Thought I'd randomly post my impressions of the 7 open comb razors I've tried out over the past few months (in order of least to most aggressive based on an amalgamation of my personal experience and what other people have said that I remember).
Backstory - I tried Gillette New long combs after reading numerous threads where almost everyone and their grandmother talked about how wonderful they were. At the time I was trying out different razors and simply not getting things to work well. That plus a photo of a highly polished/deplated New from Chadao was all it took. I have since become a member of BOTOC (Brotherhood of the Open Comb) and GNU (something New Uber-somethingorother - sorry, DrAwkward!). I'm sure someone else remembers what GNU stands for and will correct me.
For aggressive/mild, I will try to break this down into -
1) Effectiveness - how good a razor is at shaving stubble off, both per pass and how close it ultimately gets, accounting for sloppy technique
2) Forgiving - how likely a razor is to nick/create weepers/irritate with sloppy technique
I think Turtle commented on the "absurdity" of aggressive vs mild, as both types of razors can give you a close, irritation free shave. Using that as a base, aggressive razors are more effective and less forgiving with sloppy technique, and mild razors are less effective and more forgiving of sloppy technique.
Merkur 1904 open comb and similar - these are where the blade sits right on the comb. I personally found mine to be ineffective (some pple swear by them) and quite irritating. I hate mine and it's a toy for my daughter.
Gillette Goodwill (studs through the top cap, ? #162 as it has that style of engraving on the top cap) - effective although maybe a little less than the others below unless I get the angle right. The blade lies very close to the comb but I find that it's a totally different experience than the 1904 Merkur. On a lateral view I can't even see the blade edge as it's so close to the comb and the view is obscured by the corners. Very forgiving for me - no irritation/nicks/cuts, and that was with 30+ passes on my scalp last night at high speed. A relatively qide circular depression in the base plate means that many different handles work, which I like as well. Plus, it looks cool.
British New/7 O' Clock New long comb - effective and quite forgiving. A very nice shave. The flat baseplate allowing for any handle with the right threading is a bonus in my book.
Gillette New short comb - I find this as effective as any razor I've used, and forgiving (perhaps not quite as much as the British, but shaves more closely with a wider angle range than the British for me).
Gillette New long comb - as effective as the short comb, very slightly less forgiving than the short comb for me. There's a thread with side shots of blade exposure and I keep thinking back to the New long comb edge going past the cap/guard tangent while the short comb simply touched it at the end. I feel the blade edge more here, which isn't good or bad - simply a feel thing.
Pearl/Cadet/Matador/Sabi/Maggard/RazoRock head (made in India and marketed under various names) - tried tonight, wasn't quite as effective as my British New while feeling less forgiving and a more pronounced blade edge. Not a bad razor by any means, but I prefer my News.
Muhle R41 2013 - as effective as any of my News, less forgiving than any of them. I loved this until I tried the News, and it now sits on a shelf looking pretty.
Since I'm probably never going to spring the > $100 for a Joris or an Ikon, and don't really feel like continuing on the "try a new open comb" treadmill, I think I'm done with razors.
For a beginner, I think I'd recommend a Goodwill as above (or a different New, especially a British one) as I find these to be the most forgiving while still giving a nice close shave.
Backstory - I tried Gillette New long combs after reading numerous threads where almost everyone and their grandmother talked about how wonderful they were. At the time I was trying out different razors and simply not getting things to work well. That plus a photo of a highly polished/deplated New from Chadao was all it took. I have since become a member of BOTOC (Brotherhood of the Open Comb) and GNU (something New Uber-somethingorother - sorry, DrAwkward!). I'm sure someone else remembers what GNU stands for and will correct me.
For aggressive/mild, I will try to break this down into -
1) Effectiveness - how good a razor is at shaving stubble off, both per pass and how close it ultimately gets, accounting for sloppy technique
2) Forgiving - how likely a razor is to nick/create weepers/irritate with sloppy technique
I think Turtle commented on the "absurdity" of aggressive vs mild, as both types of razors can give you a close, irritation free shave. Using that as a base, aggressive razors are more effective and less forgiving with sloppy technique, and mild razors are less effective and more forgiving of sloppy technique.
Merkur 1904 open comb and similar - these are where the blade sits right on the comb. I personally found mine to be ineffective (some pple swear by them) and quite irritating. I hate mine and it's a toy for my daughter.
Gillette Goodwill (studs through the top cap, ? #162 as it has that style of engraving on the top cap) - effective although maybe a little less than the others below unless I get the angle right. The blade lies very close to the comb but I find that it's a totally different experience than the 1904 Merkur. On a lateral view I can't even see the blade edge as it's so close to the comb and the view is obscured by the corners. Very forgiving for me - no irritation/nicks/cuts, and that was with 30+ passes on my scalp last night at high speed. A relatively qide circular depression in the base plate means that many different handles work, which I like as well. Plus, it looks cool.
British New/7 O' Clock New long comb - effective and quite forgiving. A very nice shave. The flat baseplate allowing for any handle with the right threading is a bonus in my book.
Gillette New short comb - I find this as effective as any razor I've used, and forgiving (perhaps not quite as much as the British, but shaves more closely with a wider angle range than the British for me).
Gillette New long comb - as effective as the short comb, very slightly less forgiving than the short comb for me. There's a thread with side shots of blade exposure and I keep thinking back to the New long comb edge going past the cap/guard tangent while the short comb simply touched it at the end. I feel the blade edge more here, which isn't good or bad - simply a feel thing.
Pearl/Cadet/Matador/Sabi/Maggard/RazoRock head (made in India and marketed under various names) - tried tonight, wasn't quite as effective as my British New while feeling less forgiving and a more pronounced blade edge. Not a bad razor by any means, but I prefer my News.
Muhle R41 2013 - as effective as any of my News, less forgiving than any of them. I loved this until I tried the News, and it now sits on a shelf looking pretty.
Since I'm probably never going to spring the > $100 for a Joris or an Ikon, and don't really feel like continuing on the "try a new open comb" treadmill, I think I'm done with razors.
For a beginner, I think I'd recommend a Goodwill as above (or a different New, especially a British one) as I find these to be the most forgiving while still giving a nice close shave.
and three days participating in the B&B Road Show Grand Gonfalon Cobra Test. 
The Cobra is one of the best razors I've ever used, but I'm more dialed in to DEs. So I love my iKon. 
). Have you been tempted by the Fatip?
