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Tips for shaving with an open comb DE razor?

I was interested in the OCtober thread in the Double Edge Razor forum. (They're an incredibly enthusiastic bunch!) I've shaved with OC razors before but have always been leery of them. Well, I shaved yesterday with a Gillette New Improved open comb razor and was expecting a worse shave and more nicks and little bumps on my chin getting cut and none of that happened, and I got a fabulously close shave. It kind of felt like shaving with a straight edge (or what I imagine what that would be like anyway since I've never shaved with a straight edge). So much blade feel. I shaved carefully but it didn't feel dangerous. And just one pass got me the great shave. (A lot of nicks for me come from closed comb DEs not shaving close enough on the first pass and the resulting buffing causes the nicks.)

So I'm not quite a converted OC believer but I'm open to it. Got any tips to help me down the OC road?
 
I have very little experience with open combs but have recently acquired an Old Type SC that was a mess (needed a toothpick in the handle to secure the head. That shave was unpleasant and I sent the razor off to BRG for a restore. At the same time, I bought from Chris, a restored NEW LC. Both shave very nicely but I go a little slower overall and am more careful going around corners. Doing so gives me shaves that are equivalent of my best closed comb razors. I absolutely love using the old Gillettes (new stuff doesn't hold much interest to me). The Old Type seems to have more blade exposure than the NEW and my more modern Gillettes but doesn't really change anything other than me paying closer attention vs. most of my razors where I'm pretty much on autopilot when using them.
 

lasta

Blade Biter
I think @Dovo1695 once posted an illustration of open comb surface area effects, can't for the life of me find the thread!

But short version is for the same geometry, an open comb provides less "skin stretching" and thus more effective blade exposure. I find the NI a very intuitive razor to use and no different to any other medium-high efficiency razors. Play around, find the optimal angle and watch your pressure.

If you want slightly milder feel, pinch the blade against the top cap and tighten down well. With a less than full screw-down the blades in the NI tends to scoot out a bit resulting in more exposure. Gillette actually advertised this as an adjustable feature.
 
I'd say that the overall razor geometry is more important than open comb vs. safety bar. There are milder and more aggressive open comb razors just as there are for the safety bar type.

The safety bar designs more or less superseded the open comb designs, so were regarded by many people as an improvement. There are a couple of points in favor of open comb designs. First, if you have several days worth of whiskers, the open comb may handle it better. Second, the open comb allows more lather to pass through to the blade edge.

The technique for using an open comb razor is similar to the safety bar type. There may be a bit less skin stretching with the open comb so it helps to keep the skin taut and maybe go a little slower.
 
You’re on a dangerous path my friend….if it goes anything like it has for me, you’ll decide you need to check out for yourself whether or not the OLD type is better for your face than the NEW type. You’ll be stopping at flea markets and random estate sales looking for an overlooked old warrior to restore to service. Next thing you know you’re spending money on replating, and of course, if the open comb is working, we’ll maybe the open comb slant will be even better. And while all this is going on, you start wondering if you even need a comb at all and think, “I should probably try a straight”. Now you’re buying strops, researching honing methods, and standing in front of the mirror with a straight-shaped practice implement trying to figure out the right hold/angle for the corner of your mouth without cutting off your lips. Oh….the indignity of it all…..

And the greatest thing ever….

My advice, resistance is futile so just jump in with both feet. You’re definitely among friends here who are only all too happy to enable…ummm….help 😀.
 
When I first started shaving I was told to stay away from DE razors because they were dangerous and would cause ingrown hairs.

I've since found nothing could be further from the truth and I wasted four decades suffering with electric and multi-blade cartridge razors along with quite a bit of skin irrigation.

That is no longer the case and my skin has never felt or looked better post-shave. I say embrace the OC and treat it with the same respect as you would any other DE razor.

Enjoy your shaves...
 
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So I'm not quite a converted OC believer but I'm open to it. Got any tips to help me down the OC road?
You use an open comb the same as a solid safety bar DE razor. There are variables in blade gap and blade exposure same as any DE razor. I cannot imagine an open comb DE razor shaving like a striaght razor though.
Seems like you found the Gillette New Improved works well for you.
 
I dont get much if any blade feel from my New Improved razors. I have one from a bostonian and one from a tuckaway set.

Will agree that they are very efficient and smooth razors. I absolutely LOVE them!

I did however notice that there are oc razors with pointy tipped combs. For me the iKon B1 ocd and dscosmetic x2 were just too harsh on the teeth feel. Riding the cap helped, but not enough for me me to want to keep them around.
 
I mostly ride the cap, so whether the comb is open or not should not matter as much as the other aspects of the razor. That said, I have a Razorock BBS OC and possibly because of the amount of blade bend it might need a steeper angle. I haven't tuned it in yet, but I might be more neutral or riding the guard a bit
 
I can say, shaving with DE razors, whether closed or open comb has never led me towards having any interest is straights. Waaaaaaaaaaaay too much trouble and maintenance for me. If I haven't been tempted in 55 years, I doubt anything will change. It's a testosterone thing and I don't have much of that left at my age...
 
I think @Dovo1695 once posted an illustration of open comb surface area effects, can't for the life of me find the thread!

But short version is for the same geometry, an open comb provides less "skin stretching" and thus more effective blade exposure. I find the NI a very intuitive razor to use and no different to any other medium-high efficiency razors. Play around, find the optimal angle and watch your pressure.

If you want slightly milder feel, pinch the blade against the top cap and tighten down well. With a less than full screw-down the blades in the NI tends to scoot out a bit resulting in more exposure. Gillette actually advertised this as an adjustable feature.
Thanks for the tip. I'll try it as I'd definitely like a milder feel at this stage.
 
You’re on a dangerous path my friend….if it goes anything like it has for me, you’ll decide you need to check out for yourself whether or not the OLD type is better for your face than the NEW type. You’ll be stopping at flea markets and random estate sales looking for an overlooked old warrior to restore to service. Next thing you know you’re spending money on replating, and of course, if the open comb is working, we’ll maybe the open comb slant will be even better. And while all this is going on, you start wondering if you even need a comb at all and think, “I should probably try a straight”. Now you’re buying strops, researching honing methods, and standing in front of the mirror with a straight-shaped practice implement trying to figure out the right hold/angle for the corner of your mouth without cutting off your lips. Oh….the indignity of it all…..

And the greatest thing ever….

My advice, resistance is futile so just jump in with both feet. You’re definitely among friends here who are only all too happy to enable…ummm….help 😀.
OMG. I already bought another open comb razor since I started this post. But it ends there...right?
 
I have used three open comb razors. I did not like the Merkur 24C. I considered it to be too light for my preference.

I purchased a stainless Karve CB razor with the C open comb base plate. I never liked the size, spacing and shape of the comb, so I replaced it with a solid bar base plate. The open comb base plate is in the drawer.

I have a Parker 25C open comb which fits my style perfectly. Since I have a tough beard and sensitive skin, that razor is ideal for mowing down my beard, especially after 2-3 days growth. It can cause irritation if you shave with a steep blade angle, but is great if you shave "off the cap" with a shallow angle. I typically only use that razor for my 1st pass WTG. I then pick up other a solid or scalloped bar razor for subsequent passes.
 
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