open comb razors?

What is the general consenus on open comb razors. Do they deliver a better shave? Are they for thicker beards? I guess I don't even understand what they are suppose to do.
Any information on these guys would be apppreciated

Thanks

From what I understand they for when you have more to shave off than a few days stubble. I find them to be more aggressive, not in a bad way though. I absolutely love my Gillette New.

kevo said:

What is the general consenus on open comb razors. Do they deliver a better shave? Are they for thicker beards? I guess I don't even understand what they are suppose to do.
Any information on these guys would be apppreciated

Thanks

Click to expand...

Kevo,

Sorry I couldn't read King Gillette's mind when he invented the safety razor. Obviously he had something in mind with comb. Maybe to differentiate them from a straight razor.

I love my open comb razors. In fact I rotate 6 of them during the week. 2 Gillette NEWs, 2 Gillette Old Styles, 1 Gillette Regent Tech (TTO) and 1 Gillette Tech/NEW hybrid.

Each one shaves great. All but the Old Styles are fairly mild shavers except when I use Feather blades. Hey, the Feathers do a number on my face no matter what razor I use.

The Old Styles though are also great shavers but are not as forgiving of problems with your technique. I need to be very careful with them until I develop a bit better technique with them.

One thing I like about the open comb razors is that you can tell when you don't have the razor angle correct. They leave a path of "furrows" in the lather on your face.

If you are interested in buying and open comb I would suggest a Gillette NEW to start. There seem to be a good many on the market. Just be careful if you go to eBay. Make sure you get to see pix of the razor from all sides and be sure to ask the seller if there are any bent or missing teeth on the razor. Also ask if there are any cracks in the handles.

As for delivering a better shave than a straight bar razor that depends on the individual. I like the open comb and get great results with them. I also get great results with my straight bar razors (not so much my adjustables).

Open combs will not work any better than a straight bar razor for heavy beards. The secret there is proper pre-shave prep and that is a topic for another time.

Hope this helps answer your questions.

I happened to see a New yesterday as I was razor shopping. I passed it up because I was not looking for an open comb type razor. It looked in good condition and was not missing any combs. I think it was about $15 or so.

I could go pick it up (if it's still there) if you'd like. Also take a look in the for sale section here and I'm sure you'd find a good one.

Thanks for your responses. The reason why I'm asking is because I am looking to buy a new Merkur long handle HD. When I was looking I came acroos the open comb and didn't even understand its purpose. So I was wondering which one I should get, like what will be the difference between the open comb version and the regular straight bar version?

Thanks

kevo said:

Thanks for your responses. The reason why I'm asking is because I am looking to buy a new Merkur long handle HD. When I was looking I came acroos the open comb and didn't even understand its purpose. So I was wondering which one I should get, like what will be the difference between the open comb version and the regular straight bar version?

Thanks

Click to expand...

Snag a cheap open comb somewhere and see how it does for you. If you don't like the results (or want to move to the Merkur) then pass it along to someone else...

I would definitely try to get a hold of a cheaper Gillette open comb first to try it out and decide if you want the open comb. I have also been wondering this as of late, and right now, after a week of shaves, I am finding that I prefer my straight bar razors. If you want one, I'm selling some over in the B/S/T section. Not lookers, but they have no cracks or missing teeth and should help you decide. I think a couple others are up for sale there as well.

I've never used one, but my understanding is that they are great if you like to let your beard grow 3-5 days between shaves.

The openness of the design allows it to cut more hair each pass. However, I believe this effect is limited to longer hairs, because most people can't tell much of a difference between bar/comb once they are done with the shave.

It's like asking "which do you like prefer: gillette or Merkur?". Some people just like 'em. Some don't.

morijinal said:

I've never used one, but my understanding is that they are great if you like to let your beard grow 3-5 days between shaves.

The openness of the design allows it to cut more hair each pass. However, I believe this effect is limited to longer hairs, because most people can't tell much of a difference between bar/comb once they are done with the shave.

It's like asking "which do you like prefer: gillette or Merkur?". Some people just like 'em. Some don't.

Click to expand...

Hi Mike,

You need to try an open comb razor someday. They are indeed great shavers. Some are a bit on the mild side, certainly no more aggressive than the Merkur HD is used today. Some like my two Old Style Gillettes are that way but are also not too forgiving if you do make an error in technique.

Got to say that yes they are great razors for use after not shaving for 3-5 days. But so is my Fat Boy, my Slim, my HD, my Super Speed and all the other razors that I own (14 in all).

As for the openness of the safety bar allowing more hair to pass through, well if you have your razor tilted to the point that your safety bar touches the face first then you have a bad blade angle. That has been my experience. Besides, the thickness of the teeth would require a beard growth of a week or more for hair to be long enough to pass through the razor teeth.

I got my first NEW simply because I wanted to try something different. I am glad I did and now use open comb razors 6 out of 7 days a week to shave.

Like I said before, get yourself one and give it a test drive. You will be surprised at how well it shaves. Be careful though, if you go for one on eBay please ask questions of the seller and ask for pix to see. Many sellers think just because these things are old and can be cleaned up that they can get big bucks for them. Wait around, someone will list one that you can get for under $15 shipped CONUS. Better yet you may find one on the various B/S/T forums on the various shaving sites.

I recently found an Austrian knock-off of a Gillette travel razor while looking through a flea/antique store. On a whim I decided to give it a try over the weekend ans was pleased to find that it gave me a shave as good or better than any of my other razors. The open comb gave me a feeling more like a straight shave (which I'm still learning how to do), with less irritation than I've had in the past.

For a little brass razor that doesn't have the heft and style of many of the others, this is a great little item. I'm planning to put it in my regular rotation.

If you can find a cheap one, give it a shot. I'm sure you'll be impressed with the closeness and the quality of your shave. Of course, as with all reviews, YMMV.