Who has gone back to SB after using OC razors?

[les24preludes]

There are a few of us who prefer to use open comb DE razors. But can it acquire a quasi-religious status like "most OC razors are preferable to their SB counterparts?"

To explore this further, who has in fact gone back to SB razors, and why?

 

[pwheeler]

I have a good variety of both and routinely go back and forth. Just depends on the mood I'm in, I guess.

 

[Trenchdigger]

Oooh, good question.

Once I discovered OC razors, they are my preferred choice.

Very rarely will I choose one of my SBs over my OCs. Mostly for nostalgia, though the shaves are excellent.

 

[Steve_in_CT]

I have, and I have also started using some single edge razors. In my case, I'm not sure that it's open comb vs. safety bar as much as it just might be the specific razors I've used. For a while I used a Razorock Old Type. I got fine shaves with it, but it was neither as smooth nor as efficient as I wanted. My Fatip open combs, piccolo and zebrano, were very efficient, but not smooth enough for me to use every day without developing irritation on my neck. But the safety bar razors I went back to are both more expensive razors. First it was the Rockwell 6C and then the Gamechanger. I wouldn't rule out a higher end open comb model, and maybe that's something I'll experiment with in the future. Now my new adventure is trying out artist club single edge razors, maybe followed by Gem style razors. I've been very impressed with my Supply injector, so I may stick with this single edged thing for a while.

 

[ackvil]

I prefer SB razors. I find they give me a smoother shave.

 

[Space_Cadet]

I started with SB razors and was shaving with them for a while. Then I tried OC and liked it. Now I am using both.

 

[jmudrick]

No.

Honestly I don't get the I don't like OC thing at all. On a well designed OC one doesn't feel the teeth if you're doing it right. The Ikon Deluxe is the only OC razor whose comb I find truly uncomfortable.

The presumption that it's the comb people don't like may be misplaced, it may well be exposure, which on a razor like the Fatip, for example, is greater than on many SB razors users may find more comfortable.

 

[saxtont47]

Use both but find I have a preference for SB especially as efficiency grows ..... I am particular about which OCs I use they are both mid agressive

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[Flintstone65]

I like the rake-marks the teeth leave on my face !!! I'm kidding of course, as has been pointed out, I don't believe the open comb teeth add or detract from the comfort of the shave. I tend towards OC razors because (in my experience) they tend to have wider blade gaps and more blade exposure than SB razors -- please note, I said "tend to" and IME -- you can certainly find SB razors with wide blade gaps and/or significant blade exposure. I like efficient razors (which in my mind means a decent blade gap), and blade feel (which in my mind comes with blade exposure). So I tend to gravitate towards the OC's -- oh, and I'm almost an exclusively-vintage user; just to put my comments in context. All that said, I don't discriminate between OC and SB -- I've got and like lots of both types....but, I'll admit to a predilection towards the OC.

 

[les24preludes]

Having sold my 6C and just having some Yintal heads which I don't use, I'm now entirely OC. Fatip, R41, plus a few Old Types and NEW versions are what I'm using and liking. I do use a variety of modern handles in titanium, copper and brass with all my OC heads.

The thing is that I see some desirable SB razors on the BST like Timeless for instance, but I'm resisting going back to SB and so far the resistance is holding!

 

[jmudrick]

Having sold my 6C and just having some Yintal heads which I don't use, I'm now entirely OC. Fatip, R41, plus a few Old Types and NEW versions are what I'm using and liking. I do use a variety of modern handles in titanium, copper and brass with all my OC heads.

The thing is that I see some desirable SB razors on the BST like Timeless for instance, but I'm resisting going back to SB and so far the resistance is holding!

Many of us don't consider the R41 an open comb because well the comb isn't open. Just sayin'. Get ye to a Barbasol Floating Head and I think you'll appreciate the false dichotomy of OC vs SB.

 

[les24preludes]

Many of us don't consider the R41 an open comb because well the comb isn't open. Just sayin'. Get ye to a Barbasol Floating Head and I think you'll appreciate the false dichotomy of OC vs SB.

Hmmm - just looked up the Barbasol. I can't see that the head "floats" or swings unless I'm missing something, and it would certainly go straight to the bottom of a bucket of water. Why the name? I'm intrigued....

 

[cyberdog]

I use several of both, and there are smooth/strait bar and open combs that can be either a little rough or extremely smooth. There's definitely more to the razor than open or close/smooth comb, just like gap doesn't necessarily dictate the feel and efficiency, there's exposure, blade angle, and how the blade is held.

Most agree the Rockwell is very smooth, but for me, my Timeless 95 OC (SS) is actually smoother than the Rockwell and yields a closer BBS shave than Rocky. - It's also my go to razor anymore, and for the longest time, I did not like open comb razors one bit. My first attempt was the Parker, and I'm sorry, but that is not a smooth shaving razor in my book, yet the similarly looking Old Type and Schone shave much better for me. My problem with the Old Type is while I find it very smooth, I just don't get as close a shave as I'd like from the Gillette Old Type, the New LC & SC shave better.

I haven't actually purchased a razor in months, since acquiring the gently used Timeless 95 OC, as it shaves so well. I use some of the others I have, and at some point, there are others that gather dust that will end up being sold. (I really need to find the time to take the pics and get them listed either in BST or an auction site). - That said, curiosity got the better of me, and I did order an adjustable razor from China on AE, that resembles the MingShi 3000s, with a mechanism that appears very similar to the Red-Dot Fat-Boy.

 

[THall]

There are some more squared off OC razors out there that have a certain garden rake feel to them so I could see someone returning to SB. If you have an Old Type or Timeless type of razor, you don’t notice the teeth at all.

 

[muzichead]

The thing is that I see some desirable SB razors on the BST like Timeless for instance, but I'm resisting going back to SB and so far the resistance is holding!

Why not get the Timeless in with the dual comb... OC / SB, same base plate... I recently picked one up. Really is the best of both worlds and you don't have to switch razors or base plates mid shave if you want to use one or the other!!

 

[jmudrick]

Hmmm - just looked up the Barbasol. I can't see that the head "floats" or swings unless I'm missing something, and it would certainly go straight to the bottom of a bucket of water. Why the name? I'm intrigued....

I don't know who came up with the Floating Head business but here in this stolen image you can see the difference between the two Conrad designs for Barbasol. Positive exposure makes the FH version the most aggressive vintage American razor I've used.

 

[shaveSymptomatic]

Is there any advantage to using OC if you shave every single day?

 

[jmudrick]

OC razors are not all alike, there are mild open combs and aggressive ones just as there are aggressive SB razors.

 

[les24preludes]

Is there any advantage to using OC if you shave every single day?

Here we get into blade rigidity, which has been much discussed by guys like Esox (Mike). The idea is that a rigid blade (amongst other things) causes less irritation and I'd say that has been my findings with GEM razors which have rigid blades. The bunch of razors like Fatip OCs descended from and including the Gillette Old Type and some NEW versions held the blade quite rigidly and relied on blade exposure to do the cutting, rather then blade gap. I'm generalising here and others can explain it better, and have with copious photos on other threads. That would be one factor in reducing irritation with daily shaving, but there are a number of other factors in play here.

 

[SCh5]

OC razors are not all alike, there are mild open combs and aggressive ones just as there are aggressive SB razors.

+1