Leisureguy's Guide to Gourmet Shaving - Fifth Edition by Michael Ham

Author:Michael Ham [Ham, Michael]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Published: 2011-08-31T04:00:00+00:00

Open-comb vs. safety bar

Some razors use an “open comb”—separated teeth instead of a safety bar. Open-comb razors have the blade either resting on the teeth (the Merkur and old Gillettes) or just above the teeth (the improvement introduced with the Gillette NEW IMPROVED (1921) and used in later models). The safety bar is a solid bar that rides on your skin just ahead of the blade as you shave.

The open comb was the original design, with the safety bar introduced later (easier to manufacture and not so fragile—if you drop an open-comb, you’re likely to bend one of the teeth). The safety bar pushes away all the lather before the blade does its work, whereas the open comb leaves some lather as protection.

The left photo shows an example of an open-comb razor with the blade resting directly on the comb. This particular razor is the Merkur Hefty Classic Open Comb. On the right is the better design (in my opinion) with the blade held above the teeth by the “coat-hanger” profile of the base plate. The razor in that photo is the Gillette NEW, first offered in 1930 and one of my favorite razors.

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