Concur with everything Jim says, and I use both routinely in rotation. The Muramasa is to me a milder razor (even with similar settings), although both can be dialed down to AS-D2 levels. The Muramasa just feels milder, maybe because of the weight distribution. And as Jim notes, the Muramasa has a pretty limited range of travel - plenty for me, and I prefer mild - but by comparison the Taiga can go from mild to ultra-efficient, where the Muramasa goes from sort of super-mild to mildly-efficient, if that makes sense. The SS Taiga is more of a direct comparison as far as balance and weight, but I find the Titanium Taiga is more my style because of the light weight, and matches pretty well the type of shave I can get with the Muramasa as far as a comfortable shave.
The Muramasa is an engineering triumph, uniqe among adjustables, where the Taiga is an improved Gibbs design - and I actually prefer the cleanup with the Muramasa because I treat it like a 3-piece (although you can break it down further with the key, I almost never do, or need to, because the parts fit so precisely). I usually tend to clean my razors thoroughly after use, so the Taiga becomes a 7-piece razor each time I clean it because the tolerances aren't quite as tight as the Muramasa. Like Jim, any of them could be and are daily drivers for me, although obviously the Taigas are becoming unobtainium now, so the Muramasa is more than a suitable substitute. No springs in the Muramasa, but the one little niggle that I have is the rubber "O" ring on the adjustment shaft, although haven't needed to replace it yet. Look forward to your observations!
The Muramasa is an engineering triumph, uniqe among adjustables, where the Taiga is an improved Gibbs design - and I actually prefer the cleanup with the Muramasa because I treat it like a 3-piece (although you can break it down further with the key, I almost never do, or need to, because the parts fit so precisely). I usually tend to clean my razors thoroughly after use, so the Taiga becomes a 7-piece razor each time I clean it because the tolerances aren't quite as tight as the Muramasa. Like Jim, any of them could be and are daily drivers for me, although obviously the Taigas are becoming unobtainium now, so the Muramasa is more than a suitable substitute. No springs in the Muramasa, but the one little niggle that I have is the rubber "O" ring on the adjustment shaft, although haven't needed to replace it yet. Look forward to your observations!
