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My first use of my new Fatip Piccolo

Congrats on the acquisition.

The Piccolo is indeed a fantastic performer, it works great with just about any blade I throw in it. Very smooth and efficient, nice weight and balance, cheap and most importantly it's made of brass. What's not to like?

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That's good to know. I have about six or seven different blades from Derby to Feather. It may take me a bit of time to zero in on which blade will be good for me in the Piccolo.
 
I love my fatip grande. It's not a show piece or a collector but I get great shaves with it everytime I use it. I really like how picky it is about angles too, as a in your either shaving or your not no question about if your angle is right. IMO the fatip will improve your technique for all your razors.

What I noticed right away is the audible feedback. It is much more profound than the feedback of my 23c. This may sound strange but the feedback from the Fatip has a bit of a ring to it, for lack of a better description.
 
are the heads on the fatip piccolo and fatip grande made of brass, not pot metal? also, which fatip has a better handle, the grande or the piccolo? are the handles slippery at all on any of these fatips? thinking about getting one of these and not sure to go with the piccolo or the grande. please help. thanks

I believe that all Fatip razors are all brass (including the heads) with various plating options. As far as which handle is better is a matter of choice. The Grande has a longer and fatter handle than the Piccolo but it is a hollow handle. The weight is relatively the same for both handles. To me the Piccolo seemed a bit more compact since it has a solid brass handle. The balance is a little different between the two handles as well. I chose the Piccolo because I wanted a razor with a shorter handle than my 23c but one that had some decent weight to it.
 
does the piccolo feel uncomfortable holding because of its small handle? thanks

I've only used it twice now but I can tell you that it is a different feel than my 23c. I really like that it is different. The center of balance is different. I find it to be very comfortable but I don't have big hands. It seems that with the shorter handle I can adjust to the contours of my face easier than with a longer handle.
 
does the piccolo feel uncomfortable holding because of its small handle?
It's not a small handle; it's a normal-sized handle - the same length as the 37C, and only a tiny bit shorter than most vintage handles. The long 4" handles only became popular relatively recently.
 
I've only used it twice now but I can tell you that it is a different feel than my 23c. I really like that it is different
Once you get used to it, you'll probably never touch the 23C again. The Fatip is that good - try it with a shim once your muscle memory is programmed. I find it makes the Fatip smoother, and Edgar (nuclearblast) finds it makes no difference at all.

You *do* need a Merkur 37C slant as your next razor though. I bought both my Fatip and the 37C in the same order last year and they're the top 2 DE razors in my rotation. I have way too many razors.
 
Once you get used to it, you'll probably never touch the 23C again. The Fatip is that good - try it with a shim once your muscle memory is programmed. I find it makes the Fatip smoother, and Edgar (nuclearblast) finds it makes no difference at all.

You *do* need a Merkur 37C slant as your next razor though. I bought both my Fatip and the 37C in the same order last year and they're the top 2 DE razors in my rotation. I have way too many razors.

I've seen other posts about getting a smooth shave with a shim in a Fatip. I'll give it a try after a period of introduction to it.
 
Once you get used to it, you'll probably never touch the 23C again. The Fatip is that good - try it with a shim once your muscle memory is programmed. I find it makes the Fatip smoother, and Edgar (nuclearblast) finds it makes no difference at all.

You *do* need a Merkur 37C slant as your next razor though. I bought both my Fatip and the 37C in the same order last year and they're the top 2 DE razors in my rotation. I have way too many razors.

if you had to pick, which gives you a better and more aggressive shave, the merkur 37c or the fatip? do you have the piccolo or the grande?
 
Honda Accord it Toyota Camry? Both provide equally close shaves in the same number of passes, and are equally smooth to my face and technique. Lots of people find the Fatip harsh, and lots find the 37C harsh. The 37C "slices" a bit better. If I were asked to only keep one, it would probably be the 37C.

On a pure aggressive scale, the Fatip is more aggressive, and the 37C is more efficient. I have the Piccolo
 
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OK. So now I'm 3 shaves in with my new Fatip and today it really bit me. I think I got too confident and went too fast. It didn't bite me deep, but it bit me often. Weepers abound. I can't say my neck is hamburger, but I might have to actually lay off a day to heal. I haven't missed a day of shaving in 2 years. Still, I'm not discouraged. I believe I'm going to get the hang of it and the Fatip will become my daily driver.
 
Keep at it! After about a month with mine, I'm not having to concentrate any more than with my DE89. It's been worth it for me, and I had a similar situation where I took a couple of days off then had the best shave ever.
 
Maybe go back to your EJ for a day and stay away from ATG for a day or two or the Fatip will continue to peel face. After a few weeks, you'll get to the point where you're on autopilot.
 
I sure like my FaTip piccolo, but it does have blade alignment issues.

I also like the fact that it's all brass, but the top caps feature alignment pins that are brazed on. Nothing intrinsically wrong with brazing, if it's done well.

I have purchased three FaTips and two of them have poorly aligned pins -- they are not parallel with the handle, as they should be. If you're lucky, they'll both be off in the same direction. If so, then your only technique adjustment might be having to keep in mind the meaner side, and the tamer side.

Anyway, in spite of these failings, I like my FaTip (terrific shaves) and wouldn't part with it. That being said, I also think it unlikely that I'd buy another, or recommend it.
:euro:
 
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