Tradere SB. Impressions

[PDman]

I purchased this recently when they came back in stock. I have shaved with it 4 times to date. I wanted to offer my impressions for those who may be considering one. I had searched for information here and it led me to making the purchase. One of the recurring opinions was that it is "smooth". Honestly, until I shaved with it, I really did not have an appreciation for what that meant.

My current rotation consists of a Weber, Futur, Merkur 39c Slant, Cobra Classic and Schick Hydro-Magic. I also use a Feather DX. I use and love each of these regularly. I have also used and sold a Feather AS-D2, Vision, Mergress, Muhle R89, Ikon OSS, Merkur 34c and 1905. The feather felt great but just did not get close enough. I would have to do more passes and touch up and it usually lead to irritation. The Tradere is very very smooth but not quite as efficient as my other razors. I am using it with a feather blade after giving it a spin with an Astra. I use Astras in all my other DE's and am very satisfied. With the SB I can get a great BBS shave in 3 passes but it seems to require a bit more touch up. That said, the great thing about this razor is that I can drag it all over my face and not end up with razor burn...with a Feather blade! It truly does not feel as if there is a blade in there. There is no audible feedback, which I do miss, but given the style of the razor it somehow seems appropriate. I'd rank it as the smoothest among my razors and the least aggressive with the Weber coming in slightly ahead in that category. I would recommend this to anyone who would like to have a show piece and comfortable shaver in their stable.

 

[mistercitizen]

Thank you for your thoughts. This is one that I am considering trying down the road. The open comb Tradere does not intrigue me much, but the solid bar is one that I would like to try someday.

Ben

 

[kingfisher]

I just acquired one of these. It came in the mail yesterday, and I put it to use this morning for the first time.

I agree with the OP that this baby is very, very smooth. I think it comes from the design of the safety bar/baseplate. It's a unique design, but it just glides over the face.

I disagree that it is too mild (but bear in mind that I've only had one shave so far). I had fantastic first-pass reduction and a comfortable second pass that left me with just a bit of touch-up.

It's a really nice razor.

 

[crfcom]

Don't let the smoothness fool you, it isn't that mild. It's a medium-aggressive razor with impeccable construction, classic appearance, and unbeatable performance. My collection features a Cobra Classic, Pils, Mergress, Jagger Chatsworth, Joris, a couple of Muhles, a mint Fatboy and Slim, red-tip, FaTip, Gillette New Improved long and short-tooth, etc, etc, etc. My Solid Bar Tradere is the class of the field. It is the only razor I own which, when loaded with a Gillette Black or Personna Red or Med, is so smooth you literally can't feel the blade. I have the open-comb also and find them very similar. The OC may be slightly more aggressive and my imagination has me thinking the OC works a little better with a 3 or 4 day beard. But not convinced. The Tradere SB is just one fine razor.

 

[rand77]

It feels mild because its so smooth, but it really isn't. It takes a lot of growth off on the first pass, much more than a milder razor.

 

[Chadao]

Oh, oh. More RAD setting in. Help...

 

[ArNav]

I tried it and didn't like it. The head shape, the razor angle, the handle... not for me.

 

[Wyokid]

What kind of an angle do you use on it? I've heard the cap doesn't bend the blade at all.

 

[kingfisher]

What kind of an angle do you use on it? I've heard the cap doesn't bend the blade at all.

This was a concern of mine, as well, as I generally prefer razors that really bend the blade a lot and I was also worried that it would be hard to find the correct angle.

Turns out that it is rather intuitive. Technically, I probably was holding the handle a little farther away from my face than I do with my other razors, but it wasn't laborious or obvious during the shave. I generally use the shallowest effective angle when I shave, and I took that approach with the Tradere, as well. It just wasn't an issue.

Oh, and it's definitely an exaggeration to say that the cap doesn't bend the blade at all. It definitely bends the blade, just not as much as most other razors do.