No, you misunderstand. The razor isn't skipping. It glided across my face just fine. The thin & flexible DE blade with very little tension on it due to the very flat presentation offered by the R41 is what vibratess up & down when it meets resistance from my coarse stubble. The stiffer blades which don't jump around give me much better results. The slant torques the blade thus increasing its stiffness while SE blades are just made thicker & stiffer.
Ahh, ok, I get what you're saying. I knew you liked aggressive razors but didn't realise that blade thingy meant so much to you. I've heard of some people using a shim of some kind with an Old Type, but really can't tell you the deal with that. So you like a real stiff edge...I usually never think of razors that way, although I understand the concept. I notice that quite a bit with my injectors, since the blade is very rigid and quite different from how a DE feels on my face. Sounds like you might enjoy an injector or Micromatic, as some other members suggested. One thing about using very old razors (or foreign made ones) is to check the blade gap before using em after replacing the blade. Sometimes it takes a little fiddling with em to get things exactly even. That's true on some French made ones for sure. Just for the hell of it I'll include a pic of my Kirby Beard, which was an English company. I'm pretty sure these were made in France though. Take a look at the gap and you can see how much flex the blade might have. I'm guessing you'd hate this one, which is actually in my rotation. Martin
I can agree to that, but I am able to coax a high quality shave from the R-41. I prefer the face feel of other razors most times, but the R-41 does a great job when I'm in the mood.
Cool looking razor. And yes, I'm quite familiar with injectors & micromatics. The OCMM is my favorite razor & injectors work great for me as well. I recently acquired a E2 injector that I'm looking forward to using before church tomorrow.
Got it. Yeah, I just don't know your shaving background and I'm glad those SE razors work well for you. Never tried a Gem type, but the injector's been in my rotation for many years. The weak part of the injector set up is blades....just as important as a DE blade for a good shave. I've found the best ones to be vintage and never use any currently made ones. Some of the older injector blades shave almost as close as a Feather, which is pretty nuts. Martin Oh, thanks for the nice words about the Kirby
Thanks. Yeah, it usta be you could buy one of these for under $100, but those days are gone. Heh, they were 'discovered' a while back on another forum and there went the neighborhood. Silver plated and very well made, these were the equal of some UK made Gillettes. This particular Kirby model has a chrome plated head that shines like crazy. I found this at a flea market just outside of Chicago almost four years ago and the way it looked spooked me. Didn't even try the thing for months and when I did I loved the shave. Go figure. Martin
I broke out my MP r89 (it's a fatip) this morning and took it for a spin. I noticed that blade positioning can be a little tricky. In my razor, at least, there's a little play before you screw down the razor so the blade doesn't move. This type of play is more present in old types since they were designed for thicker blades. What this means is that one side of the razor was ultra aggressive and the other side was mild. I kinda liked it. Anyone else have this experience with a fatip?
Not with a fatip, but I do have to be careful with my Old Type like you said. With my OT, the blade can get crooked on one end of the same side....ouch.
hm. it's easy to do with an OT, but I swear it happens with my fatip, too, just on a smaller scale. Maybe it's the blade design? Each different brand of blade has a slightly different pattern of holes, so maybe that's it.
Could be the blade. I got my fatip new about 5 months ago. It's manufactured in Italy. How about yours?
Hi there, I always check the blade gap on unusual razors when tightening the head down, and normally I can adjust it correctly before shaving with the thing. It's something most people don't think about, and as you saw it can really affect the shave. It's especially true on some French made razors. Martin
The first time I shaved with my Old Type (/w BRW handle), I ASSumed the blade would automatically load correctly. I was wrong, so now I always check to be sure. I wish there was a way to correct the OT since it was meant for a thicker blade. I tried using a shim and it fixed the blade problem, but the shave was very rough.
What works for me is pulling the blade flaps towards the razor cap while tightening it up. I still check to make sure the blade is even while open about half a turn. If it needs some minor adjustment, I do then and tighten it down. I never really notice an issue with uneven blade gap when doing it this way. Give it a shot, it may work for you too.
Thanks, Dale. That's what I've been doing lately. I tighten the handle and just before it snugs up on the blade, I'll pull up on the end tabs of the blade to keep it steady. It works very well that way. If I remember right, you also use a BRW handle on your OT. Do you find that the handle wants to keep turning and tightening instead instead of coming to a dead stop like most razors? Thanks for the advice.
I got mine something like 2 years ago. It's a pre-redesign m.p. r89, which is a fatip if I understand correctly. Thanks for the tips on evening out the blade, guys! I'll try it and see if that works.
I have one of the BRW Improved handles on an Old Type. It was a gift to myself to celebrate a year off cigarettes. I'm not sure why, but I like it more than the Bull Mastiff handles that I have had. The head snugs up and doesn't keep turning. I have a few other Old Type heads and they all seem to tighten down pretty well. Are the threads good on the one you have?
As far as I can tell, the head threads are fine and they're not cross-threaded. You're probably right. I got a funky OT head, but it shaves great (as long as I have the blade squared away. This is the handle you have on your's, right? I treated myself to these as a reward to making it to 50 years old. This is the Slim that I currently have on my Old Type
I find my sledgehammer's aggressiveness to be equivalent to my EJ89L. I would also leave the R41 to last.
