TTO mechanism versus 2 piece and 3 piece designs

[punekari]

I recently got into wet shaving with real razors (not the disposables one I had used forever). I have an EJ DE89BL with a 3 piece mechanism for blade insertion. It seems a little fussy and needs a lot of care to prevent finger injuries (or maybe its my inexperience handling safety blades). I"ve seen some 2 piece mechanisms described. For me, the TTO mechanism seems the most elegant. I"m looking to try it out with a Gillette slim (if I can find one in excellent condition!).
The question is, why did manufacturers move away from that mechanism? Is there some major flaw in that design? The vintage Gillettes still seem to be around and in great working condition!
Thanks for any opinions on this.

 

[Bellac]

TTO's require more complex machinery that is much more expensive to produce. Also, if you cannot sell TTOs in scale, you cant leverage economies of scale to justify making those razors. The only two modern TTO I know of is the Feather Popular and the Merkur Vision. The Feather Popular is made of plastic (very good plastic, trust the Japanese to make something that last forever) and its TTO mechanism is pretty basic (more simple than vintage Gillettes). Merkur Vision is very epic, but expensive. If you really must use a TTO in the name of safety, then get a decent Gillette off ebay.

 

[toyman]

Cadet and Parker both make new TTO safety razors at reasonable prices. I don't have either but have come across them here and on amazon.

 

[Vercin]

like they said above .. much more complex production mechanism -> more Assembly time -> bigger production cost .. hinges etc

plus my point of view .. if you drop a TTO it will probably end up with some mis-alignment more easily then a 2/3 piece that is made of solid pieces instead of hinges and silo doors .. i know that i spent all night with a spot light, magnifier and angler to fix the uneven opening on the TTO i got from my grandfather to get it to align perfectly (probably was dropped at some point)

But on the other hand TTO's are much more fun to "play" with i really find it more fun then the other 2-piece razor i have

 

[Hairsuite]

Are weishi razors not TTO? They sell for around£10 on eBay.

 

[Buzz_Kill]

I prefer my TTOs over my 3 pieces. I am always worried that the blade isn't aligned correctly with the 3 pieces, and check it a million times before I first use it. With my TTOs I don't worry as much. The blade is easier for me to seat correctly, and know that it is right. I have a Feather Popular, a Krona, a Black Beauty, and a black handled Super Speed. I highly recommend all of them. The Krona was a very pleasant surprise in the comfort, and consistent shave it gives. I hope to add many more TTOs to my arsenal.

 

[Mick]

It's all personal preference.

Why did razor manufacturers come out with TTO designs? Well for something new to sell people.

This is the same reason carts went from 1 blade to 2 blades to 3 blades all the way to 5 blade razors. Why? New and improved rules in the world of retailing

 

[Graybeard57]

I now prefer my TTOs to my first DE razor, an EJ like yours. The EJ is a fine razor, so I'm holding on to it.

 

[kingfisher]

Some three-piece razors always seat the blade properly and align it properly. Examples would be the Gillette Tech and the NEW.

A potential downside of a TTO is that sometimes the silo doors can become loose during the shave, which can make your shave pretty painful.

 

[JDTTO]

In my opinion, 3-piece razors potentially clamp the blade better than TTO's. Not all of them do but if I compare a Tech to a similarly shaped Superspeed, I find the Tech a lot nicer to shave with. The TTO's I have tried (G1000, Slim, SS, Krona) all make about the same noise and I associate this noise with blade chatter and these razors are more prone to bite me than my 40's Tech.

 

[punekari]

Thanks to all this insight! Without having tried a TTO yet, I can imagine the 2 or 3 piece designs tighten down more securely on the blade! I'd like to try a Slim since it's so well regarded for comparison with the EJ. I"ll post my experience when I get a chance. Didn't realize saving money on cartridges was going to end up costing me more!

 

[jsmith]

Didn't realize saving money on cartridges was going to end up costing me more!

We all thought we were going to save money, but when shaving becomes a hobby I actually enjoy spending some money on shaving supplies.

I just think about it this way I could get a new razor and 100 blades, or a bunch of creams and soaps for less than the cost a 15 fusion carts. No matter the cost of whatever new shaving equipment I buy, I now think of it as what i GET to buy as opposed to with cartridges it was what i NEED to buy.