Thread: TTO vs 3 piece, are there advantages to either design?

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

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!