Shakedown cruise with the polished SS Taiga –
Rawr and Personna. First impressions – outstanding polish on this razor (dare I say Wolfman?
). I debated on the matte or polished, and I’m very glad I ordered the polished version – both have advantages/disadvantages, but I prefer the polished look. I thought the tradeoff would be the grip and handling, but actually the knurling is either cut deeper or sharper than the Titanium Taiga (which actually is, shall we say, somewhat deficient in the grip department - I might even be tempted sometime to try the matte Titanium just to try the grip), so handling over the Ti Taiga is actually improved in spite of the heavier weight. Speaking of weight, 107.5g on the SS version and 59.5 on the Ti version, and I think the weight on the SS actually improves efficiency somewhat. Both are superb adjustables, and at this point I’m not sure which I prefer. I do like the engraving on the SS version better – harder to see, but nothing is coming off this razor (unlike the steady wear of the painted-on numbers of the polished Ti – in fact I’ve already removed the paint fill-in from the cap/base index just to make the appearance uniform after the paint fell out of the “H” on the cap). The spring on the SS is noticeable stiffer (and they sent a spare), and the adjustment more solid and actually smoother (I suspect the difference in materials since the threads on the Ti version are not as soft as stainless), and – attention to detail – the cut ends of the spring are polished smooth as well. Very nice touch. I like the weight of the Titanium, in the sense that I can drop in a Feather blade and it soars like a swallow over a lake with zero effort or pressure, and is probably my most maneuverable razor. Overall, still very impressed with HLS and their products and will continue to be a repeat customer.