Merkur open comb head (15c/1904) question (+Fatip?)

[gamestorming]

I'm doing some reading around some interesting Merkur razors, one (at least one) of which will soon be shaving my face

In particular I started from the 1904 razor, I'm especially fascinated by the hexagonal handle. My understanding is that the open comb head is a clone (sorry: tribute or should I say "hommage"?) to a vintage Gillette head ("old type"?).

Looking at the pictures I think that head is exactly the same that I can buy as 15C. I recently picked up a Fatip OC Grande, is that head also a clone of the "old type"?

I even have a 15C clone made in china (Yaqi), if I buy the 1904 do I end with the third "old type" style head in my collection?

thanks for your help

 

[ponykilr]

Yes they are all similar to the Old. They have their own nuances.

 

[emwolf]

Although both are similar to Gillette's design, neither is what I'd call identical. The Fatip is the superior in my view.

 

[nemo]

Merkur open comb is pretty darn mild, the Fatip is not so mild. Build quality on the Merkur is good, Fatip can be questionable.

Consider picking yourself up an original Gillette old type, it's the grand daddy of all open combs.

 

[hydro-magic]

The Merkur looks very similar but feels quite a bit milder than the old type. Old types can vary quite a bit in my experience. Some are pretty aggressive and some feel a bit more tame but all the ones I have feel quite a bit more aggressive than the Merkur head.

The Fatip seems quite a bit different to me. Somewhat similar in that they're open comb designs but that's about where the similarity ends. The baseplate on the Fatip is much thicker and has the rounded teeth that make it easier to use a steep angle if you want to do that. The Fatip is a bit more aggressive than the old type too.

 

[Atlantic59]

These razors aren't really clones, they are similar designs that shave differently. I'd consider the Fatip OC the best shaving of those, but it does require a few shaves to get proficient with it. The Razorock Old Type is supposedly patterned after the Merkur OC, but I find it a nice shaving razor, not as mild as the Merkur.

 

[santamariasteve]

The Merkur looks very similar but feels quite a bit milder than the old type. Old types can vary quite a bit in my experience. Some are pretty aggressive and some feel a bit more tame but all the ones I have feel quite a bit more aggressive than the Merkur head.

The Fatip seems quite a bit different to me. Somewhat similar in that they're open comb designs but that's about where the similarity ends. The baseplate on the Fatip is much thicker and has the rounded teeth that make it easier to use a steep angle if you want to do that. The Fatip is a bit more aggressive than the old type too.

The Merkur replica of the Gillette old type has the thick cap design of the 1920's. That version is a milder shaver than the earlier old types that had the thin cap.

 

[Frank Shaves]

I bought an OC 1904 when I first started using a DE almost three years ago. I was underwhelmed. I have still not tried a Fatip, but I can strongly recommend the Game Changer .68 OC.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[gamestorming]

I purchased a 1904 OC, will be delivered today. I will compare it to the other similar or apparently similar heads I have (yaqi and fatip) and report here.

 

[gamestorming]

I'll use the next few shaves to compare a little bit the Yaqi "15c clone" head with the original Merkur one. My feeling is that the Yaqi is more "aggressive", it's still on the mild side but the Merkur is more comfortable. The Yaqi one IMHO sits in the middle between the Fatip and the Merkur.

Today I used the Merkur head on the Yaqi handle, to check if the handle (different weight/balance) was responsible for my different perception.

The Merkur head on the Yaqi handle felt as mild and smooth as usual, tomorrow I'll use the Yaqi head on the hexagonal merkur handle.