World’s Mildest (New) Razor?

[gdawg55]

Wow...great, detailed review of the different Tatara combos. Thanks!
The fact that it’s so great but still second to the Henson Ti22-Medium is noteworthy!

What surprised me most was the Nodachi base and cap combo was my favorite. I thought for sure it would be the Masamune base with Nodachi cap since I tend to like milder razors with neutral blade exposure. Nope, the large gap with the most blade exposure performed really nice....comfortable, smooth, and efficient. Only shaved with each combination once, so my experience is limited, but I could definitely tell the all Nodachi setup left me with the best shave (and best post face feel). My face felt like I hadn't even shaved except there was no whiskers left. Really nice shave.

 

[Kennyg2019]

What surprised me most was the Nodachi base and cap combo was my favorite. I thought for sure it would be the Masamune base with Nodachi cap since I tend to like milder razors with neutral blade exposure. Nope, the large gap with the most blade exposure performed really nice....comfortable, smooth, and efficient. Only shaved with each combination once, so my experience is limited, but I could definitely tell the all Nodachi setup left me with the best shave (and best post face feel). My face felt like I hadn't even shaved except there was no whiskers left. Really nice shave.

Wow...that’s amazing. Will stay tuned to hear more. I loved my Masamune SB. Maybe I’ll revisit Tatara in the future!

 

[Ckmaui]

Am curious about the new tatara adj

so did a quick shave 2 pass GC .68 vs the Henson Medium both are incredible comfortable I do know when pushed to 3 pass and some extra the Henson takes the lead

and the GC .68 is a really nice bang for buck classic looking razor that everyone looking for mild should try ! I still want to try the OC plate and maybe all the plates
And of course my timeless comes in on Mon

but if I was to have to take one NOW I would take the Henson
used some proraso green pre shave and the green tube cream and then some Fine American AS and have such a nice feeling face with no irritation at all so 2 pass DFS very happy and kinda what I want plan on for daily

So many great razors that are awesome and folks need to just try to know the small differences and what they prefer

 

[kcbrett]

I just shaved with a Henson al13 mild and the astra blade. I know it’s supposed to be sharp and smooth, but I’m going to shave with my Wilkinson or personna lab blue next. I was able to bite myself in three places chasing a BBS, and I got it. I can tell the irritation would have been non existent had I been more careful, and I’m hoping my favorite blades can take care of that. I do know for sure now I have sensitive skin as this razor and my Windsor SSM1 are the level of aggressive I prefer and I just have problems when I try anything more “efficient”. Funny thing is, I’m gonna revisit my old tech, because my rose colored glasses remember it still being the best shaves I’ve ever had...

 

[Kennyg2019]

I just shaved with a Henson al13 mild and the astra blade. I know it’s supposed to be sharp and smooth, but I’m going to shave with my Wilkinson or personna lab blue next. I was able to bite myself in three places chasing a BBS, and I got it. I can tell the irritation would have been non existent had I been more careful, and I’m hoping my favorite blades can take care of that. I do know for sure now I have sensitive skin as this razor and my Windsor SSM1 are the level of aggressive I prefer and I just have problems when I try anything more “efficient”. Funny thing is, I’m gonna revisit my old tech, because my rose colored glasses remember it still being the best shaves I’ve ever had...

Could be a bad blade.
That happened to me a couple of times with different razors
I switched blades and got a completely different result! (Perhaps a QC issue?)
I had the Windsor as well but I found it a little less comfortable (and a lot heavier) than the Henson!
That would be funny if a vintage razor gave you a better shave!

 

[kcbrett]

Could be a bad blade.
That happened to me a couple of times with different razors
I switched blades and got a completely different result! (Perhaps a QC issue?)
I had the Windsor as well but I found it a little less comfortable (and a lot heavier) than the Henson!
That would be funny if a vintage razor gave you a better shave!

I think the Henson will be amazing actually, right there with the att, if not more comfortable. I think the att was just a slight bit easier to get the BBS.

 

[Kennyg2019]

I think the Henson will be amazing actually, right there with the att, if not more comfortable. I think the att was just a slight bit easier to get the BBS.

Agreed! There's a trade-off...the most comfortable razor in the world isn't going to be the most efficient. But, for people with sensitive skin like myself, that's a sacrifice worth making. I can still get a BBS with the Henson, it just requires a lot of buffing. (Luckily, because the razor is so mild, my skin is never irritated regardless of how much buffing I do.) Generally, though, I'm content with a DFS, so I don't usually spend a lot of time buffing.

 

[DEGuy]

I've used a lot of double-edge razors; and the best of the lot was one is a $12 DE: a Bali BD176. Hands down it beat all the Merkur, Jagger, Feather, Muhle, RazoRocks, vintage razors I've owned. The Bali is modeled after a Gillette Tech; but for me it bests the shave of the Techs I've had. I tried them from the 1940s through 1970s, both fat and ball handle models. I got rid of all those razors because none of them was really comfortable to use and none delivered a thorough and comfortable good shave. These days it's the 176 for me. The razor is as simple as the days when a tune-up consisted of new plugs, points, rotor, distributor cap, and a free Saturday afternoon.

 

[Kennyg2019]

Feather is milder. I love the Tatara. Brilliant combination of gentle and quite efficient. Good choice!

I may have to try the Feather AS-D2 again...this time with a Feather blade just to confirm my initial thoughts and to give it a fair shot.

 

[gdawg55]

Wow...that’s amazing. Will stay tuned to hear more. I loved my Masamune SB. Maybe I’ll revisit Tatara in the future!

Shaved again with the all Nodachi setup this morning and results were identical to the first shave...awesome. My face feels so good, like I haven't shaved except I'm BBS. No irritation what so ever. I'm really digging this setup so far. It's very smooth with just the slightest bit of blade feel....not much more than the Henson Medium. I wasn't so stoked with the Tatara until I got to the full Nodachi base and top cap. The other combinations provide good shaves, but the Nodachi steps it up and provides great shaves without sacrificing comfort. My Ti22 better watch out....Nodachi is clipping at its heels.

 

[Kennyg2019]

Shaved again with the all Nodachi setup this morning and results were identical to the first shave...awesome. My face feels so good, like I haven't shaved except I'm BBS. No irritation what so ever. I'm really digging this setup so far. It's very smooth with just the slightest bit of blade feel....not much more than the Henson Medium. I wasn't so stoked with the Tatara until I got to the full Nodachi base and top cap. The other combinations provide good shaves, but the Nodachi steps it up and provides great shaves without sacrificing comfort. My Ti22 better watch out....Nodachi is clipping at its heels.

Wow...that's shocking...in a good way! Did you use the Nodachi OC?

 

[gdawg55]

Wow...that's shocking...in a good way! Did you use the Nodachi OC?

No, just the solid bar. I'm not a fan of OC razors. So far I'm very pleased with the Nodachi.

 

[Fedsbackhand]

Are you using a feather blade in the Nodachi?

OC Masamune is one of my favourites

 

[Kennyg2019]

No, just the solid bar. I'm not a fan of OC razors. So far I'm very pleased with the Nodachi.

That's so surprising to me because the Nodachi has a bigger blade gap than the Masamune! One would think that a smaller blade gap=more comfortable/smoother shave. I'm really happy to hear this. Perhaps...if my Masamune ever makes it out of Portuguese Customs ...I may request an exchange instead of a refund!
Again, that's what I love about this forum...the insights of brother wet shavers can save us a lot of time and effort in our quest for the Holy Grail!

 

[Kennyg2019]

Wow...that's shocking...in a good way! Did you use the Nodachi OC?

But I think I'm going to mix and match...the Masamune handle and base plate...and the Nodachi top cap. I hear that combo results in a neutral blade exposure. I don't think I'm yet at the level of a positive blade exposure.

 

[Ckmaui]

This does make me curious and I cant find info on the new tatara adjustable what plates it kinda equals ?
I read the posts but either read over it or did not see it any ideas ?


So the tatara razors if I understand are kinda like the Timeless where you can mix all the caps and plates together to get various setups

unlike say the RazoRock where you have to stick to the certain models like only the GC mix with the GC not GC and Lupo as they do not work ?

Shaved again with the all Nodachi setup this morning and results were identical to the first shave...awesome. My face feels so good, like I haven't shaved except I'm BBS. No irritation what so ever. I'm really digging this setup so far. It's very smooth with just the slightest bit of blade feel....not much more than the Henson Medium. I wasn't so stoked with the Tatara until I got to the full Nodachi base and top cap. The other combinations provide good shaves, but the Nodachi steps it up and provides great shaves without sacrificing comfort. My Ti22 better watch out....Nodachi is clipping at its heels.

 

[gdawg55]

This does make me curious and I cant find info on the new tatara adjustable what plates it kinda equals ?
I read the posts but either read over it or did not see it any ideas ?


So the tatara razors if I understand are kinda like the Timeless where you can mix all the caps and plates together to get various setups

unlike say the RazoRock where you have to stick to the certain models like only the GC mix with the GC not GC and Lupo as they do not work ?

Yes, you can mix and match the Tatara bases and top caps to dial in what you like. I tried all the combinations (solid bar) and to my surprise the all Nodachi setup provided the most comfortable and close shave. I thought I'd like the Masamune base with Nodachi cap best before trying them all, but after shaving with all the combos, the all Nodachi stood out most. Fantastic shaves so far. Similar outcome to my Ti22 but I'm noticing my whiskers returning a little sooner with the Tatara vs the Henson.

 

[gdawg55]

Are you using a feather blade in the Nodachi?

OC Masamune is one of my favourites

I've been using a PermaSharp blade and it seems to work great. I hear feathers also work well in the Nodachi.....I have a couple laying around and plan to try one. I'm usually not a Feather fan. Every time I've used one in the past it's been rough.

 

[macintoshBR]

. I don't think I'm yet at the level of a positive blade exposure

All Henson’s have positive blade exposure. I think they are less than half of the Nodachi, though

 

[Nehbulah]

All Henson’s have positive blade exposure. I think they are less than half of the Nodachi, though

Totally different geometry though.