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Have I sinned against us Fatip Grande users?

It's the GT which is my own design. I'm an LHF and finding handles to suit my taste is difficult, to say the least.

My good B&B friend (and meister machininst) Doug (@Rosseforp) made it for me. It's the one on the right, completely hollow, 76mm (3") long, 14mm diameter, and weighing in at 22 grams:
View attachment 1322393
The one on the left is for my Yuma YM-403 and the middle one is the prototype Fatip GT handle (now PIFd).

The great thing about the GTs is their knurling which is shallow and extremely grippy* (I know logic would say deep knurling for grip, but it ain't so IME).

* Towel wreckers. :wink2:

Also, bear in mind that Fatips have one-off threads, i.e. M4.5 x 0.75mm. Most new razors have M5 x 0.8mm threads and most vintage Gillettes have 10-32 threads (which are normally compatible with M5s).

That handle's never interested me, too heavy and I don't like the design, sorry. Getting 3" handles is a real PITA these days (unlike the good ol' days of Gillette)... heavyweight vaulting poles seem to be the vogue.
Yeah idk why people use "vaulting poles" lol to shave with. To me shorter handles gives more control over my shave. Inventors I think of safety razors of any type knew what they where doing by making the handles short. If you look at all early safety razor of any type during the early 1900's Gem,Ever Ready,Ronson, Gillette all had short handles. I think they knew the shorter handles=better control and actually putting the safety in safety razor 😂
 
Now if we can only find a way to make the alignment posts half a millimeter (or 20 thou for those across the pond) thicker!
Maybe someone in the forum that gets alot of traffic can start a petition. To make the alignment better to send to Fatip Co. will make them really aware of this issue that we have. Alot of us love the Fatip and it's almost a perfect razor. They can bring it from what I believe is a 9 to 9.5 razor to 10/10 razor. There is almost no razor in the modern market that pretty much adjusts the blade to be flush with the base cap making the blade super rigid and prevents blade chatter.
 
Better modification would be to remove the studs completely. Useless little nipples.
And, if I you allow me, shame on this manufacturer to keep making this product. Pathetic really.
Nah you have a point these defects it seems to me to be easily fixable! But there arnt many alternatives for me. The way that this razor holds the blade tightly to the guard makes the blade very rigid. For my coarse and thick beard growth rigidly held blades are the only thing that stops me from getting irritation/ingrown hairs. Without this rigidity the blades will just simply enter chatter city. The only other de razor that I have that does the same is my Gillette New Open Comb. And even there I add 2 shims underneath the blade to make it super rigid. The shims have only had the cutting edge grinded down a narrow cut will not make the blade more rigid and only increase the blade gap. I will post a pic of my shims so you can see what I mean. This has been a great solution for me and I think others would benefit from it even with other razors. I mostly use my Gem/Ever Ready's for the fact that the blades are thick and rigid and don't have to mess with keeping my shims rust free 😂
 

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Well... don't get me wrong, I own several Fatip razors and I consider Piccolo to be an excellent shaver. That is if you accept to spend ten minutes mocking around with blade alignment. I must admit, I lose patience around 10 second mark.
It is a shame they still make this product with this defect. It seems to me that either not enough customers to be bothered by this defect, or they simply cannot address this issue.
Regarding "Without this rigidity the blades will just simply enter chatter city.", in my opinion, blade angle has an impact on chatter as well. Equal to the clamping. Several modern stainless razors are being offered with the similar blade angle and, in my experience, offer similar experience: zero blade chatter and very little auditory response.
I too have a course beard that needs daily shaves.
Plenty of better options out there. Just a click away.
 
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Well... don't get me wrong, I own several Fatip razors and I consider Piccolo to be an excellent shaver. That is if you accept to spend ten minutes mocking around with blade alignment. I must admit, I lose patience around 10 second mark.
It is a shame they still make this product with this defect. It seems to me that either not enough customers to be bothered by this defect, or they simply cannot address this issue.
Regarding "Without this rigidity the blades will just simply enter chatter city.", in my opinion, blade angle also has an impact on chatter as well. Equal to the clamping. Several modern stainless razors are being offered with the similar blade angle and, in my experience, offer similar experience: zero blade chatter and very little auditory response.
I too have a course beard that needs daily shaves.
Plenty of better options out there. Just a click away.
Which ones? The only ones I see that are "affordable" is the Razor Rock Game changer. Besides that the other offerings are rediculous for the price point like Timeless and Wolfman. From what I see they look like something I look for in how the blade is held but wayyy to pricey. Game Changer will probably be a future investment for me.
 
Affordable and value are difference concepts, in my opinion. I have regrets I sunk dollars for three or four Fatips only to offer me frustration. I cannot recommend the BBS line (especially the OC) since I don't have the latest ones and have not used one. I would assume the latest BBS razors to give similar experiences to Fatip.
As to price tag, well..., each wallet is different. I looked inside mine and I found room to spend $90. Where I live I shed that money on a meal out, easily.
For me shaving is a journey and I dropped Fatip somewhere along the way. I enjoy ten minutes shaving at the start of the day and we are fortunate to have such a plethora of products to chose from.
 
Have you considered the Frankenrazor?

Here is an example:

 
Have you considered the Frankenrazor?

Here is an example:

Hmmm I had a duo at some point but returned it cuz It wasn't for me. It was essentially a murker 34c which was my first razor for me atleast so didn't have a chance to switch out caps. But fortunately my Fatip pretty much aligns perfectly for me.
 
My solution to blade alignment is simple though not 100% accurate. Let's say that is accurate enough that I don't notice.

In these razors, the side tabs sit proud of the head by a few mm. We can use this to obtain alignment. Put the blade in, tighten the razor and stop as soon as you feel resistance from the blade flexing. Put the razor short side down (on a paper towel or similar to avoid scratching the surface) so that the tab rests on the flat surface. Apply a little pressure on the cap. The pins resting on the blade indentations will ensure alignment on the cutting edge side. Tighten the handle.

This is good enough to shave, you won't notice the blade being offset lengthwise, ie the tabs sticking out more on one side. If you want to correct this, with the handle tightened, put index and thumb fingers on the tabs. Apply firm pressure and loosen the handle ever so slightly so that the blade moves to even out the protrusion. There is no accurate way to do this, I do it by feel.

If I get my hands on some decent measuring device I might make a jig to do this :laugh:
 
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