HomeLikeShaving Taiga adjustable razor DFS pass around

Is the spring for the adjustable razor stainless steel?

Yes it is

Sent from my SM-N975U using Tapatalk

Is the spring for the adjustable razor stainless steel?

Compression springs are very cheap in Aliexpress. And you can easily replace it.  
You can get 20 for less than $3.5 (shipping included).  
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32886212...web201603_

Wire Diameter: 0.8mm
Outer Diameter: 10mm
Length: 13mm

Tonight I tried the Taiga with the SB base plate. I started at 3.5 once again, thinking that it should be less rough than the OC at that setting. I was wrong. The blade feel was just as pronounced as the OC. I did dial it down immediately to a 3, and finished the WTG pass comfortably. ATG pass I dialed down to 2.5 and had a comfortable pass. It was not quite as efficient as with the OC plate and I did have to do an XTG pass along my jaw line and under my chin area.  I still ended up with a relatively comfortable BBS.

Tomorrow night, I will start out with a setting of 3 and then dial down to 2.5  and see how that shave goes.

If it goes well, my final shave with the Taiga, I will be comparing it to my REX Ambassador on Monday.

Second shave tonight with the SB plate on the Taiga. I started off with a WTG setting of 3.25 which significantly lessened the blade feel and was able to complete the pass in comfort. There was a little more stubble left after the pass than I was expecting. For the ATG pass I dropped the setting down to 2.5 and had a comfortable pass. Again I did an XTG pass on my jaw line and under my chin area and ended up with an effortless BBS.

Tomorrow I will shave half my face with the Taiga using tonight's settings, and the other half of my face with my Rex using the settings I usuallu use (WTG - 3.5, ATG - 2.5).

After tomorrow's shave, I will clean up the Taiga and get it packed up to send off to the next West Coast participant in Michigan. 

I am in if still possible, CA.


Greetings from Santa Rosa, CA

Final shave tonight with the SB Taiga. As promised last night, I decoded to have a shave off between the Taiga and the Rex Ambassador. The Taiga took the left side of my face and the Rex took the right side. I started WTG with the Taiga using the 3.25 setting, and that setting felt very comfortable with minimal blade feel. WTG with the Rex using a 3.5 setting was equally as comfortable and no real problems with either razor. Both left enough stubble to require at least a second pass, although it seems that the Taiga left less. ATG setting for the Taiga and Rex was 2.5. At this setting, the Taiga was very comfortable and efficient. The Rex was as comfortable but not quite as efficient. Both razors required and XTG pass for my jaw line and under my chin area. I left the setting of both at 2.5. The Taiga shaved slightly cleaner, while the Rex did require some buffing in the areas that usually give me problems. Overall, as far as the shave went, a slight advantage went to the Taiga.

I have to admit though that if I was comparing the Rex with the OC Taiga, I think the Taiga would have won because it was definitely the more efficient shaver, better than the SB. However I had to compare similar things.



Overall impressions of the Taiga:

Pros
OC base plate is unique to the Taiga, and it is very efficient.
Both base plates are included in the set.
Finish is excellent.
Setting varies enough to accommodate many different type f shavers.

Cons
Numbers and marks on the adjuster is very hard to see.
Marks on the side of the plates are very small and need to be lined up perfectly.
The screw post on the base plate is too short, and many times the handle came loose while turning the adjuster knob.
Complete assembly/disassembly to change base plate is very cumbersome (took a while to figure out that threads were reversed).

Final thoughts
The Taiga is a very smooth and efficient shaver. It is well built, balanced, and beautifully finished.
Aligning the three pieces that make up the head is a real pain and the small marks does not help.
I would recommend machining an indentation on the sides of the base plate and a downward tab on the adjuster plate to keep things aligned similar to the Gibbs and Rex.
I think that engraving and painting the numbers on the base plate and arrow on the adjuster ring would greatly help in use.
Possibly selling the Taiga in two versions - SB and OC and putting in a compression ring in the shaft (like the Rex) just so the razor would not have to be taken apart.

At this point, as much as I like the shaves from the Taiga (especially the OC plate), it would not be on my short list of razors to get. The Cons outweigh the Pros at this point.

I would like to thank Homelikeshaving and andrewjs18 for giving me the opportunity to test shave this great razor.

I have received the passaround razor a few days ago and have gotten one shave with it. After a few more ill post a more detailed review.

i currently have the Taiga in my possession and would like to send to the next shaver on the list. Can whoever is managing this message me with the details? I'll post a review shortly.

i currently have the Taiga in my possession and would like to send to the next shaver on the list. Can whoever is managing this message me with the details? I'll post a review shortly.

Looks like LOOT is next - per the passaround list earlier in the thread

Had my third and last shave with the taiga this morning. I've shaved with one days growth, two days growth, and three days growth to really get a good feel of the razor. All shaves have been with a gillette platinum blade. This is my first exposure to a modern adjustable, the only other I've ever used is a Gillette slim. 

First impressions are that this razor is very well made. The packaging tightly holds and protects the razor, and has a nice faux leather look. Inside the box you'll find the full razor and the additional OC baseplate. I only shaved with the SB plate because I had a limited amount of time and prefer SB usually. The razor has a good amount of polishing and hefty feel to it. The dial turns smoothly, and does not click into place leaving you unlimited adjustment. The dial is numbered to "5" but will go two "numbers" past allowing you to technically go up to a "7". The numbers and arrow are etched which makes them hard to see sometimes, especially if the razor has water and soap on it. Its not that big of a deal, but would be nice to have some paint on them to make it easier to see. I also noticed on this razor, the dial does not go exactly to "1" which bothers me and flares up my OCD.


Second picture shows the taiga at "7"

For my first shave I kept the razor at "3.5" for two passes. It performed very well and was comfortable with one days growth. There was slight blade feel with good efficiency. I had no problems maneuvering this razor around the hard to reach areas, and think it has a relatively narrow head for being adjustable. 

Second shave I kept the razor at "4" for both passes, and much like the first shave it handled everything well. Efficiency was as expected, higher than before. The razor maintained its smoothness and left me with a comfortable shave. 

Third shave I went all out and started with the razor at "5" knocking it down to "4.5" for the second pass. It did pheonominally! Mowed down my growth like nothing, maintaining its smoothness. There was a bit more blade feel, but not what I would have expected for the efficiency it gave. I could have stopped after one pass, but went for the second pass anyways. Had a smooth BBS. I did cut my chin and had a small weeper, because I got careless. Alum took care of it and the bleeding did not last long. Very minor irritatoon and a super smooth face. 

Is this razor perfect? No. I wish the knurling was a little more aggressive. It felt a bit slippery sometimes. I'm not a fan of how little threads are holding the top cap on. Its a little over two turns from fully tight to removed. There were a few times I wasn't expecting the bottom knob to come loose yet, and I almost dropped it. It does a good job of holding the top cap tight, but I would hate to drop that important part down the drain, lol. It looks like the baseplate has slightly more gap on the right side (see above pictures). Unsure if it's an optical illusion, or just from the torque of being put together. Regardless, I don't think it affected the shave much. 


Overall, it was a very enjoyable experience. I learned that I don't need an adjustable. I'm not one to change settings every pass. I tend to keep the same settings throughout. BUT, if i was in the market for a modern adjustable, I would strongly consider the Taiga. Regardless, this razor is very well made. Its solid and feels like it will last a lifetime (and then some). Its efficient while still staying smooth. Everything fits together very precisely. Thank you Homelike Shaving and DFS for this passaround. I've messaged the next participant and am waiting to hear back for an address.