Fatip Piccolo - finish quality

[Supermangs]

I just received a Fatip Piccolo from Shave Lounge (great service, a few nice little extras, fast postage - really excellent vendor).

I had heard that these razors give a great shave but there were problems with the finish. I must say that looking at it out of the box, the quality of the finish is excellent. Possibly they have picked up their QA game.

Looking forward to taking it for a rake this weekend.

 

[Sir_eider]

Yeap, quality/finish in Fatip razors is something somewhat aleatory...

I owned a black finish one with problems with spots&nicks (returned), a gold plated one with regular finish but really aggressive (sold) and now a nickel plated with a thinner/longer handle which is ok (both finish/mildness)... the thing is that ALL of them have problems with correct blade alignment, it always exposes more one side than another... which I found annoying, you will not have that problem with an Edwin Jagger/Muhle.

Regards

 

[Supermangs]

aleatory

I will spend most of the next week dropping the word "aleatory" into as many meetings as I can!

 

[Robwiz]

I've got a Piccolo in nickel plating which has been fine with no blade alignment problems. I've read that the black razors wear down to the brass fairly quickly in use.

 

[chris.hale]

Both of my nickel ones are fine.

 

[Welshaver89]

I have had four different Fatips and they all had no issues with allignment and out of box all looked stunning but after a few weeks the plating is terrible. It doesn't affect the shave but with the money you pay you expect something to show for it and not poor plating. I know they arent the most expensive razors but still, they should at least have decent plating

 

[Taffy]

Up until 6 months ago I was using a 2013 R41 but this has been replaced with a Piccolo which to my mind shaves just as close without the drama. I have read various accounts concerning the build quality of this razor but mine is fine; not as fine a finish as an Edwin Jagger or Muhle but perfectly adequate. I don't think that it is well known but there are two versions of this razor and a comparison of the two can be found at: https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/threads/fatip-piccolo-mk1-mk2-differences.493045/.
It may well be that the brand has improved its quality control with the introduction of the mark 2 version which is what I have.

 

[Blackmass]

I love my Fatip. No quality or alignment issues.
I've recommend it many times and the folk who have bought one ALL love it.

I think they should seriously think about making it out of Stainless Steel. Yes it will be more expensive but people will pay the cash because it shaves so well.

 

[Pat-W]

I love my Fatip. No quality or alignment issues.
I've recommend it many times and the folk who have bought one ALL love it.

I think they should seriously think about making it out of Stainless Steel. Yes it will be more expensive but people will pay the cash because it shaves so well.

A Piccolo in stainless steel " WOW " now your talking !!!

 

[Blackmass]

A Piccolo in stainless steel " WOW " now your talking !!!

Maybe we should start a petition?....or something along those lines.

 

[chris.hale]

I'd rather a petition to get them to use the same thread size as everyone else to be honest. They are great razors though, it's really good that they're still making them out of brass.

 

[Les Dupondt]

I've had my second-hand Piccolo for over a year and there's been no degradation in plating quality, nor have I ever had blade alignment issues. There seem to be fewer complaints about quality control on the Mk 2, so it looks like they raised their game.

 

[flip-68]

no trouble with finish or alignment with my piccolo either - great razor - had it since 2012 i think.

there is another razor out there with a similar head to the fatip - it's an expensive one, not sure if it's stainless. will have a look to see if i can find the brand. does this ring a bell with anyone?

edit to add - Joris. here's a link to one of their razors. no affiliation with seller etc....

https://www.fendrihan.com/products/...mb-double-edge-safety-razor-thuja-wood-handle

 

[chris.hale]

I believe the Joris uses the exact same brass head with better plating.

 

[Supermangs]

I believe the Joris uses the exact same brass head with better plating.

It's a hell of a lot more to pay. I can't say the handles are that attractive to me.

Two shaves in with the Piccolo and I am enjoying it a lot so far. It's taking a while to work out the best angle etc, but the shave quality has been excellent, and there's nothing to fear with this as an OC. It's quite an attractive little razor with a simple classic design, and the weight of it feels good.

The issues they have as an Italian razor manufacturer remind me of Ducati motorbikes. They have improved their QA, I understand, but for a long while, if you bought a Ducati, you never knew quite what you were getting. Performance and appearance could be spectacular, but the detail of the unit could be highly variable in quality.

 

[Supermangs]

I love my Fatip. No quality or alignment issues.
I've recommend it many times and the folk who have bought one ALL love it.

I think they should seriously think about making it out of Stainless Steel. Yes it will be more expensive but people will pay the cash because it shaves so well.

I can see the Fatip getting a lot of use alongside my 37C. But to your point, can anyone explain to me why it is so hard/expensive to make razors out of stainless steel? What are the drivers of the pricing increase here? I have stainless steel forks - they are bloody cheap!