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Anyone else thinking of polishing their Tradere handle?

I think the production Tradere Head/Handle looks great as is.....Elegance in form and function

There's no way I'd polish it.
 
I've got two handles, so I might polish one of 'em just because.

FTR, I think the head and handle look great together, and I've shaved with it twice and both times it was very nice It could be a tad more aggressive, but lately I've been shaving with either an R41 or a long comb New/fat handle Tech frankenrazor, so that might be unjustly coloring my opinion.
 
I received the head yesterday and was very surprised to see that the finish doesn't match with the handle. And I didnt like the looks of the razor with two different finishes. Just to make the aesthetics look better, I put the head on a BRW XXL nickel finish, even before my first shave, and that thing matched well. The razor is also now heavier and well balanced IMHO.

In an expensive high quality razor, I just think that finishes should match.
 
I did a bit of polishing but the type of finish on the "smooth" parts of the handle is not to conducive to a bright shine by just hand polishing. However with the head on it now, it looks great. Will give it it's first test run this morning.
 
I've got two handles, so I might polish one of 'em just because.

I have been thinking of ordering a second handle and polishing it. Still have not used the razor after a week so maybe a second handle might be the best alternative.

This is a GREAT marketing strategy if it gets everyone to buy 2 handles :lol:
 
I switch handles around on various razors all the time. Given a choice, I think the Tradere handle would be more aesthetically pleasing if the smooth parts were polished. It's not a big issue just a personal preference. Below I've married the head to some of my BRW handles. First up, the Fluted handle is about 6.5 mm shorter than the Tradere at 89.4 mm and weighs 14g more at 82g. My favorite, and the one I'll likely be using, is the Bull Mastiff XL that is just slightly longer at 96.2 mm but at 94g, a material 26g heavier. The wood-knob Bull Mastiff is 6g lighter and is 14mm shorter than the Tradere. I may swap the wood with the XL's heavier bottom which would add a bit of heft to the handle and make a nice combination.


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I have been thinking of ordering a second handle and polishing it. Still have not used the razor after a week so maybe a second handle might be the best alternative.

This is a GREAT marketing strategy if it gets everyone to buy 2 handles :lol:
I think a better marketing strategy would be to design a Straight-Bar head, or a hybrid asymmetrical one like Ikon's H20.

I'm not an Open Comb kinda guy. I've tried several different OC razors and just don't like them, and I've only found one that I can just barely tolerate (vintage Gillette NEW.) By offering another head option it would open up a much wider user-base.

I'm patient. I'll wait for it.
 
I think a better marketing strategy would be to design a Straight-Bar head, or a hybrid asymmetrical one like Ikon's H20.

I'm not an Open Comb kinda guy. I've tried several different OC razors and just don't like them, and I've only found one that I can just barely tolerate (vintage Gillette NEW.) By offering another head option it would open up a much wider user-base.

I'm patient. I'll wait for it.

Hopefully if a safety bar head comes out it will be satin and the handle high polish. This would encourage those who now have the high polish head, satin handle to by another razor so that they can match finishes up.

I would like to see a high quality solid mild safety bar razor hit the market. I would be one of the first in line to get one.
 
I have been thinking of ordering a second handle and polishing it. Still have not used the razor after a week so maybe a second handle might be the best alternative.

This is a GREAT marketing strategy if it gets everyone to buy 2 handles :lol:
After reading this, I'm less apt to buy one.
 
I have been thinking of ordering a second handle and polishing it. Still have not used the razor after a week so maybe a second handle might be the best alternative.

This is a GREAT marketing strategy if it gets everyone to buy 2 handles :lol:

After reading this, I'm less apt to buy one.

Pretty sure turtle was joking, and completely sure that nothing could have been further from the mind of the man who designed and is building/marketing the razor.

Yes I was joking.....

I started this topic to gather info on how others felt about the different finishes so that the vendor would have a better feel for what his customers were thinking about the product they purchased.
 
Pretty sure turtle was joking, and completely sure that nothing could have been further from the mind of the man who designed and is building/marketing the razor.
Yes, of course, I get that. But the overall collective comments don't make me want to run out and buy anything from the vendor. The reason mentioned for the odd mismatch on the finishes was production costs mainly...not anything to help the consumer. A razor head should match the handle. That buyers are actually discussing the need to Dremel an expensive item, or buy a second one, just to end up with something they should have gotten out of the box, is enough for me to understand this is not something for me. Otherwise, to each, his own.
 
Yes, of course, I get that. But the overall collective comments don't make me want to run out and buy anything from the vendor. The reason mentioned for the odd mismatch on the finishes was production costs mainly...not anything to help the consumer. A razor head should match the handle. That buyers are actually discussing the need to Dremel an expensive item, or buy a second one, just to end up with something they should have gotten out of the box, is enough for me to understand this is not something for me. Otherwise, to each, his own.


I believe you are being unfair. In fairness, this is not an "odd mismatch". Rather it is an aesthetic choice made by the vendor taking into account production costs. All manufacturers do exactly that, and that is exactly what I expect manufactureres to do when looking at what will work for the consumer ie. balancing aesthetics and the costs associated therewith.

I have a Gillette 1948. It has a knurled handle. The handle is effectively a satin finish but the part just under the head is shiny and the head is shiny. It's not mis-matched. It's a beautiful classic razor.

My stainless Lux razor has a matte handle and a shiny head.

The Weber has a different coloured head than the handle.

I have a number of GEMs that are exactly like that as well. The finish on the handle does not match the head.

My Ikon handle is satin, the original head has a bottom plate that is satin and the top plate is shiny. I've another Ikon head which is the "New Standard" model. It is shiny. All look great with on the satin handle even though the head is shiny.

People love the Mergress razor, and for good reason. It is a shiny chromed razor, but the stainless knob though polished looks very different than the rest of the razor. It is by no means a match, and to the best of my knowledge I've not seen anyone complain to Mer that the knob should be chromed to match the razor.

My 1945 Pleese, has a matte handle and a shiny head. Like the Gillette the handle is shiny only just under the head. This one was made in Palestine by what was to later become an Israeli arms manufacturer when the State of Israel was created.

In my case, I am still waiting to see my Tradere, and while I would have thought that an all satin finish would work better (for me) than the differently finished head, I'll make up my mind as to whether I like the look after I see it, but I've no doubt it will live up to my expectations that it's a beautiful razor.

I agree with you "to each, his own" these are wise words, and I certainly don't want to argue and there is no point in arguing about aesthetic choices, but I do want to make one point, and it is this:

there are plenty of sought after razors that have handles and heads that have very different finishes, that do not match and which are considered to be beautiful, classic razors.

Were I to speculate, I would guess that the Tradere is a good candidate to become one of the great classics, and I'm really happy to be on the list to own one of the first production runs of this razors
 
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I believe you are being unfair. In fairness, this is not an "odd mismatch". Rather it is an aesthetic choice made by the vendor taking into account production costs. All manufacturers do exactly that, and that is exactly what I expect manufactureres to do when looking at what will work for the consumer ie. balancing aesthetics and the costs associated therewith.

I have a Gillette 1948. It has a knurled handle. The handle is effectively a satin finish but the part just under the head is shiny and the head is shiny. It's not mis-matched. It's a beautiful classic razor.

My stainless Lux razor has a matte handle and a shiny head.

The Weber has a different coloured head than the handle.

I have a number of GEMs that are exactly like that as well. The finish on the handle does not match the head.

My Ikon handle is satin, the original head has a bottom plate that is satin and the top plate is shiny. I've another Ikon head which is the "New Standard" model. It is shiny. All look great with on the satin handle even though the head is shiny.

People love the Mergress razor, and for good reason. It is a shiny chromed razor, but the stainless knob though polished looks very different than the rest of the razor. It is by no means a match, and to the best of my knowledge I've not seen anyone complain to Mer that the knob should be chromed to match the razor.

My 1945 Pleese, has a matte handle and a shiny head. Like the Gillette the handle is shiny only just under the head. This one was made in Palestine by what was to later become an Israeli arms manufacturer when the State of Israel was created.

In my case, I am still waiting to see my Tradere, and while I would have thought that an all satin finish would work better (for me) than the differently finished head, I'll make up my mind as to whether I like the look after I see it, but I've no doubt it will live up to my expectations that it's a beautiful razor.

I agree with you "to each, his own" these are wise words, and I certainly don't want to argue and there is no point in arguing about aesthetic choices, but I do want to make one point, and it is this:

there are plenty of sought after razors that have handles and heads that have very different finishes, that do not match and which are considered to be beautiful, classic razors.

Were I to speculate, I would guess that the Tradere is a good candidate to become one of the great classics, and I'm really happy to be on the list to own one of the first production runs of this razors
One difference...all your examples came in as a finished razor. People could see what they were buying. The Tradere was delivered in two pieces at different points in time. You either accepted what you got or, like several posters here, you either flat out complain, or in subtle ways let the vendor know he might have done better with the finishes.
 
One difference...all your examples came in as a finished razor. People could see what they were buying. The Tradere was delivered in two pieces at different points in time. You either accepted what you got or, like several posters here, you either flat out complain, or in subtle ways let the vendor know he might have done better with the finishes.

No, not quite: the Ikon was not a complete razor. I and many other bought it while it was still in production. Handles first, heads later. The second generation heads were sold separately when they were sitll in production. My memory which is vague on the point is that they were offered for sale before they went into production.

And as far as "complete" razors go, people buy vintage razors off the internet. With the exception of the Ikon, all the razors I listed were bought off the web. Almost no one sees a razor they buy before it arrives in their mailbox and that is the case with each and every razor I listed in my post. I once and only once bought a razor that I had previously held in my hands. And so, the fact that the Gillette 1948 has a satin finished handle and a shiny head was not something that was apparent to me when I bought mine.

There's no point in trying to give Gillette any feedback on the finish of their 1948 razor but by posting here Richard will be able to get feedback on his.
 
No, not quite: the Ikon was not a complete razor. I and many other bought it while it was still in production. Handles first, heads later. The second generation heads were sold separately when they were sitll in production. My memory which is vague on the point is that they were offered for sale before they went into production.

And as far as "complete" razors go, people buy vintage razors off the internet. With the exception of the Ikon, all the razors I listed were bought off the web. Almost no one sees a razor they buy before it arrives in their mailbox and that is the case with each and every razor I listed in my post. I once and only once bought a razor that I had previously held in my hands. And so, the fact that the Gillette 1948 has a satin finished handle and a shiny head was not something that was apparent to me when I bought mine.

There's no point in trying to give Gillette any feedback on the finish of their 1948 razor but by posting here Richard will be able to get feedback on his.
Well, I'm glad you like yours. That's really all that matters.
 
Yes, of course, I get that. But the overall collective comments don't make me want to run out and buy anything from the vendor. The reason mentioned for the odd mismatch on the finishes was production costs mainly...not anything to help the consumer. A razor head should match the handle. That buyers are actually discussing the need to Dremel an expensive item, or buy a second one, just to end up with something they should have gotten out of the box, is enough for me to understand this is not something for me. Otherwise, to each, his own.

A gross mischaracterization of the owner's response

One difference...all your examples came in as a finished razor. People could see what they were buying. The Tradere was delivered in two pieces at different points in time. You either accepted what you got or, like several posters here, you either flat out complain, or in subtle ways let the vendor know he might have done better with the finishes.

Not quite-
The Owner of Tradere Razors was posting images of what the production model would look like on this site back in March,I don't believe you were a member here yet.
 
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I personaly would like to see the Head in Satin finish matching the Handle, or the Handle Matching the High Polished Head, Mis match finishes makes the Set look like a Franken Razor IMHO :eek:/

Im all for supporting a Product made un USA and even more if its a Member Here :eek:) i'll be contacting Richard Soon Enough :eek:)
 
Will it shave better if the finish is exactly the same on the head and handle? I don't think so. The finish on the Weber razors are different between the head and handle (DLC and ARC). I don't see this as a problem. This is the way he makes 'em - get over it. It's about the shave not how nice the razor looks.
Just my opinion.
 
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