And as my final entry for this week of SOTD's I am pleased to present my shave themed, 'Titanium? Tripping the light fantastic or just tripping?'
Lightweight - Tatara Masamune Titanium
Light Fandango - Polsilver Lodz
Heavy duty - Highlander 26mm Cashmere
Light speed - Signature Soaps Londinium
Light airs - Floris Elite
'My God! Are you still here?'
Firstly many thanks to Tatara,
@Masamune and
@slapo for making this pass around possible, and yes, I feel very priveldged to participate.
Titanium. Ti. Atomic number 22 with a molar magnetic susceptibility of +153.0×10−6 cm3/mol (293 K). It also happens to be one of the latest materials to make it in to the world of razors.
Now, to be honest, I was somewhat perplexed when Titanium razors started to make an appearance as I couldn't see what the advantage might be. I've tried a few Lightweight aluminum razors and they never quite struck me as being anything wonderful. Always a bit Lightweight for me and with a certain grainy feel in use. I do understand aluminium is not the best of materials for good surface tolerances and finish and perhaps why I never find them the smoothest of razors in use. You are also taking to a man who leans towards the heavyweight brigade in the Mongoose, a couple of Rocnels and a past love for the Hone brass. The latter weighing about as much as a typical sledgehammer which wouldn't be out of place in a garden gnomes workshop.
So against my shaving religion, on my doorstep arrives a beautiful set of Titanium razors from Tatara. Wonderfully finished and with a nice semi-sheen which to be honest is one point I feel let's the Stainless Nodachi down a bit. I do like shiny and do feel it reduces drag. It is nice that Tatara have kept the same superb design with the same levels of engineering and simply changed the material. Nothing unfamiliar if you are already a Tatara user. Except, there is no weight to the thing. Mmmmm?
First out the box for me is the Masamune head, simply because I own two Nodachi's with their more aggressive stance and hence this is a new one for me. So it is lightweight, mild with a shorter handle and technically doesn't tick my 'I like a razor which is.......' box.
I have decided that to keep it all fair and simple I will use the same Polsilver Lodz blade for all the different combinations I have here being as I know it works in my own Tatara razors.
This evening's choice soap being Brian's Best of Bolton and delivered by Gile's gigantic face masher. A fantastic pairing making up team lather.
First impressions? Well, I am just going to have to rewrite my shaving bible. Going by my theory of bigger is better this razor weighing about the same as a BIC deposable should be fighting it out of the 'could have beens', but it isn't. Quite the opposite. It is beating the big boys back down the ladder.
What an incredibly smooth, efficient operator it is proving itself to be. Two days of growth ruthlessly demolished with minimum effort. Not only that, but it is managing it all while delivering an outstandingly close and superlative finish. Not quite Rocnel SE-P close, but then again that is a stupidly close finisher which borders on skinning more than shaving, but more the kind of massive grin inducing factor which makes one stroke ones face endlessly.
I am impressed. Not because this is a Tatara pass around and I have to say kind words, but because I am simply impressed.
Next up will be the Masamune OC. Open combs again are not really my forte, but I have a feeling my shaving bible is about to be rewritten a second time.
Some Japanese girls to end on? Of course. How else could a shave end?.......
Yup. Tripping the light fantastic.
I love you all
