A short review - Fatip Retro

Discussion in 'Safety Razors' started by lightcs1776, Nov 15, 2018.

  1. lightcs1776

    lightcs1776 Well-Known Member

    Since most reviews on Fatip are taking about the Grande, I wanted to review the Retro. I have a military set open comb razor that I used last Veterans Day. It started me thinking about getting an open comb razor for every day use. I have read several reviews of the Fatip Grande, so I started looking at their razors. I settled on the Retro as I like the looks. My understanding is the Fatip heads are all the same, but the handles are different. This one is a bit thinner than other razors I have seen and has a ball end. I received the razor today and loaded it with a Nacet blade. I chose Tobac for the first shave as it is easy to lather and produces an explosion of lather. The Fatip has a reputation for being aggressive, but I found it easy to get the angle and it shaved effortly through two days growth. It was an incredibly comfortable, irritation free shave. I am highly impressed. This will likely be used just as often as my Fatboy, which is currently my daily shaver. [​IMG][​IMG][​IMG]

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  2. jmudrick

    jmudrick Type A Man

    It's a razor. Wait it's a swizzle stick. No it's both!

    Pass :) .
     
  3. lightcs1776

    lightcs1776 Well-Known Member

    To each their own. I just wanted to give my impression of the razor.

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  4. jmudrick

    jmudrick Type A Man

    Oh sure :). I love my three Fatips but this handle just strikes me as kooky.
     
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  5. lightcs1776

    lightcs1776 Well-Known Member

    I wondered how I would like the handle. Nice thing with the Fatip, and many other 3 piece razors, is that I can swap out the handle if I decide on something else. However, at this price point, I might be more tempted to add another Fatip instead.

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  6. jmudrick

    jmudrick Type A Man

    Except you can or at least should only swap another Fatip handle for the kooky one given the Fatip unique threading.
     
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  7. lightcs1776

    lightcs1776 Well-Known Member



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  8. RyX

    RyX DoH!

    I had some brief moments of Grande Envy until I read that my Piccolo handle, though shorter, is heavier being solid. The Grande is hollow. After many shaves I'm fine with the one I enjoy.

    Hate it when manufacturers go all proprietary. After a little experimenting I found the cap and handle from a Muhle R89 Grande works with a Fatip OC base. I haven't tried any others since I found that combo.
     
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  9. jmudrick

    jmudrick Type A Man

    Yep there are a few cap swaps that work perfectly well which then enable a wide choice of handles.
     
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  10. lightcs1776

    lightcs1776 Well-Known Member

    That is the great thing about this site. One can find a wealth of information here.

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  11. Primotenore

    Primotenore missed opera tunity

    Article Team
    Enjoy the razor and thanks for the post, Chris. The important thing is finding the correct angle and you seem to have already done that.
     
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  12. kfbrady

    kfbrady Well-Known Member

    Nice pics and nice review. :)
     
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  13. Lord Gillette

    Lord Gillette Active Member

    I've always wanted to try a fatip open comb.

    Any blade alignment issues on this?
     
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  14. lightcs1776

    lightcs1776 Well-Known Member

    No alignment issues with this one. I heard it was an issue with their older version of the razor head.

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  15. jmudrick

    jmudrick Type A Man

    That's wishful thinking, proogated by folks lucky to have won in the Fatip lottery . Plenty of complaints about mk2 also. A minority, maybe a very small minority, but it remains a roll.of the dice. My Schone is perfect.
     
    Last edited: Nov 18, 2018
  16. brit

    brit in a box

    as always, a cool review and discussion about a new /different product..i have learned a lot from these and based many of my test drives , or not from such reviews. i purchased my rr mamba based on reviews good and bad ,and am very happy with it.too mild for some etc/gamechangers better etc/ i even like my merkur 1904/6 oc. lots of mixed reviews on it as well..my point? oh crap...forgot again..
    neat looking razor and hope it works for you..
     
  17. Jayaruh

    Jayaruh The Cackalacky House Pet

    Supporting Vendor
    Glad you like it. Great review. The handle looks too long for my likes; pretty skinny too. I have not added a Fatip to my den. I am still more of a fan of the vintage razors.
     
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  18. RyX

    RyX DoH!

    I'm with you there Jim. Mostly for the cost of modern stainless steel types. I'd say the zamak Fatip compares favorably to my Gillette NEW LC. Both fall into the aggressive column. A slight edge to the Gillette for raw brass and a bit smoother finish.
     
  19. jmudrick

    jmudrick Type A Man

    ?? Zamak Fatip? Never heard of such a thing. Brass all the way unless I missed something.
     
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  20. RyX

    RyX DoH!

    Typing off the top of my head. I'd prefer brass.

    From their website;

    "The Fatip safety razors are TOTALLY made in Italy.

    The metal used is brass, which is machined by the artisans of Premana,
    first in the form and then plated in the various finishings."

    Maybe I was thinking about the finish. It looks more chrome than nickle.

    (But I was wrong there, too. It is nickle!)
     
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