*Fatip Slant*

[Atlantic59]

Fatip Friday, I almost forgot! Really liking the FOCS Piccolo. Thanks for the enabling.

Overcast Friday Shave:

Fatip OC Slant Piccolo
BIC Chrome Platinum (7)
PAA Starcraft synth brush
PAA Ice Cube 2.0 pre-shave soap, as stick
Soap cocktail: Haslinger Schafmilch + Don Marco
Dickinson's witch hazel w/ Pereja Limon Kolonya
LEA 3-in-1 aftershave balm with mild alcohol & menthol

Clean, close shave; DFS+

Operation: "Lather Volcano" continues...

 

[Demolition]

(Today's entry in the ongoing Challenge PIF - Astra Superior Stainless Blades - Then And Now.)

Razor: Fatip Lo Storto Originale (aka FOCS)
Blade: Astra Superior Stainless (Vintage) (5)
Brush: Maggard 18mm Timber Wolf, Travel-Size
Soap: Pré de Provence Bergamot and Thyme

(On a side note... If I've calculated correctly, this is my 276th consecutive use of the FOCS. I've used it daily since receiving it and consider it my grail razor.)

 

[Pressroll]

Ordered my first Fatip today! I went for the OC Slant Piccolo in gold and I can't wait for it to show up. Hopefully it is as great as everyone says it is.

 

[Cafebarian]

Fatips are great razors and for the price you get an Italian made full brass with real heritage! Truly astonishing really. Also love the fact that they are made in the same area as Moto Guzzi!!!

 

[sandorfi]

I've tried all of Treet's carbon blades in the FOCS. I've found them all surprisingly good, but the Black Beauties the best for me. They're uncoated. And luckily they happen to be the cheapest blades on earth. Dura Sharps and the others are coated I believe in the same or different ways but I don't know more than that and they tend to cost a penny or two more. I find the coated ones a little harsh. Uncoated black beauties are gentle as a mother's caress.

Cork it first! At least I do. Just a gentle pull of the edges through the light top skin of the cork. Mellows it just enough for me.

And give it an honest chance. I really don't get why these blades are so maligned. I've gone from a DE agnostic to a Treet evangelist!

Please please report back! There's no way I'm the only one!

So I bought a couple of Treet BB's at the recomandation of @Dualist, thanks for the input.

My thoughts so far.. the first thing I noticed was the smoothness of this blade, it is possible to keep spot-buffing without any irritation. First and second shave without nicks, zero irritation. First shave was the best, BBS in three passes, still a lot of pickups needed so this isn't the sharpest blade. Anyway, a fine first shave. Second one was as smooth as the first, but no BBS this time. Again a smooth and fine shave. Tomorrow I will try a 3th shave on a 2day growth, with reduced speed this time and see how this goes.

To early to jump to conclusions about this blade, but I wonder if this BB's can beat my favorite blade at the moment in the focs.. (Rapira platinum lux)..?

 

[Dualist]

I'm glad it's working for you! And I'm relieved I'm not the only one that can use them.

It's definitely a different animal. I go slower and buff more. But I also buff more simply because I can- it's gentle enough to allow really going for a great BBS.

I've found they start to tug on the 4th shave for me. But I keep going, just a little slower, and that's when the shaves get really amazing and at their gentlest and closest. So don't do anything painful but when it starts to tug, just like when I'd normally toss a stainless blade, keep going if you can!

Also try a very light corking before the first use. I just barely drag the edge through the skin of the cork. Mellows the blade just enough but doesn't decrease the longetivity. On another thread were posted pics of various blade magnified, including BB's. Carbon steel likes to make a burr and the image showed that. A light corking removes the burr and makes it even more comfortable.

Also, if you're up for it try a palm strop a few shaves in or if the blade starts to lose it. That usually gets me one more good shave.

I usually get 6 total shaves out of them. Which is the most out of any blade I've used (although I currently have a Wizamet with 5 shaves in it that still feels almost new so we'll see).

But I'm really gald they're working for you! I got mine for five and a half cents each, which works out to less than a penny per shave. Not bad for my favorite blade! Brings a smile to my face every time. And boosts the rest of the shaving budget!

So I bought a couple of Treet BB's at the recomandation of @Dualist, thanks for the input.

My thoughts so far.. the first thing I noticed was the smoothness of this blade, it is possible to keep spot-buffing without any irritation. First and second shave without nicks, zero irritation. First shave was the best, BBS in three passes, still a lot of pickups needed so this isn't the sharpest blade. Anyway, a fine first shave. Second one was as smooth as the first, but no BBS this time. Again a smooth and fine shave. Tomorrow I will try a 3th shave on a 2day growth, with reduced speed this time and see how this goes.

To early to jump to conclusions about this blade, but I wonder if this BB's can beat my favorite blade at the moment in the focs.. (Rapira platinum lux)..?

 

[sandorfi]

I'm glad it's working for you! And I'm relieved I'm not the only one that can use them.

It's definitely a different animal. I go slower and buff more. But I also buff more simply because I can- it's gentle enough to allow really going for a great BBS.

I've found they start to tug on the 4th shave for me. But I keep going, just a little slower, and that's when the shaves get really amazing and at their gentlest and closest. So don't do anything painful but when it starts to tug, just like when I'd normally toss a stainless blade, keep going if you can!

Also try a very light corking before the first use. I just barely drag the edge through the skin of the cork. Mellows the blade just enough but doesn't decrease the longetivity. On another thread were posted pics of various blade magnified, including BB's. Carbon steel likes to make a burr and the image showed that. A light corking removes the burr and makes it even more comfortable.

Also, if you're up for it try a palm strop a few shaves in or if the blade starts to lose it. That usually gets me one more good shave.

I usually get 6 total shaves out of them. Which is the most out of any blade I've used (although I currently have a Wizamet with 5 shaves in it that still feels almost new so we'll see).

But I'm really gald they're working for you! I got mine for five and a half cents each, which works out to less than a penny per shave. Not bad for my favorite blade! Brings a smile to my face every time. And boosts the rest of the shaving budget!

3th shave this morning with a 2days growth... Felt more dragging, tugging than the days before. And went slower as suggested.
Not an 'aagh this is a super shave' feeling. But still an almost BBS except one trouble spot. Free from irritation or nicks.
I think this blade is good for daily shaves. But still like my rapira lux's more as they are about the same price here.
Up to the next and likely the last shave tomorrow. Next blade will be corcked to see if this changes things.

 

[corlay]

another great shave with the FOCS this am. (Balzano blade)
I chased BBS *hard* today, with multiple "spot touch-ups" after 3 full passes - and no nicks/weepers/irritation at all.
Pretty nice!

After several months of use, my only criticism of this razor is the design of the baseplate - but NOT an alignment issue.
(mine aligns perfectly well...)
My issue is that the way the baseplate is designed, with the two posts extending downward, it's really tough to keep that part of the razor clean after use.
Other razors, have much more uniform/smooth undersides, and a quick rinse and wipe with a towel after use keeps them pristine.
But the FOCS, with it's "unevenness" gets crud built-up under there, and I have to hit it with a toothbrush during blade changes, to scrub it clean.
Probably *part* of the issue is that it's a slant, and also open-comb, I would think.

But other than that, this razor is pretty great.

 

[mtcn77]

another great shave with the FOCS this am. (Balzano blade)
I chased BBS *hard* today, with multiple "spot touch-ups" after 3 full passes - and no nicks/weepers/irritation at all.
Pretty nice!

After several months of use, my only criticism of this razor is the design of the baseplate - but NOT an alignment issue.
(mine aligns perfectly well...)
My issue is that the way the baseplate is designed, with the two posts extending downward, it's really tough to keep that part of the razor clean after use.
Other razors, have much more uniform/smooth undersides, and a quick rinse and wipe with a towel after use keeps them pristine.
But the FOCS, with it's "unevenness" gets crud built-up under there, and I have to hit it with a toothbrush during blade changes, to scrub it clean.
Probably *part* of the issue is that it's a slant, and also open-comb, I would think.

But other than that, this razor is pretty great.

Hi, you should brush it with canned shaving foam.

 

[Pressroll]

My Piccolo arrived today but it looks like it has an issue. The one side has a noticeable gap compared to the other. I already reached out to Maggard and I am waiting to hear back. Anyone else ever see this before?

 

[Pressroll]

*Update*

This was the response from Maggard:

That is just how their slant razors are. It's actually a pretty common thing for most slant razors on the market. Even our slant heads have a similar gap that is usually more pronounced on one side than the other. My iKon x3 head that has been my daily driver for several years has the same quirk. This doesn't seem to affect the shave in my experience. Slant's are my favorite heads and I've had several. If you're concerned about it you can definitely return the razor so long as it isn't used and I can issue a refund or store credit for the cost. I wouldn't recommend a replacement slant though.

Let me know what you think.

Thanks,

In the meantime, I did rotate the cap 180 degrees and it does seem to be better. It's going to be hard for me to know if it shaves well or not unless I can try it. But, if I try it then I can't return it. What say you out there in B&B land? Keep it or send it back?

 

[Multum in parvo]

Mine is not quite so pronounced but similar - the shaves are fine.
I only noticed it after a couple of shaves. It is a visual distraction but I’m pretty sure you won’t feel the difference between the sides.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

(On a side note... If I've calculated correctly, this is my 276th consecutive use of the FOCS. I've used it daily since receiving it and consider it my grail razor.)

It is a terrific razor and worth using. When I used it every day for an extended period (months) it became a very good friend.

Mine is not quite so pronounced but similar - the shaves are fine.
I only noticed it after a couple of shaves. It is a visual distraction but I’m pretty sure you won’t feel the difference between the sides.

That seems to be the consensus.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Dualist]

My Piccolo arrived today but it looks like it has an issue. The one side has a noticeable gap compared to the other. I already reached out to Maggard and I am waiting to hear back. Anyone else ever see this before?

View attachment 1266041

I have two FOCS and they both look like that and both shave perfectly.

I too noticed that gap and wondered. In the beginning I rotated the cap such that it minimized the gap. And I even swapped the baseplates and caps but there wasn't a difference. But after months and many shaves I don't bother. The shave remains the same.

If you think about it, the desirable or ideal cap and baseplate curves make that gap inevitable. And it wouldn't be worth filling in. I don't notice the gap visually anymore. It's such a sweet razor just use it.

Enjoy!

 

[Raven Koenes]

My Piccolo arrived today but it looks like it has an issue. The one side has a noticeable gap compared to the other. I already reached out to Maggard and I am waiting to hear back. Anyone else ever see this before?

View attachment 1266041

All mine have the same thing. I think yours is totally normal. The photo is quite large so it looks more pronounced. Looks like you have a good one that aligns nicely with the baseplate. Cheers

 

[ian_pop]

I am making my way through this thread and ordered one 2 weeks ago (one Saturday night). The early parts of this are full of delivery updates. so I thought I'd add this for old time's sake. There are no FOCS in NZ, so I ordered it from Connaught on my Saturday night, and it was dispatched on the UK's Tuesday- it turns out Monday was a holiday there. It made its was to international departure on the 5th, and there is a big backlog at NZ customs, so I just got my NZ post international arrival email 2 hours ago- 10 days later. It should be here on Monday.

But I broke my wrist yesterday

 

[saj]

hello people i thought i'd ask this questions here as its a massive thread dedicated to the fatip slant razors

so i just had a look at connaught shaving and the fatip slant razors look really nice,
but im a bit confused looking at them, there seems to be the fatip picolo slant, the fatip originale and finally the fatip gentile slant,
can someone please explain what the differences are?

btw those fatip slant razors look amazing in both silver and gold

 

[Sweeney_]

hello people i thought i'd ask this questions here as its a massive thread dedicated to the fatip slant razors

so i just had a look at connaught shaving and the fatip slant razors look really nice,
but im a bit confused looking at them, there seems to be the fatip picolo slant, the fatip originale and finally the fatip gentile slant,
can someone please explain what the differences are?

btw those fatip slant razors look amazing in both silver and gold

The fatip piccolo and originale slants are the same exact slant head (open comb slant), just different handles. The Originale has a thicker diameter but it's hollow so a bit lighter. The Piccolo has a smaller diameter handle but it's solid so a wee bit heavier.

The Gentile slant is simply the closed comb version.

cheers

 

[saj]

The fatip piccolo and originale slants are the same exact slant head (open comb slant), just different handles. The Originale has a thicker diameter but it's hollow so a bit lighter. The Piccolo has a smaller diameter handle but it's solid so a wee bit heavier.

The Gentile slant is simply the closed comb version.

cheers

so whats like the sort of trend in this thread as to which is the most popular and considered to be the best out the lot do you reckon mate?

 

[Sweeney_]

so whats like the sort of trend in this thread as to which is the most popular and considered to be the best out the lot do you reckon mate?

Probably the general consensus for the Fatip slants is that the OC version is the best - most efficient - and the handle choice just comes down to personal preference. Myself, I prefer the thicker diameter of the Originale handle but some like the heavier Piccolo.