Tradere Razors- handle sale now over- Open Comb Razor Preview and Information

[kingfisher]

Interesting. hard to see how much blade exposure there is given the angle of the photograph.

The head looks a lot like an iKon head but with an open comb on either side, rather than a open comb/safety bar like the iKons. I hope this razor is more aggressive than the iKon.

[kingfisher]

Will the head be available sold separately to people who did NOT participate in the early handle buy?

In other words, if another forum member who bought the handle decided to sell it, and I decided to buy it, and then later decided I wanted the head, too, could it be purchased separately?

[jamesspo]

I asked this up above, but just another mention for an answer to this question when you can post again. There are certainly going to be folks that would like to buy just the head, for various reasons.

Will the head be available sold separately to people who did NOT participate in the early handle buy?

In other words, if another forum member who bought the handle decided to sell it, and I decided to buy it, and then later decided I wanted the head, too, could it be purchased separately?

[Scott0079]

I am psyched about this product!

[Sqratch]

Patiently awaiting a PayPal invoice.

[Amzimbo]

Patiently awaiting a PayPal invoice.

+1

[Laz]

Trying to be patient - my handle looks so lonely.

[ben74]

Trying to be patient - my handle looks so lonely.

+ 1 (My thoughts exactly)!!!

[merkur59]

Trying to be patient - my handle looks so lonely.

eh? my handle has been sleeping around...(R41, gillette OC, weber)

[Vickers]

eh? my handle has been sleeping around...(R41, gillette OC, weber)

I have a Tech head on my Tradere handle for the moment. It's quite a match.

[natchez]

Here is a quick update. The production parts for the heads are almost complete and the last process that remains to get done is the engraving on the bottom of the head. Some parts went to the engraver Friday for set-up and they should start delivering this week. As soon as I have the final delivery schedule, I will start the invoicing process. Your patience is most appreciated, but please understand first and foremost I want to get this right.

We, myself and a few local testers, have been testing randomly selected parts from the production run since Thursday and all is going really well. Consistency across the production run is excellent and the shaves from the production parts is even better than the prototype and I have retired the prototype to be held for firm archives.

I have been receiving a number of questions regarding the aggressiveness of our razor. Aggressiveness is very subjective, but the razor is, as it was designed to be, in the middle of the aggressiveness range. Until it is out there and in your hands and a consensus can be generated from experience, exactly where to place it is very difficult. But, if you are looking for something super aggressive, this razor is not it. To me it is far more aggressive than a Tech or Feather all stainless, and less aggressive than my R41, or my old Barbasol.

Phil at Bullgoose, characterized his feeling as to aggression after using the prototype as follows:

Question: "How would you compare it with the iKon H20? That is the only razor I have of that style of head."

Phil's answer: "There is less weight in the head itself and the handle is longer so the balance is different. The Tradere OC is a bit more aggressive than the H20 but not seriously aggressive. I would say it is less aggressive than a Gillette Norfolk for instance and similar in aggression to the 2nd generation iKon Bulldog (maybe a hair less aggressive)."

There are also a few posts above about whether the razor head will be sold separately. After I fulfill the initial orders, if there are any heads left from the first run, they will be offered separately from the handle.

I have also been asked, and it is a fair question, what distinguishes our razor from the Pils design? We looked very hard at what Pils had done and their fully-machined razor was indeed a welcome innovation. We, however, actually took the time and invested the money to analyze and redesign to improve the razor's performance. Our razor is three-piece open comb whereas the Pils is a two-piece solid bar, making our razor both a bit more aggressive and affording more flexibility in using our head. The keys, the bits that guide and hold the blade in place are located in the cap, or top piece, rather than on the bottom plate. We made them larger and more secure. We redistributed the weight in the head by moving the keys into the cap, reducing the thickness of the bottom plate to better balance the the two head pieces, and the razor as a whole. We also added three grooves on each the end of the cap for a better grip and a little more style. We introduced two channels at the ends of the bottom plate by indenting the top of it a little to allow for some water flow through the head to clear lather and and whiskers away more effectively. Finally, our head weighs ~20% less. Since I am not pulling my Pils apart, by using the Ikon S3S stainless three-piece head that is a very close proxy for the Pils, the Ikon weighs in on my postage scale at 59 grams, while our head weighs in at 46 grams. This reduction in head weight makes our razor more maneuverable and better balanced with our handle, or other handles.

Let's not forget price either, our initial retail ($150) is more than 1/3rd less than the Pils offering ($239, 190 Euros) and includes a real case as opposed to a cardboard box.

Here are a few pictures of some the production head parts and the whole razor with the case.

[kingfisher]

Thanks for the explanations and the new pictures. That's really a beauty of a razor. I am glad to hear that it is more aggressive than the iKon H2O, which is a fine piece of kit but too mild, IMO.

I eagerly await the feeding frenzy...um....I mean member reviews that will surely happen in the near future.

Congrats on your accomplishment of making a piece of art that is functional.

[Haiku]

Richard, thanks for this detailed, very interesting and very informative post. Like everyone else, I'm waiting for my final invoice. Thanks.

This has the look of a very beautiful razor.

[Sqratch]

Now we just wait until random.org decides who gets there's first. Its a shame random.org hates me and never seems to select me. Haha. Thanks for the info and I eagerly await my invoice.

[Leatherneck]

The happy dance is becoming more animated!

[dpm802]

Are there any plans to market a Straight-Bar version of the head? I'm not a big fan of OC razors.

And thank you for keeping your production facilities stateside ... although it would be cheaper if you moved the factory overseas, there's that intangible value of seeing "Made in the USA" on a product that makes it worth every penny.

I'll be featuring the Tradere handle (with a Stahly head) when I do my Patriotic Shave on the 4th of July.

[natchez]

Sorry folks, there is going to be about a week delay. I scheduled to ship the first week of May, which is this week, but it looks like it will not be until next week or ten days. I have not invoiced anyone yet, and will not do so until I know I have a firm delivery date. Making something new always has some issues, but they have gone beyond the slack I scheduled and will need another week or so to finish it up properly. Fortunately, the razors are coming out just great, the problem came up in the engraving.

We received some parts back from the engraver yesterday and they messed up big time. Instead of putting Tradere, our company name, on the plate, they put the name of the font Lucida, actually using the wrong font and misspelled it to boot. They also put the serial number too close to the center hole and capitalized the "I" in Made in USA. So, we are going to have to remake some bottom plates and send them out again.

Initially, I was pretty annoyed. Then, I stopped before opening my mouth and reflected a moment and thought that all in all things have really been going rather well and getting upset with the engraver will not help accomplish the end objective. So, I bit my tongue, smiled, and said let's just get it done right. What a difference some maturity makes; a few decades ago steam would have been coming out of my ears and poor language out of my mouth.

Thank you all for your patience. Here is a photo of what I had believed would be the first fully finished production bottom plate with the serial number OC-0001.

BTW, the mistakes are not for sale and are already in their recycling bin. The machine shop will be able to offset some of the material cost and, since I rejected the items, they are legally not even my property. I took the photo yesterday at the shop.

[Vickers]

DON'T THROW THE LUCINDAS AWAY!!!

[bakerbarber]

WoW



I guess if they were going to mess up the engraving they might as well mess it up in epic proportions.
That's kind of funny, to be honest.

I'd rather wait another week or two than get a 'Lucinda" razor... hhahahahaa

[hsamuels]

That plate deserves a spot in your company museum!