This Beautiful Thing

[Esox]

This is Jim's Rose Gold R41.

 

[Parallax]

This is Jim's Rose Gold R41.

Perty! But an attractive *** handle is still a *** handle.

 

[Capisco Capisce]

And this random one from the net (non-vendor), does a pretty good job showing its quality:

 

[Parallax]

Much less embrace!

-- Go not softly into that good night . . .

 

[Capisco Capisce]

Perty! But an attractive *** handle is still a *** handle.

Well, unless we can give it some weight. Which seems to be its only substantive missing quality. All in my humble opinion, of course!

 

[Esox]

But an attractive *** handle is still a *** handle.

I dont mind the R41 handle, but I havent had one in my fingers...

And this random one from the net (non-vendor), does a pretty good job showing its quality:

Perfect! Now he can have the matching brush too! lol

 

[Capisco Capisce]

Speaking of "nite", I'm outta' here. Have a good one, guys!

 

[Parallax]

Fare thee well!

 

[Capisco Capisce]

Perfect! Now he can have the matching brush too! lol

And we'll get him weight that damn thing, too!

 

[Esox]

Speaking of "nite", I'm outta' here. Have a good one, guys!

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

To me the R41 is theoretically wrong. It's not got deep knurling. It's too light.

In practice the R41 handle is perfect. It's not slippery. It's easy to grip and use.

It improves every razor I've tried it on. Not that I've tried it on many; mostly I've used it on iKon razors and the R41 head both of which are much improved by the handle. Most handles, including iKon handles, are too heavy for these heads.

Just me of course.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[jmudrick]

I added tungsten putty to my New Short Comb and Long Comb as these are simply ridiculously head heavy. It never occurred to me to stuff the Fatips as they balance well and don't need any more juice to get the job done for me. Well maybe the Gentile would benefit a little.

 

[Raven Koenes]

Head and handle are both Brass, on all models as far as I know, but @Raven Koenes is the Fatip expert.

Yes, all the handles are brass on Fatips. Even the Fatip wood series and the new resin handle Fatip Nobile all have solid brass rods as cores.

All handles on any of the less expensive cheap to mid-range production razors are brass. Zamak is never used for the handle on any razor. There are stainless, aluminium, bronze, titanium, and bakelite razors, and there are after market handles made of those materials that you can buy individually of course.

 

[Raven Koenes]

Took the Fatip out for a turn today, together with the 2011 R41. Kept the Ikon Tech in reserve to bat cleanup, which seems to have become its function. Must say that there's a lot to like about the Fatip. For starters, just look at it!
View attachment 924425
The thing's frickin' gorgeous. Considering the price point and the brass build, it's pretty amazing. No problems with finish on this little beauty and no problems with blade slippage -- the main bugaboos guys report with the Fatip. In fact, the cap gets as tight as any other razor as far as I can tell.

In terms of shave quality, I get why many men love it. This V1 head has huge blade exposure, offering a close shave, while at the same time offering comfort. There's some blade chatter but I like that. Hard to hear it in the shower but for those who shave at the sink, it will be obvious.

I'm a bit unusual in that I like a lot of blade feel. This razor came up a bit short for me in that regard but I think most guys would consider this a plus. Its comfort surpasses any of the other close razors I've tried so far, including the Fendrihan Mark-I which I consider a great value razor. In a way the two are similar but the Fendrihan comes up a bit short when I consider it for my rotation (not quite close enough or engaging, too comfortable), whereas the Fatip has other qualities that make it more interesting (such as its beauty but also the fact that it is more engaging than the Fendrihan, though not by a lot).

I was able to get a great shave with it. Required some touch up and polishing effort but at the end of the day it stood toe-to-toe with the 2011 R41 and then some. It's a bit lighter than is my preference though I could swap the handle. On the other hand, looks would take a big hit. Still, it's doable. Though the threads are not standard, a bit of Teflon tape would take care of that. Perhaps with the right handle.

The R41 has the extra feedback I like. Can really feel the blade running across the skin. Very close shave on the flats but has trouble getting into curves and recesses. At the end of the day, I like these razors about the same, albeit in different ways. There's a good chance both will be in my final rotation.

Having said that, there's a reason the Ikon Tech has been my reserve razor in every test. Although it would become monotonous to shave with just the Tech every day, I've become addicted to the incredibly close shave it offers combined with the incredible, gripping seat-of-the-pants feedback it offers. With the Tech, I don't have to think at all. It tells me how to hold the razor, what angle is best, how much pressure to apply (almost none). Thus, it bats cleanup -- which is exactly what it did today. After working the Fatip to get as good a shave as possible (which required not all that much effort and produced a very nice result) and the R41 on the other side (which required significantly more effort -- which I find odd given that the head dimensions of the R41 and the Fatip are similar), I brought in the Tech to mow down every remaining bit of stubble with ease.

I can see why many guys think the Tech is harsh. To me, it's about as close to perfect as anything in this world can be. With each new test, I come to appreciate it more and more because nothing can match it. Some come close in shave result but in terms of feedback and intuitive ease of use, nothing so far can hold its jock.

Now I've not yet tried the two razors pbrmhl considers his best and that he ranks ahead of the Tech. Those are the PAA DOC Evo in stainless and the Charcoal Goods Level 3 open comb. He considers the CGL3 best of the bunch.

When all is said and done (in other words, when I've had a turn with each), I may or may not agree. He and I have already discovered that I like long handles and he likes short ones. Everyone's preferences are different. It's hard to imagine anything better than the Tech (for me) but then I used that Futur for over six years due to a lack of information and imagination. Wouldn't want to make that mistake again. Nor would I want to forgo a rotation.

If things were to end where they are right now, I'd probably have a rotation of four as follows:

1. Ikon Tech
2. 2011 R41
3. Fatip Grande
4. MMOC (which might give way every now and again for the 1914 Ever-Ready)

But the Tech would be there every day to serve as my superstar closer, my Mariana Rivera if you will.

Would be super happy, however, if other razors matched or surpassed it, in which case perhaps one or more of the others might be demoted to bench service (or get placed on waivers) and the Tech might earn a day off from time to time.

Hey, thanks for reading. Happy shaving!
View attachment 924430

This is a great write up. I do think Fatips are fricken' gorgeous contrary to the opinion in some circles. I'm glad you are liking your new Mk1!

 

[Esox]

I added tungsten putty to my New Short Comb and Long Comb as these are simply ridiculously head heavy.

Yeah they are. I didnt really notice that until I became use to my Grande. When I switched back to my SC with the common bar handle I was really surprised just how poorly balanced it was. The common bar handle should be solid.

 

[Parallax]

This is a great write up. I do think Fatips are fricken' gorgeous contrary to the opinion in some circles. I'm glad you are liking your new Mk1!

Thanks RK.

 

[Cal]

HEAVY HANDLES ARE CRAP. IMO

I vividly remember moving back to "normal" DEs in February 2017 after a solid four weeks with the 16g PBOCS (not 18g as published on the PAA website). My technique had improved exponentially thanks to that super lightweight baby (16.5g loaded).

After much experimentation I now have my "perfect" custom handles. They are made of resin with nickel plated brass inserts threaded at M4.5 x 0.75mm (the Fatip thread) and weigh 15g. Strangely enough they fit every razor I have barring the iKon Tech, for which I use a Phoenix aluminum Bomb Tip handle weighing in at 22g.

If the whole razor is light, like the PBOCS, that's fine for me. If the head's heavy I now much prefer a lighter (and shorter) handle. Why? I'm a control freak!

Give me a light and short handle (sports model) for ease of use and great maneuverability, rather than a heavy and long handle (stretch limo), any day. My "acid test" for any handle is that I don't notice it while I'm using it.

Here's my PBOCS along with my Fatip OC and RazoRock GC84 (both with custom handles):

Could it be that my mileage ALWAYS varies?

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

HEAVY HANDLES ARE CRAP.

 

[Parallax]

HEAVY HANDLES ARE CRAP. IMO

I vividly remember moving back to "normal" DEs in February 2017 after a solid four weeks with the 16g PBOCS (not 18g as published on the PAA website). My technique had improved exponentially thanks to that super lightweight baby (16.5g loaded).

After much experimentation I now have my "perfect" custom handles. They are made of resin with nickel plated brass inserts threaded at M4.5 x 0.75mm (the Fatip thread) and weigh 15g. Strangely enough they fit every razor I have barring the iKon Tech, for which I use a Phoenix aluminum Bomb Tip handle weighing in at 22g.

If the whole razor is light, like the PBOCS, that's fine for me. If the head's heavy I now much prefer a lighter (and shorter) handle. Why? I'm a control freak!

Give me a light and short handle (sports model) for ease of use and great maneuverability, rather than a heavy and long handle (stretch limo), any day. My "acid test" for any handle is that I don't notice it while I'm using it.

Here's my PBOCS along with my Fatip OC and RazoRock GC84 (both with custom handles):
View attachment 924994

Could it be that my mileage ALWAYS varies?

Very cool, Cal. I wouldn't have conceptualized heavy handles as being similar to limousines but that's what makes this hobby so fascinating. We're all so odd, each in our own way, which is true throughout life, but here we're mostly harmless. Or at least if we harm anything, it's just our own face.

 

[Cal]

Very cool, Cal. I wouldn't have conceptualized heavy handles as being similar to limousines but that's what makes this hobby so fascinating. We're all so odd, each in our own way, which is true throughout life, but here we're mostly harmless. Or at least if we harm anything, it's just our own face.

Ah, the blessings of B&B membership.