Hello Got my Fatip Piccolo today. Had my first shave with it as well, usual gear, only the Fatip in play instead. I think I might have read the wrong memo on how to use it, because I think I had the worst shaving experience ever. I could feel the blade immensely. And it felt like the blade couldn't cut the whiskers, so the slower I shaved, the more drag and pull, and the faster the more nicks. Loose/loose situation. Prior shaving, I checked, and corrected, the blade so it sat perfectly aligned. My lather was top notch as usual (RazoRock Classic) and my prep was good too. I checked my angle to make sure I didn't have a too steep angle on the blade (handle too close to face), alas, to no avail. What I didn't try was riding the cap, but that would require an angle of at least 45 degrees, if not more. Any tips for me on using this razor? It seems to be highly regarded out there once the blade is aligned. I cannot see the stars and stripes as of now. I haven't had any serious nicks for many months and here I feel like a total newbie with nicks all over my face. Grrr... it upsets my shaving-zen
Sorry to hear about your experience. I don't have any experience with the Fatip, but with some razors (Old Type, for example) I MUST ride the cap at a very, very shallow angle. The other thing that could have happened is a bad blade, they pop up every now and then. Hope others chime with better advice. Good luck!
Riding the cap was the best option for me when my Piccolo was whole, even if that seems like a very steep angle (though I sometimes think that what some of us call a 'steep' angle is the same as what others call a 'shallow' angle).
I've always been confused on what is steep and what is shallow. I'll try and locate my courage and then ride the cap. Thanks, guys!
Here's a pic that may help with"steep" vs "shallow" angles. Riding the cap would result in an even shallower angle than shown.
I've been shaving with the Piccolo I got for Christmas a lot the past couple weeks. I've found for me it likes to be used at one extreme or the other. Very shallow (riding the cap) or very steep. If I play in that middle area, the blade exposure is a little much for me. Most of the time I use it at a steep angle and it's very smooth there. On my chin where the whiskers are tougher I might have to go with a shallow angle so the blade doesn't tug as much though.
I can understand the cap-riding, but if you look at the blade's angle on a very steep angle, it looks like it's almost perpendicular to the skin. Not saying it wont work, just that I didn't try it just out of theory. I tried everything withint the middlearea and only once felt "hey this is going okay". 0,5 sec later I was back to "ohhh s***....". I'll try both extremes in a bit. Thanks! I'm still here it didn't end my days prematurely. Thanks a lot! I'm down with that now. Good illustration.
Shaving with a steep angle is a little different and I think the Piccolo is really good at it but it depends on your blades too. They need to be smooth ones. You can use the comb as a pivot point to get the blade touching the skin very lightly and yes the blade is pretty close to perpendicular (at least closer than you're probably used to seeing). Once you get used to it though the steep angle can give a surprisingly close and irritation free shave. Short quick strokes seem to help.
Okay, just finishes tonight’s shave. Last stroke was not by the Fatip by the way... I started out WTG with the Piccolo and tried both the cap-riding and the handle very close to the face. To spice things up I even tried the middle-ground again. Horrible, horrible (did I mention horrible?) drag, chatter and very unpleasant blade-feel. Enough is enough, and this penguin is impatient. I'm done with the Fatip. My confidence and face cannot withstand more of this little Italian razor. Sorry, folks! I have a nicely finished Fatip with the possibility of perfect alignment of the blade and yet it still punishes me. It must be traded to someone who has love for such one. Even my very first DE shave was miles better. I'm positive the razor is not to blame. It's me. But I cannot trade myself for another self, hence the Fatip looses that battle. I finished off my shave with XTG and ATG using my new Weishi 9306-C using the same blade uninstalled from the Piccolo. Butter-smooth shave in comparison. Thanks for all your help.
Well, not every razor is good for everybody Martin. The Fatip sure seems to be a love it or hate it razor. I'm not normally all that big on aggressive razors but I'm still a fan of the Fatip.
I love my Piccolo. It's great for mowing down several days worth of growth in a quick smooth manner. I have to admit that it did take some getting used to. I use a very light touch and always use a blade I'm familiar with. I think my shaving angle is a little steeper with the Piccolo than with many other razors.
If I haven't traded it by then, someday I'll try another blade. But for now, for my sanity's sake, I have to retire it. Me too! Really had high hopes because I had a perfect blade alignment. Seriously, I'm drawing a blank here. I know it works for many, but for the love of me, I could not get one pleasant stroke
I've got the grande ( the little longer one) and it proved much better when I paired the Fatip head with a Razzorock Jaws handle which is longer and heavier, it gives more control over the shave. Fatip is in my experience a great razor when you have 2-3 days of growth, it can be a nice and smooth shaver, but it can be cruel on ocassions when you forget yourself and miss the angle. Riding the cap with some pressure on the vertical axis towards the skin proved best for me (not sure if this makes any sense in english )
