One razor doubles life of blades….Why?

[Frito Ray]

I’ve been DE shaving for about ten years now and have a total of five DE razors.

Last year I purchased a Fatip Piccolo open comb slant. With this razor I can get at least 8-10 comfortable shaves before the comfort level drops enough to change blades.

With my four other razors (Feather Popular, Baili Tech clone, RazoRock open comb Old style, King C. Gillette) I get at most 4 good shaves before the comfort drops enough to change blades.


I need you razor gurus to help me figure out why.

Two biggest differences:​

1. Fatip is the only slant
2. Fatip is the only one that prefers a steep angle while shaving

Things that can’t be a factor:​

1. can’t be handle length…Baili is short too
2. can’t be OC vs CC…the Old is OC too
3. can’t be clamping rigidity…all but the Popular are three piece razors

Is there a criteria I’m missing that could help explain the difference in comfort an blade life?

I would like to figure this out before my next razor purchase.

To tell you the truth, I‘m hoping to get at least the same comfort and blade life from a non-slant …it’s tough shaving under the nose and I still accidentally give myself StarTrek sideburns when not paying attention

 

[Blackland Razors]

Hard to say exactly, but the Fatip is the most efficient razor of that group. So even as your blade wears down, there’s still enough efficiency left to get the job done. With a mild razor, as the blade wears you lose efficiency.

 

[desertcat]

Fatip is the only slant

Slants torque the blade, increasing blade rigidity. Between the increased effectiveness of the "slicing" cut and a more rigid cutting edge, perhaps your duller blade continues to work more effectively. I would suppose the other razors rely on the blade's sharpness more.

Of the others in your collection, I think the RR OC/Old Type probably has the most blade support. Would be interesting (but a lengthy and annoying experiment) to compare the shaves across the group--I hypothesize you'd find blades in the RR OC last slightly longer than the others.

 

[@ngel]

The “slicing” effect of slants is definitely a factor, it also depends on blade exposure and rigidity.

OC razors don't rely too much on exposure since the comb lets the blade basically touch the skin almost directly so the razor hugs the blade tighter, therefore the is not much “chatter” from the blade.

Razors with higher exposure tend to let the blade vibrate more so the bevel of the blade tends to crack faster.

 

[Dog Whiskerer]

I usually ring about 12-20 shaves out of a blade in just about any razor. When I am engaged in blade longevity experiments, like I am not with the One-Blade-in-February Challenge, I usually climb the ladder of aggression as the blade matures. I can start shave 1 with a Blue-Tip Flare Tip and wrap up shave 50 in a Merkur Futur set to 6.

 

[Frito Ray]

Thanks for the replies guys.

So increased efficiency/agression leads to longer blade life. Since all of my initial razors are considered mild, I never made the link. I’ll try a shim in the RR and see how things go.

Would be interesting (but a lengthy and annoying experiment) to compare the shaves across the group--I hypothesize you'd find blades in the RR OC last slightly longer than the others.

I did do that; of the initial bunch the RR was my favorite performance-wise but it didn‘t translate to longer blade life. For my first few Fatip shave I used the same shallow angle that I employed with my other razors, the result was very close but uncomfortable shave with razor burn. Luckily it happened at roughly the same time there was a lot of talk on this site about using a steep razor angle. I tried it and got a super close and comfortable shave. Went back and tried a steep angle with the other razors and it didn’t work out, they are cap-riders.

 

[desertcat]

a lot of talk on this site about using a steep razor angle

Generally I have read that positive blade exposure translates better to shallow angle shaves (cap riding) but maybe your conditions are different. Theoretically the Tech clone should tolerate/improve with neutral-to-steep angle. Speaking of the experiment, I was referring specifically to blade life; I was suggesting that the RR might eek out a few better shaves due to blade clamping than your milder razors, but not more than the slant.

increased efficiency/agression leads to longer blade life

Not necessarily the experience I've heard from others--if they start a marathon blade on an aggressive non-slant razor, it withers at a similar speed. But starting mild and increasing the aggressiveness by switching razors can prolong the blade's usefulness.

 

[Chandu]

I could be the slant, the design of the Fatip or both. I think the only way to tell on that would be to get a regular Fatip and see if blades lasted longer in that as well.

"Fatip is the only one that prefers a steep angle while shaving"

Describe steep to me, because I think you mean what I call shallow. Is the handle pointed a the floor or the wall?

 

[Frito Ray]

Generally I have read that positive blade exposure translates better to shallow angle shaves (cap riding) but maybe your conditions are different. Theoretically the Tech clone should tolerate/improve with neutral-to-steep angle. Speaking of the experiment, I was referring specifically to blade life; I was suggesting that the RR might eek out a few better shaves due to blade clamping than your milder razors, but not more than the slant.

There were differences between the initial group of razors, but I didn’t document them. They tended to be a lot more similar to one another in terms of blade life and shave angle than the Fatip. Apples and oranges.

Not necessarily the experience I've heard from others--if they start a marathon blade on an aggressive non-slant razor, it withers at a similar speed. But starting mild and increasing the aggressiveness by switching razors can prolong the blade's usefulness.

I’ll keep that in mind when I do my shim test.

I could be the slant, the design of the Fatip or both. I think the only way to tell on that would be to get a regular Fatip and see if blades lasted longer in that as well.

I want to research the subject a bit more before buying another razor. I might be getting my hands on my grandfather’s old razors soon. According to my aunt, some of the razors have ‘teeth’ . They might be able to shed light on the subject.

"Fatip is the only one that prefers a steep angle while shaving"

Describe steep to me, because I think you mean what I call shallow. Is the handle pointed a the floor or the wall?

shallow angle… ‘riding the cap’…place top cap of razor on skin, move handle downwards until it stars cutting…so handle would be more horizontal than the other position so pointing more to the wall

steep angle… heard a few people call it ‘riding the comb’ ...handle is much more vertical thus more pointing to the floor

 

[Chandu]

shallow angle… ‘riding the cap’…place top cap of razor on skin, move handle downwards until it stars cutting…so handle would be more horizontal than the other position so pointing more to the wall

steep angle… heard a few people call it ‘riding the comb’ ...handle is much more vertical thus more pointing to the floor

We agree on steep vs shallow, I just had not heard many name Fatip's as steep angle razors that's why I wanted to hear your take.

 

[Cal]

Describe steep to me, because I think you mean what I call shallow. Is the handle pointed a the floor or the wall?

shallow angle… ‘riding the cap’…place top cap of razor on skin, move handle downwards until it stars cutting…so handle would be more horizontal than the other position so pointing more to the wall

steep angle… heard a few people call it ‘riding the comb’ ...handle is much more vertical thus more pointing to the floor

Here's a helpful illustration from the B&B ShaveWIKI :

 

[Frito Ray]

Thanks Cal, really informative picture,hadn’t seen that one yet.

 

[JPO]

Maybe you are able to control the angle better with this razor then with some of your others.
If I use a half de blade in a shavette I usually get more use out of one blade. I have better control over the blade angle.
In my opinion, rigid blade support reduces blade life span. More energy needs to be obsorbed at the edge. It is like driving a car with a fixed suspension.

 

[BobbyB]

To all, thanks for sharing the above item(s)! IMHO some razor models and blade brands just seem to be made for each other. My King C Gillette and Bic Chrome platinum blades are giving me excellent results.

 

[nemo]

OP @Frito Ray should, as an experiment, take what he considers a used up blade from one of his other razors and try it in the slant.

I've mentioned this before that I discovered years ago, when I put what I thought was a used up blade into one of my vintage 37 slants, torqued it up and it felt like new, no pulling or roughness.

 

[Guido75]

I think in part it is indeed the clamping ability of the Fatip and the blade support that make it shine / be more effective. Combined with a steep angle it punches way above its weight. I have been able to get a KCG blade to 30 shaves using my Piccolo (no FOCS). The guillotine stroke the FOCS invokes by design adds to the longevity of the blade, because the angle of attack on your whiskers is different compared to a regular razor. Thus the wear on the blade is less.

At least that’s my 2ct. What works for you may be different.

Cheers,

Guido