Rolling the Bones

[4and20blackbirds]

Total of 14 days between the two Timeless baseplates: 7 on the .68 gap and 9 on the .95 (a couple of the shaves were head-to-head on the same night). There is no doubt that Timeless makes a quality product: solid and heavy and very well designed. I particularly like the way the wash-out ports ensure that there is zero lather left when you rinse. The handle is amazingly grippy, too. Of the two, I got more consistently comfortable shaves with the .95, which I find interesting as between the two Mambas, I preferred the .53 gap. Go figure and yet more proof that YMMV and even your own mileage may vary. Keeps things interesting for sure. Even though I liked the .95, I ultimately decided that I didn't really care for the weight of it. This is a seriously heavy razor and I had to concentrate every time to keep the pressure off. I have a feeling that a titanium version would be just about perfect and will put that on the try list, but I'm in no rush. The set will probably leave the den at some point, but I'm going to hold onto it for comparison for now--however, I'll only keep the .95 in the running since that is my preference between the two and next time I'll use a different handle. Overall, the .68 baseplate gets a 7 on comfort and a 5 on efficiency; the .95 gets an 8 on comfort and a 6 on efficiency.

And here's how things fall out now. I'll fill in the missing numbers as those razors roll up in the future.

	Rank	Razor	Comfort	Efficiency
Tier 1 - Keepers	1	Gillette Slim
	2	Schick Type L1	10	5
	3	Parker Semi-slant
	4	Yaqi Beast
	5	Gem Junior	8	6
Tier 2 - In Consideration	6	iKon X3	8	6
	7	Timeless .95	8	6
	8	RazoRock Mamba	8	4
	9	Parker 24C	7	6
	10	Merkur 34C HD	8	6
	11	Gem MMOC	5	6
Tier 3 - Not for me	12	Timeless .68	7	5
	13	RazoRock Mamba 70	5	3
	14	Wilkinson Sword TTO
	15	Mühle R89 Grande	3	3

 

[4and20blackbirds]

Next razor is...

The FaTip Lo Storto, aka the FaTip Open Comb Slant or FOCS.

This will be my first experience with FaTip. The razor looks to be fairly well put together, with the exception of one corner that doesn't fully make contact with the baseplate:

And compared to the other side:

Whether that still happens once a blade is in and the handle tightened I don't yet know. I also don't know if it will make one whit of difference. But I'll find out.

 

[Rosseforp]

Next razor is...

View attachment 1248455

The FaTip Lo Storto, aka the FaTip Open Comb Slant or FOCS.

This will be my first experience with FaTip. The razor looks to be fairly well put together, with the exception of one corner that doesn't fully make contact with the baseplate:

View attachment 1248458

And compared to the other side:

View attachment 1248459

Whether that still happens once a blade is in and the handle tightened I don't yet know. I also don't know if it will make one whit of difference. But I'll find out.

Ah, the famous Fatip quality control issue. I have nine Fatip razors and only one that is basically unusable. 1 outa 9 ain't bad!!!!!
My first FOCS is on the left, my second FOCS on the right. My second FOCS contacts the baseplate on all four corners but I still don't like the way it shaves.
You can see the gap on the FOCS on the left.

The same two razors flipped. No gap on the other side of both razors.

 

[4and20blackbirds]

Ah, the famous Fatip quality control issue. I have nine Fatip razors and only one that is basically unusable. 1 outa 9 ain't bad!!!!!
My first FOCS is on the left, my second FOCS on the right. My second FOCS contacts the baseplate on all four corners but I still don't like the way it shaves.
You can see the gap on the FOCS on the left.
View attachment 1248475
The same two razors flipped. No gap on the other side of both razors.View attachment 1248476

@Rosseforp, that’s definitely not a bad ratio for Fatip from what I’ve read! I find it interesting that you prefer the one with the gap to the one without. Other than the corner, mine seems to have no gap across, but I’ll check again. The guy I bought mine from didn’t like the way it shaved either. I didn’t really notice any difference from one side to the other last night.

 

[4and20blackbirds]

Thursday shave

Prep: Neutrogena Razor Defense face scrub
Soap: Eufros Tierra Humeda
Brush: Simpson Astor A1 in Best
Razor: Fatip Lo Storto, #1
Blade: Astra SP, #1
Post: alum -> Suavecito Bay Rum aftershave

First use of the FOCS tonight, or of any Fatip, for that matter. The shave didn't result in the choirs of angels singing that I expected (hoped) from the reviews, but it was pretty good for a first shave. Two passes and touch-ups for DFS with a small patch of CCS and some feedback from the alum. After two weeks with the Timeless, the FOCS felt unusually light and the short handle took some getting used to. I look forward to to seeing how this one develops.

That bit of "fatippery" (as I've seen the Fatip QC issues called) with the cap not clamping the outer edge of the baseplate didn't seem to make a difference--or not one perceptible to me anyway.

 

[Rosseforp]

I find it interesting that you prefer the one with the gap to the one without.

Actually my first FOCS, the one with the gap was a Dr Jekyll/Mr Hyde Special. It was like a caged animal wanting to bite without warning. My second FOCS just felt like it was pulling the hairs out.

 

[4and20blackbirds]

Friday shave

Prep: Neutrogena Razor Defense face scrub
Soap: Dr. Jon's Savannah Sunrise
Brush: La Maison du Barbier synth
Razor: Fatip Lo Storto, #2
Blade: Astra SP, #2 and binned
Post: alum -> hyaluronic acid -> DJ's Savannah Sunrise aftershave

Two-passes for DFS on my face and CCS on my neck, except minus the middle C as there was nothing particularly comfortable about it. Significant feedback from the alum.

My usual standby Astra SP does not seem to be working very well with this razor, so I'm going to try the Kai tomorrow.

 

[4and20blackbirds]

Saturday shave

Prep: Noxzema
Soap: Southern Witchcrafts Lycanthropy
Brush: Simpson Astor A1 in Best
Razor: Fatip Lo Storto, #3
Blade: Kai Stainless, #3 and binned
Post: alum -> hyaluronic acid -> Dickinson's Witch Hazel and Florida Water mixed in hand and splashed on

Two-passes for DFS everywhere but a small patch on my Adam's Apple which was CCS. Less feedback from the alum tonight, but once again this was not a comfortable shave and my face is still feeling raw, albeit mostly smooth.

Instead of rolling a blade tomorrow I'm going to try a Durablade Sharp 7 am since it was the best I tried in my prior open comb, the Parker 24C.

 

[4and20blackbirds]

Sunday shave

Prep: Noxzema
Soap: Cella
Brush: Vie Long Silvertip
Razor: Fatip Lo Storto, #4
Blade: Durablade Sharp 7 am Plus Super Platinum, #1
Post: alum -> hyaluronic acid -> Mickey Lee Reunion aftershave

Two-passes + neck touch-ups for mostly DFS everywhere with a very small patch of CCS on my lower neck. The Durasharp, as it did with the Parker 24C, definitely improved the open comb experience, but it was still an overall uncomfortable shave with definite feedback.

 

[4and20blackbirds]

Monday shave

Prep: Noxzema
Soap: Stirling Margaritas in the Arctic
Brush: Simpson Astor A1 in Best
Razor: Fatip Lo Storto, #5
Blade: Durablade Sharp 7 am Plus Super Platinum, #2
Post: alum -> hyaluronic acid -> Stirling MITA splash

Two-passes only resulting in DFS on my face and a mix of CCS and SAS on my neck. A little less feedback tonight, but still not a comfortable shave. The MITA was a highlight, as was the Astor.

Going to try it steep tomorrow--don't know if it will work, but certainly can't be much worse.

 

[4and20blackbirds]

Tuesday shave

Prep: Noxzema
Soap: Noble Otter Thé Noir et Vanille
Brush: Epsilon horse
Razor: Fatip Lo Storto, #6
Blade: Durablade Sharp 7 am Plus Super Platinum, #3
Post: alum -> hyaluronic acid -> NO Thé Noir et Vanille splash

Two-passes only resulting in mostly DFS with a mix of CCS/SAS across the lower part of my neck. A little less feedback than previous shaves, and far less discomfort. A definite overall improvement by taking it steep tonight.

If I hadn’t seen any improvement I was going to call it quits with this shave. As it is, I’ll keep on trying it, but only steep.

 

[4and20blackbirds]

Wednesday shave

Prep: Neutrogena Razor Defense face scrub
Soap: Murphy & McNeil Gael Luc
Brush: Simpson Astor A1 in Best
Razor: Fatip Lo Storto, #7
Blade: Durablade Sharp 7 am Plus Super Platinum, #4 and banked
Post: alum -> hyaluronic acid -> Murphy & McNeil Gael Luc aftershave

Two-passes with a neck touch up for DFS face and CCS neck. A little more uncomfortable that last night, but that may be attributable to the number of shaves on the blade.

 

[4and20blackbirds]

Thursday shave

Prep: Cleansing Story White Clay foam
Soap: Proraso green
Brush: Sanax badger-cased boar
Razor: Fatip Lo Storto, #8
Blade: Gillette Sputnik, #1
Post: hyaluronic acid -> Dapper Dragon Ice Wyrm Scale Polish

Two-passes for DFS face and CCS neck. First try with the Sputnik and no complaints, though to be honest I find it harder to rate the fine points of a blade when shaving steep. A relatively comfortable shave, overall. The Ice Wyrm was a real treat--smells great, feels cool.

 

[4and20blackbirds]

Friday shave

Prep: PAA Ice Cube 2.0
Soap: Turtleship Te Java
Brush: Simpson PJ2 in Super
Razor: Fatip Lo Storto, #9
Blade: Gillette Sputnik, #2
Post: alum -> hyaluronic acid -> Pinaud Clubman Classic Vanilla

Two-passes for DFS face and CCS neck with one small weeper. Some feedback from the alum and just a generally uncomfortable shave.

And that's gonna do it for the FOCS. I've had enough. Rolling a new razor tomorrow.

 

[4and20blackbirds]

Total of 9 shaves with the FOCS and I'm done. The razor itself feels nice in the hand, has a great weight, and looks good, too, but I just couldn't really get a comfortable shave with it. For me, it was definitely better steep, but even that proved to be mediocre at best and still didn't really make for a comfortable shave. I had high hopes for this one, but it is not for me and is definitely heading out of the den. I know guys have gotten great shaves with this and I hope it will do the same for the next owner. Overall, I rate the FOCS at a 3 on comfort and a 4 on efficiency. Rank-wise, I'm putting it just above the R89 at the bottom of the barrel.

Note: I'll fill in the missing numbers as those razors roll up in the future.

	Rank	Razor	Comfort	Efficiency
Tier 1 - Keepers	1	Gillette Slim
	2	Schick Type L1	10	5
	3	Parker Semi-slant
	4	Yaqi Beast
	5	Gem Junior	8	6
Tier 2 - In Consideration	6	iKon X3	8	6
	7	Timeless .95	8	6
	8	RazoRock Mamba	8	4
	9	Parker 24C	7	6
	10	Merkur 34C HD	8	6
	11	Gem MMOC	5	6
Tier 3 - Not for me	12	Timeless .68	7	5
	13	RazoRock Mamba 70	5	3
	14	Wilkinson Sword TTO
	15	Fatip Open Comb Slant	3	4
	16	Mühle R89 Grande	3	3

 

[4and20blackbirds]

Next razor...

A 1946-50 Gillette fat handle Gold Tech. Been looking forward to trying a Tech!

Rolling dice has been interesting from a probabilities standpoint. There very well may be some imbalance to the dice themselves because they are not precision-type, but I do use a dice cup and shake thoroughly so it probably all evens out in the end. The Astor has been on a tear recently, coming up over and over. I'm down to 16 brushes and don't have a d16, so I was using a d20 and re-rolling for 17-20, but lately I've been using an online dice roller. It hasn't mattered from a probability standpoint, because I keep hitting 12 for the Astor. Good thing I love it! And the d4 for the razors also seems to hit 4 an inordinate amount of times, but I also don't roll for razors very often.

 

[4and20blackbirds]

Saturday shave

Prep: Curology Cleanser
Cream: ToBS Royal Forest
Brush: Simpson Astor A1 in Best
Razor: Gillette fat handle Tech, #1
Blade: Astra SP, #1
Post: alum -> hyaluronic acid -> Clubman Reserve Gent's Gin

First use of the Tech so a basic two-passes only for this baseline shave. DFS face and mostly CCS neck with a patch of SAS at either side of my Adam's apple. A most comfortable shave, confirmed by zero feedback from the alum.

It was nice to have a comfortable shave after my time with the FOCS!

 

[Rosseforp]

Total of 9 shaves with the FOCS and I'm done. The razor itself feels nice in the hand, has a great weight, and looks good, too, but I just couldn't really get a comfortable shave with it. For me, it was definitely better steep, but even that proved to be mediocre at best and still didn't really make for a comfortable shave.

That is about how I feel about my FOCS, although I will keep it around as it is my only slant. Always feels like it wants to pull the hair out.

 

[4and20blackbirds]

That is about how I feel about my FOCS, although I will keep it around as it is my only slant. Always feels like it wants to pull the hair out.

Have you tried any other slants, yet? So far, I've preferred both the Parker Semi-slant and the iKon X3 to the FOCS.

 

[Rosseforp]

The FOCS is the only slant that I have tried, so far. If I get another slant it will probably be a Merkur 37C, if only to go along with my Merkur 15C. Right now I am getting surprisingly good shaves from my Razorock DE1 for the AFFCC.