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Tatara Masamune Open Comp ( Matte edition )

Maker :Tatara razors ,Portugal .
Model : Masamune Matte Edition with open comb head
Price ( EU ): 149 € w/o razor stand / 178 € with a razor stand , +10 € flat rate shipping cost
Weight : 91 grams
Material : sandblasted stainless steel , grade 303
Machining tolerances : +/- 0.02 mm
Blade exposure : - 0.13 mm
Blade gap : 0.73 mm
Blade angle : 24 degrees
Handle diameter : 11 mm
Handle length : ~ 89 mm ( 3.5" )
Other features :
- The head-handle fitting system is not only supported by the thread but also from two internal cylinder sliders.
- Self-centering base plate ( proprietary handle is used )
- Low profile head
- Blade clamping points ( " vice style " ) are very close to the cutting edges.No cap "overhang" .
- Numbered (at the bottom of base plate )

I will be rather brief in my review (it's really late at night here ... )

It came inside a box made of ( quite ) hard cork .
Inside the box were also to be found 3x Feather blades.
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When it arrived ,I was waiting patiently and been unsaved for about a week .
I'm Greek and I 've pretty dense and very hard facial hair .
A week's beard on my face can easily produce lots of fluffy balls out of a woolen scarf .
And easily acts as "male Velcro " against a variety of materials.
Two or three hair strands pop out from each and every hair follicle of my face and neck.

So,as soon as it arrived ,I loaded a brand new Feather,
applied on my face a wet & warm towel for 5'
and then lathered up.

Three passes .WTG ,then XTG and finally ATG .
The smoothest ,easiest and fastest BBS ,on a weeks growth .

"Aggressive" can not be used as a term to describe that razor.
It is very mild and very-very smooth .
Is it efficient ?
" Per pass " ,there are many other razors that they do have more of efficiency than the Masamune OC.
But when it comes to the final result ,after the WTG-XTG-ATG passes ,yes it is a very-very efficient and capable razor.

Provides an extremely fast shaving ,being a very agile and "noble,with good manners " razor.
And all that with a Feather blade, under the hood .
A razor that never gives me any trace of irritation .
And one has to be quite sloppy to get cuts or nicks from this razor.
Going ATG has never been easier and smoother before.
The thin Feather doesn't chatter or jump.
It seems (and most importantly it feels ) that the blade flexing and/or moving is kept at a near-zero level.
The low profile head ,"harvested" the under-the-nose area amazingly easy and fast .
Adam's apple was and still remains a problematic spot for me .
" Few " hairs but so difficult to cut them.
At least the Masamune didn't slice my skin ,as other razors do.

Not much of an audible feedback.Neither of a "blade feel ".
Handle provides enough grip,despite it's minimalistic design and surface texture.
Razor's weight did not bring up any issues,at least for me .
The edge /comb does not clog fast / easily ,while on the contrary the debris
is washed easily & fast .
The Masamune uses a proprietary handle.
Other handles may be used ,but the blade alignment ,the handle -head perpendicularity
and the blade rigidity may be compromised .

Can be used as a daily shaver ?
Oh ,yes !
With the same ease,efficiency and smoothness it can handle
a day's stubble or a week's beard .

Note : I'm a true believer that modern DE blades work much better when used with modern DE razors.
Modern blades have different dimensions (at least one : thickness ) than their older ,"vintage " ,
counterparts.As also are made from modern steel alloys and have specialized coatings .
Some modern DE razors are designed specifically to be used with modern blades,
taking advantage of their "pros" and/or diminishing their "cons" .
Tatara Masamune is definitely one of them.

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Excellent review and even better now that I've ordered mine earlier today, I went for the dark version just to change things up....I really like the looks
 

CzechCzar

Use the Fat, Luke!
I would be curious to see how this would compare to a raw shaving rs10

Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk
 

Ad Astra

The Instigator
A less-seen, apparently super high quality razor … very cool!

I really like those. Thanks for the excellent photos and write-up.

Very interesting.


AA
 
I've read a bit about this one and am very intrigued, have seen some great reviews as well. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, nicely done.
 

Esox

I didnt know
Staff member
Nice thread! Thanks for taking the time to post it.

This is a razor that needs more exposure, and not only blade exposure. :tongue_sm
 
Very nice presentation.
Enjoy it in good health!

About the top cap, the maker took some inspiration from this I guess.

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Interesting.

Have you tried both?
If so, any comparison on the shave except from the looks?
Would you say that the Tatara head is a WR1 clone?
Blade gap plays also a role. In my rotation I have a WR1 0.61 and a BBS-1 (1.0 mm). While there is a major gap difference, the head geometry is totally different and I'd say the blade feel is similar. Also, the Tatara and the WR1 heads may look similar, but I'm not so sure about the shave itself.
Gamechanger head must be a WR1 clone. I believe Joe based its design on WR1 head. Even the handle it comes with is a Wolfman WRH1 clone. But from what I read, I haven't tried it either (I don't like clones for a bunch of reasons), the shave experience is quite different.

Personally, I haven't tried the Tatara. For that price, I'd like to get a 316L steel razor without a sandblasted finish. It probably sounds strange, but I've tried many ss razors and a mirror finish of a Wolfman is one of a kind. It feels different.
The presentation box of the Tatara is much better than the one of Wolfmans. I like it.
 
Interesting.

Have you tried both?
If so, any comparison on the shave except from the looks?
Would you say that the Tatara head is a WR1 clone?
Blade gap plays also a role. In my rotation I have a WR1 0.61 and a BBS-1 (1.0 mm). While there is a major gap difference, the head geometry is totally different and I'd say the blade feel is similar. Also, the Tatara and the WR1 heads may look similar, but I'm not so sure about the shave itself.
Gamechanger head must be a WR1 clone. I believe Joe based its design on WR1 head. Even the handle it comes with is a Wolfman WRH1 clone. But from what I read, I haven't tried it either (I don't like clones for a bunch of reasons), the shave experience is quite different.

Personally, I haven't tried the Tatara. For that price, I'd like to get a 316L steel razor without a sandblasted finish. It probably sounds strange, but I've tried many ss razors and a mirror finish of a Wolfman is one of a kind. It feels different.
The presentation box of the Tatara is much better than the one of Wolfmans. I like it.

The Masamune shares quite a few design features with the WR1 ,but I can't say that it is a "clone".
Actually I've tried recently a Wolfman razor ( open comb .61 mm ) and while it shaved as smooth as the Masamune ,
it did lack a bit of Masamune's efficiency .Also ,I think that the Masamune Razor offers a bit more blade rigidity than the
Wofman WR1,that I've tried .That has to be because of the special matting between the handle and head of the Masamune .
I do like more the 316L steel as it does not suffer from "tea-staining " at all.
The 303 grade needs just a bit more care .
The sandblasted finish the Masamune has never gave me an issue regarding gliding ,
as opposed to (also sandblasted ) Muhle Rocca -which does not glide with ease on my face .

Gamechanger head ,does not have the full-length "vice " rails at the base plate ,
like the WR1 and the Masamune have ,but the blade is mainly supported at three points at each edge of the base plate .
It's a bit different design .

razorock-gamechanger84-head-top_1024x1024-jpg.952243
 
The Masamune shares quite a few design features with the WR1 ,but I can't say that it is a "clone".
Actually I've tried recently a Wolfman razor ( open comb .61 mm ) and while it shaved as smooth as the Masamune ,
it did lack a bit of Masamune's efficiency .Also ,I think that the Masamune Razor offers a bit more blade rigidity than the
Wofman WR1,that I've tried .That has to be because of the special matting between the handle and head of the Masamune .
I do like more the 316L steel as it does not suffer from "tea-staining " at all.
The 303 grade needs just a bit more care .
The sandblasted finish the Masamune has never gave me an issue regarding gliding ,
as opposed to (also sandblasted ) Muhle Rocca -which does not glide with ease on my face .

Gamechanger head ,does not have the full-length "vice " rails at the base plate ,
like the WR1 and the Masamune have ,but the blade is mainly supported at three points at each edge of the base plate .
It's a bit different design .

razorock-gamechanger84-head-top_1024x1024-jpg.952243

There is some gap difference between the WR1 you tried and the Tatara, so I get what you mean regarding the efficiency. Especially when the heads are similar.
About the smoothness, no razor I've tried compares to the Rockwell 6S. This razor has no blade feel. I love it.

303-304 steals are easier to work with and there are quite a few makers that prefer it to the 316L. The ss razors I've kept are all made of 316L by the way.

About the RR, I'm a bit biased. The whole concept of making and advertising the GC (head and handle) and other products, like the Mongoose head clones a few years ago etc., was not to my liking. And I refrain from buying their products.

If only there were no such high custom fees... I've received a number of expensive razors from the US and Canada, but I didn't pay any fees. That changed a couple of years ago and now they hit us hard. They should find a better way to charge fees and import taxes. They've gone mad.
 
There is some gap difference between the WR1 you tried and the Tatara, so I get what you mean regarding the efficiency. Especially when the heads are similar.
About the smoothness, no razor I've tried compares to the Rockwell 6S. This razor has no blade feel. I love it.

303-304 steals are easier to work with and there are quite a few makers that prefer it to the 316L. The ss razors I've kept are all made of 316L by the way.

About the RR, I'm a bit biased. The whole concept of making and advertising the GC (head and handle) and other products, like the Mongoose head clones a few years ago etc., was not to my liking. And I refrain from buying their products.

If only there were no such high custom fees... I've received a number of expensive razors from the US and Canada, but I didn't pay any fees. That changed a couple of years ago and now they hit us hard. They should find a better way to charge fees and import taxes. They've gone mad.

As an amateur machinist ,I've found that 303 steel is the easiest stainless steel to machine .
316L comes next .
304 is really a pain in the @$$ to machine,due to it's higher carbon content vs the 316L .
It's really a tough stainless steel .
At least that's my experience ,machining with mini-lathe and without using any lubricating fluid .

Yes,customs fees in Greece are irrational .
Pretty much like everything else in our country .
 
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