Yaqi Tachi and DScosmetics SE

[gpjoe]

What is your average shave time with the MARS SE compared to the Vector? How much longer is it taking for the same/similar result?

I never really pay too much attention to the actual time, but if I had to guess I'd say that my Vector shaves are 15-20 minutes, and the MARS shave was 10 minutes longer.

With the Vector, I lather twice and do a WTG and ATG pass, then touch up just with water and residual soap. Using the MARS required a third lather and third pass, then a more extensive touch up.

Remember that I'm shooting for a "Vector" result with the MARS, which means vigorously rubbing my wet scalp in all directions during touch up and checking for any trace of stubble. I could probably stop sooner and still get a great looking shave from the MARS.

Also note that I'm only shaving my head every fourth day, so I'm thinking every-day shaves with the MARS would be faster and very comfortable

 

[Stikeyoda]

Interesting... can you tell me something more about the Stando Jaga AC?

The Standos (I have several formats) are always in rotation. They are very well made and the handle give lots of grip. The Jaga, both in half DE and AC versions are at the low end of aggression feel, almost mild. They glide over your skin tempting you to apply pressure, don't. Blade gap is 1.2mm. I haven't checked exposure and it's not on their site. I also have the Rod 2 OC. More aggressive than the Jaga but just as smooth. I interestingly the Rod 2 is the only one in the herd (lots of SEs) I trust with the Feather Super Pros. If you're comfortable with an AC I'd suggest the Rod 2. If you're early into AC the the Jaga is a great everyman razor.

 

[Mr Konrad Dundee]

The Standos (I have several formats) are always in rotation. They are very well made and the handle give lots of grip. The Jaga, both in half DE and AC versions are at the low end of aggression feel, almost mild. They glide over your skin tempting you to apply pressure, don't. Blade gap is 1.2mm. I haven't checked exposure and it's not on their site. I also have the Rod 2 OC. More aggressive than the Jaga but just as smooth. I interestingly the Rod 2 is the only one in the herd (lots of SEs) I trust with the Feather Super Pros. If you're comfortable with an AC I'd suggest the Rod 2. If you're early into AC the the Jaga is a great everyman razor.

Stando Jaga intrigued me in the AC version
so Rod is more aggressive? what is the gap difference between Jaga and Rod?

 

[Stikeyoda]

Stando Jaga intrigued me in the AC version
so Rod is more aggressive? what is the gap difference between Jaga and Rod?

Weirdly, I just realized the Jaga has a wider blade gap (0.95mm, my measure the site says 1.2mm) compared to the Rod 2, while the Rod 2 has a narrower blade gap (0.85mm, my measure the site says nothing), so this is truly my perception of them (and may not be accurate as these are my measurements), yet I am comfortable with the Feather Super Pro in it. YMMV. If you are interested email Stanislaw at [email protected] , he is very responsive.

 

[ErkRusselReserve]

I bought a Leaf (there blade) razor for head shaves, and it performs as well as a cartridge razor. I got half-blade BAD (Blade Acquisition Disorder) and stocked up on WAY too many DE half-blades to use with the Leaf.

Then I discovered the Blackland Vector and moved on to that for my head shaves. I like the smaller head on SE razors, and have never attempted a DE razor head shave.

Looking at my pile of hundreds (600?...700?...800?) half-blades, I went on a quest to find a DE half-blade razor that was as efficient and well-behaved as my Vector, just to use up some of my hoard of half-blades for head shaves...

...alas...I have not yet found THAT razor... ...but that has been my motive and rationale.

The half DE razors do not torque the blade, so you do not have the stiffness a good DE razor provides even a thin blade. This doesn't matter as much with body hair, but for facial hair, you need the robustness. For example, the Bro Shaver is amazing for back shaving, but I would not want to try it for face shaving.

ATT had a slant SE, but I never had a chance to try it, the company folded before I could buy one. Slants do require a bit of skill to get the angle and direction correct. But???

ACs are really nice, aren't they?

 

[ErkRusselReserve]

Yaqi Tachi / BIC Platinum (half blade)
View attachment 1785816
The Tachi is looking a bit like the Yaqi Katana, blade clamping is supposedly different and improved. Despite this I am ultimately not that happy with the Tachi; it is not as efficient as many of my DE razors, while being a bit harsh, and while loud and pointing out stubble audibly, it often doesn't catch all hair and pointing the razor somewhere and pulling down to correct that is not always guaranteed either. I think the blade is simply sticking out too much without support, creating chatter and noise, and while the noise is beneficial audible feedback, it also seems to harm cutting performance. A stiffer edge would be necessary, but as the Tachi is using half blades, it's just not comparable to an Artist Club SE blade edge.

Maneuverable and fun with good feedback, but not as mild nor as efficient as some other razors, this head is definitely not a must have.

P.S. did I know somehow remember what @JAHE wrote or came "not a must have" to my mind by itself.

Without support is a deal breaker for me. Had to pack up my Twig for the same reason. It led to bad cuts. Thank you for the info!

 

[ErkRusselReserve]

There is one good thing about 1/2 DE SE razors. You use a consistent angle, which can give you an even shave. This is both a advantage and a disadvantage as there are advanced techniques where holding a razor at different spots and using different angles can be desired.

 

[gpjoe]

ACs are really nice, aren't they?

Yes.

Like the GEM, the blade stiffness definitely improves efficiency without increasing the aggression. My two favorites are the Vector and Shield Predator...though I really don't need both.

 

[craigq]

Half DE blade for head shave means I can easily keep track of the strokes per side of the blade

I think I like the Shield “Stomper “ the best, then the Tachi followed by the Mars…

 

[gpjoe]

Half DE blade for head shave means I can easily keep track of the strokes per side of the blade

I think I like the Shield “Stomper “ the best, then the Tachi followed by the Mars…

Yeah, I tried the mars today, second head shave on the Shark Saloon blade, but only 2-days growth instead of my normal 4 days, just to see if the razor performed a bit more efficiently.

Possibly a flawed expectation but I was curious.

After three full passes with lather and extensive touch up with water and residual lather, I couldn't get the near BBS shave I want (note that the shave was clean, nice, and comfortable...just not perfect)...so I removed the blade and stuck it in my Stomper, which did pick up more of the stubborn stubble on my most troublesome areas. I could have quit, with a smooth, 80% BBS, but wanted more...

One more full lather and a final pass and minor touch up with the best head shave I own...yep, my Vector...and I was finally satisfied. Just smoooooth.

So, my SE ranking for head shaves is similar, with a couple additions and a surprise:

Vector
Predator
Leaf triple (surprise!)
Stomper
Tachi (a close shaver, but unforgiving razor, and now departed)
Mars

I had to throw the Leaf in there since it gives as good a shave (maybe better) than those listed below it, with zero drama. A quick, mindless, cartridge-style shave that I could use every day.

 

[ErkRusselReserve]

Yeah, I tried the mars today, second head shave on the Shark Saloon blade, but only 2-days growth instead of my normal 4 days, just to see if the razor performed a bit more efficiently.

Possibly a flawed expectation but I was curious.

After three full passes with lather and extensive touch up with water and residual lather, I couldn't get the near BBS shave I want (note that the shave was clean, nice, and comfortable...just not perfect)...so I removed the blade and stuck it in my Stomper, which did pick up more of the stubborn stubble on my most troublesome areas. I could have quit, with a smooth, 80% BBS, but wanted more...

One more full lather and a final pass and minor touch up with the best head shave I own...yep, my Vector...and I was finally satisfied. Just smoooooth.

So, my SE ranking for head shaves is similar, with a couple additions and a surprise:

Vector
Predator
Leaf triple (surprise!)
Stomper
Tachi (a close shaver, but unforgiving razor, and now departed)
Mars

I had to throw the Leaf in there since it gives as good a shave (maybe better) than those listed below it, with zero drama. A quick, mindless, cartridge-style shave that I could use every day.

Do you also have a Twig? I'm curious if the Leaf has better blade support than the Twig? The blade in the Twig was too free floating and cut me badly too many times. But after learning there is a big difference between pushing and pulling a razor in my Superclick on a Fusion experiments, less support may be less of an issue with a pulling stroke.

 

[gpjoe]

Do you also have a Twig? I'm curious if the Leaf has better blade support than the Twig? The blade in the Twig was too free floating and cut me badly too many times. But after learning there is a big difference between pushing and pulling a razor in my Superclick on a Fusion experiments, less support may be less of an issue with a pulling stroke.

I've never used a Twig or Thorn, though I don't remember ever cutting myself with the triple-blade Leaf.

 

[albsat]

I would love to have a design of a Micromatics but with a De blade instead. I think this design tcould provide a strong blade support and then flip the blade side.

I think there was a vintage razor design like this.

What do you think @SlimGem of this design?

 

[SlimGem]

I would love to have a design of a Micromatics but with a De blade instead. I think this design tcould provide a strong blade support and then flip the blade side.

I think there was a vintage razor design like this.

What do you think @SlimGem of this design?

I think that's a hint.

That surely would be an interesting design. I've followed this thread on and off, and though I'm not very experienced with modern SEs or H-DEs, I do wonder sometimes why new razor makers don't follow the geometry of some of the best-performing vintage safety razors. There's a long list of great vintage razors that have a similar geometry feature which provides a great shave. Three that come to mind are the OCMM, Schick Injector type E, and the Enders Speed from the 50s. For me, what made them great performers besides having stronger blades and better clamping, was that the safety bar or comb geometry had a stronger skin drag ahead of the cap, or the cap had minimal skin suction or didn't even come into play during the stroke. As far as DE razors, from the many I've tried ( mostly vintage ), the Schick Krona from the '60s and '70s has a balanced bar geometry with good skin drag ahead of the cap. The cap design starts flat with minimal surface-to-skin contact, is slightly textured, and clamps the blade at a better angle. The one newer half-DE razor that I've tried and that I think performs incredibly well is the MARS Razor made of tough nylon ( not the MCS MARS ).

 

[ErkRusselReserve]

I think that's a hint.

That surely would be an interesting design. I've followed this thread on and off, and though I'm not very experienced with modern SEs or H-DEs, I do wonder sometimes why new razor makers don't follow the geometry of some of the best-performing vintage safety razors. There's a long list of great vintage razors that have a similar geometry feature which provides a great shave. Three that come to mind are the OCMM, Schick Injector type E, and the Enders Speed from the 50s. For me, what made them great performers besides having stronger blades and better clamping, was that the safety bar or comb geometry had a stronger skin drag ahead of the cap, or the cap had minimal skin suction or didn't even come into play during the stroke. As far as DE razors, from the many I've tried ( mostly vintage ), the Schick Krona from the '60s and '70s has a balanced bar geometry with good skin drag ahead of the cap. The cap design starts flat with minimal surface-to-skin contact, is slightly textured, and clamps the blade at a better angle. The one newer half-DE razor that I've tried and that I think performs incredibly well is the MARS Razor made of tough nylon ( not the MCS MARS ).

Do you have a write up of the nylon MARS? I recall seeing it, but have heard neither good or ill of it.

 

[SlimGem]

Do you have a write up of the nylon MARS? I recall seeing it, but have heard neither good or ill of it.

Here's a link to a group I found.

 

[z1ck]

Yeah, I tried the mars today, second head shave on the Shark Saloon blade, but only 2-days growth instead of my normal 4 days, just to see if the razor performed a bit more efficiently.

Possibly a flawed expectation but I was curious.

After three full passes with lather and extensive touch up with water and residual lather, I couldn't get the near BBS shave I want (note that the shave was clean, nice, and comfortable...just not perfect)...so I removed the blade and stuck it in my Stomper, which did pick up more of the stubborn stubble on my most troublesome areas. I could have quit, with a smooth, 80% BBS, but wanted more...

One more full lather and a final pass and minor touch up with the best head shave I own...yep, my Vector...and I was finally satisfied. Just smoooooth.

So, my SE ranking for head shaves is similar, with a couple additions and a surprise:

Vector
Predator
Leaf triple (surprise!)
Stomper
Tachi (a close shaver, but unforgiving razor, and now departed)
Mars

I had to throw the Leaf in there since it gives as good a shave (maybe better) than those listed below it, with zero drama. A quick, mindless, cartridge-style shave that I could use every day.

I love the insight! I've recently paused using AC razors for a bit due to travel and have started experimenting with half DE razors. I can't comment on head shaving but for face my ranking would be:

Favourite to use:
1. Snap V2
2. Shield Stomper (Aluminium > Titanium) - I can't get over how much I dislike the grey color of Ti haha!
3. Yaqi Tachi in SS
4. Mars
5. Leaf Twig/Thorn (I love the head design and feel in the hand but dislike the handle, the hole at the bottom, the logo's location)

Aggressiveness / Efficiency:
1. Snap V2 (usually mild but if you have the right angle it beats all 5 for me, especially with a Parma blade)
2. Yaqi Tachi (when I first tried this my jaw literally dropped at the BBS I got and how close it was to a Vector shave. A lot of blade feel though)
3. Shield Stomper
4. Mars / Thorn
5. Leaf Twig/Thorn (I also find that it doesn't clamp onto the blade evenly and I've read other people have experienced that too)

My favourite blades are Parma (Russian factory ones), Nacet and Leaf. Leaf blades aren't as sharp but their thickness makes them more rigid and they actually perform surprisingly well. I like Feather blades in AC, but could never get used to Feather DE blades, I get a lot of irritation from them for some reason.

 

[craigq]

Shoot I forgot about my Robin Snap v2. Going to have to use it again to compare it to the Stomper.

 

[JAHE]

I really like the DSC Mars... for my daily shaving needs the Mars loaded with a fresh Nacet definitely checks the efficiency box ️

 

[JAHE]

What a beautiful smooth shave. Three passes, no skin irritation but a marvelous shave result. BBS once some touchup work was done .