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Good evening,
Just got into shaving with the DE about a week ago and I'm really loving it. I have a TTO, but was wondering if there are any advantages to the 3 piece design over the TTO? My TTO works great but I am just wondering if there is any difference? Thanks for the advice! :)
I find it quicker and easier to change blades with TTOs (obviously), but at
1-2 times a week it's hardly a consideration.
Most of the 3-piece razors I've encountered lacked the same heft as my
TTO Gilette, but that's probably the only practical day-to-day difference that
I noticed.
- Scott
I have a Gillette FatBoy (TTO) and a Merkur "Mergress" (3 piece). I really like the way the Mergress shaves, but overall I like the FatBoy better, mainly because of the convenience. It always seems like I need to be a magician and a contortionist to use the three piece without dropping any part of it! LOL!
For the past month or six weeks, though, I've been using straight razors. They're a lot more fun and satisfying when you finish.
I love my three piece Mühle R 89, the engineering is excellent. It's very solid and there's nothing to go wrong. It's also very easy to clean and dry. I had a TTO years ago and used it only once.
Personally I think the only advantage to the tto is the ease of blade replacememt; the advantage to the 3 piece design is you don't have the ridge at the top of the razor head. I don't think one shaves better than the other. My Muhle R106 provides fantastic shaves with no effort; likewise my aristocrat Jr. Also provides perfect shaves with no effort.
It is all just personal preference as to how you want to change the blade (IMO). :)
Back in the heyday of DEs the TTO replaced the 2 and 3 piece pretty much all across the board. At least with DEs in the USA. The ease of loading, particularly when Gillette supplied the blade dispensers that were made for that purpose, eliminated more handling of the naked blade, and more cut fingers. TTO is quicker and safer but the 2 and 3 piece DEs are cool too. A merkur slant is my favorite DE and I've got them in the 2 and the older 3 piece versions.
Cool, I hadn't even thought about the cleaning/maintenance advantage of the three piece razors :). The main reason I was asking is I'm thinking of purchasing another DE and was wondering if there were any major differences to tip the scales one way or the other... Maybe I'll keep my eyes peeled for a 3 piece now and have one of both :hmmm:
I think a major consideration for you must also be open comb or closed comb. It certainly is for me at the moment. I've seen an open comb razor that looks interesting; I'd like to try a more aggressive DE. Also, have you thought about an adjustable? I myself would pitch open comb or adjustable as a more interesting consideration than TTO or two or three piece.
Some of the older TTO I've seen on the 'net seem a bit crusty on the inside, but maybe that's just laziness in cleaning. I can clean every single surface of my three piece with the bath towel.
I don't think there is anything wrong with either a 2/3 piece DE and a TTO. Personally I like the ease of blade changing in a TTO. I have a Gillette Fat Boy and have to say the you can adjust it to get the amount of aggressiveness you want for your shaving style, skin and beard type. If you change blade brands you can re tune it to match the new brand.
Bob
I scooped an adjustable Gillette off the classifieds... I see Rad applies to DE's as well! :) I'll be watching antique stores for hidden treasures from now on!
IMO the only advantage to three piece razors is ease of cleaning. Some might add aesthetics as well, but I don't mind the look of the TTO's so I wouldn't count that as a consideration.
Hello,
I have used both tto and 3 piece razors. In my opinon, I think the 3 piece shaves better than the tto's. Most of the replys here said they couldn't tell the difference but, I could. I have used Gillette, Merkur, and Edwinn Jagger. The Merkur and Edwinn Jagger are a 3 piece and have heft to them. The Gillette's I like to use are the Tech and Open Comb. The Tech is light but still offers a nice shave. The Comb is also light weight but, is more aggressive. This is going to be a personnal preference, you just have experiment and find which one you like better. Also, be sure to shave with each razor a few times before judging which one is the best for you.
Like anything else when you want to have convenience you have to give something up. In this case with the TTO you lose ease of cleaning and heft if that's important to you and also perfect alignment of the blade. The 3 piece is just an issue if you are butterfingers really. I find the biggest pain is opening the blade wrapper, that's where I'm most likely to cut myself with a DE.
I have both and prefer the 3 piece razors for some reason, I think it's the simplicity of them, easier to keep clean, blade changes aren't that bad vs. a TTO, both shave well. Almost forgot about open comb's, lot's more options with a 3 piece.
I'll have to keep my eyes open for a good 2 or 3 piece razor to pick up and try out as well... I gotta admit though, being a fan of mechanisms and mechanical things I love the way the silo doors open on the TTO's ;)
One thing to remember is that TTO's can go wrong. The bar that opens/closes the bay doors can become loose from the screw mechanism. Although this isn't a common fault, it can be tricky to fix.
To be honest with you, I think the main difference is cosmetic. A TTO is more convenient in handling blades, but that design is more bulky than the three-piece design. If you prefer the way the three-piece looks, it isn't hard enough to change blades to discourage you to get one.Quote:
Originally Posted by 650Stew
If you like what you're using, you are not missing out on anything.
I've used TTO for years and I couldn't stand it when my fat fingers could loosen up the bottom twisting mechanism, making the bay doors slightly open up a bit, thereby making the top/razor loose.
I just switched to a Muhle 3pc in the "Grande" size. In my opinion it is the prefect size for a mans hands. The only reason I didn't buy a slant bar is because it is only offered as a TTO. I will buy one when I can find a 3pc one.
Probably off Ebay I guess.
I've noticed that the 3 piece is MUCH easier to clean than the TTO. It's a lot easier to take it apart and thoroughly clean any dried cream from it after every shave.
Ease of cleaning for a 3 -piece is a real consideration if, like me, you have rock hard water. My TTO eventually collected so much lime scale inside it that it is hard to work. That doesn't happen with a 3-piece.
TTO are easier to load, and that makes the whole process feel a LOT less intimidating for newcomers. With experience we tend to forget how that first shave or two felt. I modify blades for my Valet Autostrop all the time now, but when I was just starting out,t I remember thinking that I 100% wanted an "easier to load" TTO for my first razor, because I was a little nervous about a two or 3 piece.