I haven't even thought about this option. What are the pros and cons of this style razor? I don't see them mentioned nearly as much as the safety bar style razor (like Merkur HD.)
How about a testimonial from an open comb user?
My 1927 NEW STANDARD open comb works as well, if not better than my 39c slant sledgehammer.How do open comb razors compare to slant bars?
I started with a Merkur/OC. While I like the design construction better on the OC, I prefer to have the lather completely whisked away with each pass, as is achieved with a safety bar.
Two points:
- To the extent a safety bar whisks away the lather it does so before the blade gets to the lather, somewhat defeating the purpose of the lather (mainly lubrication for purposes of this discussion) and ...
- That is why most safety bars are slightly ridged so as not to whisk away all the lather.
None the less, the open comb lets much more lather through.
Hmm...
None the less, I prefer to have the lather whisked away, as is done with a safety bar.
I did not try the Merkur Open Comb but I did try the Gillette NEW and Mulhe Pinsel Open Comb. I am now playing with the Slant HD. I am sold to the Open Comb design. The Slant is good but if I compare everything else that I used before the OC/Slant, well, the OC/Slant are almost in the same box. They do not perform the same way but I think in terms of getting the job done in X passes, it's very close.
I am still sticking to the Open Comb has I prefer it. I find that I am getting better shaves with it. However, I am not tossing my Slant (yet). I will be playing with it for a while more to see if I can get equal or better shaves.