Prep: Hot Shower, L'Occitane Ultra Rich Shower Cream
Brush: M&F Style 1 Finest 3 Porcelain
Soap: CRSW Limenthol
Razor: Tatara Masamune SB (Feather)
Post: Alum, Extra Lather, Witch Hazel, L'Occitane Cedrat Balm
Fragrance: Creed High Mountain Water
It’s not very often I say wow on the first stroke of a razor. In fact only the ER 1914 and BBS-1 have earned that title amongst the dozens of razors that I’ve owned/used. Bold statement alert, this may be the best razor I’ve used in terms of efficiency combined with smoothness. In the back of my mind the BBS-1 is the only thing that is casting doubt over that. Either way, it’s hit that Goldilocks blend of comfort and aggression right on the head.
The fit and finish is the kind of standard you’d expect from a razor of this price. The blade is clamped down tightly with no room for chatter and there are no alignment issues. The bead blasted finish is of a very high quality and the intricate design of the handle has been crafted nicely. I wouldn’t say it’s the most striking of razors but I can see a beauty in its simplicity. I’m a big fan of how the handle recesses into the base plate, much like the Blackbird does, but initially I thought it would be too short and narrow. In practice it wasn’t too much of a problem. In fact, for a stainless steel razor the Tatara actually feels very agile.
A few nice little touches worth noting include the letter T for Tatata milled into the baseplate which create the guide vanes for the top cap, the company logo and razor serial no. stamped into the baseplate, and a beautifully crafted wooden box to store it along with an optional additional OC baseplate.
On the whole I’m pleasantly impressed with this razor which was a nice surprise. There seem to be quite a few new companies coming to market with DE razors but this stands out enough to me to warrant purchasing it.
I’ll give the OC baseplate a try next.
Mike