Tatara Nodachi Ti Passaround - Titanium Makes a Shocking Improvement

Outstanding series of write ups

Thanks Dan. I appreciate the kind words.

Tatara arrived in good condition. First shave tomorrow!

The razor feels great in the hand and has really good balance. Tatara's machining and quality is top notch, as expected. Can't wait to toss a blade in and give it a go! I've owned the SS version in the past and didn't get along with it very well, so I'm excited to see if the different material makes a difference. 

May I suggest reading the previous participants' review posts prior to shaving? You will find this razor particularly sensitive to blade choice and even more so to finding the correct angle (more towards the cap than bar) using almost no added pressure.

Popping back in to share that I just purchased a New In Box Nodachi Ti (with Masamune handle) from a fine forum member here. Looking forward to having the Nodachi Ti in permanent rotation.

Just a quick update as I have two shaves in now. Both shaves have been with a Gillette Platinum. I fully understood going in that these razors seem to prefer Astra SP's, but the Gillette Platinums are my benchmark blade to I wanted to try with that first. I had owned an SS version of this razor in the past, but didn't get along with it very well. I always love trying razors again to see if improved technique has helped at all.

First shave was on two days growth with the SB plate. Soap was Lothur "White" which is a pheonominal performing and smelling soap. I ran with a very shallow angle, knowing that the razor usually prefers that. I finished with a super smooth shave, but I wished it was a little closer. I figured the forced shallow angle may have not been optimal.

Second shave was on three days growth with the OC plate, and I used B&M "Brew Ha-Ha" as the soap. Instead of trying to pay special attention to keeping a super shallow angle, I decided to just go with what felt good. The shave was very good. It was closer than the first shave while still being super comfortable. Alum showed no irritation. I actually forgot post shave, and my face felt fine without it. I look forward to my third and more than likely last shave before I send it off.

Had a wonderful shave today with my recent Nodachi Ti purchase. Unlike the pass around, this Nodachi came with the Masamune handle. The Masamune handle offered a more nimble experience when compared with the pass around configuration. And the overall reduction in weight seemed to enable a wider range of pressure modulation, with reduced potential for injury or irritation. I am just a single data point in the universe of shavers, but I would recommend considering the Masamune handle when configuring a Nodachi Ti purchase.

My time with the Nodachi Ti is complete! I would like to thank Dan Law for organizing the passaround, and Tatara for donating the razor. 

The construction on the razor is great. Tolerances are tight and the finish is unique. Industrial and tough but done in an elegant way. The way the handle fits through the baseplate and secures the blade is specific to Tatara razors and seems to work very well. Being one of the last testers, I know this isn't fresh news, but figured I would post some pictures showing how the handle works. 




You can see how the top of the handle is perfectly flush with the top of the baseplate. The rounded "ball" on top of the handle seats into the bottom of the baseplate, distributing the force. 

Blade alignment was perfect every time, and had equal exposure on both sides. 




The OC baseplate ended up being my favorite and gave the smoothest and closest shave. My previous nodachi in SS had a SB baseplate, so this was my first time using the OC. It easily knocked down 3-4 days of growth without any tugging, and was just as comfortable on 1 days growth. The SB baseplate worked well, but lacked the efficiency I wanted. The razor has a decent sized gap and (barely) positive exposure to make it the more efficient model from Tatara.




For my last few shaves, I ended up switching to the recommended Astra SP. It did seem to work perfectly with this razor and gave a great shave. It was hard to compare against the Gillette Platinum, since that gave a good shave as well. 

In conclusion, if you're looking for a well made and engineered razor with superior blade clamping, this may be the razor for you. It easily took down multiple days of growth, but was friendly enough for daily shaves. My only gripe is the handle wad a little bit too long for me, but I know Tatara has other shorter handle options.

Hi everyone. I just wanted to post and say that the Tatara Nodachi Ti arrived safe and sound and happy to meet my acquaintance.



At first glance, I like the matte grey color and finish of the titanium. The razor has a nice solid feel to it. Being that's is made of titanium you might think this razor would be light but it surprisingly has a good middle-of-the-road weight to it.

I'm super stoked that this package contains the open-comb base plate as I really do like them. Exploring both  it and the safety bar base plate will be fun and enlightening.

Thanks DanLaw