trying to master a Traders SB

[Galhatz]

I knew it was aggressive and I am very happy with the Tech and the SuperSpeeds (esp the 40's).
It was a gift from my wife.
She knows that once I get any AD, the best way to cure it is to get me the top of the line because it'd be cheaper than spending on the way there.

The first shave was spectacular, the closest to date, but I guess some thin layer of skin was also scraped because subsequent shaves were felt hard so I didn't push it.
Any pointers for mastering it before I, with heavy heart, put it on BST?

It is a beauty, amazing craftmenship, just putting ir together you feel the impeccable work. I hate to let it go but if I cant shave with it, well...
I want to give straightway a try but I better master this DE first.

Any suggestions?

 

[chuckman]

Try a less aggressive blade until you get the technique down..... for me it took about 3 shaves to get the proper angle with the handle. You might try your Tech handle with the Tradere head to see how that works for you and then progress to the Tradere handle. Give it a chance and you will be properly rewarded...........

 

[Galhatz]

Which blade worked for you the best?
I started with a Lord Platinum, this is by far the smoothest and mildest (== not so sharp) blade I know.

 

[ERVARGASNY]

Try a PoliSilver its becoming My Favorite Next to Feather.

 

[Samjax]

I just got the Tradere SB and used it recently with the Polsilver Iridium blade. As much as I disliked the original Tradere OC - I like the Tradere SB. It offers an outstanding shave and where the original OC was "temperamental" regarding blade angles, the SB is much closer to being "idiot proof".

Build quality, as expected, is second to none. For me, it's finally nice to have a modern "artisan" razor that can actually justify its price. I'm going to write a review on it when I get the time.

To your point - change blades. Go with a Polsilver, Astra SP, Crystal or one of the Personna Lab/Med Prep blades.

 

[natchez]

I knew it was aggressive and I am very happy with the Tech and the SuperSpeeds (esp the 40's).
It was a gift from my wife.
She knows that once I get any AD, the best way to cure it is to get me the top of the line because it'd be cheaper than spending on the way there.

The first shave was spectacular, the closest to date, but I guess some thin layer of skin was also scraped because subsequent shaves were felt hard so I didn't push it.
Any pointers for mastering it before I, with heavy heart, put it on BST?

It is a beauty, amazing craftmenship, just putting ir together you feel the impeccable work. I hate to let it go but if I cant shave with it, well...
I want to give straightway a try but I better master this DE first.

Any suggestions?

The added weight of our razors over the Techs and SS, roughly twice as heavy, means that with the same amount and feeling of pressure from your hand you are going to be naturally taking more of a cut. Try lightening your touch up a bit and letting the razor do the work. Of course, as with all razors, YMMV and ours just may not be the best fit for you. The blade change discussed above may help as well, but really you should be able to shave with your favorite blades in almost every razor without much of a problem. Good luck!

 

[Fourcooks]

The added weight of our razors over the Techs and SS, roughly twice as heavy, means that with the same amount and feeling of pressure from your hand you are going to be naturally taking more of a cut. Try lightening your touch up a bit and letting the razor do the work. Of course, as with all razors, YMMV and ours just may not be the best fit for you. The blade change discussed above may help as well, but really you should be able to shave with your favorite blades in almost every razor without much of a problem. Good luck!

Just wanted to comment on Richard's post regarding his razor may not be the best fit for you. What a standup guy. Not many people or companies would suggest their product may not work for you. Richard is a true gentleman.

 

[jmsodpc]

Was installing the blade in the tradere easy? I had an ikon that I sold because I had to fidget the blade for proper centering.

 

[Attila]

Just wanted to comment on Richard's post regarding his razor may not be the best fit for you. What a standup guy. Not many people or companies would suggest their product may not work for you. Richard is a true gentleman.

Indeed, this and the many other examples I have heard of how he does business is why I will be buying a razor from him in the near future. It goes without saying that he sells excellent razors... I was on the fence in buying the SB Tradere but I think I am going to hold off until the Slant is available. I am a huge fan of slant razors and the way they shave and I am VERY interested to see what Tradere does in that direction. I really hope Richard gives us some new news with regards to the slant production soon. But I don't want to rush them either. Better that they take the time to put out a quality product so I'll wait as long as needed.

I always heard that the Tradere SB is quite mild. I'm a bit surprised to hear the OP call it aggressive. Then again, one person's aggresive can be anothers mild when you are talking about individual oppinions.

 

[Galhatz]

Yes, the blade installs fine.

Maybe you guys could help me zero in on what I am doing wrong here.
I am not getting a close shave but I feel like I am scraping on my skin, and if I insisted on getting a closer shave, I'd end up with a very sore face. A few hours later, my skin is still a bit tingling.
The cheeks are easy and smooth. The are around the chin and the jawline did not get a very close shave at all and it is the area that is sore the most.
I am not sure where to go, I will ease up the pressure.
Not sure what to do with the angle. If I use the same angle as with regular DEs, then the blade would be perpendicular against the face and it would just scrape some skin off.
So the head should be flatter against the skin, but I am not sure at which angle I am getting hairs and at which angle I am back to 'digging' into the skin.

bummer...

 

[Attila]

I just got the Tradere SB and used it recently with the Polsilver Iridium blade. As much as I disliked the original Tradere OC - I like the Tradere SB. It offers an outstanding shave and where the original OC was "temperamental" regarding blade angles, the SB is much closer to being "idiot proof".

Build quality, as expected, is second to none. For me, it's finally nice to have a modern "artisan" razor that can actually justify its price. I'm going to write a review on it when I get the time.

To your point - change blades. Go with a Polsilver, Astra SP, Crystal or one of the Personna Lab/Med Prep blades.

I'm truly looking forward to that review Tom...

To the OP, the suggestions of trying different blades is a good one. Go for a sharper blade like a Polsilver, Feathers or the ones Samjax mentioned. It sounds to me like the blades you are using are not sharp enough for your beard type in that razor.

Above all you just need to relax and not expect it to happen overnight if you are fairly new to wetshaving. When Sam mentions that this razor is intuitive to shave with, that is likely the experience of a few years more of experience wet shaving he has talking. If you are new to the wet shaving realm it could take you much longer to master shaving with a new razor than someone who is experienced.

Also, make sure to have a really good slick protective lather. There are plenty of tutorials on how to make a proper lather on this site. Just take it slow, watch your pressure and angles and use a sharper blade. The experience is bound to get better with more practice on this razor. Tradere makes a quality product. But as Richard said, worst case scenario if it doesn't work for you no matter what you try after a decent length of time you can put it on the buy and sell. If you price it fairly, to say it will go quickly is an understatement...

 

[Galhatz]

I got some good advice here.
First, yes I was using too much pressure and this razor is heavy as is (thanks Richard). I am now just letting it rest in my hand and let gravity do the work.
Second, I improved my lather (thanks Attila), considerably. It used to get dry on my face but I never had a (real) problem with that, but when it wouldn't rinse off the the SB guard slants, then I understood that it is far from optimal. So i watched a bunch of youtube videos and got a better lather today.
Today's shave was a big improvement (with a gillette black). It works wonders on the cheeks and if I had a goat-tee (like Tom) I'd be already set. But I don't and this area is still a bit on the learning curve for me.
I am encouraged and my wife, who is the end client on how things look, says that what separates this razor from others is how even and closer the shave looks.

Btw, I compared the way the blade is exposed with the SB compared to the Aristocrat. The blade exposure is at least 2X and the safety bar is much farther down. Any breaks (and bad habits) that one might get from the Gillettes are out the window with this razor.

 

[JeffOlson]

I don't have one of Richard's razors yet, but I wonder if you have the handle tightened all the way. Three-piece razors have a bit of adjustability built in depending upon how tight your handle is (looser = more aggressive).

 

[KneeChee]

I do not have this razor so take this with a grain of salt, BUT the blade I use when trying to learn a razor is the Crystal or Israeli Personnas (same thing). This was also the blade that I learned how to wetshave with so it has a special place in my heart.

 

[Galhatz]

The razor is well tightened. I am not taking any chances there with things moving about. It is important for the razor to press the blade correctly. An example for that is the Slim or the Fat boy, where if you neglect the 1/4 half turn, the blade has a bit of freedom, and a nasty shave to follow.

I used an Israeli Red Personna today with this razor and it is a very good match indeed.
Where I had the angle correct, I got an amazingly close shave, very even with almost no aftershave burn. Where my angle was lacking (around the chin), I got a reminder about it later.


The more I use this razor I realize that it is tool that holds a rather exposed blade right against your skin. I feel the blade, the razor is out of the way. The safety bar is there to keep you from unknowingly inflicting real damage, but otherwise - the gloves are off with this one.

This is nothing like the Tech or the SuperSpeed where you really need to work hard in order to do any damage. On the other hand, the bad habits that I had from the fusion days did creep up with the Gillettes, like applying too much pressure and subsequently the annoying side effect, namely in-grown hairs, started to creep up as well.

It is really a tool for those with good technique or those who realize their technique needs improving and are willing to invest in a week or so of discomfort on getting better.

 

[Galhatz]

... The experience is bound to get better with more practice on this razor...

I was skeptical but you were right.
After one week with this razor, my tehcnique is far better. The blade exposure is so big, that I feel just the tip of the blade touching my face and thats it. I dont feel any other part of the razor, it forces me to use minimal pressure (just the weight of the razor). The result is the hairs are cut in prefect line with the skin. So the have is super smooth without digging or cutting the hair under the skin line, which is the blight of Fusion shaving and the source of a lot of trouble in DE shaving such as in grown hairs.

I missed my Gillette NEW Long comb and I always thought of it as my perfect close shaver so I used it today so I could compare it to the SB. It allows for pressure to be applied unpunished, so I did get a very close shave but it was not as even as with the SB. Around the hardest area, the cheen crevices, allowing pressue also allowed the blade to reach the hairs better while I still try to get the optimal way to do it with the SB - so there it was a bit closer but not by much.

To be honest, I am not sure I'd reach for the NEW instead of the SB in the future. That says a lot for me because I regarded the NEW as an all time classic. It is awesome shaver but used properly the SB is better.

 

[Attila]

Good to hear your shaves are getting better. The Tradere is a great razor. Please keep us posted to further developments.

 

[Cap'n CutThroat]

It's a pity your shaves are improving - I was looking forward to a new purchase on BST!!!

 

[Galhatz]

It's a pity your shaves are improving - I was looking forward to a new purchase on BST!!!

I am going to take some photos for BST soon ... but of other razors