again (and its' the only razor I use). A person who is very experienced with DE shaving might compensate for it's worst-possible misalignment (extra exposure on one side, and less exposure on the other side of the same blade edge) ... without even realizing it.
Yes, it can be easily aligned perfectly. That said, even with a practiced technique, I very slightly misalign mine (checked under magnification using a 8x magnification shaving mirror) about a third of the time I load it. It is of course a quick and easy fix to loosen it up, tighten it back up, and check again.
Typical misalignments likely go unnoticed by most shavers. Visually, it may require magnification to see. Experienced DE shavers probably compensate without realizing it.
The top cap holds the blade very snugly in place relatively to it (the top cap). I have tried possibly a dozen different brands of blades and I've never noticed any play between any blade and the top cap pins.
However, the top cap has some slight play between it and the baseplates. The top cap's pins are slightly smaller than the baseplate's holes. You can easily feel this yourself by putting a baseplate on top of the top cap (without a blade) and jiggling it around.
It is possible that this slight play is even by design as a measure towards helping prevent crevice corrosion when blades are left in the razor for many days.
The blade is held in place very firmly, however, a well-held but still misaligned blade is definitely possible.
You can see this most easily by loading it without a blade, and purposefully twisting the top cap on while holding on to the top cap with one hand and the baseplate and handle with the other hand. Then hold it up to a light and peer at the top cap through the slot in the baseplate. When purposely misaligning it like this, I can see a slight slant in the top cap (without using any magnification). Inserting a blade may lessen this slightly (?) ... but it definitely does not eliminate the issue.
While I do think a more foolproof alignment could be an advantageous feature for new DE shavers ... again, for experienced DE shavers this alignment issue in ATT razors is probably a trivial detail ... and I also still think an ATT 5 piece set (with 3 levels of aggression) makes an ideal second (or maybe even first) DE razor

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