I posted this in the Broherhood of the Open Comb threadbut I thought I'd give it its own post to get more discussion and reaction going.
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First impressions from the Tradere OC 2nd are positive, overall.
I received it last night and couldn't resist shaving with it right away. I usually shave in the mornings, but the new Duke 3 that came in the same shipment was giving me puppy dog eyes, so I loaded up some Arko and got to it.
I've been shaving with the respect-commanding 2011 R41 as my main razor and I feel like it's a Porche and the Tradere OC is a Cadillac. The Tradere glides like an overweight ice skater over my stubble. I was happy that it gives audible and satisfactory feedback, but I felt like I had to pay attention to blade angle much more as compared to the R41.
The handle is delicious. The 2nd generation has a shorter handle than the original Tradere, and I wouldn't want it any longer, personally. The handle is longer than the R41 or my EJ DE89. The handle's extended narrowness near the head, the bell end and knurling give plenty of handling options.
The fit and finish is top notch, as may others have attested to. The flanges that cover the blade ends on the cap are interesting from a design perspective. They add comfort to the screwing and unscrewing of the handle, but this comes at the expense of making the blade more difficult to load. It's a minor point, but I had the blade loaded crookedly and needed to spin it a bit and those little "wings" on the cap made it a challenge to adjust without touching the sharp ends of the blade.
Another slight criticism and something that takes away from the overall aesthetics and construction quality of this razor is the Tradere logo on the underside of the razor. I hope a font with a character of strength and robustness replaces the current one. An heirloom of such quality surely requires it. It looks amateurish as it is now. Again, a minor annoyance.
I was pleasantly surprised to find that the maneuverability of the head in hard to navigate areas is second to none. The razor reached up my lip and under my nose, chopping whiskers like a frog's tongue grabs flies out of the air.
After a first run, I think it's tough to evaluate aggressiveness. It's certainly not as aggressive as the 2011 R41, but it's definitely efficient. I had a bit of irritation, partly because I was a bit zealous and pushed the razor more than I usually would. I don't go for BBS-or-bust-shaves, typically. With a little practice I can see this razor being a gentle but satisfying shaver. It's a great addition to the OC razors out there.
Hat tip to Tradere for a beautiful razor!
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First impressions from the Tradere OC 2nd are positive, overall.
I received it last night and couldn't resist shaving with it right away. I usually shave in the mornings, but the new Duke 3 that came in the same shipment was giving me puppy dog eyes, so I loaded up some Arko and got to it.
I've been shaving with the respect-commanding 2011 R41 as my main razor and I feel like it's a Porche and the Tradere OC is a Cadillac. The Tradere glides like an overweight ice skater over my stubble. I was happy that it gives audible and satisfactory feedback, but I felt like I had to pay attention to blade angle much more as compared to the R41.
The handle is delicious. The 2nd generation has a shorter handle than the original Tradere, and I wouldn't want it any longer, personally. The handle is longer than the R41 or my EJ DE89. The handle's extended narrowness near the head, the bell end and knurling give plenty of handling options.
The fit and finish is top notch, as may others have attested to. The flanges that cover the blade ends on the cap are interesting from a design perspective. They add comfort to the screwing and unscrewing of the handle, but this comes at the expense of making the blade more difficult to load. It's a minor point, but I had the blade loaded crookedly and needed to spin it a bit and those little "wings" on the cap made it a challenge to adjust without touching the sharp ends of the blade.
Another slight criticism and something that takes away from the overall aesthetics and construction quality of this razor is the Tradere logo on the underside of the razor. I hope a font with a character of strength and robustness replaces the current one. An heirloom of such quality surely requires it. It looks amateurish as it is now. Again, a minor annoyance.
I was pleasantly surprised to find that the maneuverability of the head in hard to navigate areas is second to none. The razor reached up my lip and under my nose, chopping whiskers like a frog's tongue grabs flies out of the air.
After a first run, I think it's tough to evaluate aggressiveness. It's certainly not as aggressive as the 2011 R41, but it's definitely efficient. I had a bit of irritation, partly because I was a bit zealous and pushed the razor more than I usually would. I don't go for BBS-or-bust-shaves, typically. With a little practice I can see this razor being a gentle but satisfying shaver. It's a great addition to the OC razors out there.
Hat tip to Tradere for a beautiful razor!
