"Tradition Meets Today" -- A Review Of The Tradere Razor

[ras120]

The Tradere slogan -- “Where Tradition Meets Today” -- appears to have a bit of a double meaning. Aside from the obvious fact that it’s a double edge razor sculpted from modern stainless steel, the design itself also pays credence to their slogan as it melds elements of both “tradition” and “today“ -- and to spectacular results, I might add. The blending of traditional and modern designs has been going on for quite some time in home decorating, and, when done properly, yields a very appealing aesthetic effect -- just as it does with the Tradere razor. The matte finish handle, which is decidedly traditional in appearance (very reminiscent of the flared knob Gillette Aristocrat), is mated to a very modern looking highly polished cap and base section. Normally, I don’t care for mixed finishes on my razors, but it works very well in this case. And speaking of cases, you actually get a hard plastic case with the Tradere. It is a bit big, but the foam inside will definitely protect your investment when you take this razor on the road.

The quality of construction appears to be top-notch with no visible machining marks on the handle, and only some very light marks to be seen on the base section. The cap appears to have been cast, as it does have quite a few marks on the underside, but the outside is basically flawless. One thing I really like is that Tradere steered away from the trend of putting the deep, heavy knurling on the handle that is getting so prominent with modern stainless razors and instead chose to do something more subtle. The razor still has plenty of secure wet grip, but they maintained the elegant and refined appearance with the less aggressive knurling pattern. All three sections fit together with absolute precision, and the blade aligns perfectly without any finagling.

But looks and build quality without performance doesn’t count for much in my book, and as far performance was concerned, the Tradere did not disappoint at all. It was very easy for me to find the ”sweet spot” on the angle, and the shave was somewhat deceptive feeling because it did a much better job of reducing my stubble than it felt like it was doing. In the end, I had the BBS shave I am accustomed to without any nicks or irritation -- and without ever feeling like I was going to filet myself. At 4.2 ounces, the razor is quite heavy, but well balanced, and I found it very easy to maneuver by holding it by the flared knob and letting all that weight keep the blade on my face. I definitely feel that this is a good razor for both the beginner and experienced shaver alike.

There are getting to be more and more choices available in modern stainless steel razors, but I feel that the combination of design, build quality, shave quality, and price point make the Tradere a very strong contender in said market.

[alex2363]

A very exquisite and detailed analyzes. I think that many will appreciate your input, and great pics too.

[RailroadMan]

Drools...

I NEED one.

[oldspiceboy]

Not an incredibly interesting razor to me. Its good that its American made and stainless steel. I like the head design but the handle does nothing for me. Now if someone was to build a razor similar to the Segal Razor(without the need to cut blades to fit) or make a handle similar to it then I might bite. Oh yea one thing the Eclipse owners might agree with is a magnet would be a nice feature to have in the end of the handle.

[Intrigued]

Wow! Great pictures! Thanks for taking the time to write such a thoughtful review.

[tomjr]

i like it

[Mr. Flay]

We need a single-edge head option

[dieselfuel79]

As Batman once asked- "...does it come in black"?

[natchez]

ras120- thank you for the very kind review of our new OC razor and the great close up pictures. I am most pleased that you enjoyed the way it shaves, which is, as you point out, paramount. BTW, I just love my flared bell tube handled 1916 Aristocrat. And yes, it provided some of the initial inspiration for the handle design.

Just to correct a small inaccuracy in your review- the complete razor, including the cap, is fully machined; no parts on this razor are cast. The marks you see inside the top piece, or cap, are left by the tungsten carbide tools as they worked into the solid stainless blocks. The inside of the caps is machined first in groups of three from the solid blocks of stainless in the picture below. Then the worked material is flipped over and the outside of the cap is done. It is quite a sight to see one being made. After the machining is all finished, the cap is tumbled in media to remove any burrs, then the outside is polished.

Here is a picture that I had posted previously in our vendor thread of the raw stainless blocks with some partially machined caps. Also there is a picture of the CNC milling machine that they are making the caps on.

IMHO, stainless cast heads, if done well, like the Weber and the Feather all stainless are very fine and perform extremely well. I think the Ikon OSS head may also be cast, not positive on this one, but it also performs extremely well. I had considered having our head cast, but decided that offering the only fully-machined OC now on the market was just a way more fun project for me to take on .

[Vickers]

*checks email*

[celestino]

Man, those are some mighty fine pictures, my friend!!

The razor looks incredible, Richard!! Congratulations!!

[alex2363]

ras120- thank you for the very kind review of our new OC razor and the great close up pictures. I am most pleased that you enjoyed the way it shaves, which is, as you point out, paramount. BTW, I just love my flared bell tube handled 1916 Aristocrat. And yes, it provided some of the initial inspiration for the handle design.

Just to correct a small inaccuracy in your review- the complete razor, including the cap, is fully machined; no parts on this razor are cast. The marks you see inside the top piece, or cap, are left by the tungsten carbide tools as they worked into the solid stainless blocks. The inside of the caps is machined first in groups of three from the solid blocks of stainless in the picture below. Then the worked material is flipped over and the outside of the cap is done. It is quite a sight to see one being made. After the machining is all finished, the cap is tumbled in media to remove any burrs, then the outside is polished.

Here is a picture that I had posted previously in our vendor thread of the raw stainless blocks with some partially machined caps. Also there is a picture of the CNC milling machine that they are making the caps on.

IMHO, stainless cast heads, if done well, like the Weber and the Feather all stainless are very fine and perform extremely well. I think the Ikon OSS head may also be cast, not positive on this one, but it also performs extremely well. I had considered having our head cast, but decided that offering the only fully-machined OC now on the market was just a way more fun project for me to take on .

Richard, great back up info on the razor.....i will buy one too.

[ras120]

Just to correct a small inaccuracy in your review- the complete razor, including the cap, is fully machined; no parts on this razor are cast. The marks you see inside the top piece, or cap, are left by the tungsten carbide tools as they worked into the solid stainless blocks.

My sincerest apologies for that error. What I know about casting or machining stainless steel can be written on the proverbial head of a pin. I should have checked this out more thoroughly before posting my assumption.

The marks are certainly not a negative to me, and just to let you know how beautiful this razor is, when I showed it to my wife, she asked if I bought two of them.

Now, THAT'S a RAD enabler.

[natchez]

My sincerest apologies for that error. What I know about casting or machining stainless steel can be written on the proverbial head of a pin. I should have checked this out more thoroughly before posting my assumption.

The marks are certainly not a negative to me, and just to let you know how beautiful this razor is, when I showed it to my wife, she asked if I bought two of them.

Now, THAT'S a RAD enabler.

No worries here. You are a very lucky man!

When I first told SWMBO and Tradere's other owner, Aimee, I was planning to manufacture a new razor, I will paraphrase and clean up what she said, which was in substance, "Why? What is wrong with the 200 you already have?"

However, she has come to be quite excited and caught up in the whole thing and is labeling cases, packing and such like a champ. I even caught her reading Tradere's email and B&B on her computer to see what folks are saying about our new razor.

[alex2363]

No worries here. You are a very lucky man!

When I first told SWMBO and Tradere's other owner, Aimee, I was planning to manufacture a new razor, I will paraphrase and clean up what she said, which was in substance, "Why? What is wrong with the 200 you already have?"

However, she has come to be quite excited and caught up in the whole thing and is labeling cases, packing and such like a champ. I even caught her reading Tradere's email and B&B on her computer to see what folks are saying about our new razor.

Hey, I feel excited for you too, I can just imagine how she must be feeling....i have a funny feeling you have a winner in both the razor and your family, congrats Richard.

[ras120]

she has come to be quite excited and caught up in the whole thing

You should both be excited as I believe you have created something very special here. I'm happy to be among your first customers for this beautiful tool.

By the way, am I correct in assuming I own razor #23? If so, I'm dubbing it the "Michael Jordan" model.

[OldGreyGuy]

ras120- thank you for the very kind review of our new OC razor and the great close up pictures. I am most pleased that you enjoyed the way it shaves, which is, as you point out, paramount. BTW, I just love my flared bell tube handled 1916 Aristocrat. And yes, it provided some of the initial inspiration for the handle design.

Just to correct a small inaccuracy in your review- the complete razor, including the cap, is fully machined; no parts on this razor are cast. The marks you see inside the top piece, or cap, are left by the tungsten carbide tools as they worked into the solid stainless blocks. The inside of the caps is machined first in groups of three from the solid blocks of stainless in the picture below. Then the worked material is flipped over and the outside of the cap is done. It is quite a sight to see one being made. After the machining is all finished, the cap is tumbled in media to remove any burrs, then the outside is polished.

Here is a picture that I had posted previously in our vendor thread of the raw stainless blocks with some partially machined caps. Also there is a picture of the CNC milling machine that they are making the caps on.

IMHO, stainless cast heads, if done well, like the Weber and the Feather all stainless are very fine and perform extremely well. I think the Ikon OSS head may also be cast, not positive on this one, but it also performs extremely well. I had considered having our head cast, but decided that offering the only fully-machined OC now on the market was just a way more fun project for me to take on .

Great work Richard, looks great, I think you have done great work here and like many here look forward to seeing this razor in action.

[OldGreyGuy]

Richard, great back up info on the razor.....i will buy one too.

Ordered, paid, shipped and looking forward to the delivery.

[oldspiceboy]

The more I look at this razor the more it grows on me. The head of it anyways. It'd be nice if it came with an HD style handle. Im a big fan of the short and stout razors.
I tell you though the machining of the head is so smooth at first glance I thought it was cast.

[Oblique Human]

Thanks for the review. Great photos, that Canon SX10 seems a very capable camera.