Tradere Razors- New Vendor- Special Introductory Sale

**natchez** · 03-10-2012, 08:49 AM

Introducing Tradere Razors- Proudly made in the USA!

I just signed up as a vendor and wanted to introduce myself and my new firm, Tradere Razors. Tradere is pronounced tray-dare-ray and is Latin, with my usage being the meaning "to pass on, as in to posterity".

I have designed a new solid stainless steel razor handle being made in the USA that is fully CNC machined. To launch my new venture I am having an April Fools’ Day sale. So, now through April 1st I am taking orders for handles that will ship the first week of April at the special introductory price of $35, plus shipping and handling. The S & H for USPS first class is: $3 for the US, $4 to Canada, $6 for the rest of the world. Any customs duties on international orders are the responsibility of the purchaser. After April 1^st the price of the handle will increase. To order please PM me indicating your PayPal email, and I will invoice you when your handle is ready to ship. You may email me at [email protected], with any questions or to make alternative payment arrangements, if you do not have a PayPal account.

A picture of my handle is below, as is a picture of my handle with some of my competition in the marketplace. More details are set forth below.

Our next product release will be a fully machined open comb solid stainless razor head to go along with the handle. We are testing the prototypes now and it should be ready for release in late spring. For anyone that purchases our handle by April 1st, the head will be made available at a special introductory price as well.

For those of you that do not know me, my real name is Richard Mason. I am an avid wet shaver for many years and a college professor at the University of Nevada in Reno. Before becoming a college professor I was in business from 1976 until 1998. My business experience is varied and I have run or owned a number of businesses over the years ranging from brick and mortar retail to financial service firms. I started Tradere partly so I would have something to do when I retire from teaching, but mostly because I thought it would be fun. I am also fortunate because I can draw on the expertise that exists in a university setting.

The specs on our handle are: solid machined stainless steel made in the USA, weight ~2.5 ounces (71.5 grams); handle length 96 mm; width at bottom 16 mm, width at the top 9.7 mm, main barrel width at knurling 11 mm; top ring 12.7; bottom knurled ring 12.8. Threading is M5 x 0.8, which will take the new European heads, e.g. Muhle, as well as US heads with 10/32 threads, like the Gillette New and others. So long as the razor head has your typical stem, like the one on the Gillette New it will fit the handle. I even tried a Weber head and it fit fine, as did a short-stemmed Gillette Old type. The handle has been extensively tested by fellow wet shavers including guys with small hands and short fingers, big hands with long fingers and medium size hands. All have reported being able to get an excellent and very comfortable grip for shaving in all directions.

The first photo is of my new handle, the second is of some other stainless replacement handles available: Ikon Bulldog, Tradere, Weber.

I am pleased to be a new B&B vendor and look forward to rolling out a number of innovative products in the future. Should you have any question for me, please PM, or email.

**fonkemonkey** · 03-10-2012, 08:55 AM

Looks great! And welcome to B&B.

**kingping** · 03-10-2012, 09:53 AM

Welcome as a vendor Richard! To be honest I loaded your post and started reading, and my thoughts were "oh, another handle..." but then I scrolled down and looked at your product! Very nice looking, and I imagine comfortable to use. As a fully RAD-tastic consumer of things shaving (and a user almost exclusively three-piece DE's when not straight razor shaving) I'm afraid I'm going to need to have one of them. (PM sent?). Of course I'm very interested in where you end up on the head design--very exciting. US made stainless razors are a good thing!

**plpenn** · 03-10-2012, 09:56 AM

Congrats Richard! I hope it works out well for you, this looks like a solid product.

**itaforte** · 03-10-2012, 11:59 AM

nice looking handle!

**itsmedave** · 03-10-2012, 05:48 PM

Richard amazing work and amazing deal on a handle. Class product from a class act. Consider one ordered as of now. I plan on replating a New and an Old Type just to be able to use the new handle with them. Bravo!!!

**AFG** · 03-10-2012, 05:57 PM

I ordered one too. Great looking handle that should work out well on an EJ.

**moe72** · 03-10-2012, 06:39 PM

Cool handle! Kind of looks like the the handle from a 3 piece Arisotcrat with the bell on the bottom. Nice look.

**bakerbarber** · 03-10-2012, 06:42 PM

Awesome!!

Congratulations and I'm sure we're all anxious to see the cap and comb!!

PM sent.

**litespeedone** · 03-10-2012, 10:33 PM

PM sent.
Congratulations--they look fantastic and I'm sure you will have great success!

**djh** · 03-10-2012, 10:46 PM

Welcome to the Vendor ranks Richard. Best wishes for your new venture!

**MeanGene** · 03-11-2012, 10:51 AM

PM sent, I need more stuff to buy. Thanks.

**Wildalaska** · 03-11-2012, 11:03 AM

Do you have a better description of the head as to its specs?

**OldGreyGuy** · 03-12-2012, 04:20 AM

How does the knurling compare to the iKon Bulldog? I have one of those and love the feel of the knurling and looking at the photos (which is not necessarily a good guide) it looks less aggressive than the Ikon & Weber.

Looks good, hope to see the Open Comb when it is available.

**natchez** · 03-12-2012, 09:26 AM

Originally Posted by OldGreyGuy

How does the knurling compare to the iKon Bulldog? I have one of those and love the feel of the knurling and looking at the photos (which is not necessarily a good guide) it looks less aggressive than the Ikon & Weber.

Looks good, hope to see the Open Comb when it is available.

Thank you for your question. Your perception as to the knurling is right on. Our barrel knurling is deliberately far more delicate and less aggressive than some other handles made today. To me, many of these just felt far more "tool-like"and sharper on my hand than what I prefer. So, I chose to go with a very classic light knurling reminiscent of the classic early Gillettes. Take a look at the original Aristocrat from 1916, for one example. I spent a number of months of research studying and trying many, many handles before deciding on this design. Of stainless handles, I tested the Pils, Ikon Bulldog, the OSS, the H2O, the Weber, and the Feather AC. I also tested many older and other modern razors before deciding on what to make. I actually liked the Ikon OSS and the Feather the best of the modern stainless handles, other than mine.

In lieu of heavier knurling, I rely on the design elements to help provide a variety of grips. Our handle has a top ring, a slightly heavier knurling on the ring towards the bottom of the handle, and the bottom bell-shaped flare, all of which provide additional assistance in using the handle when shaving. In contrast, the Ikon Bulldog handle pictured above tapers from the top to a uniform thickness and does not have rings for grip assistance, so a more aggressive knurling is appropriate in providing a good grip. But, as with many things in shaving it comes down to an issue of personal preference.