Do 3 piece razors have less blade chatter than TTO's?

[Goatrope]

I shave with my vintage Gillette TTO razors (SS blue tip, Slim adjustable, Fat Boy) as well as three piece razors (Gillette Tech, Merkur 34C, RR Game Changer .68-P) and it seems like I feel less blade chatter or flexing (tugging sensation) with the three piece razors than with the TTO's. Is that real or am I just imagining things? On my adjustables, I usually set the aggressiveness level on 5.

Does anybody else notice such differences in shaving experience between TTO & three piece DE razors?

From my way of thinking, it would make sense that the three piece razors would tend to 'clamp' the blade more firmly and securely than TTO's in general, but I don't know if that's really true or I just don't know how the TTO's handle the blade clamping.

BTW, I have been using Astra SP blades, if that makes a difference.

Thanks,

 

[nav]

I have found this to be the case for sure.
I don't use any TTO razors for this reason.

 

[Markdad2]

No question, yes.

 

[Medivh]

Absolutly! No TTO razor regardless if it's vintage or modern can hold the blade better than a well made 3-piece razor. That doesn't mean that TTO in general are bad though. Not all 3-piece razors are made the same just like no TTO are made the same.

 

[Hannah's Dad]

Indubitably!

 

[lasta]

I don't deny that it makes difference. But my Superspeeds clamp the blade very well. I would say even closer to the edge than the Game Changer. The force it would take to cause the blade to bend would put a visible chip on the cutting edge.

My beard is not tough enough to rip a piece off steel, so take my opinions with a grain of salt.

 

[BigJ]

I also agree!! (Do we have consensus here on B&B??)

 

[Goatrope]

I also agree!! (Do we have consensus here on B&B??)

Sounds like a consensus to me. Thanks all for the confirmation that I'm not going crazy (yet)!

Based on that, I will probably shave more with my RR GC or Gillette Tech, since they are far more comfortable to me than my Slim & Fat Boy. I'll just hang on to them for occasional shave and nostalgia purposes.

 

[luvmysuper]

Nope.
Never experienced any blade chatter or flexing with a TTO.
I can't speak for modern TTO's, but the vintage TTO's I have used, when tightened properly, do a fine job of clamping the blade.

 

[kingfisher]

I'm with luvmysuper. Never experienced any blade chatter at all with my vintage TTO razors.

 

[Goatrope]

Hmm, my technique? my TTO's malfunctioning? Blade choice? I use Astra SP's exclusively, so maybe I need to try some different blades?

For some reason, my 3-piece razors just seem to feel different (better) than the TTO's in the comfort department.

 

[md1234]

I am with @luvmysuper and @kingfisher

My vintage Gillette's TTO hold the blade very well and I never noticed any chatter.

 

[luvmysuper]

I will not rule out the possibility of design flaws in certain products.
For example, the keyboard I have keeps making spelling and grammatical errors.

 

[Goatrope]

Maybe 'chatter' isn't the right word. Just seems like there's more tugging due to blade flexing or some such phenomena. Perhaps something else going on.

 

[Iridian]

Consensus on the internet...

 

[luvmysuper]

Maybe 'chatter' isn't the right word. Just seems like there's more tugging due to blade flexing or some such phenomena. Perhaps something else going on.

I honestly and truly believe that most of the problems people describe with this process can be attributed to technique, and most notedly, shaving angle.
I encourage anyone having an issue to disregard the very common (and in my opinion, erroneous) advice to change razor, or change blade, or change soap etc.
Focus like a laser beam on the exact nature of how one is physically shaving in regards to angle, pressure and proper lubrication before dropping any dough on new stuff.
An unknown bad shaving angle will generally not be cured by getting another razor, one just winds up with several razors that don't seem to do the job.
There is absolutely a difference in angle of attack between many three piece and TTO razors, simply because of the geometry and head size involved.

And I'm not saying that buying enough razors to fill a football stadium is bad, as I have done that.
What I'm saying is buy a thousand razors because you like them, want them, or they just strike your fancy - not because one razor doesn't "work right".

 

[timetofly]

Nope.
Never experienced any blade chatter or flexing with a TTO.
I can't speak for modern TTO's, but the vintage TTO's I have used, when tightened properly, do a fine job of clamping the blade.

^^This^^

 

[Medivh]

I don't think blade chatter is the right word. Sure theblade support of the TTO razors isn't the best, but that doesn't mean that they are terrible. I think the issue most people have with them is that their heads feel kinda odd when shaving with and as much as I like most of my TTO razors, a well made 3-piece razor regardless if it's vintage or modern is a bit better for me. It also depends on your shaving style, which confuse with the word technique and those are two different things.

For instance, I can force myself to use even the most hated razor I've ever used and while my shave can still be fairly comfortable, it wouldn't be as close if I use some of my favorite razors. Why is that? Well, it's because my favorite razors match my shaving style, which is unique to me and my face and with some other razors I either can't get the desired results in certain spots or that extra close shave comes at a price of getting a bit more irritation.

Not all razors are made the same there's a reason why so many different types exist. Maybe some of them were made to suit the taste of their inventor, who might not have been the most skilled shaver and he might not have tested if his razor is any good ATG for instance and he might be a one pass shaver. He might also find the very shallow angle to his liking and find it natural for his style. And all of that it's just the very tip of the iceberg. The different possibilities and combination of blade exposures, gaps, different angles, thick or thin head designs, very good vs not so good blade supports and many, many more are just part of the whole equation, which leads to different results for everyone, hence why YMMV is a thing.

 

[ivan_101]

Short answer - no. Some 3 piece razors will have a light bending and less clamping. Look at the Techs after 1962 (the faceted cap).

 

[CCS]

I can't say I've noticed any difference between my various Gillette TTOs vs. Techs, sorry. There is a difference in how they shave but not due to chattering blades.