Tremendous review once again Mark. Thank You @Shavemd ... I am happy to hear it is more efficient than the Carbon Cx-Ti ... Is it possible to do a review comparing it to H&S N075 when you get a chance? Wonderful pics as well.
2020 Paradigm Diamondback
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Stop it, you're killing me! 
How does the Diamondback shaving experience compare to Charcoal Goods Lvl 2 and 3?
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- #24
Once I compare the Diamondback to the Carbon ++ plate I will put it against the NO75 and Charcoal Goods 2&3.
Perfect. I’m thinking of buying the Diamondback or tracking down the Paradigm SE.
It will be interesting to see how the Ti Javelin performs versus the Diamondback.
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- #28
Happy Easter everyone. My aluminum Javelin has significantly more blade feel than Diamondback but I would say the efficiency between this new one and the Javelin aluminum are nearly identical
I don't know if Andrew is planning to change the geometry of the Javelin for the Ti release but he described the blade exposure as "slightly positive" when I asked about it a couple of days ago. Handle will be different from the Al version.
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- #30
Happy Easter everyone!
So after a nice Easter dinner I decided to do a nice relaxing shave showdown:
Diamondback vs CarbonCx Ti w/ ++ SS baseplate
Pre Shave Proraso Green
Soap Proraso Green
Blades Gillette Platinum 2nd use
Post shave Proraso Green
2 passes WTG then ATG
With the first pass the Carbon displayed the same smoothness and blade feel as the all Ti yesterday but had a little louder audio feedback. The Diamondback continues to have a very smooth feel with a little blade feel and a little audio feedback letting you know you are at the right angle. Cold rinse and the Carbon side had removed more whiskers yet both sides were an easy DFS.
2nd pass. Again both razors were very smooth with the Carbon having more blade feel and a little louder audio feedback. Cold rinse and both sides were an excellent BBS.
This definitely was a tie in end results between thes 2 razors and I would say your choice in either would be based on weight and blade feel. The Carbon is half the weight of the Diamondback but the Diamondback has less blade feel. I am really enjoying both.
As a note some people have questioned a 2 pass BBS but you must take into consideration that I shave daily so while my whiskers are grey and sharp and need to be removed daily for my work your results may be different especially if you skip a day or 2 between shaves. Now for a few Bunny pics:
So after a nice Easter dinner I decided to do a nice relaxing shave showdown:
Diamondback vs CarbonCx Ti w/ ++ SS baseplate
Pre Shave Proraso Green
Soap Proraso Green
Blades Gillette Platinum 2nd use
Post shave Proraso Green
2 passes WTG then ATG
With the first pass the Carbon displayed the same smoothness and blade feel as the all Ti yesterday but had a little louder audio feedback. The Diamondback continues to have a very smooth feel with a little blade feel and a little audio feedback letting you know you are at the right angle. Cold rinse and the Carbon side had removed more whiskers yet both sides were an easy DFS.
2nd pass. Again both razors were very smooth with the Carbon having more blade feel and a little louder audio feedback. Cold rinse and both sides were an excellent BBS.
This definitely was a tie in end results between thes 2 razors and I would say your choice in either would be based on weight and blade feel. The Carbon is half the weight of the Diamondback but the Diamondback has less blade feel. I am really enjoying both.
As a note some people have questioned a 2 pass BBS but you must take into consideration that I shave daily so while my whiskers are grey and sharp and need to be removed daily for my work your results may be different especially if you skip a day or 2 between shaves. Now for a few Bunny pics:
Third Shave tonight with the mirror finish. The second and third shaves were incredibly good (2 pass plus touch up BBS all around). I overthought things on the first shave for sure (wanting to feel the smooth top cap).
Tonight I made an effort to "not think". . . . even a little. Just shave with this razor.
I found that I was just doing what we all do--adjust the angle to maximize feedback and then shave until there is no feedback. Then move on.
Looking back on the shave (allowing myself to "think" after the fact), I do believe I was a little heavier on the bar and very light on the cap. Looking at the soap film on the cap afterward, only about 1/8-1/4" was shiny, and it was only shiny in streaks--not a lot of cap contact but some (probably incidental). Don't shave on this though--I am just contrasting against Shave 1 with the mirror finish where I paid more attention to the cap than to the feedback.
Tonight I made an effort to "not think". . . . even a little. Just shave with this razor.
I found that I was just doing what we all do--adjust the angle to maximize feedback and then shave until there is no feedback. Then move on.
Looking back on the shave (allowing myself to "think" after the fact), I do believe I was a little heavier on the bar and very light on the cap. Looking at the soap film on the cap afterward, only about 1/8-1/4" was shiny, and it was only shiny in streaks--not a lot of cap contact but some (probably incidental). Don't shave on this though--I am just contrasting against Shave 1 with the mirror finish where I paid more attention to the cap than to the feedback.
Terrific review once again Mark @Shavemd ... Too me the Diamondback Wins because of the smoothness factor while having same results as the Carbon ++; pretty impressive if I must say so myself. I can’t wait to receive my Diamondback. Once I receive it and have my first shave I will post here my first impressions.
Very nice review in comparison with your other shaves with the Diamondback. Thanks. Hopefully I find the small ideal shaving angle for my first shave with the Diamondback.
I wouldn't say there is a small ideal shaving angle. The Diamondback has a fair amount of blade exposure--Equal to or a tad bit more than a Nodachi when you line the top of the safety bar up with the top cap looking up kind of from below. The safety bar design just really makes it feek smoother than the Nodachi.
I don't want my experience to give the impression it has a narrow shave angle. I just got a little stupid after I applied the mirror finish in my previous pic. and used an unnatural angle to feel the cap smoothness.
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- #35
For me the shave angle is easy to find and maintain it is not as big as some of the large blade gap razors but it certainly no where near as narrow as a Feather ASD2 or Pills as an example
I was about to ask about comparisons to Tatara razors. If it is smoother than a Nodachi despite less blade support can you rate it against the Masamune? Or some of the combinations available -- Masamune plate and Nodachi cap etc.
Let me start by saying I believe I am very sensitive to blade support or lack of it, but I am starting to think blade flex is just another expression of efficiency/aggressiveness. I think it impacts different shavers differently. With coarse hair, flex will ratchet agressiveness quickly for me to. I can enjoy what other people call super aggressive if there is little flex. I get very good efficiency and comfort from a Weber or RS-10 mild, both of which many call mild, but have a fair amount of blade flex. Blade flex is hardly noticed as a factor by my fair/fine haired son though.
Any flex on the Diamondback is well-controlled, and appreciated even though I am sensitive to flex. It is not high flex like a Weber (even though the Weber is mild enough I like the flex it has a lot too). The Diamondback is not as low flex as the iKon Standard which I also like (all three are favorites but different).
There are other factors that I think really help the Diamondback. The main thing helping it compared to the Nodachi is the shape of the safety bar. The flat portion of the safety bar is essentially on the shave plane and cradles the skin to the blade. I can get irritation with mine as I found out doing stupid stuff after I put the mirror finish on it, but in more than 30 shaves, the Diamondback has never bit me. The Nadochi Safety bar makes contact only at more of a sharp corner of the bar, and it has surprised me a few times with a bite if not careful between chin and Mr. Apple when going across. I have no Masamune.
All of my favorites have safety bars that make a fair amont of contact at least with the skin--some mild by what most people say but with a lot of flex. Some rigid but what many call aggressive. The Diamondback for me is a sweet middle. Some people love Nadochi so YMMV.
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Thank you @Elvis Outlander for your input. That helps alot as I also have the Nodachi. I’m happy to hear that it is smoother than the Nodachi from your experience. Is it as efficient as the Nodachi or more/less?
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Thanks for the info Mark! I’m glad the Diamondback doesn’t have as a narrow of a shaving angle as I initially thought.
I have both the Nodachi and the Masamune -- and find the smoothness with the Nodachi varies quite a bit depending on the blade choice. With a less sharp blade I find it surprisingly smooth (almost mild) and too much blade with the likes of a feather. So yes, YMMV is definitely in play here. I'm not a fan of blade feel generally and can feel the blade even with the Masamune. I don't have the Nodachi handle so that could be something else to factor in.
Back to the Diamondback. Guess I will have to try it to find out. I mean, smoother than Nodachi + feather is pretty different from smoother than Nodachi + astra...
Thanks for your thoughts.
Back to the Diamondback. Guess I will have to try it to find out. I mean, smoother than Nodachi + feather is pretty different from smoother than Nodachi + astra...
Thanks for your thoughts.
