Here is part 2 of my look at Italian shaving companies for “Italian Shaving Month” on Sharpologist (click/tap here for part 1). Italian shaving companies are not only known for their quality products, but also for their unique approach to marketing. From traditional brick-and-mortar stores to online retailers, these companies have found ways to stand out from the competition and appeal to customers.
Tcheon Fung Sing
Tcheon Fung Sing (“TFS”) was born in China but moved to Italy in 1930. After World War II (where he was interned in a refugee camp) he married an Italian woman and started a small company in Turin that made vegetable-based shaving soaps in the artisan tradition.
The business continued over the years and has been handed down three generations: first the daughter, Gabriella Tcheon, and most recently a niece, Paola Barile. The TFS product range of scents was originally very Italian-traditional: almond, sandalwood, and tobacco. However in recent years the fragrance range has expanded to include Bergamot & Neroli, citrus peel, and cologne-like scents.
TFS has an excellent reputation within the wet shaving community, with very “value-oriented” pricing.
Fatip
The company that would become Fatip began in the early 1950’s in Milan during a period of reconstruction and revival after World War II.
In the 1980’s production was transferred to Premana (Como) by Ilario Fazzini, a skilled craftsman, who launched the Fatip brand. Fatip safety razors are still totally made in Italy.
Fatip Heads, Handles, And The Shave
Fatip offers four double edge razor head styles: standard open comb, standard closed comb (e.g. safety bar), slant open comb, and slant closed comb.
Fatip offers a number of handle styles including plated (gold and chrome), wood, and polymer. Several different handle lengths are available.
There were problems with Fatip’s production quality control reported in the wet shaving forums a couple of years ago–some users reported excellent tolerances and build quality, while others discovered plating and alignment issues.. There were also some comments about blade seating, where setting the blade on the top-cap resulted in different shaves compared to setting the blade on the base plate then placing the top-cap over it. However these issues appear to have been largely ironed out.
Like many razor lines from other companies, the open comb Fatip razors are generally regarded as the most aggressive shave for the brand, though when compared to other brands they seem to be around the high end of “average.” The slant heads are reputed to be rather milder than other slant head razors.
But in general Fatip razors have a favorable reputation in the wet shaving community.
Focus
Focus has been in the grooming and hair dressing hardware business for over 100 years, though their razors are a (relatively) recent development.
On the other hand they offer quite an assortment of Italian-made razors, including double edge, single edge, “shavette”-style, and straight-edge razors.
Of particular interest is the Focus “Dynamic” line, a razor that uses half of a DE blade on a pivoting (!) head (the Dynamic came out years before the OneBlade razor).
Summing Up
In conclusion,Italian shaving companies are known for their quality products and unique designs. They offer a wide variety of razors and shaving creams to suit every need, and their prices are very reasonable. If you are looking for a new razor or shaving cream, be sure to check out an Italian company. You won’t be disappointed!
