Open comb has an undeserved reputation for being "aggressive", but in reality it's just another tool for a job. Knowing when to use open comb is the key to enjoying this variant. Blackbird: www.blacklandr... support@blacklandrazors.com
I shave every 2nd or 3rd day mostly with my Era L4 OC. It's the only OC I have. Despite being OC I find it a fairly mild shave. An big advantage with the OC is it leaves more lather behind making it easier to buff without reapplying.
Good question! It's usually due to rigidity and/or ease of manufacturing. If the safety bar is very thin, a support gives it strength. And you can machine more aggressively if there is support because the safety bar won't flex as much while you machine. So it's a little bit cheaper and easier to do two slots instead of one.
One of the most aggresive looking DE razors I own is the Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements Original Double Open Comb in nickel. It's one of the most gentle razors I own. It's a sheep in in wolf's clothing. As stated in this video, it's about blade gap and exposure.
I shave every 3 to 4 days and i love my muhle r89 twist, its really forgiving while giving a super smooth shave, im new to DE shaving and its so much nicer than the cartridges. In saying that though ill still use the gillette pro glide if im in a hurry or have a heavy beard.
Even though I shave only about once a week, I still use a safety bar model. I don't like putting all that hair down the drain, so I trim first with an electric trimmer, leaving about 2-3 days growth, then wet shave.
The friendliest looking DE razor I have is the Mühle Companion whith a very closed design smooth lines and rounded corners; but the blade is very forward and pretty exposed... 2 of the 3 cuts I've made in my nose so far (I'm clumsy) was with this, both of the times I accidentally just hacked the head straight into the side of my nostril on the way towards my upper lip and the blade just dug into my nose. It's a bit scary because it looks so smooth and friendly; and because of all the parallel lines of metal it's hard to immediately see where the blade is exactly; which probably makes you handle it a bit less carefully. I later bough a regular Mühle closed razor with a pretty wooden handle, and an replacement open comb which is interchangeable. Both the traditional heads look about as "aggressive" because even the safety bar has small ridges; only when you look closer you notice that the ridges on the closed one is just waves on top of a bar and on the open one it's teeth with openings in between. Because they have fewer parrallel lines it's easier to see where the blade is even though it's much less exposed as seen from above, but you know that the first non-wayv/teethy line is the edge of the blade which makes you treat it more carefully. I much prefer the open one; because to me it just feels much more smooth with more shaving cream coming all the way to the blade; and since I shave at most once a week (I have ADHD, I can't do anything consistently) it appreciate that I don't need to trim first.
I have a Companion too but it lives in the shower. It is just a bit too much for my face (my neck mostly) despite looking harmless. I usually use BIC blades in it. For daily shaving I use a Rockwell 6s on plate 3 with Feather blades. For multi days growth I grab my Fatip Piccolo open comb with either a BIC or Treet Carbon blade. That's what works for me anyway.
perfect timing. I was considering the OC for the Blackbird Ti and Basher gave me the same advice. Why tamper with perfection, unless it is an ADJUSTABLE. Thanks for the videos and great advice.
I wish I had known this when I purchased my long handle brassbird with regular and Lite. When do you expect the OC brass to be back in stock? Can a stainless OC be used on a brass model?
