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What Makes Titanium DE & SE Razors Special?

OkieStubble

Dirty Donuts are so Good.
Perceived quality is entirely different to mechanical properties. I am no expert in the field but perceived quality is certainly affected by weight (heavier weight is usually perceived as higher quality). Colour, reflectiveness, sound, softness, and all sorts of other properties affect perception of quality. Look at the interior of an expensive car and the types of materials that are selected. Talk to an architect or an interior designer who would know about this field. Ask a professional photographer why he uses a heavy metal camera instead of a light polycarbonate camera that is more resilient. It’s all about perception, and that is what I talked about. It is absolutely important how something feels. You pay more for a Mercedes because the materials feel better, they make better sounds, they look better - relatively little to do with the mechanical properties of the materials, which may well be inferior in many mechanical ways.

It’s a bit high-handed to say my comment was absurd merely because it does not fit into your particular field of knowledge, which has little to do with the point. I suspect the mechanical properties of materials used in a razor are not generally important - razors function perfectly well whether made of metal (any metal) or plastic. A razor is not a spaceship, it is just a holder for a blade. But when you hold it in your hand and apply it to your skin the way it feels does matter.

I support this message. I prefer a $4 razor with a brass bottom plate, zamac head and plastic handle. Plenty light for maneuverability and I don’t need or want it to be heavy, because I’m skilled enough to use the awesome and effective technique called pressure?

I get smooth, close shaves that rival my Shavette’s and I save a ton of money not purchasing many different expensive stainless steel and titanium razors.

Oh I still waste my money, it’s just spent on guns instead. I mean, after everything is said and done, it’s just money.

Just… :)
 

Phoenixkh

I shaved a fortune
Yeah, you really don't want to know how much the part costs. I do. The labor cost itself isn't bad, but they have to pay the airfare and hotel arrangements for the mechanic, and that gets expensive. Some countries will also confiscate the tools at customs, so the techs have to buy new tools when they arrive, then leave them there.

I'll give you a hint, we lost around $5k a day when one of our machines went down. You pay the piper or let the machine sit. Miss a machine payment and they send a code and shut it off. It gets real. Been there many times.

~doug~
I seem to remember you posting the price of the part... but my brain is a sieve and I'd have to read a bunch of your posts to find it. <eg>
 

Rosseforp

I think this fits, Gents
In response to the original post, the ridiculous prices.
Try machining titanium sometime, it might just change your mind. It is tough and tears up tools, you simply cannot machine it fast without totally destroying all of the tooling. That drives up the cost, because time is money, and titanium takes time to machine.
I was machining titanium hip stem implants in 1981 for 3M, and was machining titanium camera bodies for Conmed in 2019 when I retired, so I have bit of experience with it.

~doug~
 

never-stop-learning

Demoted To Moderator
Staff member
In response to the original post, the ridiculous prices.
Each person does their own cost vs benefit/performance evaluation and arrives at a personal decision.

I've own both the Stainless and Titanium versions of the Blackbird and the Vector. My preference, in both cases, is for the Titanium version.

Have you tried a Titanium razor?
 
Wolfman SS head Ti handle has great balance ! need to try a all Ti and see

love my Ti Timeless

Henson Al for me are to light so its not just about weight

like the GC I like for me they become a complete dif razor with a Ti handle and so much nicer

the Ti has a feel that I and I know many love over stainless when the head material is made out of Ti also the heat transfer or feel as mentioned is real :) but so is the feel on your face it is just nicer not sure how why but like modern carbon bicycles or bicycles made out of other materials have a feel unique to each material same as tires or wheels or cranks or any component you put on a bike will everyone feel that is the question :) some might not

I know I could not tell the difference of a $100 guitar to a $1000 or even $10000 one but many can and appreciate that difference because I do not play them but to say they would not matter or not worth it IMHO is kinda silly :) cause I know some can tell the difference and just because I cant does not mean it does not exist :)
 
I support this message. I prefer a $4 razor with a brass bottom plate, zamac head and plastic handle. Plenty light for maneuverability and I don’t need or want it to be heavy, because I’m skilled enough to use the awesome and effective technique called pressure?

I get smooth, close shaves that rival my Shavette’s and I save a ton of money not purchasing many different expensive stainless steel and titanium razors.

Oh I still waste my money, it’s just spent on guns instead. I mean, after everything is said and done, it’s just money.

Just… :)
OK, now we're talking! Lessee, a Sig or Glock or a titanium razor? Exactly. ;)
 
Reading how everyone seems to feel that Titanium feels soft on the face just gave me a revelation.

Because titanium is stiffer than SS, how can it feel softer?

Answer: Titanium is a better conductor of temperature, and does not hold heat in like Stainless Steel does.

When SS touches your skin it maintains the temperature longer, but titanium adjusts to your skin temperature much faster, thus giving a softer feeling.

I pretty much agree with all that @Brutus has said.

~doug~
I have always wondered how SS and Ti can feel so different on the face, I have read many explanations, but your answer is the best I have read. Thank you for taking the time to explain from a machinist perspective the differences I have experienced but did not have the technical knowledge to comprehend. I for one, definitely feel the added benefits of titanium outweigh the increased price.

B&B is a wealth of knowledge and I’m very grateful to its members.
 
I have owned a few razors in Ti:

Timeless .68 and .95, 2 Blackbirds, 2 Carbons, Yates 921 H, Henson V1 +++, Wolfman WR1 .80, and right now and comparing a SS Tatara Nodachi to a Ti Nodachi. Candidly the one thing I can say is that Ti reduced facial pressure, so for me it provided just enough pressure to get an agile/nimble shaving experience without much irritation.

My SS Timeless, Blackbird, Yates, Copper Carbon .68 and others all provide a different, more aggressive, less audible feedback experience.

Finally, aluminum is just too light for me. The Henson Al13 +++ and ++ as well as the Karve and Fine slant were all fun to play with but not keepers for me.

So the overall size to weight ratio does effect if I get irritation. By the way, I can shave daily with a dovo without irritation, have since 1997…final disclosure, I have super sensitive skin and have to be much more careful than most.
 

never-stop-learning

Demoted To Moderator
Staff member
Love the feel of my Ti Vector. :001_wub:
20221025_192744~2.jpg
 

Star_Wahl_Clipper_Treker

Likes a fat handle in his hand
Love the feel of my Ti Vector. :001_wub:
View attachment 1545961

I knew you would! Because at the end of the day, you know very well, that you "Never Stop Learning" and have discovered a new found love, for titanium alloy on your face. Welcome to the titanium club there buddy, glad to have you! Now you've discovered why we love them so much. BTW, thats not only a nice looking razor, but hmm, beautiful brush as well, I love it! 😍
 
As some of you know, I don't have any razors with titanium heads but I do use the Timeless Ti Crown handles on several of my stainless steel head razors. I find the slightly lighter weight really adds something to those razors. It shifts the balance more toward the head. Several of them feel balanced more toward the handle because solid stainless steel handles have quite a bit of heft to them.
The one thing I am not yet sold on with my RR GC is the sheer mass of all that stainless, and the handle biased balance it creates. Mass has its own benefits, mainly stability, meaning more inertial resistance to unwanted changes in motion. But at the expense of more resistance to wanted changes of motion, and lightness of touch and delicacy.

I have a couple of small jobs for the local machine shop, and I am considering also taking my Super Knurl handle along and getting him to drill out some of the centre of the handle to get the overall mass down, and shift the balance back a bit toward the head.
 
The one thing I am not yet sold on with my RR GC is the sheer mass of all that stainless, and the handle biased balance it creates. Mass has its own benefits, mainly stability, meaning more inertial resistance to unwanted changes in motion. But at the expense of more resistance to wanted changes of motion, and lightness of touch and delicacy.

I have a couple of small jobs for the local machine shop, and I am considering also taking my Super Knurl handle along and getting him to drill out some of the centre of the handle to get the overall mass down, and shift the balance back a bit toward the head.
Timeless Ti handle is also super nice and reasonable
when I had one liked the balance way more with that
so if he can drill it out enough to get down to that or pick up a Timeless handle ;)
 
No one in this thread has mentioned the Chiseled Face Legacy, and I see no reviews of it on B&B either. If anyone has tried it, I'd be curious to hear about it. Also the Yates Ti.
 
No one in this thread has mentioned the Chiseled Face Legacy, and I see no reviews of it on B&B either. If anyone has tried it, I'd be curious to hear about it. Also the Yates Ti.
I have the CF Legacy Ti. I also have The Blackbird Ti (both Regular and Lite), Timeless Ti (both .68 and .95) and a Karve Overlander. If pressed to only keep one, it'd be a battle between the BB and the Legacy. I Iike them all though, with no intention of selling any of them.

The Legacy is almost as smooth as the Overlander or the Timeless .68, but more efficient. I'd say efficiency is between the BB Lite and Regular plate, closer to the Regular perhaps. It's easily a daily driver. I have very sensitive skin and can shave daily with the Legacy without issue ever. For me, I ride the cap and tilt slightly down to find the right angle. What's weird is it has a large blade gap and exposure. But due to the head design, it doesn't feel like it.
 
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