Please heal quickly. The Fatip Grande is very versatile and usually can be tamed.
Jay21's Journey Journal
- Thread starter Jay21
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- #242
Thank you. I’ll grow into it. It has a lot of potential and once I get better at it, I’m going to love it and use it often.
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- #243
I had a better shave this morning with the Fatip Grande OC than yesterday, so there’s progress to report.
I thought my face was sufficiently recovered from yesterday’s misadventure, but apparently not. The first stroke of the first pass revealed lingering irritation. Against my better judgment, I continued to shave anyway. I had to go out in public today, and not only did I want to lack stubble for that, I didn’t want one runway to be clean surrouned by a pasture of stubble. That would have looked odd, so I kept on truckin’.
Two passes with a very shallow angle riding the cap shaved me pretty closely. I was very timid due to the irritation, so it wasn’t my best or closest work. However, it was as close as my finest work with the Muhle r89. I’m actually quite shocked at how shallow you can shave with the Fatip and still have it mow down whiskers.
The progress and lessons learned won’t be continued until Wednesday, unfortunately. Even though I didn’t cause any new insult today, I re-aggravated yesterday’s hurt feelings, so I need to give my face another day to settle down. The wait will bother me because I’m really eager to practice with the Fatip and master it, but common sense will have to prevail.
I thought my face was sufficiently recovered from yesterday’s misadventure, but apparently not. The first stroke of the first pass revealed lingering irritation. Against my better judgment, I continued to shave anyway. I had to go out in public today, and not only did I want to lack stubble for that, I didn’t want one runway to be clean surrouned by a pasture of stubble. That would have looked odd, so I kept on truckin’.
Two passes with a very shallow angle riding the cap shaved me pretty closely. I was very timid due to the irritation, so it wasn’t my best or closest work. However, it was as close as my finest work with the Muhle r89. I’m actually quite shocked at how shallow you can shave with the Fatip and still have it mow down whiskers.
The progress and lessons learned won’t be continued until Wednesday, unfortunately. Even though I didn’t cause any new insult today, I re-aggravated yesterday’s hurt feelings, so I need to give my face another day to settle down. The wait will bother me because I’m really eager to practice with the Fatip and master it, but common sense will have to prevail.
Mike M
...but this one IS cracked.
If you PM me your name and address I can send you 1 of each of the 3 types of Shark blade for Shark Week if you are interested in participating
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- #245
Thank you for the very generous offer. I actually have a couple of Sharks laying around from when I bought a Parker years ago. I'll use those for Shark Week so you might be able to PIF them to some other Shark virgin.
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- #246
Another shave with the Fatip this morning. It was slightly better than the previous two, but it may ultimately not be the razor for me. I love how close it shaves me, but it leaves me with irritation. I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong, but I have a hunch.
My first shave with the Fatip was with a neutral angle. It tore me to shreds. Not unexpected with a new razor. My second shave was riding the cap, which was better, but caused some irritation and reaggravated the irritation from the day before. I let my face recover for two days before today's shave.
I loaded a fresh Gillette Platinum. I had amazing lather. Great face prep. I road the cap. Not one ounce of pressure. Two passes (WTG, XTG) were extremely close. No nicks, cuts, or weepers. But, there is irritation. I had quite a bit of sting from the Skin Bracer.
I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong, but today's irritation may be from riding the cap. I placed the cap on my parallel to my face and the started to shave while moving the blade towards my face until it engaged whiskers. This is how I found the angle to cut while riding the cap. It cut the whiskers very close to my skin.
But...it was a bit tuggy in certain locations with very loud audible feedback. This tells me I need to go steeper. I'll give the Fatip another try tomorrow with a steep angle and see what happens. If that doesn't work, I think I'll have to put the Fatip in the drawer for a bit. I may try the Merkur 15c later this week, which purportedly is milder than the Fatip.
My first shave with the Fatip was with a neutral angle. It tore me to shreds. Not unexpected with a new razor. My second shave was riding the cap, which was better, but caused some irritation and reaggravated the irritation from the day before. I let my face recover for two days before today's shave.
I loaded a fresh Gillette Platinum. I had amazing lather. Great face prep. I road the cap. Not one ounce of pressure. Two passes (WTG, XTG) were extremely close. No nicks, cuts, or weepers. But, there is irritation. I had quite a bit of sting from the Skin Bracer.
I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong, but today's irritation may be from riding the cap. I placed the cap on my parallel to my face and the started to shave while moving the blade towards my face until it engaged whiskers. This is how I found the angle to cut while riding the cap. It cut the whiskers very close to my skin.
But...it was a bit tuggy in certain locations with very loud audible feedback. This tells me I need to go steeper. I'll give the Fatip another try tomorrow with a steep angle and see what happens. If that doesn't work, I think I'll have to put the Fatip in the drawer for a bit. I may try the Merkur 15c later this week, which purportedly is milder than the Fatip.
I’m sorry your initial Fatip Grande experiences are too scrapy (so was mine last night, but I generally wait until I’m too tired before shaving).
Are you able to see if your skin indents under the razor when shaving?
Are you able to see if your skin indents under the razor when shaving?
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- #248
It’s a little difficult to determine under the lather, but I don’t think I indented it the last two shaves. When I push too hard, I can definitely see my skin indent, but it wasn’t obvious today.
Got it. Some safety razors have more wiggle room between just enough pressure to trim whiskers and too much. The Fatip uses all its wiggling in getting the blade aligned.
For me, the shallow side of neutral, a sharp blade, and lucidity are the winning combination. A lot folks use a steep angle. It’s awesome for WTG and needs more lucidness than I can provide for other directions.
Looking forward to your description of the 15C shaves and hope they’re free of irritation.
For me, the shallow side of neutral, a sharp blade, and lucidity are the winning combination. A lot folks use a steep angle. It’s awesome for WTG and needs more lucidness than I can provide for other directions.
Looking forward to your description of the 15C shaves and hope they’re free of irritation.
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- #250
I’ll try the Fatip with a steep angle tomorrow regardless. It’s all for science. I should know during my first WTG pass if it’s an improvement. Then, my next shave will be with Merkur and I’ll report my experience.
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- #251
The Fatip wants to be driven steep. After taking a steep angle and riding the comb this morning, the shave was excellent. Two passes were pretty close. DFS+/BBS-. A little more Old Spice sting than after using my r89, which is probably to be expected from direct blade contact along the skin.
The shave was quite nice and a step in the right direction. I took a couple of small nicks (no blood) in areas where I lost some focus. Ironically, the Fatip mows down my trouble spots (swirl, grains in several directions, etc.) and those areas are trouble-free but my easy areas could use some work to achieve some more closeness. I think this is probably from me paying even more attention to the problem areas out of fear and reverting to autopilot in my easy areas. Live and learn. Good news, I get to shave again tomorrow to try it once more.
Once I build some muscle memory and master this tool, it’s going to give me fabulous shaves. One day closer to nirvana with this razor and this shave.
The shave was quite nice and a step in the right direction. I took a couple of small nicks (no blood) in areas where I lost some focus. Ironically, the Fatip mows down my trouble spots (swirl, grains in several directions, etc.) and those areas are trouble-free but my easy areas could use some work to achieve some more closeness. I think this is probably from me paying even more attention to the problem areas out of fear and reverting to autopilot in my easy areas. Live and learn. Good news, I get to shave again tomorrow to try it once more.
Once I build some muscle memory and master this tool, it’s going to give me fabulous shaves. One day closer to nirvana with this razor and this shave.
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- #252
The Fatip sure is a nice shaver once you get the hang of it. I went steep again and was rewarded with a BBS- shave.
The Gillette Platinum was starting to show its age on the third shave, which is about what I have come to expect from it. I think going steep is even tougher on the blade, but it held up ok. I'm not going to push it to a fourth shave, that's for sure. The two passes weren't as close as yesterday, maybe from technique, maybe from the age of the blade, or maybe because some planet is in retrograde. So, I did some touchups. That might have been a touch too much as I had more sting today than normal from the Skin Bracer. I don't think I severely overdid it, but I now know that two passes is all I can expect to get out of the Fatip if going steep. I need to quit immediately and not worry about touchups. We'll see how my skin responds over the next few hours to see how much I overdid it.
Overall, the Fatip is really starting to mesh with me. I like the way it cuts down the hair and I'm starting to like blade feel. However, the nickel plating is already starting to tarnish, and it's only been five shaves. I noticed it after the first shave. This is disappointing, especially since I towel try my razor after every use.
Tomorrow, I'll try the Merkur 15c for the first time.
The Gillette Platinum was starting to show its age on the third shave, which is about what I have come to expect from it. I think going steep is even tougher on the blade, but it held up ok. I'm not going to push it to a fourth shave, that's for sure. The two passes weren't as close as yesterday, maybe from technique, maybe from the age of the blade, or maybe because some planet is in retrograde. So, I did some touchups. That might have been a touch too much as I had more sting today than normal from the Skin Bracer. I don't think I severely overdid it, but I now know that two passes is all I can expect to get out of the Fatip if going steep. I need to quit immediately and not worry about touchups. We'll see how my skin responds over the next few hours to see how much I overdid it.
Overall, the Fatip is really starting to mesh with me. I like the way it cuts down the hair and I'm starting to like blade feel. However, the nickel plating is already starting to tarnish, and it's only been five shaves. I noticed it after the first shave. This is disappointing, especially since I towel try my razor after every use.
Tomorrow, I'll try the Merkur 15c for the first time.
Are you using your regular towel or a micro fibre towel? Fatips plating is somewhat thinner than most and doesn’t like the scrub from a regular towel. My SE cap is a mess. The nickel is holding up, but there’s the plating came off of the handle.
Goldbeard sells the Fatip Special Edition in gold with supposedly better plating.
Cheers,
Guido
Goldbeard sells the Fatip Special Edition in gold with supposedly better plating.
Cheers,
Guido
Congrats on getting to level terms with your Fatip! Indeed, some razors practically insist on a particular angle or approach. Others are more laid back and are therefore less demanding of their pilots. I'm very much looking forward to seeing how you get on with the Merkur.
Allow me to make a further suggestion, apologies if this has been mentioned before...
There is a popular concept round here known as the 'fixed four'; the four being razor, blade, brush and soap/cream. Basically, the idea involves selecting only one of each of these and using them exclusively for some protracted period of time, usually a month..perhaps longer.
This exercise has proven to be quite instructive for many here, myself included. You may not learn anything earth-shattering. However, it is very possible you will learn a great deal about your chosen gear and maybe a thing or two about your general approach. There can sometimes be a degree of nuance to the shave that can be quite difficult to pick up on unless deviations are held to a minimum.
Once you've had a good go with the 15C, you may want to consider employing your four most reliable performers in this manner and seeing what develops. You may be surprised, or even delighted, by what emerges.
Allow me to make a further suggestion, apologies if this has been mentioned before...
There is a popular concept round here known as the 'fixed four'; the four being razor, blade, brush and soap/cream. Basically, the idea involves selecting only one of each of these and using them exclusively for some protracted period of time, usually a month..perhaps longer.
This exercise has proven to be quite instructive for many here, myself included. You may not learn anything earth-shattering. However, it is very possible you will learn a great deal about your chosen gear and maybe a thing or two about your general approach. There can sometimes be a degree of nuance to the shave that can be quite difficult to pick up on unless deviations are held to a minimum.
Once you've had a good go with the 15C, you may want to consider employing your four most reliable performers in this manner and seeing what develops. You may be surprised, or even delighted, by what emerges.
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- #255
I'm using a regular towel to dry it, but the tarnish is in the shape of water droplets. The tarnishing is occurring on the comb plate where water came into contact with areas that had weaker plating. It was actually a fairly instant chemical reaction because I noticed part of it immediately after my first shave. Oh well, it is what it is.
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- #256
That's good advice. I have used the same soap and brush for the last several months. As you can see from my journal, I do rotate blades and razors frequently. I get bored at times and my impatience leads me to shuffle things frequently. One thing I have learned from my journey thus far is I've found blades to be more similar to each other than different. Once I got my technique under better control, I've found all the blades I've used thus far to cut more equally than different, but the main difference between them is how long they hold their edge. For example, I can push an Astra SP to 5 or 6 good shaves, but the Dorco ST300/1 and Gillette Platinum seem to fall off very quickly after their second shave.Congrats on getting to level terms with your Fatip! Indeed, some razors practically insist on a particular angle or approach. Others are more laid back and are therefore less demanding of their pilots. I'm very much looking forward to seeing how you get on with the Merkur.
Allow me to make a further suggestion, apologies if this has been mentioned before...
There is a popular concept round here known as the 'fixed four'; the four being razor, blade, brush and soap/cream. Basically, the idea involves selecting only one of each of these and using them exclusively for some protracted period of time, usually a month..perhaps longer.
This exercise has proven to be quite instructive for many here, myself included. You may not learn anything earth-shattering. However, it is very possible you will learn a great deal about your chosen gear and maybe a thing or two about your general approach. There can sometimes be a degree of nuance to the shave that can be quite difficult to pick up on unless deviations are held to a minimum.
Once you've had a good go with the 15C, you may want to consider employing your four most reliable performers in this manner and seeing what develops. You may be surprised, or even delighted, by what emerges.
Just so.
Whether it be blades or other elements, it is sometimes staggering how fine the margins start to become once sufficient experience is gained.
A very curious phenomenon arises whereupon you more readily detect subtle differences between various gear while simultaneously caring less and less.
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- #258
I think the Fatip is a bit too aggressive, especially when driven steep, to be a daily driver. It will likely be relegated to heavy lifting duty; well, at least until my abilities with it improve. I may play around with a more neutral angle in the future.
Today's mission was trying out the Merkur 15c for the first time. All I can say is wow. What a wonderful shave. Very comfortable and close enough. No nicks, cuts, weepers, or irritation. Not even the slightest trace of any.
I loaded in a fresh Dorco Titan and proceeded with a two-pass shave. I read online that since it has negative blade exposure you can get away with pressure, and perhaps even need it, but I tried my best for no pressure because I'm sure my own inexperience would result in inadvertent pressure at times. I saw my skin indent a few times in my difficult areas in the soft flaps flanking my Adam's apple and I quickly backed out and tried again, ensuring no pressure.
I would say the Merkur shaves about as efficiently and aggressively as the 89 head design, but there is more flexibility in the blade angle. I tried to stay around the 30 degrees that is the natural angle of the razor. I resisted the urge to touch up areas and stopped after two passes. It was close enough. DFS.
What surprised me was there was absolutely no sting from the Skin Bracer. None! The only feedback I received was from the menthol. It's still tingling now in a pleasant melody, but there's no trace of any burn or irritation.
After one shave I can tell the Merkur 15c is a winner and will have a place in my regular rotation. In fact, after I put down a few more successful shaves with it, I will experiment with sharper blades and maybe even a third pass. With a bit more technique I can squeeze out a slightly closer shave, but I'm quite content for now with today's ability and result.
Today's mission was trying out the Merkur 15c for the first time. All I can say is wow. What a wonderful shave. Very comfortable and close enough. No nicks, cuts, weepers, or irritation. Not even the slightest trace of any.
I loaded in a fresh Dorco Titan and proceeded with a two-pass shave. I read online that since it has negative blade exposure you can get away with pressure, and perhaps even need it, but I tried my best for no pressure because I'm sure my own inexperience would result in inadvertent pressure at times. I saw my skin indent a few times in my difficult areas in the soft flaps flanking my Adam's apple and I quickly backed out and tried again, ensuring no pressure.
I would say the Merkur shaves about as efficiently and aggressively as the 89 head design, but there is more flexibility in the blade angle. I tried to stay around the 30 degrees that is the natural angle of the razor. I resisted the urge to touch up areas and stopped after two passes. It was close enough. DFS.
What surprised me was there was absolutely no sting from the Skin Bracer. None! The only feedback I received was from the menthol. It's still tingling now in a pleasant melody, but there's no trace of any burn or irritation.
After one shave I can tell the Merkur 15c is a winner and will have a place in my regular rotation. In fact, after I put down a few more successful shaves with it, I will experiment with sharper blades and maybe even a third pass. With a bit more technique I can squeeze out a slightly closer shave, but I'm quite content for now with today's ability and result.
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- #259
Because life is short, we're supposed to make foolish decisions, and blow all our money, I placed an order today for the RazoRock SLOC.
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- #260
I had another absolutely wonderful shave this morning with the Merkur 15c and a Dorco Titan. I can't believe how wonderfully this little tool shaves me. Actually, I can believe it because it's happened twice so far. What I can't believe is how this razor isn't talked more about in this community of ours. This community is so open minded when it comes to shaving that guys are willing to pull parts off their lawnmowers and affix them to a frankenrazor because it looks cool, rip a piece of chrome trim off their old Chevrolet, sharpen it, and then shave with it because they heard from a guy who heard from a guy three counties over that the strip from driver side front wheel shaves nice, or shave with a 100-year old razor that was smuggled out of some foreign occupied territory inside some guy's colon because it has a nice balance in the wrist. The 15c is a nice shaver that is moderately priced and hiding in plain sight before us.
Today's was two passes with touchups. No nicks, cuts, weepers, or any irritation to speak of. Absolutely no sting from the Skin Bracer. Today's shave was a DFS.
I will begin experimenting with different blades, perhaps building up to a Nacet. I like the Dorco a lot, as it's very smooth, but I think other blades might be a touch sharper. We'll see.
I've had closer shaves with other razors, but the Merkur 15c gives me a nice balance between close enough and no irritation. Sure, I can go closer, but that often comes with irritation, either immediately or through a cumulative effect of shaving every day. This razor could be a daily driver indefinitely.
As you can tell, I like this little fighter a lot. It was the little engine that could.
Today's was two passes with touchups. No nicks, cuts, weepers, or any irritation to speak of. Absolutely no sting from the Skin Bracer. Today's shave was a DFS.
I will begin experimenting with different blades, perhaps building up to a Nacet. I like the Dorco a lot, as it's very smooth, but I think other blades might be a touch sharper. We'll see.
I've had closer shaves with other razors, but the Merkur 15c gives me a nice balance between close enough and no irritation. Sure, I can go closer, but that often comes with irritation, either immediately or through a cumulative effect of shaving every day. This razor could be a daily driver indefinitely.
As you can tell, I like this little fighter a lot. It was the little engine that could.
