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Any razors that come in both open comb and safety bar (or dual comb) for which you have a decided preference for one over the other?

Posting this question because although I don't generally have a preference for open comb over safety bar, or vice versa, in the past few months I have acquired two razors (one a dual comb and one with multiple heads) and have decided that for these razors, the open comb is much better, and I wasn't expecting that result for either razor. Let me explain.

First, I finally acquired a Wolfman, off the B/S/T, which just happened to be a WR-1 in dual comb. I generally like mild razors, and this was a 0.79 gap, so I fully expected to much prefer the safety bar, and maybe to just use the open comb when a few days had passed between shaves, or just for a change of pace once in a while. I was VERY surprised to find that I found the open comb side to be superior in every way right off the bat, and my opinion hasn't changed after multiple shaves.

Second, very recently I bought an aluminum Karve off the BST with four baseplates, a C, a D, an E, and an open comb D. Again, since I prefer mild razors like the Tech and Pils, when I was contemplating possibly purchasing a Karve I was strongly leaning toward a C safety bar. Karve says that the open combs are about one "letter" more aggressive than their safety bar counterparts, which means that the open comb D should be as aggressive as the safety bar E. Let me reiterate that in a million years I would never have even thought about purchasing either an E safety bar or a D open comb. HOWEVER, after using all these plates several times, my favorite is the D open comb. Again, this was very unexpected.

So, I'm wondering whether any of YOU have a strong preference for one OR for the other, having tried both styles from a single manufacturer, or having a dual comb and strongly preferring one side over the other.
 
I have mostly safety bar razors but do have a few open combs. But I have no real preference for one design over the other. I do have a Lupo dual comb and find that I prefer the .72 open comb side over the .95 safety bar side. I'm not sure why but I get the same closeness of shave with either side but get a more comfortable shave with the .72OC side. I'm not sure why Razorock doesn't sell a .72OC but they do sell a .95SB razor.
 
I’ve got a Tatara Masamune with both closed and open comb baseplates. I bought it for it’s mild reputation for those days I didn’t want to put much effort into shaving, and it’s wonderful for that. However, with it’s small gap and negative exposure, I felt like I was spending too much time rinsing the blasted whisker troob out of it. Bought the open comb which is still negative exposure but slightly bigger gap and it’s just as smooth/comfortable, shaves closer, and best of all, the whisker troob rinses away effortlessly.
 
I have a couple of dual comb Timeless razors - the 0.68 and 0.95 - and I found I preferred the open comb on these and I chose full open comb plates for my other Timeless razors. The Timeless open comb design is really smooth and comfortable, though, and I don’t necessarily choose open combs on other razors. It depends on the razor. A lot depends on how sharp the open comb edges are - some designs feel harsh on the skin - and also I find razors with a lot of blade exposure usually suit a solid bar better (e.g. the Blackbird). On some razors it doesn’t make much difference.

Apart from those two Timeless razors I never bought any other dual comb razors because I kinda feel that it is better to choose one or the other. I originally thought I would use the open comb for the first pass and then the solid bar for 2nd and 3rd passes, but actually I don’t find it is much of a benefit to do that and I really just end up with a razor that I like one side of a bit less than the other.
 
Posting this question because although I don't generally have a preference for open comb over safety bar, or vice versa, in the past few months I have acquired two razors (one a dual comb and one with multiple heads) and have decided that for these razors, the open comb is much better, and I wasn't expecting that result for either razor. Let me explain.

First, I finally acquired a Wolfman, off the B/S/T, which just happened to be a WR-1 in dual comb. I generally like mild razors, and this was a 0.79 gap, so I fully expected to much prefer the safety bar, and maybe to just use the open comb when a few days had passed between shaves, or just for a change of pace once in a while. I was VERY surprised to find that I found the open comb side to be superior in every way right off the bat, and my opinion hasn't changed after multiple shaves.

Second, very recently I bought an aluminum Karve off the BST with four baseplates, a C, a D, an E, and an open comb D. Again, since I prefer mild razors like the Tech and Pils, when I was contemplating possibly purchasing a Karve I was strongly leaning toward a C safety bar. Karve says that the open combs are about one "letter" more aggressive than their safety bar counterparts, which means that the open comb D should be as aggressive as the safety bar E. Let me reiterate that in a million years I would never have even thought about purchasing either an E safety bar or a D open comb. HOWEVER, after using all these plates several times, my favorite is the D open comb. Again, this was very unexpected.

So, I'm wondering whether any of YOU have a strong preference for one OR for the other, having tried both styles from a single manufacturer, or having a dual comb and strongly preferring one side over the other.

Interesting!!

I prefer the WR1 SB to the OC (although both are great)! YMMV for sure!! :popc::popc:
 
I’ve got a Tatara Masamune with both closed and open comb baseplates. I bought it for it’s mild reputation for those days I didn’t want to put much effort into shaving, and it’s wonderful for that. However, with it’s small gap and negative exposure, I felt like I was spending too much time rinsing the blasted whisker troob out of it. Bought the open comb which is still negative exposure but slightly bigger gap and it’s just as smooth/comfortable, shaves closer, and best of all, the whisker troob rinses away effortlessly.

I have the Tatara Masamune Nodachi variety, and on this razor blade gap and blade exposure is the same for the open comb and the closed comb version.
I bought both the closed comb and open comb heads and the results of my shaves were the same.

Some may argue that the way the open or closed bar directs the lather during a pass may make the shave feel differently, but it is no game-changer to me and I do actually prefer the closed comb version (having previously used a Mühle open comb razor for years).


B.
 
I generally prefer the solid bar to open comb for most. In fact, I rarely use the OC except for really heavy growth. I have a couple dual comb razors and I find I don't enjoy using them since it hampers my shaving style. I like to use one or the other for a shave.
 
I also prefer an SB over an OC, except for long hair (head, back of neck).

I have a 1941 English flat bottomed Gillette New OC and a couple of the otherwise identical SB EFB Techs. The Techs get far more use, which is a shame as the New is in lovely condition and was an eBay bargain.

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My first high end razor was a Timeless SS .95 SB. I noticed the razor skipping on occasion which would lead to a nick. I bought the OC plate and loved it.

My first OC plate was for my Karve brass razor and loved it as well. Both of these razors have very rounded teeth that feel smooth in use, and allow some lather flow through which did away with any skipping.

I then bought a Blackbird OC and found the teeth sharp and to a degree uncomfortable. I added the CB plate which helped some but still sharper than I like.

Next came the Tatara Nodachi with both OC and CB plates. This is my best razor for the combination of efficiency and smoothness. The SB plate is a little smoother than the OC, but the OC is a little more efficient than the SB.

Bottom line for me is if the OC plate has rounded teeth I prefer it because of the lather flow through. If the OC plate has less rounded teeth, I prefer the SB plate for smoothness.
 
Both the S1 (solid bar) and S2 (open comb) Above the Tie, slant razor heads are great. Each, however, is very unlike the other. I’d say I like them equally for different reasons, but, in fact the S1 is exceptional in its own way, making it my favorite of the two. It is just so smooth.
 
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