Amakuni - first Tatara single-edge razor

[Mr. Shavington]

Thanks for the great write-up, @Mr. Shavington. Dumb question, but is there that much upside to AC vs DE? I’ve read a few threads, and the upshot is generally you can pick your level of smoothness/efficiency with different blades. That doesn’t seem all that different from the range of DE blades available.

Is it just variety, or am I missing something? Thanks for any thoughts.

AC/Captain blades are thicker and much more rigid than DE blades, so they don’t chatter or flex when they hit stubble. They last longer too, though that’s partly offset by only having one edge. DE blades are just sharpened pieces of floppy tinfoil. I use Kai Captain Mild blades and I think they’re really good.

That’s all I meant. I think AC/Captain blades are just better blades, so it ought to be possible to make a better razor using them instead of DE blades.

 

[Benwustl]

AC/Captain blades are thicker and much more rigid than DE blades, so they don’t chatter or flex when they hit stubble. They last longer too, though that’s partly offset by only having one edge. DE blades are just sharpened pieces of floppy tinfoil. I use Kai Captain Mild blades and I think they’re really good.

That’s all I meant. I think AC/Captain blades are just better blades, so it ought to be possible to make a better razor using them instead of DE blades.

Got it, that makes sense. Super helpful, thank you!

 

[idjekyll]

Got it, that makes sense. Super helpful, thank you!

I feel everyone should have 1 good AC razor in their den just for a different experience. The feel of an AC blade cutting the beard is satisfying if done right. It's like a squiggy against a wet glass panel.

 

[Brutus]

Dumb question, but is there that much upside to AC vs DE? I’ve read a few threads, and the upshot is generally you can pick your level of smoothness/efficiency with different blades.

Is it just variety, or am I missing something? Thanks for any thoughts.

If I may…

I have been using Feather AC blades for a long time and found that, as already mentioned, they are stiffer and thicker than DE blades. That gives them an increased rigidity and I also found that they last considerably longer than DE blades.

Feather Artist Club Blades come in five different versions: Professional, Super, ProGuard, Light and SoftGuard.
The length of all blades is the same, but they have different widths, which translates into different blade exposure (i.e., aggressiveness) when shaving. I have never used the last three blade versions and only use Professional and Super AC blades, but know that the last three variants employ various features to make them less aggressive, from a scallopped blade edge to tiny wires strung in front of the edge, neither of which I have any need for.

In Feather AC razors, the first two to three shaves are noticeable harsh. Once the blade has reached its peak it is quite comfortable and will last for a long time, in my case typically around 20 shaves. To ‘tame’ a new blade you might want palm stropping with a Feather AC razor. It sounds scary, but is quite safe.

Palm stropping obviously won’t work with an Amakuni and I am curious to see how Feather Professional or Super blades feel on the first shaves in this razor.

I have only used Feather AC blades so far, but Kai produces similar blades that will fit Feather AC and - I presume - Amakuni razors as well.


Hope this helps…


B.

 

[Mr. Shavington]

If I may…

I have been using Feather AC blades for a long time and found that, as already mentioned, they are stiffer and thicker than DE blades. That gives them an increased rigidity and I also found that they last considerably longer than DE blades.

Feather Artist Club Blades come in five different versions: Professional, Super, ProGuard, Light and SoftGuard.
The length of all blades is the same, but they have different widths, which translates into different blade exposure (i.e., aggressiveness) when shaving. I have never used the last three blade versions and only use Professional and Super AC blades, but know that the last three variants employ various features to make them less aggressive, from a scallopped blade edge to tiny wires strung in front of the edge, neither of which I have any need for.

In Feather AC razors, the first two to three shaves are noticeable harsh. Once the blade has reached its peak it is quite comfortable and will last for a long time, in my case typically around 20 shaves. To ‘tame’ a new blade you might want palm stropping with a Feather AC razor. It sounds scary, but is quite safe.

Palm stropping obviously won’t work with an Amakuni and I am curious to see how Feather Professional or Super blades feel on the first shaves in this razor.

I have only used Feather AC blades so far, but Kai produces similar blades that will fit Feather AC and - I presume - Amakuni razors as well.


Hope this helps…


B.

You can still do palm stropping. Just take the blade out of the razor and do it that way. The blades aren’t very wide but at least you only have one sharp edge to take care about.

 

[Rob72]

Thanks for the great write-up, @Mr. Shavington. Dumb question, but is there that much upside to AC vs DE? I’ve read a few threads, and the upshot is generally you can pick your level of smoothness/efficiency with different blades. That doesn’t seem all that different from the range of DE blades available.

Is it just variety, or am I missing something? Thanks for any thoughts.

AC, Artist Club, blades are specifically designed for stylists, typically using hairshaper or shavette- style tools, cutting generally dry hair at very shallow angle. They are thicker and more rigid than DE blades.

Designers building a razor around the AC blade are working with blade exposure, gap, cap thickness/angle and comb to optimize performance for face shaving. Obviously, they have the same goal with DE blades, but there isn't the expansive development history that DE blades have.

On the "aggressive" end, an AC can be smoother than an aggressive DE because of the blade thickness & rigidity (Asylum RX V1/V2). On the milder side, at shallow-angle, they will be significantly more efficient than a DE, and can be more efficient than a Gem (Occam Oren).

There is certainly some YMMV, but I find these to be valud generalizations.

 

[Benwustl]

If I may…

I have been using Feather AC blades for a long time and found that, as already mentioned, they are stiffer and thicker than DE blades. That gives them an increased rigidity and I also found that they last considerably longer than DE blades.

Feather Artist Club Blades come in five different versions: Professional, Super, ProGuard, Light and SoftGuard.
The length of all blades is the same, but they have different widths, which translates into different blade exposure (i.e., aggressiveness) when shaving. I have never used the last three blade versions and only use Professional and Super AC blades, but know that the last three variants employ various features to make them less aggressive, from a scallopped blade edge to tiny wires strung in front of the edge, neither of which I have any need for.

In Feather AC razors, the first two to three shaves are noticeable harsh. Once the blade has reached its peak it is quite comfortable and will last for a long time, in my case typically around 20 shaves. To ‘tame’ a new blade you might want palm stropping with a Feather AC razor. It sounds scary, but is quite safe.

Palm stropping obviously won’t work with an Amakuni and I am curious to see how Feather Professional or Super blades feel on the first shaves in this razor.

I have only used Feather AC blades so far, but Kai produces similar blades that will fit Feather AC and - I presume - Amakuni razors as well.


Hope this helps…


B.

That’s really helpful, thank you. Sounds like I’m getting an AC at some point

 

[Benwustl]

AC, Artist Club, blades are specifically designed for stylists, typically using hairshaper or shavette- style tools, cutting generally dry hair at very shallow angle. They are thicker and more rigid than DE blades.

Designers building a razor around the AC blade are working with blade exposure, gap, cap thickness/angle and comb to optimize performance for face shaving. Obviously, they have the same goal with DE blades, but there isn't the expansive development history that DE blades have.

On the "aggressive" end, an AC can be smoother than an aggressive DE because of the blade thickness & rigidity (Asylum RX V1/V2). On the milder side, at shallow-angle, they will be significantly more efficient than a DE, and can be more efficient than a Gem (Occam Oren).

There is certainly some YMMV, but I find these to be valud generalizations.

That’s really interesting. Sounds like it’s not just a different type of blade, then. I didn’t realize AC blades were made for a slightly different purpose, or that they’re newer so there’s less historical designs to draw from.

Thanks for the information everyone and the super thoughtful replies!

 

[idjekyll]

AC, Artist Club, blades are specifically designed for stylists, typically using hairshaper or shavette- style tools, cutting generally dry hair at very shallow angle. They are thicker and more rigid than DE blades.

Designers building a razor around the AC blade are working with blade exposure, gap, cap thickness/angle and comb to optimize performance for face shaving. Obviously, they have the same goal with DE blades, but there isn't the expansive development history that DE blades have.

On the "aggressive" end, an AC can be smoother than an aggressive DE because of the blade thickness & rigidity (Asylum RX V1/V2). On the milder side, at shallow-angle, they will be significantly more efficient than a DE, and can be more efficient than a Gem (Occam Oren).

There is certainly some YMMV, but I find these to be valud generalizations.

This is great info. Thanks!

 

[BelfastBlade]

I was going to order one today and I went on the site had a look at the listing and read about the razor and I realised it has a magnet system so I held off. I'm not sure why but I had previously assumed it was just a traditional three piece. I never really looked into it in detail.. just knew there was a new Tatara AC razor.

The magnet system is interesting. I like the idea and the fact it's something different but I was just wondering.. how would these hold up in the long term? I don't know much about it or what kind they use but.. is it likely they weaken or wear out over time? And maybe not hold the cap on properly? And if so, can you replace them?

I apologise if these are silly questions! I was just curious if that is a possibility at all.

 

[Goblin]

The magnet system is interesting. I like the idea and the fact it's something different but I was just wondering.. how would these hold up in the long term? I don't know much about it or what kind they use but.. is it likely they weaken or wear out over time? And maybe not hold the cap on properly? And if so, can you replace them?

Already addressed earlier in this thread. Short answer: it's fine, and in the incredibly unlikely event it isn't (like your razor gets dropped in the Large Hadron Collider or accidently gets put in a blast furnace or something) there's a lifetime guarantee.

 

[MaineYooper]

I am now four shaves in with my Amakuni. Today, I tried a Kai Captain Mild ProTouch MG blade that already had 4 shaves on it. The shave was outstandingly comfortable! And close, with no irritation.

Something with regards to the razor's head came to light this morning while I was shaving. I realized that I was no longer worrying about loosening the head of the razor, which is something I didn't realize I'd been doing. The thought came to me after I took a swipe that went XTG from check to underside of the jawbone. AC-style razors have bigger heads (obviously!) and two different razors, on occasion, have loosened up on me if more pressure is applied to one side. I wonder if anyone else has had that happen. Or maybe I need to torque down on the three-piece razors to prevent that! This morning, I realized that the head is secure with no need to fret about loosening up.

And a general sort of question came up: how do you store an AC blade if it has several shaves on it but you aren't ready to bin it yet? The blade I used this morning had been sitting on the countertop and I cannot vouch that it wasn't moved around a lot. I once put a blade back in the dispenser, but worried how much damage I might have done to the sharp edge as I manipulated the dispenser to accept the blade again.

 

[abies]

...in the incredibly unlikely event it isn't (like your razor gets dropped in the Large Hadron Collider or accidently gets put in a blast furnace or something) there's a lifetime guarantee.

Everyone reading this: please post your story here on B&B if either of these happen to you.

 

[BelfastBlade]

Already addressed earlier in this thread. Short answer: it's fine, and in the incredibly unlikely event it isn't (like your razor gets dropped in the Large Hadron Collider or accidently gets put in a blast furnace or something) there's a lifetime guarantee.

Thanks for that! I'll have a read through the entire thread in that case.

I often ponder over things like this, how long it will hold up, will it survive nuclear apocalypse etc? Then I buy the razor, use it a few times.. move onto something else and after that it gets used maybe a few times a year.

I think it's more curiosity about the design rather than need for extreme endurance qualities. I think I like the idea of something smartly engineered and quality built to last.. even if it's not a characteristic I actually need!

I've never had a magnet system razor so it'll be nice to learn a bit about it!

 

[Brutus]

I am now four shaves in with my Amakuni. Today, I tried a Kai Captain Mild ProTouch MG blade that already had 4 shaves on it. The shave was outstandingly comfortable! And close, with no irritation.

And a general sort of question came up: how do you store an AC blade if it has several shaves on it but you aren't ready to bin it yet?

I am maybe one or two shaves ahead of you.

The other day, I found the shave so smooth that I wanted to confirm that I had in fact put a more aggressive Feather Super blade into my Amakuni and not a Pro blade. So, I took one blade each out of the dispenser and compared, which brought me into the same situation that you described.
After confirming, I put the two unused blades in a tuck of DE blades, as you can see in the image below.

Of course, this is only a temporary solution, but as I generally don’t have loose blades lying around it will do for this rare occasion.

The shaves with the Amakuni were excellent. The razor mowed down stubble like I am used to from Feather Artist Club (AC) razors, but I did not experience the initial harshness that Feather AC blades display during the first two or three shaves with Feather AC razors. At this time, I plan on leaving the blade in the Amakuni to see whether I get a similar amount of shaves (about 21) from them that I get from them in the Feather AC.

The shaves were extremely close, yet exceedingly comfortable. Today I shaved one side with the Amakuni, the other side with a Masamune Nodachi. As my Amakuni is steel, I initially used my steel Nodachi, but quickly realized how much heaver the steel Nodachi felt. So for the second and third pass I used my titanium Nodachi, which gave me a more similar feedback. The Amakuni head is small and I had wondered how much lather the head could carry away. For DE shaves, I rinse the lather off the razor twice for each side (once for lather from above the yaw line, once for lather from below the yaw line) per pass and for the Amakuni it was the same.

I enjoy titanium razors, even spent an exorbitant amount on a titanium Muramasa, because, for me, the lighter mass results in better maneuverability.
But the steel Amakuni is in mass closer to the titanium Nodachi than the steel one; that is to say the small head provides excellent maneuverability and I would be hard pressed at this stage to justify paying roughly twice the amount for a titanium Amakuni that is also available. The Amakuni, for all its simplicity, is already expensive enough.
My first impression, based on Tatara’s own pictures made me sceptical, but having seen the razor in the flesh and used it for almost a week I got used to the looks. Maybe this is how the first shavers with the Gillette II felt.
Now I feel that the small head, rather than a noticeable imperfection, adds to the usefulness of the razor.

Much has been said about the magnets; all I can say that they are no issue for me and if they ever should become, which I doubt, the razor is covered by a lifetime warranty.

I started shaving many years ago with Schick Injectors and Gillette Techmatics (not sure which one I used first) and the Amakuni brought me back to SE shaving (I consider the Feather ACs straight razors). Based on my impressions at this stage I like the Amakuni because of its light weight, maneuverability, comfort, and ruthless efficiency.
For the time being, my other razors have taken the back seat to the Amakuni and it remains to be seen whether the Amakuni can permanently keep that position.


B.

 

[idjekyll]

I am maybe one or two shaves ahead of you.

The other day, I found the shave so smooth that I wanted to confirm that I had in fact put a more aggressive Feather Super blade into my Amakuni and not a Pro blade. So, I took one blade each out of the dispenser and compared, which brought me into the same situation that you described.
After confirming, I put the two unused blades in a tuck of DE blades, as you can see in the image below.

View attachment 1962975

Of course, this is only a temporary solution, but as I generally don’t have loose blades lying around it will do for this rare occasion.

The shaves with the Amakuni were excellent. The razor mowed down stubble like I am used to from Feather Artist Club (AC) razors, but I did not experience the initial harshness that Feather AC blades display during the first two or three shaves with Feather AC razors. At this time, I plan on leaving the blade in the Amakuni to see whether I get a similar amount of shaves (about 21) from them that I get from them in the Feather AC.

The shaves were extremely close, yet exceedingly comfortable. Today I shaved one side with the Amakuni, the other side with a Masamune Nodachi. As my Amakuni is steel, I initially used my steel Nodachi, but quickly realized how much heaver the steel Nodachi felt. So for the second and third pass I used my titanium Nodachi, which gave me a more similar feedback. The Amakuni head is small and I had wondered how much lather the head could carry away. For DE shaves, I rinse the lather off the razor twice for each side (once for lather from above the yaw line, once for lather from below the yaw line) per pass and for the Amakuni it was the same.

I enjoy titanium razors, even spent an exorbitant amount on a titanium Muramasa, because, for me, the lighter mass results in better maneuverability.
But the steel Amakuni is in mass closer to the titanium Nodachi than the steel one; that is to say the small head provides excellent maneuverability and I would be hard pressed at this stage to justify paying roughly twice the amount for a titanium Amakuni that is also available. The Amakuni, for all its simplicity, is already expensive enough.
My first impression, based on Tatara’s own pictures made me sceptical, but having seen the razor in the flesh and used it for almost a week I got used to the looks. Maybe this is how the first shavers with the Gillette II felt.
Now I feel that the small head, rather than a noticeable imperfection, adds to the usefulness of the razor.

Much has been said about the magnets; all I can say that they are no issue for me and if they ever should become, which I doubt, the razor is covered by a lifetime warranty.

I started shaving many years ago with Schick Injectors and Gillette Techmatics (not sure which one I used first) and the Amakuni brought me back to SE shaving (I consider the Feather ACs straight razors). Based on my impressions at this stage I like the Amakuni because of its light weight, maneuverability, comfort, and ruthless efficiency.
For the time being, my other razors have taken the back seat to the Amakuni and it remains to be seen whether the Amakuni can permanently keep that position.


B.

Excellent write up mate. Makes me want one ASAP. I'm just worried it would shave the same as my Alpha Spirit.