List of razors that cover the blade tabs

[Fedsbackhand]

I believe the new Murasama covers the tabs. I like the exposed tabs, much safer when changing the blade. If they really bother you get a Charcoal Goods razor (gen 1 and 2) they barely extend past the head assembly but just enough to grip the blade when taking apart the razor.

Another reason I didn't get on with the Rex Envoy.

Even Wolfman uses exposed tabs.

 

[Adjustingtolife]

SOME.

And some of the WORST engineered razors have covered tabs.

I know. I've got some in the back of my drawer.

I never said ALL razors with covered tabs were inherently badly designed. But look at the ads for razors on Am-zn and 3Bay, the Chinese ones. Then look at what you get if you order one. They make the razor look pretty in the photo, but they are absolute junk for shaving. And some of them ain't cheap -- $30-$40 for razors that should cost $5, retail.

If you order direct from China, sooner or later you will get stuck with one of those clunkers. Get real: How many Yaqi razors with alignment pins have you received that also have concealed tabs? And this you call "best engineered razors" perhaps?

Why are they hiding the tabs? In part, because they see product reviews from people like those here complaining about the open tabs. That's all some of those Am-zn customers seem to know about razors.

It reminds me of the incessant complaints about $40 coffee grinders that don't grind fine enough for their espresso makers from newbies who don't know much about coffee. Who buys a $40 coffee grinder for a $1,000 espresso maker? The truth is you don't need an espresso maker to make great coffee. I've been there, done that. A $5 phin will work about as well, or a $30 AeroPress. I've been using a phin intermittently for years, and exclusively for the past several months. You can make far better coffee with one than you are likely to get from a coffee shop, if you understand coffee.

And guess what? You don't need a $200 razor and $20 shave soap to get a magnificent shave. A $20 Fatip can do the job just fine, along with some ViJohn shave cream, or even a can of Barbasol, if you understand shaving.

It's a mixed bag. Some of the worst razors have uncovered tabs. You can't really correlate quality with covered or uncovered is my point

Fayiz D.

 

[emwolf]

Well, I just experienced one of the poorer engineered designs that covers the tabs: The MagT razor. I think if all your doing is a quick N-S one pass face shave it will suffice, but for head shaving the handle is very clunky (or for multi-pass face shaving for that matter). I also didn't get the feeling the blade alignment was really secure.

 

[BigSpender]

Actually, now that I've had time to think back upon it, the times when I nicked my earlobe was NOT from the exposed tab. It was from the corner of the razor. It was a 60s Gillette.

Back then, they left the entire blade exposed the same across the length. The result was the corner of the blade was a bit more exposed and you could nick yourself with it. So, you learned pretty fast to be careful, and not too aggressive, around the earlobe and other sensitive spots, like the nose.

Now, it is common for razor manufacturers to block the exposure of the corner of the blade. It is so common, I don't even look to check. The result: Nicks to the earlobe are a thing of the past.

However, I have vintage razors, including the Old Type, and still haven't nicked myself with the corner of the blade or the tab, as far back as I can remember. The reason is simple: I have developed good technique and good habits, so I don't even have to think about being careful around sensitive areas; I just do it out of habit.

Maybe the combination of modern razors with protected blade corners, and learning to shave on cartridge razors, has produced a generation of shavers without those basic protective habits.

But the bottom line: In my opinion, the real problem is exposed blade corners. This is so obvious, I hadn't thought about it. Look at your razors, and see if the corners of the blade are protected. I have modern razors that I can rub my finger along the corner and it is simply impossible to cut myself; on another modern razor, the entire blade is uncovered, but the razor head is sufficiently wider than the blade that it provides protection, another option for good razor design.

I took my Old Type, and rubbed the tab along my earlobe. I just don't see how you could say there is a risk of nicking your ear with the tab. I didn't feel anything sharp. But, as I say, the simplest solution is to develop good shaving habits.

I don't even have whiskers behind my ears, or even directly below my earlobe. This may be another reason why I don't shave there.

You don't need to get a BBS shave across your entire head, do you, including behind your ears? Do you even have whiskers there?

In sort, I think the real issue is whether the corner of blades are protected. This is Razor Engineering 101 with modern razors. But some people designing razors didn't take the intro course.

 

[SCh5]

I do remember my grandfather
scraping the corners of a new
blade’s edges ,before installing the blade.Maybe was for that reason .

 

[emwolf]

Actually, now that I've had time to think back upon it, the times when I nicked my earlobe was NOT from the exposed tab. It was from the corner of the razor. It was a 60s Gillette.

Back then, they left the entire blade exposed the same across the length. The result was the corner of the blade was a bit more exposed and you could nick yourself with it. So, you learned pretty fast to be careful, and not too aggressive, around the earlobe and other sensitive spots, like the nose.

Now, it is common for razor manufacturers to block the exposure of the corner of the blade. It is so common, I don't even look to check. The result: Nicks to the earlobe are a thing of the past.

However, I have vintage razors, including the Old Type, and still haven't nicked myself with the corner of the blade or the tab, as far back as I can remember. The reason is simple: I have developed good technique and good habits, so I don't even have to think about being careful around sensitive areas; I just do it out of habit.

Maybe the combination of modern razors with protected blade corners, and learning to shave on cartridge razors, has produced a generation of shavers without those basic protective habits.

But the bottom line: In my opinion, the real problem is exposed blade corners. This is so obvious, I hadn't thought about it. Look at your razors, and see if the corners of the blade are protected. I have modern razors that I can rub my finger along the corner and it is simply impossible to cut myself; on another modern razor, the entire blade is uncovered, but the razor head is sufficiently wider than the blade that it provides protection, another option for good razor design.

I took my Old Type, and rubbed the tab along my earlobe. I just don't see how you could say there is a risk of nicking your ear with the tab. I didn't feel anything sharp. But, as I say, the simplest solution is to develop good shaving habits.

I don't even have whiskers behind my ears, or even directly below my earlobe. This may be another reason why I don't shave there.

You don't need to get a BBS shave across your entire head, do you, including behind your ears? Do you even have whiskers there?

In sort, I think the real issue is whether the corner of blades are protected. This is Razor Engineering 101 with modern razors. But some people designing razors didn't take the intro course.

I would try dragging it across the back of the concha cymba and let me know how comfortable that is.

 

[mhdena]

A two plus year old thread finally turns into a rant.

I guess because the rantee wasn’t here until last month.


You don’t like covered ends OK, use something else.

 

[muzichead]

I would try dragging it across the back of the concha cymba and let me know how comfortable that is.

If your dragging any part of a DE that far into the ear I would respectfully suggest maybe you should go back to using carts!! That is nothing more than being irresponsible and careless at best...

 

[MisfitWy23]

I would try dragging it across the back of the concha cymba and let me know how comfortable that is.

There are other cavities you could stick razors in too, but I don't know why you would.

I actually found these kind of funny for some reason:

All of them, if you have a decent pair of scissors. I just cut the tabs off.

I'm not fond of exposed tabs, but never gave much thought to cutting them of...thinking tin shears, irregular cuts, one success out of three cuts, etc...

Do you mean simple, household heavy-duty scissors? Any specific recommendations?

I have cut blades using traditional household scissors. Particularly when making shims out of bad blades, scissors give me a pretty nice, even cut.

Baili BD176 and BD179.

However, cutting off the tabs with scissors only takes a few seconds.

Hey, I was skeptical, but scissors actually work, and I really like no tabs grazing my ears and nose. Just elevated my shave quality -- thanks for the simple suggestion!

I just tried it too and it works! It took all of 5 seconds with a regular pair of scissors.

To those who cut the tabs off the blades, are you still doing it? Or did you only use razors that cover the tabs now?

Do you find that cutting the tabs off solves a problem? Did you even know you had a problem before you read this thread or saw wide-headed DE razors advertised?

It also strikes me that you're far more likely to get cut by handling the blade to cut off the tabs then by leaving the tabs on.

Don't want to offend, but I do wonder how practical tabless razors really are, or how much is advertising and fadishness, for lack of better word?

Another idea, rather than cutting the tabs off of every blade you use, just cut one or two shims once, like you would normally use to put under the blade, but instead put them over the blade so that the tabs of the shims covers the tabs of the blade. Not sure what this would accomplish, but might become a new thing.

Maybe the razor blade companies will wake up and produce tabless razor blades. Why have they been wasting that extra length of steel for anyway when the wasted material adds up over the millions of blades produced over decades? It wouldn't bother me too much if they stopped making them with tabs as I already have a lifetime supply of good blades with tabs.

 

[Adjustingtolife]

Actually, now that I've had time to think back upon it, the times when I nicked my earlobe was NOT from the exposed tab. It was from the corner of the razor. It was a 60s Gillette.

Back then, they left the entire blade exposed the same across the length. The result was the corner of the blade was a bit more exposed and you could nick yourself with it. So, you learned pretty fast to be careful, and not too aggressive, around the earlobe and other sensitive spots, like the nose.

Now, it is common for razor manufacturers to block the exposure of the corner of the blade. It is so common, I don't even look to check. The result: Nicks to the earlobe are a thing of the past.

However, I have vintage razors, including the Old Type, and still haven't nicked myself with the corner of the blade or the tab, as far back as I can remember. The reason is simple: I have developed good technique and good habits, so I don't even have to think about being careful around sensitive areas; I just do it out of habit.

Maybe the combination of modern razors with protected blade corners, and learning to shave on cartridge razors, has produced a generation of shavers without those basic protective habits.

But the bottom line: In my opinion, the real problem is exposed blade corners. This is so obvious, I hadn't thought about it. Look at your razors, and see if the corners of the blade are protected. I have modern razors that I can rub my finger along the corner and it is simply impossible to cut myself; on another modern razor, the entire blade is uncovered, but the razor head is sufficiently wider than the blade that it provides protection, another option for good razor design.

I took my Old Type, and rubbed the tab along my earlobe. I just don't see how you could say there is a risk of nicking your ear with the tab. I didn't feel anything sharp. But, as I say, the simplest solution is to develop good shaving habits.

I don't even have whiskers behind my ears, or even directly below my earlobe. This may be another reason why I don't shave there.

You don't need to get a BBS shave across your entire head, do you, including behind your ears? Do you even have whiskers there?

In sort, I think the real issue is whether the corner of blades are protected. This is Razor Engineering 101 with modern razors. But some people designing razors didn't take the intro course.

Covered tabs makes shaving behind the ear easier for me as a head shaver. But you do you

Fayiz D.

 

[BigSpender]

Covered tabs makes shaving behind the ear easier for me as a head shaver. But you do you

Fayiz D.

I will.

I have no intention of shaving my head. I am ugly enough with my hair, thank you. However, if I ever become a Buddhist monk, I will reconsider your advice, though usually someone else shaves your head for you.

I will use whatever razor suits me, whether covered tab or no, as I am not doctrinaire. I do have some razors with covered tabs I like, as well as some that are terrible.

What I do not like is that you often cannot tell what you are getting when you buy online. The photos of the razors most often do not show a blade inserted. So you can wind up with a badly designed razor with alignment pins, sometimes absurdly small, and covered tabs. This is utter incompetence. Yaqi is one of the outfits selling such razors, as well as anonymous zamak foundry Chinese razors that are flooding the market, often at absurd prices you could get a real razor for. I guess they are trying to ride the wave of newbie interest in DE shaving, and providing them "safe" razors. There are better options than these no-name or new-name razors.

I enjoy exploring new razors, but between the deceptive Chinese junk and the quirky upscale razors with covered tabs, I'm through. I'm still experimenting with some of the razors I've got, and still learning. I've got several razors that provide excellent shaves.

I am probably going to settle on one or two razors to use, and that's it. What I want is a razor/blade/shave cream combination that provides consistently good, fast shaves. Frankly, my advice to a newbie is to find a good razor and blade, or perhaps two, and quit while you're ahead. It is nice to have one fairly aggressive combination and one fairly mild combination.

There was a time when asymmetrical heads were more common. That way you got a mild shave with one side, and an aggressive shave from the other. But it seems whenever someone tries to sell such an asymmetrical razor online, the reviews are flooded with complaints about the sloppy manufacturing and utterly incompetent quality control because they can't make the blade exposure of even length on each side -- or they say the razor was damaged in shipment and they return it. Just look on Am-z-n: "This outfit, after 100 years, still doesn't know how to make razors! I know how to make razors better than them!"

Asymmetrical heads are a feature, not a bug. They were designed that way, folks. It's so you can shave one part of your face with one side, and the area around your nose and chin with the other. Heck, I figured that out when I first started shaving. But the newbie know-it-alls have scared manufacturers into primarily making symmetrical razor heads.

I'm through.

Especially if I become a Buddhist monk.

But if I do, I'm bringing my Single Ring. I can slide the blade over and make one side aggressive and the other side mild. With an open comb, you can only do that using the tabs.

 

[MisfitWy23]

I guess head shaving for the most part is a fairly modern phenomena.

However as someone who likes short hair I often trim around my ears between giving myself a buzz cut. I have no problems doing so using a DE with exposed tabs. I just shave toward the ear, with the edge of the blade tangential to the ear, while holding my ear away from the blade as needed. I see no reason to rub the tab of the blade against my ear.

I also have never perforated my septum, scratched my cochlea, or abraded my tonsils with blade tabs. I would recommend that anyone who has doesn't try a straight razor.

 

[Heron]

There are other cavities you could stick razors in too, but I don't know why you would.

I actually found these kind of funny for some reason:






To those who cut the tabs off the blades, are you still doing it? Or did you only use razors that cover the tabs now?

Do you find that cutting the tabs off solves a problem? Did you even know you had a problem before you read this thread or saw wide-headed DE razors advertised?

It also strikes me that you're far more likely to get cut by handling the blade to cut off the tabs then by leaving the tabs on.

Don't want to offend, but I do wonder how practical tabless razors really are, or how much is advertising and fadishness, for lack of better word?

Another idea, rather than cutting the tabs off of every blade you use, just cut one or two shims once, like you would normally use to put under the blade, but instead put them over the blade so that the tabs of the shims covers the tabs of the blade. Not sure what this would accomplish, but might become a new thing.

Maybe the razor blade companies will wake up and produce tabless razor blades. Why have they been wasting that extra length of steel for anyway when the wasted material adds up over the millions of blades produced over decades? It wouldn't bother me too much if they stopped making them with tabs as I already have a lifetime supply of good blades with tabs.

Yep, I still cut the tabs. I've never cut myself while cutting the tabs but I recommend eye protection for cutting

 

[SCh5]

Double Edge Blades

www.shaveworld.org

I guess some folks would have issues
using the very first Gillette DE blades ,
which instead of tabs had rounded sides ,fully covered by the razor head.
The tabs were never specifically designed having in mind the installation and removal of the blade .

Simply ,there are folks that use the
sticking -out -from -the-head blade tabs ,because they make their
life easier and safer .

But for others ,protruding side tabs ,
makes the razor an omni -directional ,quad-blade one !

And aesthetically speaking ,
the most handsome razors ,
do cover the blade’s side tabs .

But each to his own ...

 

[anoop]

Updating the list. Added several since the last was updated and also put all razors under the same manufacturer on one line.

Apollo Mikron
Above The Tie Windsor line
Baili
Barbasol
Bevel
Blackland blackbird, Dart
Charcoal Goods
Clix
Cooper 3 piece, Monobilt
Dorco PL602
Executive Shaving Outlaw
Fasan Double Slant
Feather AS-D1, AS-D2, WS-D2
Gem razors
Gibbs, including the models that accept standard blades
Giesen & Frosthof Timor Gentle Shaver
Homelike Shaving Start
Homelike Shaving Taiga
Henson
Hone
iKon 102, Deluxe open comb (as well as Standard safety bar Deluxe), OSS, SBS head, X3
Karve Christopher Bradley Wide Cap model
Krect
Matador
Merkur Futur
Muhle R41, Companion
Phoenix Artisans Accoutrements Ascension, Meta-4
PAL
Paradigm
Parker 26C
Pearl flexi
Phillips Phillite
Pils
Probak
Qshave Futur clone
Razorock BBS, Gamechanger, Lupo (both versions), Mamba, MJ-90, Wunderbar
Rex Ambassador
Rockwell Model T
RS-10
Stahly Live Blade
Supply SE
Swing
Tatara Muramasa
Tradere razor
Wilkinson black delrin Classic Razor

 

[emwolf]

Thank you, I've been meaning to revisit this thread because I've picked up a couple that qualify. Adding the Karve Overlander and the Goodfellas Valynor:

Apollo Mikron
Above The Tie Windsor line
Baili
Barbasol
Bevel
Blackland blackbird, Dart
Charcoal Goods
Clix
Cooper 3 piece, Monobilt
Dorco PL602
Executive Shaving Outlaw
Fasan Double Slant
Feather AS-D1, AS-D2, WS-D2
Gem razors
Gibbs, including the models that accept standard blades
Giesen & Frosthof Timor Gentle Shaver
Goodfellas Smile Valynor
Homelike Shaving Start
Homelike Shaving Taiga
Henson
Hone
iKon 102, Deluxe open comb (as well as Standard safety bar Deluxe), OSS, SBS head, X3
Karve Christopher Bradley Wide Cap model
Karve Overlander
Krect
Matador
Merkur Futur
Muhle R41, Companion
Phoenix Artisans Accoutrements Ascension, Meta-4
PAL
Paradigm
Parker 26C
Pearl flexi
Phillips Phillite
Pils
Probak
Qshave Futur clone
Razorock BBS, Gamechanger, Lupo (both versions), Mamba, MJ-90, Wunderbar
Rex Ambassador
Rockwell Model T
RS-10
Stahly Live Blade
Supply SE
Swing
Tatara Muramasa
Tradere razor
Wilkinson black delrin Classic Razor

 

[OhioBob]

Should the new Karve Bison be included?

 

[Quaznoid]

Is this another “wax dots” issue?

 

[Guido75]

I

Thank you, I've been meaning to revisit this thread because I've picked up a couple that qualify. Adding the Karve Overlander and the Goodfellas Valynor:

Apollo Mikron
Above The Tie Windsor line
Baili
Barbasol
Bevel
Blackland blackbird, Dart
Charcoal Goods
Clix
Cooper 3 piece, Monobilt
Dorco PL602
Executive Shaving Outlaw
Fasan Double Slant
Feather AS-D1, AS-D2, WS-D2
Gem razors
Gibbs, including the models that accept standard blades
Giesen & Frosthof Timor Gentle Shaver
Goodfellas Smile Valynor
Homelike Shaving Start
Homelike Shaving Taiga
Henson
Hone
iKon 102, Deluxe open comb (as well as Standard safety bar Deluxe), OSS, SBS head, X3
Karve Christopher Bradley Wide Cap model
Karve Overlander
Krect
Matador
Merkur Futur
Muhle R41, Companion
Phoenix Artisans Accoutrements Ascension, Meta-4
PAL
Paradigm
Parker 26C
Pearl flexi
Phillips Phillite
Pils
Probak
Qshave Futur clone
Razorock BBS, Gamechanger, Lupo (both versions), Mamba, MJ-90, Wunderbar
Rex Ambassador
Rockwell Model T
RS-10
Stahly Live Blade
Supply SE
Swing
Tatara Muramasa
Tradere razor
Wilkinson black delrin Classic Razor

I have some more for you: Greencult 1 and Greencult 2. Also the Swedish Swing and Matador.

Guido

 

[emwolf]

I

I have some more for you: Greencult 1 and Greencult 2. Also the Swedish Swing and Matador.

Guido

I've been watching Marx Brothes and Swedish Swing sounds like something Groucho would dance to