First shave with my new Fatip

[Cornishman]

Hi All,
I recently purchased a Fatip Grande on Ebay from a gentleman in Portugal.
With the postage to the UK it was only £20, which I thought was a good price.
When it arrived, yesterday, I didn't realize that the color of the Fatip was anthracite (my fault for not reading the small print), but in fact it's quite an impressive looking razor.

This morning I had my first shave with it:

I attached my ATT Atlas handle to add some more weight, which by the way I recently purchased from a gentleman on B&B (Thanks!). I like the shorter handles.
I made sure that my prep good, and then I proceeded very carefully with a 3 pass shave.
I had one small weeper on my neck, which amounted to nothing. I had no razor burn and I had a damn fine shave......but......
will I use it tomorrow.....I don't think so.
It was a very, very close shave for me and I don't think that I would like to use it on a daily basis.
Is it a keeper? Yes!
Their are some days when I think I need a close shave like this.
It might be a while before I join the "Brotherhood of the Open Comb"!
Here's the razor:

 

[kingfisher]

Beautiful.
Yep, it is quite aggressive and yields a very close shave. A light touch and shallow angle tame it quite a bit. Probably too aggressive for everyday shaving for lots of guys.
Great if you have a couple of days growth or if you want to just do one pass and get an SAS.

Congrats on the new razor.

 

[tm3]

I consider it a weapon best suited for multiday growth. Used it yesterday in fact and with great results.

 

[Sceptic Pencil]

I have a FaTip Picolo en route to me at present, as I favoured the heavier handle vs. the Grande. I would be interested to know how you got the ATT handle to fit the FaTip, as I thought that the FaTips (& Joris/Plisson) used a non standard thread. UFO handles even provide a special FaTip thread as an option.

 

[Cornishman]

I have a FaTip Picolo en route to me at present, as I favoured the heavier handle vs. the Grande. I would be interested to know how you got the ATT handle to fit the FaTip, as I thought that the FaTips (& Joris/Plisson) used a non standard thread. UFO handles even provide a special FaTip thread as an option.

I'm not sure on this? I know the threads are slightly different, but some handles fit and others don't.
Is the Picolo the same thread as the Grande?
Both my ATT Atlas handle and my Ikon Bulldog II handle fit:

 

[Sceptic Pencil]

I suppose if the handle attaches without too much resistance it is OK. I would just be a bit concerned about causing excessive wear to the threads if they don't mesh exactly. I have a Shavecraft Bulldog handle (or rather my son has it at present on a New Long Comb!) & I will very gingerly try this on my FaTip when it arrives.

 

[Cornishman]

I suppose if the handle attaches without too much resistance it is OK. I would just be a bit concerned about causing excessive wear to the threads if they don't mesh exactly. I have a Shavecraft Bulldog handle (or rather my son has it at present on a New Long Comb!) & I will very gingerly try this on my FaTip when it arrives.

There's a list of which handles fit the Fatip on this forum somewhere.
I saw it a few days ago.
Good luck!

 

[Sceptic Pencil]

My FaTip Picolo (nickel) arrived yesterday & I can confirm that the thread on the head is considerably smaller than the size of thread used on the heads of all my other razors. So no handle swapping for me, but at least my Picolo has a solid handle that is heavier that the one supplied with the Grande.

Shave wise I was decidedly unimpressed by the Picolo. I used my standard prep & usual blade (a new Astra SP) & carried out one WTG pass. The shave was uncomfortable, with the razor not moving smoothly across my face. There was some pulling & a lot of blade bounce. I felt that at all times the Picolo was just waiting for a drop in my concentration so that it could bite me. My normal daily razor is a Tradere OC & it gives a more more smooth & fear free shave. If I want a super close shave, I use my Big Ben OC, but I have to be a bit more careful with this razor, but nowhere near as careful as I was with the Picolo.

After the single WTG pass, there was a lot more stubble left than would have been on my face after a WTG pass pass with any of the other razors I own, with the possible exceptions of a Slim on 1, or my Muhle R89. The best piece of advice I picked up from this site is to stop & have a rethink if you think something isn't working & don't just plough on regardless. I didn't suffer any cuts from the Picolo, but realised would pick up a few if I attempted my usual ATG second pass & touch ups, so at this point I swapped the blade into my super mild Merkur 11c & finished my shave.

Afterwards, there was no evidence of any burn from my brief dalliance with the Picolo, but I have retired it to my razor drawer for the time being, where it will sit alongside my unloved Muhle R89. I may give the Picolo another try with a less sharp (less bendy?) blade, but I have come to the conclusion that I am definitely not a man who wishes to add an element of danger to his morning routine!!

 

[Mick]

There's a list of which handles fit the Fatip on this forum somewhere.
I saw it a few days ago.
Good luck!

I have not had an issue with any handle attaching to the Fatip head.

The issue I have is the Fatip handle not attaching to other heads

 

[StuMcB]

For the handle guide search the BOTOC thread.

 

[SteveWY]

Alex2363 is a go to expert on all things Fatip and Joris. I think there is a handle match up post somewhere in these threads...

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showth...views-and-pics-thread!?highlight=Fatip+handle

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showth...thread-post-all-here!!?highlight=Fatip+handle

 

[Sceptic Pencil]

I already looked at the list & tried 3 handles that apparently fitted, but none of them did. The male thread on the Picolo head doesn't even touch the sides of the female threads on the handles I tried. My guess is that FaTip have changed the thread that they use.

 

[a Rose's thorn]

Nice, classy looking shaver!! That anthracite appears to pair well with the Atlas handle. I agree about the Fatip NOT being a daily razor. Once in a while, I like the closeness of it (or the R41), but comfort comes first. Enjoy your shave!!

 

[tacchini]

I have not had an issue with any handle attaching to the Fatip head.

The issue I have is the Fatip handle not attaching to other heads

yep i am the same, its a shame the picalo handle is useless on other razor heads, i think it would be a great handle for something like a tech.

 

[mjclark]

Congratulations! The FaTip is a magnificent shaver.
Sometimes it makes me wish that, like my grandfather, I had to shave twice a day

 

[Sceptic Pencil]

OK, so I had a less than stellar first shave with my Picolo & consigned it to the "naughty drawer" shortly afterwards. Last night it was too hot to sleep & it was bugging me that I had been defeated by the Picolo, so at 03:30 in the morning it was obviously time for round 2 with the Picolo (I may have a problem!). For round 2, I just used King Of Shaves shave oil, as I wanted to see what I was doing & I hoped that the oil would make the razor glide across my face better. I used the same Astra SP that had ended up in my Merkur 11c, after I chickened out last time round with the Picolo.

Immediately the shave went such a lot better than my first attempt. I think that previously I had shown the Picolo far too much respect, fuelled by my fear of a bloodbath! I shaved WTG & XTG with some touch ups as my confidence grew. I was rewarded with a very close shave, with no cuts or redness afterwards, but I still need to hone my technique, as boy did my face sting when I applied the green Proraso afterwards!!

Twelve hours later, I have no more stubble that would be present if I had added the extra ATG pass that I employ with my other razors. The Picolo has now been re-homed in the bathroom medicine cabinet along with my other favourite razors.

 

[mjclark]

I didn't go near the Piccolo until I'd got my technique down with a Made In England NEW, which was aggressive enough to let me know when I was getting it right but forgiving enough to just slap me if my concentration wandered rather than killing me,
Once I was confident, the Piccolo was ready to do its work.
It performs great for me with the original handle, but even better with heavier longer handles that have a good grip.

For me the FaTip gives an astonishingly close smooth shave so it's worth perservering with.
And it rewards improvements in technique exponentially

 

[DrAwkward]

I didn't go near the Piccolo until I'd got my technique down with a Made In England NEW, which was aggressive enough to let me know when I was getting it right but forgiving enough to just slap me if my concentration wandered rather than killing me

I love that description of the English NEW. Why are the English Gillettes so darn great?