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Tatara Nodachi Open Comb Razor

I've succumbed to RAD. Less than a year of wet shaving and I've had four razors and counting. The most recent purchase was a Tatara Nodachi Stainless Steel Open Comb razor from a B&B forum member. I have a new appreciation for blade feel and efficiency. This is my first open comb razor which I thought would be helpful after multiple days of beard growth (after traveling, camping, etc). For this purpose it works brilliantly.

Definitely blade feel, definitely a chance to cut your face if you use too much pressure. It weighs 114 grams and feels hefty. Using the weight to guide the blade helps to avoid irritation and bloodletting. My full attention is required shaving with the Tatara Nodachi Open Comb. WTG & XTG for me is smooth and very efficient. ATG in my normal sensitive areas requires really slowing down and focusing on the correct angle and maintaining that angle. Otherwise it can go bad quick.

This is not a daily driver for me. I don't have really dense facial hair but it is thick hair and when it gets past two days the Nodachi handles it easily. I've used a Feather, Treet and Wilkinson Sword blades (can't remember all the specific names) and my favorite is the Wilkinson currently.

Overall the razor exemplifies top notch machining. Aesthetically it suits my style. It's for sure an aggressive razor but I look forward to using it every time and I don't see myself selling it anytime soon. I was contemplating a Blackland Blackbird SS or one of the Wolfman razors but I couldn't justify the cost as a new item so was happy to pick up the Nodachi used at a reasonable price.

For reference, I use a Razorock Game Changer 1.05 with a Kai blade now as my daily or every other day razor.
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I have had a regular Nodachi for a while and certainly enjoyoed it, but I recently picked up an OC Masamune too. Pairing the OC Masamune plate with the Nodachi cap, I find the overall efficiency of this combination is similar to the Nodachi SB, but the lower blade exposure makes the razor more nimble and more tolerant of things like buffing. It's like someone took a Nodachi, tuned the suspension and added some low profile tyres. If you find the full fat Nodachi OC a bit too much, I highly suggest experimenting with some of the other plate and cap combinations that Tatara have to offer. The razors are great in their "stock" formats, but also tend to operate at the extremes of the aggression scale. That is perfect for some folks, but the combinations sit closer to medium aggressions and have really surprised me by just how good they are. I do need to get a Nodachi OC plate eventually though, then the collection will be complete!
 
@Goblin, thanks for the insight on the Masamune OC with the Nodachi cap. I would like to fine tune the Nodachi OC aggression and from your description I'd get other benefits too. I guess I'll be browsing the BST again...

If you don't mind me asking, do you have any experience with other razors similar to the Nodachi SB (& Masamune OC combo)? I really like Tatara but am open to expanding the arsenal.
 
@bartje-p, thanks for the suggestion!.

In my limited experience with razors I hesitated getting the Masamune razor due to the gap and exposure. Apparently specs don't always translate to how the razor feels or performs but it seemed the Masamune was too mild for me based on my progression of the RR Game Changer from .68 now up to 1.05 as my daily.

Would you characterize the Masamune OC as having blade feel? It's becoming apparent to me that I prefer a bit of it.
 
@Goblin, thanks for the insight on the Masamune OC with the Nodachi cap. I would like to fine tune the Nodachi OC aggression and from your description I'd get other benefits too. I guess I'll be browsing the BST again...

If you don't mind me asking, do you have any experience with other razors similar to the Nodachi SB (& Masamune OC combo)? I really like Tatara but am open to expanding the arsenal.

I don't have nearly as much experience as some other folks. The Tataras are probably top of my personal tree at the moment although I have some new razors I am yet to shave with. I have other razors that I also enjoy but none that that are "better". @Sweeney_ might have some ideas for you.

Although you didn't ask me directly, I found the Masamune OC a little too mild with its very negative exposure of -0.10. If you swap in the Nodachi cap, the exposure becomes +0.05. Perfect!
 
I don't have nearly as much experience as some other folks. The Tataras are probably top of my personal tree at the moment although I have some new razors I am yet to shave with. I have other razors that I also enjoy but none that that are "better". @Sweeney_ might have some ideas for you.

Although you didn't ask me directly, I found the Masamune OC a little too mild with its very negative exposure of -0.10. If you swap in the Nodachi cap, the exposure becomes +0.05. Perfect!

Yeah, with modern razors, the Nodachi was my pleasant surprise razor of the year along with the Guerrilla. The Nodachi SB being everything I wanted and expected from my Blackbird SB but never panned out for me. Apparently, I have an aversion to small gap razors that try to semi-force me to a set angle.

My favorite Nodachi setup is the SB head mated with the shorter(89mm) and lighter Masamune handle. My first was the stainless Nodachi SB/Masamune handle that I purchased from the BST which weighs in at 85g. I was so impressed that I ended up ordering the same exact conbo in the Ti version which weighs in at a lean 48g. I've yet to try the OC version but would imagine the SB plate would feel slightly tamer.

@Beshave Yourself if you enjoy the Nodachi smoothness and blade feel combination, another to consider is the Guerrilla razor by James DuFour of Wolfman fame. Wonderful compact and rigid blade clamping head design similar to the Nodachi with 3 plate options: 69, 84 and 99. The 99 gap is my favorite with blade exposure of +0.15, shaves me closer that my BB SB and slightly better than the Nodachi, maybe just shy of the Nodachi in smoothness.

For a less expensive option, a favorite of mine for years has been the Razorock Lupo 95SB. Imagine a Gamechanger with slightly better head design, blade post on the cap vs the plate for easier loading and indented corners on the head corners for easier maneuverability in tight spots. Nice blade feel, plenty of angle to play with but one of the smoothest shavers I own. Glides over the edge of my angular jaw like a puck on the ice.

Other options with equivalent gap/exposure to the Nodachi would be the Aylsworth Apex with +plate and maybe the Yates 921 with H or EH plate, although likely unobtanium now.
Perhaps the Karve Christopher Bradley in an D or E plate, a good shaver but a bulkier head than the Nodachi. I'm sure there are plenty of other razors in that range that other members can recommend but imo, the Guerrilla is a great choice if you aren't turned off by the industrial look. It is excellently machined and comes in four flavors; anodized aluminum, stainless, bronze and titanium. Also unlike the premium Wolfman, instead of waiting 5 months you can order and likely have it within two weeks.

Oops, I got a bit long-wided there. Enjoy the journey and try to be selective in your purchases. No one else can really know what you like but you.
 
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I like all my Tataras, the (titanium and steel) Nodachis included.
Their built quality is top notch.

The titanium Nodachi closed comb was my daily driver until it was recently deposed from that role by my Amakuni.
Both the open and closed comb Nodachi plates worked just fine for me, even though I had a small preference for the closed comb.

If you don’t like the open comb Nodachi as your daily driver, have you considered buying a Nodachi closed comb base plate for it?

You could fit any of the Nodachi or Masamune combs, but for me a closed comb Nodachi base plate would be the logical first choice.
But no matter what comb you use, you can mix and match Nodachi or Masamune caps with combs.

Here are the combs that you could use: COMBS - Tatara - https://tatararazors.com/product-category/combs



B.
 
@bartje-p, thanks for the suggestion!.

Would you characterize the Masamune OC as having blade feel? It's becoming apparent to me that I prefer a bit of it.

if you use the GC 1.05 as your daily AND you like a bit of blade feel, I would not recommend the Masamune OC. Of course you feel a bit more than the SB plate, but it is still a little less than a GC 84 SB as far as I think. It is kinda like the GC .68 OC, perhaps even less blade feel.
 
Although you didn't ask me directly, I found the Masamune OC a little too mild with its very negative exposure of -0.10. If you swap in the Nodachi cap, the exposure becomes +0.05. Perfect!
@Goblin, ah, yes, I love hearing about specifications! I'll probably end up with this combo at some point in the future especially if it tones the aggression down a notch or two.
 
@Beshave Yourself if you enjoy the Nodachi smoothness and blade feel combination, another to consider is the Guerrilla razor by James DuFour of Wolfman fame. Wonderful compact and rigid blade clamping head design similar to the Nodachi with 3 plate options: 69, 84 and 99. The 99 gap is my favorite with blade exposure of +0.15, shaves me closer that my BB SB and slightly better than the Nodachi, maybe just shy of the Nodachi in smoothness.

For a less expensive option, a favorite of mine for years has been the Razorock Lupo 95SB. Imagine a Gamechanger with slightly better head design, blade post on the cap vs the plate for easier loading and indented corners on the head corners for easier maneuverability in tight spots. Nice blade feel, plenty of angle to play with but one of the smoothest shavers I own. Glides over the edge of my angular jaw like a puck on the ice.
@Sweeney_, ok! So the Lupo is now on my radar. Do you have the SS or Aluminum? And is your Guerilla the SB or OC? This is great stuff. I appreciate your thoughts and for sharing your experience.

I'm loving this forum. It's funny for me that the topic of shaving doesn't come up in everyday in person conversations. Maybe too personal for that but that's why B&B shines for me.
 
I like all my Tataras, the (titanium and steel) Nodachis included.
Their built quality is top notch.

The titanium Nodachi closed comb was my daily driver until it was recently deposed from that role by my Amakuni.
Both the open and closed comb Nodachi plates worked just fine for me, even though I had a small preference for the closed comb.

If you don’t like the open comb Nodachi as your daily driver, have you considered buying a Nodachi closed comb base plate for it?
I have yet to use a Titanium razor. I'm not sure how I feel about the lighter weight though. I had an Aluminum Timeless for a few weeks but didn't get along with it partially due to the lack of weight. I've heard titanium offers a different feel altogether despite the feathery weight but I wouldn't know. Any significant improvements for you (vs SS) using the Titanium versions of the Nodachi?

I haven't considered buying a Nodachi closed comb base plate until now! Thanks! I was ready to get a completely different razor to experiment with aggression and efficiency but it's clear to me now that fine tuning the Nodachi seems worthwhile.
 
@Sweeney_, ok! So the Lupo is now on my radar. Do you have the SS or Aluminum? And is your Guerilla the SB or OC? This is great stuff. I appreciate your thoughts and for sharing your experience.

I'm loving this forum. It's funny for me that the topic of shaving doesn't come up in everyday in person conversations. Maybe too personal for that but that's why B&B shines for me.

For the Lupo, I have 72SB, 95OC and two 95SB plates (used for blind blade testing) and the 1.27 SB plate. Basically, three razors and various plates. My sweet spot is the 95SB. I'm well over 1000 shaves in with that one since 2021.

My Guerrilla is the aluminum in anodized green and also a Ti version. I use the .69 OC plate for a mild daily which is similar to the Karve Overlander in efficiency... a good autopilot daily razor. My 84 and 99 plates are SB with the 99 being very efficient. My Blackbird has nothing on the 99 Guerrilla for efficiency, nor does my Wolfman WR2 1.25. Maybe the Yates 921-EH might be it's equal.

I'm going to echo @Brutus here by saying you should consider picking up the Nodachi SB plate at some point if you enjoy that razor and want to dial it back just a notch. Like I said, I don't own the OC plate but the SB is plenty efficient and super smooth for me. Perhaps I could use it daily but I'm more likely to shave every other day as a habit.
 
I have had a regular Nodachi for a while and certainly enjoyoed it, but I recently picked up an OC Masamune too. Pairing the OC Masamune plate with the Nodachi cap, I find the overall efficiency of this combination is similar to the Nodachi SB, but the lower blade exposure makes the razor more nimble and more tolerant of things like buffing. It's like someone took a Nodachi, tuned the suspension and added some low profile tyres. If you find the full fat Nodachi OC a bit too much, I highly suggest experimenting with some of the other plate and cap combinations that Tatara have to offer. The razors are great in their "stock" formats, but also tend to operate at the extremes of the aggression scale. That is perfect for some folks, but the combinations sit closer to medium aggressions and have really surprised me by just how good they are. I do need to get a Nodachi OC plate eventually though, then the collection will be complete!
@Goblin, I just re-read your post. Too bad we're not on the same continent otherwise I'd send you the OC to try.
 
Welcome to the wonderful & endless world of RAD!
If you like the OC Nodachi, I recommend that you put the Timeless .95 open comb in your sights. Timeless open combs feel like closed comb razors because the teeth are rounded. It's probably the smoothest open comb available!
And Timeless' quality is equal to Tatara's!
And I'd also suggest to eventually try a Guerrilla OC as well as mentioned by (Erik) @Sweeney_
I also invite you to browse my journal if you'd like where you can follow along on my RAD journey. I've bought, tried, kept, sold a myriad of razors. Enjoy the journey!
Your post reminded me to use my Nodachi which I'll be doing tonight!

 
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