Hi guys,
My name is Mostel, I’m new here. Lurked a while, learning a lot. Thanks for this forum. I recently entered the wet shave world, and having collected a few things before—pocket knives—etc. So… I tried to leap to the best, first, hoping to keep purchases to a minimum. Insert knowing laugh here. So I bought a Nodachi. I didn’t really know what I was buying—just that it seemed ultra high end and very design-y. I wanted to share a few observations. It is really beautiful in person. A design object. It feels and behaves like a precision instrument. I love the sound of the blade. Getting to the point: it is too aggressive for me. I tried several blades in it over about a two week period, shaving every 3 days. I feel like I have a natural affinity for wet shaving, because by the 4th-5th shave, I was getting an ultra close result—BUT I could not escape neck irritation and could not get truly smooth neck. But interestingly, I was already getting way less neck irritation than a Gillete cartridge… so that was great. My neck has been reddish for, like, 20 years—I thought that was just normal. I wanted to share that I found the Nodachi handle slippery enough to bother me. It’s SO cool to look at. It is not truly slippery, but it is slippery enough, as I say… to not want it. It is very heavy, too. So it tends to drop through the fingers—well, not ‘drop’ but gravity and water and soap have their effects. Well, so, I decided to return the Tatura. Be aware, even though they will take it back, you will be hit with about a $40 return fee. I understand, etc. But be aware, just returning it can cost as much—nearly—as a GC. Which brings me to razor number 2. I picked the GC .76 basically telling myself, go back to a beginner type product—you can’t buy your way to instant knowledge, and so there you go. OK, this razor is smooth as glass. I have to say, though, it is pretty boring in the ‘sensory’ department. I realized, after I used it, hmmmm. That Nodachi sure was nice. The Nodachi was definitely too aggressive ‘for me’ BUT… man, the whole experience was truly elevated. Still, though, I have to admit—for now—I’d rather have the GC .76. Partly because I am new… but also because it’s just a no brainer value. But it is worth noting… with all the crazy hype over the GC line… it is the Toyota Camry of razors. Is that an insult? No. But it is not ‘interesting.’ I am getting into this ‘hobby’ because it involves the senses, almost all of them. And the GC is just too smooth to say much about. Also, even though it is a great value… it feels ‘average’ to hold and to look at at and to use… and I do not like the way you have to load the blade ‘upside down’ and I do not like the imprecise way it feels when the two plates come together. While it’s not fair at all to compare to the Tatara, it would still be nice if the GC had a good feel when placing the blade in and putting the plates together. So… there’s my thoughts on these two. If you are a beginner and want to ‘just get the best’, my advice is… slow down. (Could I take my own advice? I don’t know, haha) But—I would say—even if you are an experienced collector with other collectibles—get something relatively reasonable at first. I do think, despite my criticisms of the GC, I would still recommend it, even if you know you will move past it soon enough, if you are the ‘get the best’ type… it’s an undeniably good, utilitarian razor. If you have been considering getting a Tatara, all I would say is, the Nodachi is not for beginners—and it is not for—likely—guys who shave daily. But now I feel the Masamune might be too mild… so my next will probably be the Rocca… all reviews seem to suggest it is less aggressive than Nodachi, but more so than Masamune… overall, Like I said, I gotta laugh at myself (as a guy who has collected things in the past) I can see I’m probably going to end up with more than one razor… Thanks again for all the info here.
My name is Mostel, I’m new here. Lurked a while, learning a lot. Thanks for this forum. I recently entered the wet shave world, and having collected a few things before—pocket knives—etc. So… I tried to leap to the best, first, hoping to keep purchases to a minimum. Insert knowing laugh here. So I bought a Nodachi. I didn’t really know what I was buying—just that it seemed ultra high end and very design-y. I wanted to share a few observations. It is really beautiful in person. A design object. It feels and behaves like a precision instrument. I love the sound of the blade. Getting to the point: it is too aggressive for me. I tried several blades in it over about a two week period, shaving every 3 days. I feel like I have a natural affinity for wet shaving, because by the 4th-5th shave, I was getting an ultra close result—BUT I could not escape neck irritation and could not get truly smooth neck. But interestingly, I was already getting way less neck irritation than a Gillete cartridge… so that was great. My neck has been reddish for, like, 20 years—I thought that was just normal. I wanted to share that I found the Nodachi handle slippery enough to bother me. It’s SO cool to look at. It is not truly slippery, but it is slippery enough, as I say… to not want it. It is very heavy, too. So it tends to drop through the fingers—well, not ‘drop’ but gravity and water and soap have their effects. Well, so, I decided to return the Tatura. Be aware, even though they will take it back, you will be hit with about a $40 return fee. I understand, etc. But be aware, just returning it can cost as much—nearly—as a GC. Which brings me to razor number 2. I picked the GC .76 basically telling myself, go back to a beginner type product—you can’t buy your way to instant knowledge, and so there you go. OK, this razor is smooth as glass. I have to say, though, it is pretty boring in the ‘sensory’ department. I realized, after I used it, hmmmm. That Nodachi sure was nice. The Nodachi was definitely too aggressive ‘for me’ BUT… man, the whole experience was truly elevated. Still, though, I have to admit—for now—I’d rather have the GC .76. Partly because I am new… but also because it’s just a no brainer value. But it is worth noting… with all the crazy hype over the GC line… it is the Toyota Camry of razors. Is that an insult? No. But it is not ‘interesting.’ I am getting into this ‘hobby’ because it involves the senses, almost all of them. And the GC is just too smooth to say much about. Also, even though it is a great value… it feels ‘average’ to hold and to look at at and to use… and I do not like the way you have to load the blade ‘upside down’ and I do not like the imprecise way it feels when the two plates come together. While it’s not fair at all to compare to the Tatara, it would still be nice if the GC had a good feel when placing the blade in and putting the plates together. So… there’s my thoughts on these two. If you are a beginner and want to ‘just get the best’, my advice is… slow down. (Could I take my own advice? I don’t know, haha) But—I would say—even if you are an experienced collector with other collectibles—get something relatively reasonable at first. I do think, despite my criticisms of the GC, I would still recommend it, even if you know you will move past it soon enough, if you are the ‘get the best’ type… it’s an undeniably good, utilitarian razor. If you have been considering getting a Tatara, all I would say is, the Nodachi is not for beginners—and it is not for—likely—guys who shave daily. But now I feel the Masamune might be too mild… so my next will probably be the Rocca… all reviews seem to suggest it is less aggressive than Nodachi, but more so than Masamune… overall, Like I said, I gotta laugh at myself (as a guy who has collected things in the past) I can see I’m probably going to end up with more than one razor… Thanks again for all the info here.
