Paradigm DB Titanium

[Dtownvino]

Also the 17-4 had the same geometry as the Ti2. Only the handle and material were different.

The Ti2 with the tapered handle is one of my favorites which was the first run. The second run which had the straight handle, less desirable and collectible.

Wait he had 2 runs of a razor other than the SE, it can’t be true

 

[Rocket 1]

@Dtownvino Mike, I had no idea of the treasure trove of information you had on Paradigm razors. I appreciate all of the details you have shared and lending a voice to the Paradigm brand. If it wasn't for you I don't know that I would have ever tried the Salient, which has turned out be an excellent razor. So definitely looking forward to the Ti Diamondback.

Given all of your efforts navigating this thread and its varied perspectives, I would like to offer a small token of appreciation:

Please accept this pair of golden exclamation points: !!

These marks are formed of ore originating from ancient dwarven mines and deliver extraordinary powers that command attention to all words preceding the marks. But I must warn you, that this twin powerhouse of percussive punctuation carries an equally dark curse when used in excess. And many a man has faltered when attempting to wield its power. You must conserve the power of the marks for only the rarest of occasion. Some might say that never using these marks would be the highest form of conservation.

But if you must employ them realize that each use brings about an increasing curse that will remove the power of your preceding words and make them less intelligible. And if used to exhaustion the final form of this curse is that your words will become invisible to all human gaze, rendering them completely powerless. Also often not known, these marks can be separated, with a modest amount of force, and used individually. But the curse will still arise, albeit more slowly.

May these exclamation points bring great joy and honor to your house and crest.

 

[Mr Konrad Dundee]

Salient did have more razors made, second batch had the issues and needed reworked in the US.

Dan, I have owned a lot of Paradigm Razors. I have a 2019 Dback I regularly rotate in. Paid almost 700 for it off of eBay recently. Sold my 2020 in May of this year.

Simple I recommended Yates as one of two shops that Andy should call to bring mfg back here. Jake had invited me years ago to visit his shop as I grew up in Western PA.

Here is my 2019 Dback next to my other favorite razors.

View attachment 1756489

Good team
Why did you sell your 2020 DB? What differences are there between DB 2019 and 2020?

 

[Dtownvino]

Good team
Why did you sell your 2020 DB? What differences are there between DB 2019 and 2020?

sold 2020 because it was not pristine, I bought it from a member for 650 and he represented it as in great condition and I can assure you, it was in very good condition but not what i would keep.

You can find it on BST... I sold if for the same amount.

People like the 2020 for the mirror polish and say it shaves differently. That is subjective and foolish, it is the same razor, one has a nice polish (2019) one mirror (2020). Let's be candid, the more surface material you take off the more you change it from the drawing. so the 2019 shaves how it was meant to be on paper.

The 2020 was the upgraded polish because people complained...

If you find a good 2019, it would be the one I would take.

 

[inspectoring]

now to sill wait begins !!! any chance Christmas may come early and he decides to deliver razors before the end of December ??

 

[lsq998]

now to sill wait begins !!! any chance Christmas may come early and he decides to deliver razors before the end of December ??

Isn't it scheduled for delivery in February?

 

[inspectoring]

Isn't it scheduled for delivery in February?

I honestly don’t know but I just checked the description and you are absolutely right !!

 

[Dtownvino]

Fingers crossed but the ball is in Yates hands to deliver.

 

[kingfisher]

No possible way they are done this year. LOL.

I am fine with waiting until February or even March. It will be nice to have something to look forward to during the long, dark winter months.

 

[Holyzeus]

Fingers crossed but the ball is in Yates hands to deliver.

From Yates they go for polishing and then back to Andrew for QC so not really in Yates court.

 

[Dtownvino]

From Yates they go for polishing and then back to Andrew for QC so not really in Yates court.

100% in Yates court - Yates has to machine the Ti Diamondback and decided to launch a Ti razor at the same time that he committed to doing this for Andy.

 

[Mr. Shavington]

Has Yates ever made a premium razor before? Do you think they can do a good job of this, albeit that we aren’t relying on them for finishing?

 

[Rocket 1]

My understanding is that Jake is a mechanical engineer by training and was working a day job in other industry applications while conducting contract manufacturing and razor production through his company, YPM. He describes having experience in design and manufacturing of precision parts in multiple materials and grades of Ti. I included a link to a three year old tour of his shop and equipment stations. I imagine it has expanded since this time but not sure. It would seem that if he has had any exposure to aerospace, medical, or high precision manufacturing part production, that razors would not be any more challenging. Although, I have never designed and manufactured a razor, so maybe it is more demanding in terms of design and manufacturing.

 

[MelodicStop]

Has Yates ever made a premium razor before? Do you think they can do a good job of this, albeit that we aren’t relying on them for finishing?

I guess that depends on your definition of premium. They definitely have proven themselves to be excellent at machining and I think that it’s reasonable that they aren’t doing the finishing. They get to focus on what they do best, manufacture. Takes time to polish and it’s another hand in the cookie jar so to speak so additional time/cost.

I did check to see if the Ti Winning could go through the same finishing process as the diamondback but they aren’t handling that and kindly explained that Paradigm is handling that process.

I am curious how the polishing process on the Diamondback turns out.

 

[shaveSymptomatic]

Has Yates ever made a premium razor before? Do you think they can do a good job of this, albeit that we aren’t relying on them for finishing?

Yates manufactures the Aylsworth Drakkant

 

[Mr. Shavington]

Yates manufactures the Aylsworth Drakkant

Yes. The Drakkant still looks like a Yates to me, though. The Diamondback somehow has a very different appearance, but perhaps a lot of that is due to finishing.

I have never used a Yates razor - they just didn’t have all the parts I wanted in stock at the same time, so I never managed to buy one and I don’t know what they are like.

I’ll tell you what’s behind my question. On the weekend I say Jake Yates make some comments on social media querying (and given the context, attacking) the pricing of the Tedalus Velocity-ONE. Leaving aside that I was uncomfortable seeing one razor manufacturer attack another in public, it sort of left me wondering whether Jake can see how differently the Tedalus is designed, machined, detailed and finished compared to a Yates razor, if he can’t discern why one is priced much higher than the other. I am hoping for the Diamondback to be a pretty refined razor.

 

[Rocket 1]

@Mr. Shavington Thanks for adding context, and I better understand the intention of your previous question. With a bit of internet sleuthing, I found what I believe was the comment from Jake regarding the Tedalus Velocity One pricing. There was only one brief post that I read, but it was fairly direct. I hate to see one razor maker/designer comment negatively on another. But I have no idea what may have been going on in Jake's world at that moment. I think all humans have good and bad days. ( @Rocket 1 ) Although it is a bit ironic which account page this discussion took place given the context of competitor commentary (hopefully that reference makes sense).

My general answer to premium pricing for most consumer products is that the market, is the market. Regardless of cost basis, I think Tedalus should be free to charge any price point they like, and let the market decide. Regarding complexity of the Diamondback's comparative design with the Tedalus, it feels like finishing is where much of the differentiation occurs ? Although this is largely intuition and not based on any real world experience in razor making. So overall, I remain optimistic that Jake will provide a well made lot of Ti Diamondbacks that can be expertly finished by the un-named 3rd party.

 

[jesseix]

Yes. The Drakkant still looks like a Yates to me, though. The Diamondback somehow has a very different appearance, but perhaps a lot of that is due to finishing.

I have never used a Yates razor - they just didn’t have all the parts I wanted in stock at the same time, so I never managed to buy one and I don’t know what they are like.

I’ll tell you what’s behind my question. On the weekend I say Jake Yates make some comments on social media querying (and given the context, attacking) the pricing of the Tedalus Velocity-ONE. Leaving aside that I was uncomfortable seeing one razor manufacturer attack another in public, it sort of left me wondering whether Jake can see how differently the Tedalus is designed, machined, detailed and finished compared to a Yates razor, if he can’t discern why one is priced much higher than the other. I am hoping for the Diamondback to be a pretty refined razor.

I didn’t see any of the stuff with Jake commenting on the Tedalus, but he’s not wrong about the pricing. It’s ridiculous, no matter which way you slice it. The materials aren’t revolutionary, the design isn’t revolutionary, the polishing isn’t revolutionary. And unless I’m mistaken they have no history of making DE razors, high-end or otherwise.
I know this is a major thread-drift, but I just laugh whenever I’m reminded about the pricing on the Tedalus so I couldn’t help but chime in…

 

[Fiddler]

I hate to see one razor maker/designer comment negatively on another.

Doesn't bother me one bit. I think the "snowflake" mentality on social media has permeated
so deep that we consider legitimate critiques to be unpleasant or unbecoming. Why?
Are manufacturers so thin-skinned and sheltered that they can't take criticism?
The only caveat is the "do unto others" rule. As long as one critiques without using insults or
personal slurs, it's all above board IMO.

Bottomline: if the Diamondback at $262.50 turns out to shave better than the Tedalus at
$900 (ok, $890), then Jake's criticism will turn out to be warranted.

Of course, a manufacturer can charge whatever they want...that goes without saying.
But I personally find the price gouging and profiteering rather distasteful.
I already place Rocnel Sailor MC in this category and now have added Tedalus.
Don't care what the makers think of my stance, they are free to do what they want and I am free to
react in the way I see fit.

 

[Mr. Shavington]

Bottomline: if the Diamondback at $262.50 turns out to shave better than the Tedalus at
$900 (ok, $890), then Jake's criticism will turn out to be warranted.

If the Diamondback shaves as well as the Tedalus I will be very happy with it. It still won’t be nearly as refined in the design and finishing as the Tedalus is, but it’s not intended to be. As long as the finish is still nice and well-executed, it will be worth the $262 for me, and even the $350 retail price. It’s still a good deal more expensive than a Lambda Ares or Athena, though, which are superb shavers and have innovative designs and very high-quality finishing. I am pleased to note that Theo from Lambda is professional enough not to troll the internet accusing all the other independent razor manufacturers of “highway robbery”.