Member
Here is that review
![[Image: 947xtuI.png]](https://i.imgur.com/947xtuI.png)
docfirestein
8 points
·
2 days ago
I heard so many beautiful things about the Tatara Masamune when it first came out, I really wanted to like it. I was hesitant for a couple reasons. I prefer more mid to aggressive razors, but most reviews touted it as quite mild. The locking mechanism of the handle to the head does not allow for different handles, which I wasn’t too happy about.
When the Masamune Nodachi model came out, I was very excited. A more aggressive razor with the ability to change handles was very appealing. However, any other brand handle would not take advantage of its unique locking mechanism. The new handle released with this model was even longer, although more stylistically appealing to me, was moving in the opposite direction of my preference in length. Plus, they got rid of the open comb base, which was a big red flag for me.
The perfect storm arose when they recently released a Nodachi open comb and a small batch release of ‘mini’ Nodachi handles. Okay, I had to bite. Although I have other handles of similar length, this seems more petite than what I had envisioned in my mind. I’m really looking forward to taking this for a test drive!
TLDR; All in all, it felt like steering a posh race car. Wonderful harmony in blade exposure, blade gap, and head angle provided an efficient yet smooth shave. The mini handle is mobile, beautiful, and balanced. I believe this is going to be my new daily driver for a while.
So, I stayed up past my bedtime to have a shave since I was so excited to give this new beast a test drive. I kept the Feather blades that it came with, and loaded a Feather from my own collection. I had only one day of stubble, but the first thing I noticed was the heavy blade feel. That's something I usually like, but I'm usually overly cautious with these type of razors because I'm worried about nicking myself. This however hits an amazing balance between heavy blade feel (probably because of the open comb), efficiency, and smoothness. For me, the open comb Nodachi with the Nodachi head strikes a pleasant harmony with blade exposure, blade gap, and head angle. The streamlined headcap made going under the nose a breeze. Another thing of note was the abundant audio feedback. Even with only one day of stubble I got that loud satisfying crackle of stubble shearing; I have a suspicion this is because of the locking mechanism. The interesting locking mechanism definitely kept the blade clamped well, and there was no evident blade chatter. I like the handle-head locking mechanism so much that I don't think I'll be changing handles anytime soon, even though that's now an option with the new Nodachi caps. The threading on the cap is really long. I don't think that really improves the locking, but it did give me the psychological impression that it was more firmly locked. I'm also really enjoying the new pre-release mini handle. It's aesthetics are uncommon, which I like. It's different, and I'm fond of it because it looks like nothing I've got. At first I was surprised at how small it was. I've got other short handles, but my other ones are thicker. But after giving it a go, I really savored the feel of this handle. Excellent balance, with the pivot point being close to the middle of the handle. It was quite mobile around difficult areas like the angle of the jaw. One suggestion that I might give is that I'd like to see a polished version of Tatara razors. Everyone likes shiny things.
docfirestein
8 points
·
2 days ago
I heard so many beautiful things about the Tatara Masamune when it first came out, I really wanted to like it. I was hesitant for a couple reasons. I prefer more mid to aggressive razors, but most reviews touted it as quite mild. The locking mechanism of the handle to the head does not allow for different handles, which I wasn’t too happy about.
When the Masamune Nodachi model came out, I was very excited. A more aggressive razor with the ability to change handles was very appealing. However, any other brand handle would not take advantage of its unique locking mechanism. The new handle released with this model was even longer, although more stylistically appealing to me, was moving in the opposite direction of my preference in length. Plus, they got rid of the open comb base, which was a big red flag for me.
The perfect storm arose when they recently released a Nodachi open comb and a small batch release of ‘mini’ Nodachi handles. Okay, I had to bite. Although I have other handles of similar length, this seems more petite than what I had envisioned in my mind. I’m really looking forward to taking this for a test drive!
TLDR; All in all, it felt like steering a posh race car. Wonderful harmony in blade exposure, blade gap, and head angle provided an efficient yet smooth shave. The mini handle is mobile, beautiful, and balanced. I believe this is going to be my new daily driver for a while.
So, I stayed up past my bedtime to have a shave since I was so excited to give this new beast a test drive. I kept the Feather blades that it came with, and loaded a Feather from my own collection. I had only one day of stubble, but the first thing I noticed was the heavy blade feel. That's something I usually like, but I'm usually overly cautious with these type of razors because I'm worried about nicking myself. This however hits an amazing balance between heavy blade feel (probably because of the open comb), efficiency, and smoothness. For me, the open comb Nodachi with the Nodachi head strikes a pleasant harmony with blade exposure, blade gap, and head angle. The streamlined headcap made going under the nose a breeze. Another thing of note was the abundant audio feedback. Even with only one day of stubble I got that loud satisfying crackle of stubble shearing; I have a suspicion this is because of the locking mechanism. The interesting locking mechanism definitely kept the blade clamped well, and there was no evident blade chatter. I like the handle-head locking mechanism so much that I don't think I'll be changing handles anytime soon, even though that's now an option with the new Nodachi caps. The threading on the cap is really long. I don't think that really improves the locking, but it did give me the psychological impression that it was more firmly locked. I'm also really enjoying the new pre-release mini handle. It's aesthetics are uncommon, which I like. It's different, and I'm fond of it because it looks like nothing I've got. At first I was surprised at how small it was. I've got other short handles, but my other ones are thicker. But after giving it a go, I really savored the feel of this handle. Excellent balance, with the pivot point being close to the middle of the handle. It was quite mobile around difficult areas like the angle of the jaw. One suggestion that I might give is that I'd like to see a polished version of Tatara razors. Everyone likes shiny things.
Posting Freak
Peachtree City, GA
(This post was last modified: 05-26-2020, 05:55 PM by DanLaw.)
...well now...have been involved in racing all manner of vehicles, types and levels since preteen days, never once have any been considered "posh", Haha. But nice review if the analogy nonsensical
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