Hi everyone, first post here after many years of DE shaving.
TL;DR: my Fatip il Piccolo Storto is tugging, not efficient, and not living up to the hype.
Preface: i'm not into switching things up for the sake of it. After getting the hang of DE shaving with a Muhle Rytmo, I got myself a Merkur 39C closed combed slant because I read that the guillotine-style cutting would be more efficient in removing coarse hair. That proved to be true and I was (and still am) happy with the Merkur. I always use Feather blades and take my time.
But recently, I wondered how an open comb would further improve my situation. I have course visible hair, with distinct thick hairs laying flat near the adam's apple, combined with sensitive skin. Using the Merkur, those visible neck hairs would often remain a bit too long and visible for my liking. And of course, the more I tried passing that problematic area (both WTG and XTG) the more irritation I would get. I have long accepted that going ATG is too painful and unrealistic.
As I understand, the theory goes that a razor with an open comb would be able to reach those flat-laying hairs more easily. Less passes would be needed. I turned towards the Fatip il Piccolo Storto. Like the Merkur, it's slanted, but this one has an open comb. And the reviews have been generally positive. Great! Once I got the Fatip in my hands I was surprised by the small handle, but I worked with it.
Unfortunately, after several weeks of shaving, I must come to the conclusion that the Fatip is a disappointment. It's aggressive and tugging way too much while also missing lots of hairs, so I'm forced to do another pass. I pay extra attention to the shaving angle; I tried both shallow and steep angles (and everything in between), listening for audible feedback. It tames the razor's aggressiveness somewhat but does not improve the efficiency whatsoever. The razor just doesn't reach the flat-laying hairs and randomly skips others. I'm pulling the skin taut. When loading a new blade, the alignment would not be as even as with the Merkur, so I tried correcting that as much as possible.
This experience is all a surprise to me, because it contradicts both the theory and the raving reviews I've read. Yeah, YMMV like always, but this was a calculated switch-up with the explicit purpose to be more efficient in reaching thick hairs (from closed to open comb) and thus to spare my sensitive skin.
Nothing else has changed in my routine: I still use Feathers, my lather is good, applying a hot towel beforehand to soften the hairs, I wash my face between passes, and the alum block goes on to reduce any redness and sensation. When all done however, with the Fatip the variation in stubbleness is all over the place.
What am I missing here? What explains the consistent tugging, the insufficient reach, and the skipping of other hairs that were never a problem? Thanks!
TL;DR: my Fatip il Piccolo Storto is tugging, not efficient, and not living up to the hype.
Preface: i'm not into switching things up for the sake of it. After getting the hang of DE shaving with a Muhle Rytmo, I got myself a Merkur 39C closed combed slant because I read that the guillotine-style cutting would be more efficient in removing coarse hair. That proved to be true and I was (and still am) happy with the Merkur. I always use Feather blades and take my time.
But recently, I wondered how an open comb would further improve my situation. I have course visible hair, with distinct thick hairs laying flat near the adam's apple, combined with sensitive skin. Using the Merkur, those visible neck hairs would often remain a bit too long and visible for my liking. And of course, the more I tried passing that problematic area (both WTG and XTG) the more irritation I would get. I have long accepted that going ATG is too painful and unrealistic.
As I understand, the theory goes that a razor with an open comb would be able to reach those flat-laying hairs more easily. Less passes would be needed. I turned towards the Fatip il Piccolo Storto. Like the Merkur, it's slanted, but this one has an open comb. And the reviews have been generally positive. Great! Once I got the Fatip in my hands I was surprised by the small handle, but I worked with it.
Unfortunately, after several weeks of shaving, I must come to the conclusion that the Fatip is a disappointment. It's aggressive and tugging way too much while also missing lots of hairs, so I'm forced to do another pass. I pay extra attention to the shaving angle; I tried both shallow and steep angles (and everything in between), listening for audible feedback. It tames the razor's aggressiveness somewhat but does not improve the efficiency whatsoever. The razor just doesn't reach the flat-laying hairs and randomly skips others. I'm pulling the skin taut. When loading a new blade, the alignment would not be as even as with the Merkur, so I tried correcting that as much as possible.
This experience is all a surprise to me, because it contradicts both the theory and the raving reviews I've read. Yeah, YMMV like always, but this was a calculated switch-up with the explicit purpose to be more efficient in reaching thick hairs (from closed to open comb) and thus to spare my sensitive skin.
Nothing else has changed in my routine: I still use Feathers, my lather is good, applying a hot towel beforehand to soften the hairs, I wash my face between passes, and the alum block goes on to reduce any redness and sensation. When all done however, with the Fatip the variation in stubbleness is all over the place.
What am I missing here? What explains the consistent tugging, the insufficient reach, and the skipping of other hairs that were never a problem? Thanks!
)
after 2 weeks. Although it didn't have any issues(alignment, plating etc), it just didn't work for me. Imo the 37C/39C slant is something special in that it removes whiskers without feeling anything. In terms of closeness, it does not shave that close after 2 passes. I only do 2 on the neck: WTG, XTG. I get ingrown hairs just by thinking of going ATG. As a result of this, the more aggressive the razor, the closer shave I get on the neck. I can get close to BBS on the face with anything, the only question is, how long it lasts. I accepted this as my reality, not everyone can get BBS.
