Balin's Blade Bonanza

[helicopter]

Compared to the blade of the Tatra Platino I found the Tatara blade less forgiving, it requires respect otherwise with some razors that expose the blade more if you are not careful there is a risk of getting many cuts.
The Tatra platinum blade is gentler as @cranewarrior wrote quite smooth.

For me Tatra platinum is not the same blade Tatara,completely different.
Of the Tiger platinum blade I don't know, I have never found it.
Next week I would like to try the Tiger stainless blade, in the past few days I found out that there are many Tiger lovers here and I would like to understand if it really is the Tiger stainless blade is a bad blade as @lasta writes.
I hope we will survive.

I wouldn't be surprised if you got one that is sharp and one that is more moderate. That doesn't mean they are ground to different specifications or that someone else will get the same experience ordering the same products.

It could be batch variation. It could be One dulled on its way from the factory to your shave den.

Test with chart.

They seem to be made to the same specification to me.

I need to test another Tiger Pt at some point, because some people said they got one that was as sharp as the Tatra.

 

[Balin]

Shave 1 with the Tatara

I had a comfortable DFS shave today. I had skipped shaving Sunday and Monday so it felt a little tuggy on the first pass but the second pass was fine. I had pretty low alum and aftershave feedback! I'm trying the same combo tomorrow.

 

[Pinto90]

Blade 1° Tatara Platinum shave 2 for me Today

Pre-shave Cream Prep
Jifuli Razor
Tatara platinum 1st blade (2nd use)
Soap I Coloniali Mango
Yaqi Mocha Brush
Figaro aftershave cream

This morning with the Tatara blade from the little box was not a catastrophe, a slight nick and minor irritation under the chin.
A killer BBS in two very precarious passes, made without the slightest hesitation.Now, durability is not the parameter that interests me most when evaluating razor blades, but the comfort el efficiency achieved these two days, really surprised me.
Used with great respect on the Jifuli razor, the choice of an aggressive razor was made specifically to better evaluate
the response over time with regard to sharpness and smoothness.
I must say that even today I really enjoyed this EU-made Tatara platinum.

 

[Pinto90]

I wouldn't be surprised if you got one that is sharp and one that is more moderate. That doesn't mean they are ground to different specifications or that someone else will get the same experience ordering the same products.

It could be batch variation. It could be One dulled on its way from the factory to your shave den.

Test with chart.

They seem to be made to the same specification to me.

I need to test another Tiger Pt at some point, because some people said they got one that was as sharp as the Tatra.

This activity and this study of blades requires much attention and study, yet for me it remains simply a Hobby and pastime to be cultivated with moderation, even a certain superficiality or forgetfulness.
In my case I prefer fun, the right compromise of my time and I forgot to use the same razor for testing different blades and thus my perception that they are different blades.
I guess to have an objective benchmark on the blade one should use at least the same razor, in my case it didn't happen because I used the Timor butterfly razor with the Tatra platinum blade and the small Fatip with the Tatara blade, as we know even a different razor makes the difference in blade evaluation.
I also forgot to specify that I had used different razors.
But I will evaluate to use the same razor and let you know my impression and read his publication articles of blade sharpening, very interesting evaluations and studies.

 

[Pinto90]

This week I got the Pearl Sleek razor that mounts half blades, and I remembered that I had other blades from years past that I split up to use in shavette razors but couldn't use them all.

My madness! many are Derby Extra, Bic, Shark SS, Rapira,Supermax,Croma Diamant, maybe Asco and then others.

Surely they are blades dating back to at least 2018,just look at the Bic Chrome Platinum blade with holes that I haven't found in years or the Satinex (Personna) blade now not produced since those years and the early Dorco Prime blades.
Yeah, I think sooner or later I will use all of them or some I will trash right away.

 

[lasta]

This week I got the Pearl Sleek razor that mounts half blades, and I remembered that I had other blades from years past that I split up to use in shavette razors but couldn't use them all.
View attachment 1920637
My madness! many are Derby Extra, Bic, Shark SS, Rapira,Supermax,Croma Diamant, maybe Asco and then others.
View attachment 1920638

Surely they are blades dating back to at least 2018,just look at the Bic Chrome Platinum blade with holes that I haven't found in years or the Satinex (Personna) blade now not produced since those years and the early Dorco Prime blades.
Yeah, I think sooner or later I will use all of them or some I will trash right away.

If that's how you stored them, I'd recommend unwrapping a new blade.

 

[Guido75]

If that's how you stored them, I'd recommend unwrapping a new blade.

Well, one or two burs on the edge ain’t gonna hurt nobody! Haha!

 

[Pinto90]

Don't be surprised, I like extreme challenges.
Will Shark Stainless be better?

They are a few years old but seem to have survived well.

 

[Guido75]

Don't be surprised, I like extreme challenges.
Will Shark Stainless be better?

View attachment 1920669

They are a few years old but seem to have survived well.

Sharks are usually great blades!

(waiting for another facepalm from @lasta)

 

[spacemonkey42]

Tatara (Tatra?) Platinum - blade 1, shave 2

Le Maurice 1.2​

Wald A1 bulb​

Southern Witchcrafts Boonana​

Second shave on the blade was better than the first, probably due to only having one day of growth to get through. There still was more resistance than I am used to, much more than the GSB. The resistance is particularly noticeable in the ATG pass. It is a fairly predictable blade though.

The result was pretty good, probably around 40-50% of my face/neck was BBS. Nearly no warmth from astringent, which is a plus. I'm thinking this is in the sharpness level of the Dorco/Viking Sword, but it is hard to tell other than it is significantly less sharp than the GSB.

BONANZA!

 

[blethenstrom]

Morning Shave - 10/02/24
Shave Number: 349
Passes: 3
Razor: RazoRock Mentor
Blade: Tatara Platinum (White) (3)
Soap: Proraso Red
Brush: Omega 10049 Boar (Pro 49)
Aftershave: Clubman Jeris Osage Rub
Shave Comfort: 10/10 (Smooth)
Shave Quality: 9.5/10 (DFS++)
Shave Rating: 9.75/10
What a difference a razor makes. Same blade, but instead of the Merkur 41C using the more efficient RR Mentor and it was markedly better. Much closer shave, still very smooth. Very nice shave indeed. Not sure if this blade is thinner than I am used to, but it seems noisier in the same razor that I have used before. Very close to a BBS shave.

I was on the verge to give this shave a BBS rating, but I could not quite. I found a few stragglers but they were few. It was a fantastic shave this morning with all the trimmings. The razor changed the entire shave experience, with this blade, from the two last ones. It goes to show that we have to try the blades in as wide variety or razors that we can to get a good feel for them. I had almost dismissed this blade, but now it seems like an ok blade. I think the rest of the week will be a different story with this one. However, it does mean that this blade is razor dependent, which is not really a good thing. Still I take this morning shave with gladness.

BONANZA!

 

[cranewarrior]

Shave #3 - Tatara Platinum
Yaqi Final Cut, setting 4
Gillette Foamy

Another near flawless shave. I did a bit more clean-up than the previous two days, but I continue to be pleased with the Tatara. It's going to be somewhere in my top 6 blades for sure if it can last another two good sessions.

I need to research these blades more. I have stayed away from German/Czech blades for the most part but this might have been a mistake. I have some Chroma blades in my stash also made in Germany acquired cheaply and if they perform 80% as well as this Tatara, it would be a pleasant surprise.

 

[Pinto90]

Sharks are usually great blades!

(waiting for another facepalm from @lasta)

Sharks Stainless are good blades for me.

(@lasta likes GSBs too much but is afraid of tigers and sharks.)

 

[spacemonkey42]

Hey @lasta, pull out one of those Tatra blades and you can join us! You're always welcome, not just for GSBs.

 

[Pinto90]

1st blade Tatara platinum 3rd shave

Glenova olive oil cream pre-shave
Maggard V3a razor
omega synthetic brush
Tobs sandalo shaving cream


I am now on my third shave with the same fine blade Tatara platinum blade, today mounted on razor head at usual this is Maggard V3 marked American Barber.
Wanting to figure out how far to go, I made 4 passes: flush, two cross obliques, countershave.
BBS with no problems and the Tatara Platinum blade did a good job going even beyond my expectations.

It seems to me superior to the Tatra platinum blade (it will be the same blade) and to all the blades of this batch we are testing in Balin's Bonanza.
As sharpness and durability it seems remarkable, perhaps it can last several more shaves today it was sharpened sharply.
I keep repeating that this blade should be used on mild razors and very carefully, the Czech Republic samurai cuts through all beards with ease.

Olive oil glenova as pre a ten minutes before, sandalwood Tobs mounted with omega synth brush wrung out of water and no more added, brush soaked a 15 minutes in lukewarm water. The Tatra razor blade in question cuts a lot, even too much, yet sometimes we seek that, the challenge,the thrill of being able to tame the medium.
The super heavy razor should be used with a light hand in a velvet glove, it slips and takes everything away.
This Tatara platinum blade still positively surprised me, excellent results.

Later I will compare with the Tatra platinum blade using the same razor to try to see if it can be the same blade and if so I will go by the store and get 100 of these Tatra platinum blades.
If I remember correctly the Tatara platinum blade costs quite a bit more than Tatara platinum, now I understand why many razor blades label them generally with Made In EU they don't want to let their secrets be known, it's all related to sales and marketing policies but that's okay.

BONANZA!!

 

[Pinto90]

I have stayed away from German/Czech blades for the most part but this might have been a mistake. I have some Chroma blades in my stash also made in Germany acquired cheaply and if they perform 80% as well as this Tatara, it would be a pleasant surprise.

If you are referring as I imagine to the German Chroma Diamant blades I have tried many of these, I still have a few.
I don't know your evaluation parameters but I can tell you that for me the Chroma Diamant is clearly inferior to the Tatara Platinuo blade, much less sharp.

The German blade is much more delicate and allows a few more mistakes, I use it for maximum two or three shaves, you don't need special attention because you can't cut yourself easily unless you make serious carelessness while shaving.
Maybe for you it will be different and I hope you have already bought Chroma Diamant blades cheaply and in large quantities because they are no longer made and are running out.
I had found a discussion in this forum where I read that now Chroma Diamant blades are distributed by another company I think, and manufactured in Vietnam or another Asian country.

 

[cranewarrior]

If you are referring as I imagine to the German Chroma Diamant blades I have tried many of these, I still have a few.
I don't know your evaluation parameters but I can tell you that for me the Chroma Diamant is clearly inferior to the Tatara Platinuo blade, much less sharp.

The German blade is much more delicate and allows a few more mistakes, I use it for maximum two or three shaves, you don't need special attention because you can't cut yourself easily unless you make serious carelessness while shaving.
Maybe for you it will be different and I hope you have already bought Chroma Diamant blades cheaply and in large quantities because they are no longer made and are running out.
I had found a discussion in this forum where I read that now Chroma Diamant blades are distributed by another company I think, and manufactured in Vietnam or another Asian country.

Chroma Stabil. I have read probably the same speculation you refer to, but I think the people involved didn't actually have the product in hand unlike me. My package clearly states it is made in Germany.

 

[Pinto90]

Chroma Stabil. I have read probably the same speculation you refer to, but I think the people involved didn't actually have the product in hand unlike me. My package clearly states it is made in Germany.

I don't question that your Chroma Stabil blades are made in Germany they are no longer made in Germany.

Croma Diamant

Thanks for resurrecting this old thread! Looks like an interesting blade. You're welcome.

www.badgerandblade.com

Here it is written about some Chroma Stabil produced in Egypt.
perhaps in recent years, as happened with the Elios and Bolzano Superinox blades, they have transferred production from Germany to Egypt.

 

[spacemonkey42]

Tatara (Tatra?) Platinum - blade 1, shave 3

Tatara Noda-mune​

Yaqi rainbow pony​

Southern Witchcrafts Boonana​

I moved the Tatara to a Tatara for the third shave. It did not go very well. Surely some of this was operator error, the Tatara razors are new to me. I'll try to adjust my technique tomorrow and give it another shot.

The blade felt quite dull, which then led me to overdo the shave, adding a little pressure and buffing. The shave wasn't very comfortable, especially ATG where it felt tuggy. There was warmth from the astringent and a couple weepers. I probably got about 1/4 of my face/neck BBS, the rest DFS.

It is interesting to me that people have very different impressions of blade sharpness. What do you all make of that? YMMV, but why? Part of it has to be what blades you're used to, if you only one-and-done a Feather, everything will feel dull. So it is relative to your experience. Part of it must be the razor used, different razors make blades feel different. Part of it is one's whiskers - it seems that once a blade is sharp enough to cut a whisker type well, then additional sharpness isn't as necessary. And of course there are lots of other variables, from technique through face condition. Just some thoughts inspired by experimenting and sharing with you all.

BONANZA!

 

[blethenstrom]

Morning Shave - 10/03/24
Shave Number: 350
Passes: 3
Razor: RazoRock Mentor
Blade: Tatara Platinum (White) (4)
Soap: Proraso Red
Brush: RazoRock Plissoft RR400
Aftershave: Clubman Pinaud
Shave Comfort: 10/10 (Smooth)
Shave Quality: 9/10 (DFS+)
Shave Rating: 9.5/10
Nice and pleasant shave. However, not quite as close as the previous one, but completely acceptable still. for some reason the razor felt much more aggressive this shave than the last one. I am not sure why. Seemed like it was more blade feel. No irritation, overall a great shave.

BONANZA!