And thing were going so well. . . .

[Double Edge]

Twelve months, give or take, into my return to DE shaving and I was getting some excellent shaves with my EJ89.

Smooth shave, no weepers or nicks and no burn, especially on the tender lower neck area.

No problem, I thought. Time to take it up a notch.

Time for an OC.

Having read around I decided on a Fat Tip.

The first shave, using Proraso Green (new formula), Omega Mighty Midget and a Gillette Silver Blue, went fine.

Face lather, concentrate, slow and steady, light touch, short strokes, plenty of lather. Two passes, WTG, XTG.

The first thing I did notice when I applied the razor to my face was the sensation of the blade on skin. This was not my EJ caressing me gently.

And the result of my first OC shave? One small nick on my upper lip and slight burning on my neck when applying the alum afterward but a damn fine shave.

This could be the go for me. Or so I thought.

The next day I repeated the process with the same gear but the outcome was far from similar.

Only three small nicks but the stinging when I applied the alum above my lip, cheeks and especially on the neck told me this OC was not as domesticated my EJ.

And afetr the shave my face had rough patches which really required touching up but which I had decided to leave as I felt during the shave that things were not going so smoothly.

My neck and above the lip area also felt the after burn for a few hours afterward.

I won't give up after two shaves with the Fat Tip, but I'll be back to my more docile EJ for the next few days.

I would be interested to hear the experience/advice of any other members who've tried and mastered or abandoned the Fat Tip.

Maybe it's too much razor for a newbie such as me.

Or maybe I just have to weather the learning curve.

 

[LiveOak]

It's not you, it's the Fatip. It is a very aggressive razor. I have several years of DE shaving under my belt, and I feel that I know what I'm doing. It's not supposed to be rocket science anyway. Any razor that requires that much attention while shaving is probably not worth it. I'm not saying you can't wrangle good shaves out of it, but you can get a shave as good (if not superior) with your EJ. That's been my experience. You definitely can feel the blade of the Fatip, almost like one of those joke pictures you see around here of a DE blade taped to the end of a stick.

Don't feel like you're in the minor leagues and have miles to go before you learn to shave. You already have. How much more than a year should it take?

 

[Vickers]

I like my silver Fatip so much that I recently got a gold one...the first shave with it is tonight.

I'm not sure whether I've tried the blade you mention (I don't really keep track like I should), but maybe try a different blade in it?

Does it look like everything lines up? The blade is square to the razor head? I don't recall there being any issues with mine, but you never know.

 

[musicman1951]

I have not used this razor, but I just had a similar experience with a new (to me) razor and a blade change made all the difference. It can't hurt to try a few different blades. Then you can decide if it's worth the risk/pain to continue.

 

[Shave_Rat]

+1 on the trying different blades. I realized this myself when trying out my black handled SS the first few times. The goto blade for my 34c just didn't perform the same in the SS. I'm guessing it's the difference in blade angle to the face the different shaped/styled heads cause. The theory was supported when I double shimmed my SS and now it performs much closer to the Merkur.

 

[Double Edge]

I like my silver Fatip so much that I recently got a gold one...the first shave with it is tonight.

I'm not sure whether I've tried the blade you mention (I don't really keep track like I should), but maybe try a different blade in it?

Does it look like everything lines up? The blade is square to the razor head? I don't recall there being any issues with mine, but you never know.

Thanks for the feedback guys.

Below are four photos of the Fat Tip loaded with a fresh Super Iridium.

I'm not sure how precisely a blade must align before it affects razor performance.

 

[sgtd]

That's a beautiful sight. Just take your time and stick with it; it's well worth it.

 

[Vickers]

That looks OK to me. How does it look from the side?

No matter what, try another blade before giving up on it. I find them to be nice, efficient shavers without the looming potential drama of an R41 (which I also enjoy).

I just shaved with the gold Grande I mentioned earlier and had a great shave. I used Arko with a Semogue 1305, the Fatip loaded with a brand new Personna Lab, and finished up with Pinaud VIBR. It did burn a little, but I think I could put that stuff on the soles of my feet and it would heat 'em up.

PM me your address and I'll send a few different blades for you to try.

 

[Double Edge]

Here are four photos with the Fat Tip loaded with a Gillette Super Blue, the blade I used in my first 2 shaves with the razor.

 

[Double Edge]

That looks OK to me. How does it look from the side?

No matter what, try another blade before giving up on it. I find them to be nice, efficient shavers without the looming potential drama of an R41 (which I also enjoy).

I just shaved with the gold Grande I mentioned earlier and had a great shave. I used Arko with a Semogue 1305, the Fatip loaded with a brand new Personna Lab, and finished up with Pinaud VIBR. It did burn a little, but I think I could put that stuff on the soles of my feet and it would heat 'em up.

PM me your address and I'll send a few different blades for you to try.

I tried a few times to do a side photo but none came out well enough to show the blade.

I will try next shave with the Fat Tip using another blade, probably SI.

Thank you for your generous offer to send me (to Australia did you you know?) some blades to try.

However, since taking up this addiction I've accumulated a large variety of blades so I think I'm pretty well set there.

But again, thanks for your kind offer and your feedback.

 

[Vickers]

I can send to Oz, it'll just take more time.

 

[celestino]

i tried it twice for a few weeks, but it was just too much for my sensitive skin. Very, very efficient razor, but not for me. Good luck. If you think this one is challenging, then don't even try the R41!