After DE89, I've got Gentile, Piccolo, and 6C - Which should I try next?

[Capisco Capisce]

Thats something I didnt even think of until I read what you said. Using my Grande single pass ATG on up to if not beyond 50 hours growth and clogging it didnt even come to my mind. Thats quite a statement given it has virtually no gap at all.

I have had lather running down my hand holding the razor, and even dripping from it forcing me to rinse it, but its never come close to clogging.



I'd suspect that would be more pronounced with a Piccolo or Grande being OC instead of a more hybrid type design like the Gentile. When I steepen the angle with my Grande, I know it instantly.

Yes. In comparison to my DE89, my initial impressions are the Fatip (Gentile) has superior smoothness, glide, and anti-clog properties.

But I must add that in my opinion the DE89 does clog rather easily, and some of us have also been noting some perceived glide inefficiency.

Our fellow member ShavingBytheNumbers first pointed-out this glide issue, and several of us realized we also perceived it but never actively realized it in a larger sense until he called it out. To call it an "issue" isn't really accurate. What is accurate to say I believe, is razors have different degrees to which they comfortably glide across one's skin when the soap is gone or going (away). I can't speak to other razors due to my limited experience, but can say the Gentile glide quality is better in these conditions than the EJ DE89.

ShavingBYTheNumbers has several threads here with his DE89 experience in relation to this phenominem, including his attempts to modify his DE89 to alleviate the drag. He's clearly BOSC in spirit!

 

[Esox]

I've been thinking about this since I posted in reply.

I clearly remember clogging my British Gillette Rocket, my D2 SS and my Tech especially. It seems like with the Tech on my first pass, it would clog every 2 or 3 strokes to the point of not even shaving it was so clogged. My SS nearly as often and almost as much.

I've also nearly clogged my NEW SC and have felt it "slow down" for lack of a better phrase.

All of those razors have gap to one degree or another. The Tech having the least and it easily clogged the most often.

My Grande having no gap at all, and even during a single pass shave ATG it hasnt even come close to clogging.

Interesting, and clearly theres something at work here.

Edit: To the razors glide.

I have noticed with my Grande, that glide is exceptionally smooth and slick. An air hockey puck I've referred it to feeling like. I think thats partly the plating it has, and partly the shape of the teeth on the comb. My NEW SC is also exceptionally smooth in that regard, and it has no plating left on it, only polished Brass but the shapes of the teeth on the comb are curved in a similar fashion to the Grande.

 

[Capisco Capisce]

I've been thinking about this since I posted in reply.

I clearly remember clogging my British Gillette Rocket, my D2 SS and my Tech especially. It seems like with the Tech on my first pass, it would clog every 2 or 3 strokes to the point of not even shaving it was so clogged. My SS nearly as often and almost as much.

I've also nearly clogged my NEW SC and have felt it "slow down" for lack of a better phrase.

All of those razors have gap to one degree or another. The Tech having the least and it easily clogged the most often.

My Grande having no gap at all, and even during a single pass shave ATG it hasnt even come close to clogging.

Interesting, and clearly theres something at work here.

Yes. Agreed! "Slowed down" is a good description.

And while I don't know the mechanism behind it, if you go past the point of "slows down" the quality of shave seems to suffer. Been there.

And with discussion like this, I've decided I have no choice but to go to the BOSC thread and fully declare my condition! It's obvious that those that suffer from the affliction have their own unique patterns of doubt & denial. My mine has come to an end. I'm coming clean!

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

I think the advice of using a single new razor for a solid 5 or 6 shaves, getting to know them, is spot on.

If this is what you meant, I agree.

Having not followed this advice myself, I am now returning to it.

That being said, I really have the hots to get a black anodized aluminum Colonial General, while they're at 40 bucks and in stock!

Well, yeah.



That said, you might rather buy a SS General in early December (they've told me the SS will probably be in stock then), and use the time between now and then to get to know the razors you have in hand.

Or, not. Buy them all!

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Esox]

And while I don't know the mechanism behind it, if you go past the point of "slows down" the quality of shave seems to suffer. Been there

It slows down and if not rinsed, it stops cutting. Thats been the case with my Tech and my SS.

You may need this badge of honour to post proudly in whichever thread you deem worthy lol.

 

[Capisco Capisce]

If this is what you meant, I agree.

Having not followed this advice myself, I am now returning to it.



Well, yeah.

View attachment 833209

That said, you might rather buy a SS General in early December (they've told me the SS will probably be in stock then), and use the time between now and then to get to know the razors you have in hand.

Or, not. Buy them all!

Happy shaves,

Jim

Thanks.

Actually the lightweight aluminum has an appeal to me. You earlier suggested the Phoenix for a lightweight, but I'm thinking this might be an interesting try.

I happen to have some KAI Pinks in my razor stash, too.

 

[Jopete]

Probably the handle of the Gentile won't fit the P-BOCS.

Most Fatips are M4 thread while pretty much ever other modern razor is an M5.

Thank you for letting me know, I just realized that the Fatips handles was different from some of the other razors out there, I need to find another handle and I think the handle from my Gillette New long comb would be perfect, not too heavy and lenght and width is ideal.

I still would get the Gentile after reading about its performance compared to the de89.

Thank you for all the feedback everyone has posted, I'm learning what I like about a certain razors characteristics especially about the blade gaps.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Thank you for letting me know, I just realized that the Fatips handles was different from some of the other razors out there, I need to find another handle and I think the handle from my Gillette New long comb would be perfect, not too heavy and lenght and width is ideal.

I still would get the Gentile after reading about its performance compared to the de89.

Thank you for all the feedback everyone has posted, I'm learning what I like about a certain razors characteristics especially about the blade gaps.

I'm not 100% on what you're trying to do, but Gillette handles are not an exact fit for most modern razors. Sometimes they sorta fit because of wear, but that's not what most want.

There are many modern handles made. If you want a heavier handle for the P-BOCS get one of these. You are looking for handles which fit razors like ATT, Ikon, Phoenix, and such. I'd ask on the P-BOCS thread for handles folks have actually used.

You want the exactly right fit for a couple of reasons. One is you want to really tighten the handle on that P-BOCS so as to make the razor's blade quite rigid. Otherwise the rigidity is very poor.

Gillette vintage razors usually use a 10-32 which is close but no cigar.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Jopete]

I actually just tried it on the P-BOCS, it's perfect, same blade gap with the Bakelite handle, thank you for all the help.

 

[Jopete]

The weight is just what I was looking for.

 

[Capisco Capisce]

Thank you for letting me know, I just realized that the Fatips handles was different from some of the other razors out there, I need to find another handle and I think the handle from my Gillette New long comb would be perfect, not too heavy and lenght and width is ideal.

I still would get the Gentile after reading about its performance compared to the de89.

Thank you for all the feedback everyone has posted, I'm learning what I like about a certain razors characteristics especially about the blade gaps.

You might find this thread of interest:

Fatip/Joris handle sizes and handle name thread, post all here!!

 

[Capisco Capisce]

It's probably too late, but in case go for the Rockwell next.
If you go for the Piccolo first, it will spoil the Rockwell afterwards [emoji57]

Still haven't hit up the Piccolo yet, maybe tomorrow, but when I do I'll post in the Piccolo lovers thread as well.

Thanks for the mention there!

I hope it shaves as well as it looks and feels in-hand, because it really is a sweet little piece. And under 20 bucks! Wow!

 

[Capisco Capisce]

Piccolo Initial Impression:

Mama Mia! This little bambino can shave!

All the same items, prep, etc., as in my Gentile shaves starting at post #10.

And a 3 day growth, which is not highly unusual for me, but not my regular every-other-day shave.

I'm very positively impressed with the Piccolo and my shave. I love the small but heavy aspects of this razor. The nickle is a great color for it, and the plating is reasonable. The plating is not Edwin Jagger "eww" & "aww" worthy, but it's not bad actually and is similar in quality to Merkur. The stud-head thread mating is excellent, it threads beautifully, accurately, and solidly; much better than my Zamak razors (ex: EJ DE89). It feels like it will last. And similar to the Gentile, the head feels solid and weighty. Also the handle is very dense, with weight belying it's relatively diminutive size. I very much like it's size & weight, finding it very maneuverable.

Even the Fatip blade/cap/plate alignment Gods, seemed to look down upon my example fondly!

Approaching it with a bit of care, I decided to only do a 2 pass shave rather than my usual 3 pass. My 2 pass is 1 WTG & 1 ATG. I also decided to use very light pressure, playing it safe. Once again like the Gentile, the overwhelming impression is extreme smoothness! The Gentile was a huge jump in smoothness over the DE89, and now the Piccolo surprised me by seemingly being a step smoother! How is this possible? No idea, but it is. And the glide was also perhaps even easier than the Gentile, which already blew me away in relation the the DE89.

But where the Piccolo one-ups the Gentile, is in the ease of which the blade cuts! It felt very much like the proverbial "brushing the cream away, and the whiskers magically come with it"! Amazing! I didn't feel the razor use any effort cutting the hairs. It was like they weren't there. In my other razor experiences (DE89, Merkur 34C, and the recent Gentile), I still felt the blade cutting the hairs, even though in the Gentile's case it was barely noticeable. With the Piccolo, it wasn't noticeable at all except very briefly in one small area of my face. Like I said previously, it was like I was wiping the whiskers off, rather than cutting them down. And the one time I felt the resistance of the cutting, it was not tugging or anything similar or negative, but rather I just felt the normal feel of a razor cutting. This was near the end of my shave, and I immediately wondered what a GSB or Feather would do in place of the Astra SP I had in the Piccolo's head? Would I not even feel it cutting? I think it's possible.

The ultra smoothness and lack of feeling any cutting resistance, along with the moderate aural note - similar to the Gentile, quieter than the EJ - gives the Piccolo an almost eerie feel in that your shaving hand can't feel it shaving! Once again similar to the Gentile, I wasn't absolutely sure if I had the right angle. I started steeper, which the razor seemed to like, and found that while still slightly vague, the angle did seem a bit easier to find than the Gentile. From my brief memory of the Gentile, I believe the Piccolo likes a steeper angle. This is fine by me, since I prefer steeper shaving angles.

Also unlike the DE89 and to a lessor extent the Gentile, the Piccolo makes the most of every pass! In this aspect, I suppose the correct term to use is "more efficient". I shaved with care since I was aware of the Piccolo's reputation of being a more aggressive and efficient razor than my DE89, only running my razor over my skin once - cleanly - per pass, doing no buffing or reworking. I was blown away that my careful no-touch-up 2 pass shave, seems to be the equal of my usual 3 pass shave with often plenty of rework! Not a nick, scratch, cut, or burn! How is this possible? Something in the Fatip DNA, it seems. And my face feels clean and comfortable, not warm or "abrasive", for lack of other words.

If it sounds like I'm sold on this little baby, my bambino, you are definitely right! Only 1 shave in, and I'm smitten. I can only think of how much improvement may be left, as I get better with it by learning the angle better, matching my technique to its efficiency, and fine tuning the experience with other blades.

I just hope I feel as strongly pleased as I am now, when I have more shaves and experience with it.

Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to head over to the Piccolo Lover's thread and introduce myself. Actually, since it's a Piccolo "Lover's" thread, I probably should start calling her my little "bambina" rather than "bambino"!

Thanks for reading!

 

[Capisco Capisce]

It's probably too late, but in case go for the Rockwell next.
If you go for the Piccolo first, it will spoil the Rockwell afterwards [emoji57]

You might be right, here.

I still haven't tried the Rockwell, but my Piccolo initial outing was stellar. Enough so, that I quickly joined the Piccolo Lover's Club!

I posted my impressions in post #53 of this thread, if you're interested.

Rockwell now has a tough act to follow!

 

[rasoio]

Great review and notes! Glad you're liking it.

 

[Esox]

I'll be interested to see how you like the Rockwell after a few more shaves with the Piccolo.

Such a rigid design, coupled with no gap, makes the Fatip family the smoothest shaving razors on the market I believe.

Step your blade choice up a notch and try it directly ATG. You might be as surprised as I was at how easy, smooth and comfortable that is with the right match in blade sharpness.

With a Gillette Yellow I literally felt nothing but the razor on my skin like an air hockey puck.

The only other razor I've used that will approach that level of smoothness and efficiency is the NEW SC, and my Grande is twice as efficient and I need 1/2 the passes for the same BBS shave.

$20 pretty well spent huh

 

[Capisco Capisce]

I'll be interested to see how you like the Rockwell after a few more shaves with the Piccolo.

Such a rigid design, coupled with no gap, makes the Fatip family the smoothest shaving razors on the market I believe.

Step your blade choice up a notch and try it directly ATG. You might be as surprised as I was at how easy, smooth and comfortable that is with the right match in blade sharpness.

With a Gillette Yellow I literally felt nothing but the razor on my skin like an air hockey puck.

The only other razor I've used that will approach that level of smoothness and efficiency is the NEW SC, and my Grande is twice as efficient and I need 1/2 the passes for the same BBS shave.

$20 pretty well spent huh

Absolutely! A good value always adds to the appeal!

I'm going to try and temper my enthusiasm a bit though, until I get a few more shaves with it under my belt, and keeping in mind my experience only includes 4 razors previously, with 3 of those only being a few shaves each. So the DE89, is my primary frame of reference.

But yesterday's shave was one of those where the stars aligned perfectly!

 

[Esox]

Absolutely! A good value always adds to the appeal!

I'm going to try and temper my enthusiasm a bit though, until I get a few more shaves with it under my belt, and keeping in mind my experience only includes 4 razors previously, with 3 of those only being a few shaves each. So the DE89, is my primary frame of reference.

But yesterday's shave was one of those where the stars aligned perfectly!

It only gets better for me with every shave.

 

[Capisco Capisce]

Great review and notes! Glad you're liking it.

Thanks!

 

[Capisco Capisce]

I am interested in getting a Gentile, are the alignment issues generally better when compared to the Piccolo and the Grande? or its just a hit or miss as far Fatips go?

Only several shaves in with each, I'll share my experience:

My Gentile is more difficult to align, than the Piccolo. It seems like the Gentile is up against the stops, so to speak, to get it perfect. If I push one corner, the other is off, if I get the other right, the first is affected again. The Piccolo seems to be just a matter of easily centering the blade. But that's not to say the Gentile (or the Piccolo) is difficult to align - they're not. It's just a feature of shaving with them, with that feature being taking a moment out to align the blade. I'm really loving my Piccolo, and feel it's well worth it. You can read my glowing and far too long review in post #53 in this thread.

But I have a suggestion: Order both the Grande and the Piccolo!

Together, they're currently 52 bucks USD from Maggard, plus shipping. Why both? Because by swapping handles, in essence you'll get all three Fatip non-retro razors, plus a Frankenrazor! All for only half-a-chop! It's basically a free functional Grande, plus a free experimental Frankenrazor.

Here's how it works out:

1] Piccolo
2] Grentile
3] Grande (Piccolo Head + Gentile Handle)
4] Frankenrazor (Gentile Head + Piccolo Handle) <-- This combo has been dubbed a "Genolo", by our member Essox!

Not bad for 50 bucks!

But be aware, the Piccolo is nickle while the Gentile is chrome. So they're dissimilar plating, but close enough that they look interestingly O.K. when juxtaposed together. At least to my eye, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder. At the least you get to try a functional Grande free, to see if you like it. And if you do like it, but find the color mismatch not pleasing, you can order one in confidence having already tried it.

Also be aware Fatip uses an oddball 4.5mm threaded shaft, so for the most part many handles (besides Fatip handles) will not fit their heads. That's another reason why I suggest getting both the Gentile & Piccolo - for their different handles!