Homelike Titanium Taiga

I have never had an issue with the adjustment ring in my original Taiga so very interested to see if it has been been loosened up in the new titanium.  Hopefully mine will ship tomorrow.
By the way, if you are a collector like me, keep the original Taiga because it will become a unicorn.  It’s the only adjustable OC razor that I know of.  I have had 5-6 guys contact me about possibly selling it and I’m sure that will increase over the years.

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Sorry, should have clarified... mine is not the Titanium, it’s the SS from the latest (second) batch.
I guess it also depends on how one holds the razor...
The natural position for me, especially during the WTG North to South pass, would be to hold it higher up on the handle, and my index finger ends up resting on the adjustment ring.

Do you tend to hold it lower, with all your fingers below the adjustment dial?
I’ve tried that, which obviously removes the concern about inadvertently moving the dial, but it doesn’t feel as comfortable to me, especially as it is fairly head heavy.

Think I hold it below the ring. It’s interesting because my 2019 and 2020 Sailors have the adjustment dial toward the bottom of the razor. I haven’t had issues with those either. I think I had that issue with my Rex which I just sold but only once or twice.


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Think I found my sweet spot tonight! Level 6 WTG, Level 5 ATG and done.

Received mine after one month shipping. For those looking to order I would recommend the EMS option as Shavemd has suggested.

The finish is a mirror polish which I would rank third behind H&S and Wolfman. Very nicely done. Extra points because internal components were also mirror polished. I will knock them on the lettering as it is very poorly executed. Several of the letters on the base plate are half colored in. Others have very messy edges. Not sure how this was overlooked in QAQC for a razor of this price. Its not enough of an annoyance to reach out to HLS, but you will not find QAQC issues like this in other >$400 USD razors( I paid 600+ before the price drop).


The shave was enjoyable. This was also my first shave with Ethos soap and honestly it was the MVP of this shave. I'm trying to focus on the Taiga, but I should acknowledge Ethos soap's contribution to the experience. The knurling is shallow, but it is appropriate given the light weight of the razor. Always felt secure in hand. Very smooth and buffing did not lead to any irritation. I chose level 3 for the first shave as I am less than 24 HR growth. I turned it up to 5 for a few spots to test it out. It created more blade-feel but it was still very smooth.

The shave was enjoyable enough for me to decide to skip the 2021 Sailor. For me the weight is the only thing the Taiga does better than the sailor. I do enjoy the shave of the sailor more, but I am now spoiled with the titanium. I will wait for Murat's titanium model for my next adjustable purchase.

Have been using my SS Taiga daily since I got it, and love it, very smooth and comfortable throughout all the levels I’ve tried so far.

Agree with your comments about the quality of the polishing, but also with your criticism of the black paint/ enamel. My razor also has some small parts of a couple of letters where the enamel is already missing.
Not quite sure if it was like that from the beginning, or whether it happened during use in the last couple of weeks. I have a feeling it will gradually get worse with use, and eventually all the black enamel will disappear... not sure it was such a great idea in the first place, as it was unlikely to last...
Hopefully the numbers and the small red triangle will fare better and remain visible...

I have 5 shaves in and 2 soaks in Dawn & a toothbrush scrub, one initially and a 2nd this afternoon without any loss of my enamel I know this is fairly short term but my experience so far.

Think I found my sweet spot tonight! Level 6 WTG, Level 5 ATG and done.

This Ti Taiga at #6 is very smooth. 
3-4 days growth, two passes, fantastic shave.  

Just got back my Taiga from service from HLS and they've done a great job.

At my request, they very kindly sent me a spare spring that they said would make the 
adjustment mechanism a little stiffer 

Here are the springs side by side....only difference seems to be the length...the original (left)
is 10cm tall....the other one they included is 15mm tall....

Personally I think the 15 provides a little too much stiffness but take this with a pinch of salt.
Maybe after using it s few dozen times the spring will relax and get broken in, who knows.

I think a 12mm tall spring would be right on the money... altho I doubt that's offered anywhere,
but Ive got access to a lot of hardware stores so I'll keep looking.

Very excited to welcome the Taiga back...it's a real treasure.

Tracked down a spring with specs of 1.09mm (wire gauge) X 12.7mm (length) ....bought a couple but they don't fit
as their outer diameter is 9.90mm instead of 10mm. Bummer.

I think my only option now is to order a custom size.

They shop I dealt with takes custom orders using 316 SS...there will be a surcharge....which is worth
it to me if the spring doesn't rust with exposure to water.

Will keep y'all posted

I found a 15 mm spring but the wire diameter is 0.8 mm (instead of the original 1.0 mm), which seems to provide just the right amount of difference in resistance in adjustment.

Just got back my Taiga from service from HLS and they've done a great job.

At my request, they very kindly sent me a spare spring that they said would make the 
adjustment mechanism a little stiffer 

Here are the springs side by side....only difference seems to be the length...the original (left)
is 10cm tall....the other one they included is 15mm tall....

Personally I think the 15 provides a little too much stiffness but take this with a pinch of salt.
Maybe after using it s few dozen times the spring will relax and get broken in, who knows.

I think a 12mm tall spring would be right on the money... altho I doubt that's offered anywhere,
but Ive got access to a lot of hardware stores so I'll keep looking.

Very excited to welcome the Taiga back...it's a real treasure.

My SS Taiga has been back with HLS for some work/ repair, and I also got this longer stiffer spring when it came back.
I didn’t particularly like the original spring, found it too easy to turn the adjustment dial, so I really like this one.
After about a week of daily use, it started to feel just a tiny bit less stiff (but not sure whether it’s due to the actual spring getting broken in and loosening up a bit, or just me getting used to it so it feels a bit looser… probably the latter…), and I think it’s pretty perfect now.

Today I tried two different springs...both 15mm in length. One had a wire gauge of 0.8mm... the other 0.9mm
The 0.8 has a little more 'spring' than the 0.9....as in it's easier to compress with the fingers.

With the 10 X 0.8 X 15 mm spring loaded, the dial turns smoothly and (I felt) quite easily....at least it did not have
that slight grinding sound that came from turning the knob with the 10 X 1 X 15 mm spring inserted.

However, the 10 X 0.9 X 15 mm spring split the difference very well, providing a pleasant, tactile and responsive
experience...my fave of the lot so far. That's the one Im going with for now

I have asked them to quote on a custom SS 316 spring with specs of 10 X 1 X 12.7 mm. Set at 5.5 coils.