Tatara single edge

Dear sir, Will the top cover move slightly after the blade is installed?Or is it that Tatara has achieved a perfect fit with their precision processing and design?
I would also like to recommend that you try KAI SALON SELECT PREMIUM GUARD, which is very gentle and comfortable.

Dear sir, Will the top cover move slightly after the blade is installed?Or is it that Tatara has achieved a perfect fit with their precision processing and design?
I would also like to recommend that you try KAI SALON SELECT PREMIUM GUARD, which is very gentle and comfortable.

Sorry for the delayed response, Traveller. I hope you are having a fine Holiday Season!

There is not movement of the top cap. Tatara has achieved a precise fit. I have tried a Schick Proline P-30, a Kia Capt. Mild ProTouch MG, and a Kai Capt. Titan Mild, the later of which has a slightly smaller depth than the Proline. No cap wiggle at all!

When I can, I will try every blade type that I have on hand, which will be a Feather Professional, Feather Professional Super, and a Feather ProGuard. Below is a chart I found online, maybe Amazon? You can see the depth of the blade as well as thickness changes for the Feather AC blades. I have been unable to find something like this for the Kai Captain blades. 

Hey MaineYooper thanks for that Feather AC chart. I never knew that Feather controlled blade exposure by varying the depth of their AC blades. Makes sense looking at the drawings. I have been thinking about the Tatara SE but thought that I could not justify another blade system (I already have a couple of SR's, an SE taking half DE blades and a Valet Auto Strop taking the Feather SE blades for that razor and the One Blade razors). However, none of those razors have variable blade exposure. So, now maybe there is some justification.

Now, the only thing I don't like about the Tartara SE is the look......the handle is too thick.

Hey MaineYooper thanks for that Feather AC chart. I never knew that Feather controlled blade exposure by varying the depth of their AC blades. Makes sense looking at the drawings. I have been thinking about the Tatara SE but thought that I could not justify another blade system (I already have a couple of SR's, an SE taking half DE blades and a Valet Auto Strop taking the Feather SE blades for that razor and the One Blade razors). However, none of those razors have variable blade exposure. So, now maybe there is some justification.

Now, the only thing I don't like about the Tartara SE is the look......the handle is too thick.

AC shaving will change your entire perspective.

Combines ease of safety razor with closeness of a straight. Rarely use anything else these days despite having multiple top shelf Damascus straights and Wolfie DEs

Hey MaineYooper thanks for that Feather AC chart. I never knew that Feather controlled blade exposure by varying the depth of their AC blades. Makes sense looking at the drawings. I have been thinking about the Tatara SE but thought that I could not justify another blade system (I already have a couple of SR's, an SE taking half DE blades and a Valet Auto Strop taking the Feather SE blades for that razor and the One Blade razors). However, none of those razors have variable blade exposure. So, now maybe there is some justification.

Now, the only thing I don't like about the Tartara SE is the look......the handle is too thick.

AC shaving will change your entire perspective.

Combines ease of safety razor with closeness of a straight. Rarely use anything else these days despite having multiple top shelf Damascus straights and Wolfie DEs

Thanks for your perspective DanLaw . I do like open comb SE's so that is something to think about waiting for?

Hey MaineYooper  thanks for that Feather AC chart.  I never knew that  Feather controlled blade exposure by varying the depth of their AC blades.  Makes sense looking at the drawings.  I have been thinking about the Tatara SE but thought that I could not justify another blade system (I already have  a couple of SR's, an SE taking half DE blades and a Valet Auto Strop taking the Feather SE blades for that razor and the One Blade razors).  However, none of those razors have variable blade exposure.  So, now maybe there is some justification. 

Now, the only thing I don't like about the Tartara SE is the look......the handle is too thick.

Thanks! Here are some handles to compare the Amakuni to for size.

Lambda Athena 
Tatara 
Slim 
Oliworks M3teorite 



Type G
Amakuni 
GEM Clog Pruf 
Slim 

REVIEW

I am very fortunate that my good friend MaineYooper has loaned me his Tatara Amakuni razor.  Those of you who are less fortunate but would like to try before you buy can thank DanLaw, who has yet again arranged with Tatara for a pass around on the DFS forum.  Of course, thanks to Tatara too!  Dan has received the razor from Tatara, but he is under the weather and offline at the moment, so you might want to post your interest in the Amakuni Passaround Signup thread.

The Amakuni is a single edge razor that accepts Artist Club blades.  The Tatara website lists Feather Soft Guard, Proguard, Professional, and Super as compatible blades.  This blade assortment provides choices of smoothness and efficiency.  In addition, I have successfully used the Schick P-30 and Kai Titan Mild ProTouch MG blades.

The Amakuni is a two-piece design in which the base plate is permanently attached to the handle.  The fit and finish are impeccable throughout.  Magnets are used to clamp the top cap and base plate together.  This arrangement makes the Amakuni super easy to load and unload.

The specs given by Tatara are:
    Blade Gap: 0.85 mm
    Blade Exposure: 0.060 mm
    Blade angle: 29º
    Weight: 85 grams
The loaner from Eric weighs 80.3 grams on my scale.

I am three shaves in, and I would say that the Amakuni is an unmitigated joy to use, unless, as described below, you have grip issues like mine.  I rate it as “mid-aggressive” (with a P-30 blade), and I was struck from the first stroke by how beautifully the razor cuts:

• The angle is easy to find.
  
• The flow through is excellent.
  
• The head is compact and nimble.
  
• There is enough blade feel and chatter to suit my taste (which is some of each, but not much of either).
  
• It is very efficient, and also very smooth, considering how efficiently it cuts. 
  

I alluded above to grip issues that disturb the unmitigated joy of using the Amakuni, and I hasten to reiterate that these issues are personal and may not apply to you.  Suffice it to say that I’m an older guy, and my hands cramp up from time to time.  I have found that lighter weight razors generally work better for me, and 80 grams is borderline – a weight where some razors work, and some don’t.  Unfortunately, the Amakuni presents some handling problems for me.  

The balance point is about halfway down the handle, and the bottom 30 mm of the handle has no dimples and culminates in a rounded bottom.  The upshot of this is that it is difficult for me to use my pinky on the handle bottom as a lever.  In some places, this makes the shave unenjoyably worky for me.  By contrast, my 77 gram SS Vector also balances about halfway down the handle, but the bottom 2/3 of the Vector handle is spiral grooved and culminates is a flat bottom.  This makes the SS Vector much more manageable for me.

I am on the fence as to whether I will buy an Amakuni.  If I had better hands, I’d be all over the SS version (currently $246 USD), but as it is, the SS is a pass for me.  OTOH the Titanium version (43 grams) is well within my comfort zone.  However, the titanium version goes for $482 USD, and I am not sure how much it would add to the titanium Vector that I already own.

And that's all I got.  Thanks once again to MaineYooper for the loan, and to DanLaw for honchoing the pass around.  Thanks again also to Tatara, and congratulations on producing an excellent razor!  I love how it cuts, and I expect that most buyers will love how it handles too.

That is a very informative review and brings to light some issues that those with arthritis may experience. Thanks Mike!

Great informative review HighSpeed !!

Thank you HighSpeed Looking forward to use mine....