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REVIEW | Amakuni ~ X1 Slant ~ Vector

I have well over a year shaving with an Above the Tie X1 Slant, several months shaving with a Blackland Vector, and one shave with a Tatara Amakuni, so I started this thread to break down my impressions. I will update as I get more shaves with the Amakuni. All three razors are stainless steel.

ATT X1 Slant - 115.5 grams
Tatara Amakuni - 80.7 grams
Blackland Vector - 77.5 grams

I have used Shick P30, Feather Professional, and Feather Super blades in the X1 Slant and settled into the Super for several months. The X1 is a smooth, relatively mild razor, and I enjoy the wider Feather Super a lot in that razor. I appreciate the heft of the razor, and even though the head is a bit bigger and bulkier than the other two, I have found no issues with maneuverability or accessing the tricky parts of my face. The curved top cap allows me to rest it against the underside of my nose to shave my upper lip and has proven to be a benefit, not a hindrance. I can shave on autopilot with the X1 and a Super blade and get BBS to DFS shaves easily without much thought. The hair on the sides of my neck grows flat to my skin, and it is a tricky part that requires multiple passes. I am lazy regarding re-lathering and tend to blade buff. The X1 does an admirable job and is all but irritation-free in this endeavor. The X1 is one of my favorite razors, and I reach for it often.

Until recently, I have used Feather Super blades shaving with the Vector. With the Vector's extremely slim head, lighter weight, and enhanced blade feel with a Super, I would classify it as more aggressive. I can easily cut myself if reckless, but I love the razor and wouldn't consider it harsh. I get consistent BBS to DFS shaves and enjoy needing to pay a bit more attention during shaves with the Vector. The Vector's balance, lightweight, and nimbleness make it a lot of fun to shave with, but on the tricky part of my neck using a Super, I can get irritated if I am not careful. Recently, I shaved with a Feather Professional blade in the Vector, and I was blown away by how smooth and mild the razor became! I could shave nearly on autopilot, and the results were just as good as with the Super. I definitely classify the Vector as a mild/aggressive razor, depending on the blade, and I found the Professional blades to be a treat. What took me so long?

Using a Feather Professional blade, my first shave with the Tatara Amakuni was fantastic. The magnetized head of the Amakuni was solid and secure during the shave and made blade changes incredibly easy. The handle felt great, and there was no slipping with wet hands. The blade is closely aligned with the axis of the handle, similar to the Vector, and only took a moment or two to become familiar. It lacks some of the heft of the X1, but it has a noticeably heavier feeling than the Vector, even though it is only 3.2 grams heavier. Looking at the construction, I assume the Amakuni has a hollow handle, whereas the Vector is solid. That changes the balance point and makes the Amakuni feel heavier, even though the additional weight is negligible. The Amakuni with a Professional blade was smooth and shaved extremely close, giving me a DFS on my first attempt. Right out of the gate, I had fun shaving with the Amakuni. I place the blade feel and aggressiveness between the X1 and Vector. I will need to shave with a Feather Super blade to see if the Amakuni becomes more aggressive, but after one shave with a milder Professional blade, I would guess that the Amakuni will still sit between the X1 and Vector. I like the look of the Tatara Amakuni quite a bit, and it looks better in real life than in pictures. The razor feels excellent in my hand, and the magnetic top cap is a wonderfully simple and effective solution. The boxing and presentation at delivery from Tatara are very nice, and as you can see from the photos, I purchased the stand.

I had considered Alpha Spirit, Atelier Durdan La Faulx, Wolfman, and Lambda Athena SE razors, but the price and lack of in-stock razors steered me away. I would love to try each of these razors, but now that I am GRUYERE, I will need to wait a year and see if I care and if there is available inventory at that time. However, I have so many fantastic razors that shave so effectively that adding anything more would be purely for fun.

I will update this thread as I get more shaves in with the Amakuni. I have Shick P30, Feather Professional, Super, Kai Captain, and Kai Pink blades in my selection, and I will try all of them eventually. It may take a while since I get 10-12 shaves per AC blade, and I plan to exhaust one blade before trying another.
 

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I should add to this that I usually shave at ~30 degrees. Sometimes a bit steeper, and rarely any shallower. The X1, Vector, and Amakuni all work well with my technique. As a reference, I found the Blackland Blackbird to require a very shallow angle, and shaving steeper with that razor felt harsh to me. I know many love the Blackbird, and I am only using that as a reference from my experience. I am not much of a "cap rider." The Amakuni responded well, however, I used it and felt immediately comfortable without searching for a particular effective angle.
 
I have a couple more shaves with the Amakuni and the same Feather Professional blade. One of these shaves was with only a day of growth, and it isn’t typical for me to shave two days in a row. The Amakuni is efficient and smooth! I find the razor to be mild in feel while still doing a good job. The feel with the head so close to the handle axis is similar to the Vector, while being a touch more mild. I really enjoy the magnetic head design! I might need to break out a Feather Super before long, and try the same Professional blade in the Vector, then in the X1 for a good A/B/C comparison. I also need to use the Vector with my open comb base plate for another comparison with the Amakuni. I still love (LOVE!) my ATT X1, but with that no longer being available, I would confidently suggest either the Vector or Amakuni, with the Vector possibly getting the nod for versatility because of the Lite and open comb base plates. I do like the Amakuni handle far more than I expected.
 
Since my review of the Tatara Amakuni is as much a comparison as an actual review, I thought my recent report on using a new stainless Muhle R41 might be helpful.

Soap: Grooming Department Ardent
Brush: Semogue Owners Club Boar
Razor: Muhle Large Open Comb Stainless Steel R41
Blade: Gillette 7 O'Clock Black (third use)
Post: Osma Alum
Aftershave: Grooming Department Ardent
Overall Shave: 9/10

This was my first shave with a Muhle Razor, and the R41 lived up to its reputation for being efficient. The chrome-plated R41s always turned me off, so seeing this in an all-stainless version was enough to help me make the leap. The weight of the razor is lovely, and the finish is superb. I will say that the handle, as nice as it felt in my hand, is a bit slippery. Not enough to be of concern, but a sharper or deeper texture would have helped. I would put the blade feel on par with my Blackland Vector with a Feather Super blade and slightly more than my Above the Tie SSRH with a fresh Feather. At no point did I feel like the razor was too aggressive, but it did require good technique and attention. I could easily shave at my typical ~30-degree angle, but getting steeper definitely increased the blade feel and potential irritation. With a brand new Feather blade I would need to be fully engaged in the shave, which I enjoy. I am pleased with the stainless R41, and considering the prices of stainless razors these days, they seem to be priced appropriately.


Granted, comparing a DE razor with an SE might gloss over some nuance, but there are certainly comparisons to be made. Without question, the slimmer head of most SE razors is a big difference, as is the balance. For comparison, my much-beloved ATT X1 has a more traditional DE feel because of the bulkier, heavier head design. I genuinely love the X1, but the Vector and Tatara embrace the unique qualities of an Artist Club blade in cutting-edge (pun intended) ways. I still need to use the Amakuni with a Feather Super to see if the wider blade brings on a more blade feel, even though my initial impressions of the razor with a Feather Professional lead me to believe it will remain a well-behaved shaver. My experience of the Stainless R41 having a blade feel similar to a Blackland Vector with a Feather Super blade will hopefully be helpful to any DE shavers with R41 experience considering a leap to an Artist Club format. I get excellent shaves from both DE and SE razors, so any of you plumbing the depths of the Cheapshaver thread can rest assured you aren't "missing" anything by steering clear of the expensive stainless steel single-edged razors. However, if you enjoy variety as I do and the nuance of adjusting to different razors, I find the Amakuni to be a worthy option.

The Amakuni is an exceptional shave, and blade feel and aggressiveness are not necessarily indicative of a closer shave in my experience. After using a Feather Super in the Amakuni, I will report back to see if I can close the gap on some of these comparisons.
 

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This morning, I shaved with a Feather Super in the Amakuni, and it was wonderful! The razor maintained its good manners while picking up some efficiency. I had a few days of growth, and the Amakuni handled it with aplomb. The blade feel increased a tad, but it never felt too aggressive or harsh. In contrast, my Vector with a Super feels aggressive and can easily knick me if I am careless. I would say the Amakuni with a Super feels similar to a Vector with a Professional blade in terms of efficiency. While I still love the Vector, the Amakuni with a Super was dreamy and gave a smooth, efficient shave that required very little extra attention. The handle of the Amakuni is very comfortable and has a better grip than expected. I have never felt the Tatara grip to be lacking in any way. The most slippery grip in my collection of razors is, hands down, the new Muhle GS R41, which is still very acceptable. If you are familiar with the Muhle handle and like it, the Tatara will not give you a bit of grief.

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I've just started testing the Amakuni and also have the Vector, X1 and the prototype to compare against. It's unlikely that my La Faulx + will arrive in time - this is a pass around. They have increased the efficiency/aggression of the prototype for sure. I'm slowly working my way through my blade selection.

I don't think the ProLights will fit @Scaramouche - I started with a Kai Protouch MG.
 
Not exactly "new" to single-edge shaving, but my last time was likely an L1 injector in 1967. Probably a lot has changed. :001_smile Back on track, new to AC shaving, and my first effort today with the Tatara Amakuni. TLDR (comparing it to every DE and my past memory of the Schick), a fantastic razor and shave. I have very apparently been remiss in ignoring the AC culture. I'm sold. From initial reservations about the loooong blade, thin profile, and extremely odd (to a DE user) head, I'm now very much a fan. The ability to change the character of the shave by changing the blade makes this platform as much of an adjustable as changing plates on a Rockwell. Neat.

As far as my experience and thoughts with THIS razor, a perfect blend of form and function, with nothing removed that needs to be there, nothing added that doesn't. The magnetic head is a perfect engineering solution to attaching a tiny blade to a tiny head, and ensure its security and easy removal. And it just works. The balance in SS is perfect (for me) and having used Tatara handles previously (Masamune and Muramasa), it offers a secure and positive grip without complicating cleaning - the 2-piece design makes it dead easy as well. The shave was efficient, smooth, mild and almost effortless with a Feather ProGuard blade - two passes and done. Still to try - Super, Pro and ProSoft, but based on initial trial, I anticipate excellence. I'm seldom as impressed with a first shave, but this - I'll call it a system - certainly impressed me. It won't replace my DE razors, but it will absolutely be at the top of the list when I use a blade (which I sometimes supplement with an electric or use an electric exclusively). But I may reach for a blade more often now....

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