lu20vt
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Thanks for the review, this leaves me out of this razor
Pass Around Tatara pass around - part 2 - their new Amakuni SE razor
- Thread starter Masamune
- Start date
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- amakuni pass around
Masamune
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UK passaround list (combined forums)
1. @Masamune - completed
2. @p.b - completed
3. @Crossan - completed
4. @semajohn - removed by request
5. @sɐǝɹpu∀ - completed
6. @wooky114 - completed
7. @slapo - completed
8. @ATG - completed
9. @Cheekee - bought one
10. @Sconehead - on the way
11. @globalm - bought one
12. @Borygmi - removed
The list is still open if you would like to try the razor
1. @Masamune - completed
2. @p.b - completed
3. @Crossan - completed
5. @sɐǝɹpu∀ - completed
6. @wooky114 - completed
7. @slapo - completed
8. @ATG - completed
10. @Sconehead - on the way
The list is still open if you would like to try the razor
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Masamune
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Part 2
A word about the machining. It's impeccable as you would expect from Tatara. Trademark well finished satin steel and everything fits together perfectly. A well considered design. Magnets make it easy to switch blades and test several at once. I can't see any advantage in upgrading to the titanium, it's very well weighted as it is. Minimalist design at its best.
Very nice once you have decided on your blade of choice. Smooth shaving with the Kai Pink for me.
Amakuni x Vector
I loaded up my favourite blades in each and did a side-by-side comparison on two days growth.
Amakuni : Kai Pink
Vector (standard, machined): Proline
Smoothness: Amakuni
ATG: Amakuni
Efficiency: Vector by a narrow margin
Agility: Tie, not much in it
Balance: Amakuni
Handle: Amakuni
Changing blades: Amakuni (not even a close comparison)
I haven't tried the Vector Lite but the Tatara is definitely more comfortable than the standard Vector. The Blackland razor is balanced towards the handle and Amakuni is much more evenly balanced - which I prefer.
Unlike the guarded Feather, the Kai Pink cuts cleanly through 2 days.
I have no idea about gap or exposure on the Vector but it feels like more blade exposure and loses marks for smoothness.
Amakuni x ATT slant
Both loaded with Kai Pink blades. Very different razor designs, balance points and weights.
The ATT slant is more comfortable than the Vector.
Well clearly these are very different razors. The head on the slant is huge compared to the Amakuni. Accounting for their differences and all passes this is my ranking:
Smoothness: ATT
ATG: ATT
Efficiency: ATT
Agility: Amakuni obviously
Balance: Amakuni is more balanced
Handle: ATT for choice of handles but I like the Tatara
Changing blades: Technically Amakuni but ATT is easy
Maybe I was extra careful with the heft of the ATT but I was surprised with my results.
Amakuni x Wolfman WR4
WR4 .55 gap with neutral exposure. Once again both with Kai Pinks. Wolfman is in the brushed finish. I used the WRH7 to keep the weights similar.
The head of the Wolfman is a completely different shape to the Tatara. Amakuni wins under the nose by virtue of size.
Smoothness: Wolfman *for this blade*
ATG: Wolfman
Efficiency: Wolfman
Agility: Amakuni
Balance: Depends on handle but Amakuni more balanced
Handle: Wolfman for choice of handles
Changing blades: Amakuni
Amakuni x Protoype
The prototype is a different design which also takes AC blades. It's milder both in efficiency and comfort.
Smoothness: Prototype
ATG: Prototype
Efficiency: Amakuni
Agility: Amakuni
Balance: Amakuni
Handle: Amakuni has a better grip
Changing blades: Same
The Amakuni is a fair amount lighter than the prototype.
Amakuni 80g
Prototype 95g
Vector 78g
ATT slant 109g (Atlas)
Wolfman WR4 91g (WRH7)
Summary
Don't talk my word for it: join the pass around and find out for yourself.
These are my personal results. Yours may be different.
When I say some blade feel I'm comparing to the mild prototype. The Amakuni is neither super mild nor highly aggressive. Some blades didn't work for me (Feather ProGuard) and some were really comfortable. There is positive exposure so it was never going to be as smooth as the Atelier Durdan (classic) and it does have a decent gap. I should have the + plate to compare to by next week.
I really like the simplicity of the two-piece design. If you don't like magnets you really should get over it.
It's an excellent addition to the family of Tatara razors.
Thanks again to João @TATARA RAZORS for making the pass around happen.
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Masamune
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Figured I'd follow up having used the La Faulx + for a while. The Atelier Durdan is closer to the ATT slant in form and weight.
Amakuni x Atelier Durdan La Faulx (classic/+)
If you like precision and agility of the Vector (or Amakuni) you may be disappointed in the La Faulx. However, the smoothness is off the charts especially with the classic plate -- but clearly milder than the Amakuni. I imagine it would be ridiculously smooth in the premium polish (mine is sandblasted) if you had the means. I need to try a Vestige handle on the AC head but it may mess with the balance with the heavy duty handle. The AD head is obviously much heavier and larger but lighter than the ATT slant.
I was more aware of the blade with the Amakuni -- that said, it's still smooth during the shave. Comfort to efficiency with the La Faulx is great. I'm fine with the + and can dial up or down with blade selection but expect the ++ would still be very smooth.
Tried a range of blades in the Atelier Durdan from Proline to Kai and Feather. The Kai Protouch makes the + nearly as comfortable as the classic plate but more efficient.
Smoothness: La Faulx (classic especially)
ATG: La Faulx
Efficiency: La Faulx + and Amakuni are very similar to me
Agility: Amakuni
Balance: Amakuni
Handle: La Faulx has better grip but nothing wrong with the Tatara
Changing blades: Amakuni
The Tatara 15% discount includes the Amakuni until 14 February.
Amakuni x Atelier Durdan La Faulx (classic/+)
If you like precision and agility of the Vector (or Amakuni) you may be disappointed in the La Faulx. However, the smoothness is off the charts especially with the classic plate -- but clearly milder than the Amakuni. I imagine it would be ridiculously smooth in the premium polish (mine is sandblasted) if you had the means. I need to try a Vestige handle on the AC head but it may mess with the balance with the heavy duty handle. The AD head is obviously much heavier and larger but lighter than the ATT slant.
I was more aware of the blade with the Amakuni -- that said, it's still smooth during the shave. Comfort to efficiency with the La Faulx is great. I'm fine with the + and can dial up or down with blade selection but expect the ++ would still be very smooth.
Tried a range of blades in the Atelier Durdan from Proline to Kai and Feather. The Kai Protouch makes the + nearly as comfortable as the classic plate but more efficient.
Smoothness: La Faulx (classic especially)
ATG: La Faulx
Efficiency: La Faulx + and Amakuni are very similar to me
Agility: Amakuni
Balance: Amakuni
Handle: La Faulx has better grip but nothing wrong with the Tatara
Changing blades: Amakuni
The Tatara 15% discount includes the Amakuni until 14 February.
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p.b
Forum GOD!
Nine shaves with the Amakuni and I won't give such a comprehensive report as Masamune.
Quality: it's a Tatara - it's perfect. 'nuff said.
Blade changing: I can't really understand the negative reaction the magnets elicited from people before they even saw let alone touched this razor. Frankly it's genius, changing AC blades are at best a faff and if your Vector is like mine and will take Schick Prolines (they only just fit) and changing the blades is a right bugger: fiddlely and awkward. The Hawk and Spirit are only slightly better and, from memory, neither is the WR4 any different. The Amakuni is so simple, so repeatable and precise. It's a process of beautiful simplicity and a joy to use.
Weight: I like 50-80g razors and the Amakuni comes in at 80g, more than the Spirit (62g) and Vector (77g) so the Amakuni should be just right but it feels heavier and far, far less nimble than either the Vector and the Spirit. I like a handle heavy balance and the Vector and Spirit feel well-balanced to me whereas the Amakuni is very slighlty head-heavy and feels very solid so might suit others preference better than it does me.
Efficiency: It falls somewhere between the Spirit and the Vector, not as smooth as the Spirit and not as aggressive as the Vector. I found with a Super blade the Amakuni was stunning (a Super in the Vector is too much for me) but with the Pro or the Proline it took four passes and touch-ups which caused some irritation for me. This limits the appeal of this razor to me as I'd like it a bit more 'punchy'.
Handle: I still don't like it, I think it spoils the appearance and I would much prefer to see something more elegant like their Nodachi handle.
I really hope Tatara now release an Injector version of this razor with a shorter and more interesting handle. I'd buy that without hesitation. If you've been put off the Spirit because you like a heavier, more solid feel and the Vector is too aggressive for you then this could be the ideal razor. It has the pride of ownership and craftsmanship in spades and, did I mention, the blade changing is genius.
Thank you to Tatara and @Masamune for arranging this - I really enjoyed it.
Quality: it's a Tatara - it's perfect. 'nuff said.
Blade changing: I can't really understand the negative reaction the magnets elicited from people before they even saw let alone touched this razor. Frankly it's genius, changing AC blades are at best a faff and if your Vector is like mine and will take Schick Prolines (they only just fit) and changing the blades is a right bugger: fiddlely and awkward. The Hawk and Spirit are only slightly better and, from memory, neither is the WR4 any different. The Amakuni is so simple, so repeatable and precise. It's a process of beautiful simplicity and a joy to use.
Weight: I like 50-80g razors and the Amakuni comes in at 80g, more than the Spirit (62g) and Vector (77g) so the Amakuni should be just right but it feels heavier and far, far less nimble than either the Vector and the Spirit. I like a handle heavy balance and the Vector and Spirit feel well-balanced to me whereas the Amakuni is very slighlty head-heavy and feels very solid so might suit others preference better than it does me.
Efficiency: It falls somewhere between the Spirit and the Vector, not as smooth as the Spirit and not as aggressive as the Vector. I found with a Super blade the Amakuni was stunning (a Super in the Vector is too much for me) but with the Pro or the Proline it took four passes and touch-ups which caused some irritation for me. This limits the appeal of this razor to me as I'd like it a bit more 'punchy'.
Handle: I still don't like it, I think it spoils the appearance and I would much prefer to see something more elegant like their Nodachi handle.
I really hope Tatara now release an Injector version of this razor with a shorter and more interesting handle. I'd buy that without hesitation. If you've been put off the Spirit because you like a heavier, more solid feel and the Vector is too aggressive for you then this could be the ideal razor. It has the pride of ownership and craftsmanship in spades and, did I mention, the blade changing is genius.
Thank you to Tatara and @Masamune for arranging this - I really enjoyed it.
Masamune
Forum GOD!
Masamune
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sɐǝɹpu∀
riverrun
The Tatara Amakuni intrigues me for two reasons:
- I'm a dedicated SE shaver.
- It has a magnetic loading mechanism.
I have designed SE razors with magnetic loading mechanisms myself.
Nothing fancy like the Tatara, but just some 3D printed ideas.
My razors were for injector blades, not Artist-Club style blades.
That's because I have one big issue with safety razors with A/C blades:
A/C blades are great in Artist Club style razors, but too wide for safety razors.
At least that was my opinion so far. Let's get to the Tatara Amakuni:
It's been 7 years since I did a pass around for the Tatara Masamune - a razor I
was really impressed with.
The first thing I noticed with the Amakuni was how slim the head is.
Barely bigger than an A/C blade. Very elegant.
The handle still has the dimple pattern the Masamune had, but not all along the handle.
That's a pity. I think it would look even better with dimples all the way.
Putting a blade in the razor is simplicity itself. As I said, I'm used to
blade loading with magnets and I like it.
As I can't figure out where my A/C blades went (in storage after the last
move?) - with one exception - all shaves will use the following setup:
Tatara Amakuni razor
Schick Proline P-30 blade
My own 3D-printed 30mm synthetic Wilkinson inspired rhubarb and custard brush
Speick shaving cream
Alum block
Tüff Green aftershave
The Amakuni has a nice enough balance and is lighter than I expected. That's good.
Right from the get-go I knew we'd be on good terms.
Very smooth, very efficient, not timid and not threatening.
The first shave was with four or maybe even five days of stubble and the
Amakuni mowed it down without any issues.
Again, as with all other A/C safety razors, I couldn't help noticing that on
certain parts of the face only a small portion of the blade is actually in
contact with the face.
I took the shave in my usual four-pass stride (WTG/XTG/GTX/ATG) and without
even trying I ended up with what I can only describe as an effortless BBS. Nice.
There were absolutely no complaints from the alum block or the ASL.
I'm writing this about seven hours after the shave and I'm quite impressed
about how smooth my face still is.
More thoughts after more shaves.
- I'm a dedicated SE shaver.
- It has a magnetic loading mechanism.
I have designed SE razors with magnetic loading mechanisms myself.
Nothing fancy like the Tatara, but just some 3D printed ideas.
My razors were for injector blades, not Artist-Club style blades.
That's because I have one big issue with safety razors with A/C blades:
A/C blades are great in Artist Club style razors, but too wide for safety razors.
At least that was my opinion so far. Let's get to the Tatara Amakuni:
It's been 7 years since I did a pass around for the Tatara Masamune - a razor I
was really impressed with.
The first thing I noticed with the Amakuni was how slim the head is.
Barely bigger than an A/C blade. Very elegant.
The handle still has the dimple pattern the Masamune had, but not all along the handle.
That's a pity. I think it would look even better with dimples all the way.
Putting a blade in the razor is simplicity itself. As I said, I'm used to
blade loading with magnets and I like it.
As I can't figure out where my A/C blades went (in storage after the last
move?) - with one exception - all shaves will use the following setup:
Tatara Amakuni razor
Schick Proline P-30 blade
My own 3D-printed 30mm synthetic Wilkinson inspired rhubarb and custard brush
Speick shaving cream
Alum block
Tüff Green aftershave
The Amakuni has a nice enough balance and is lighter than I expected. That's good.
Right from the get-go I knew we'd be on good terms.
Very smooth, very efficient, not timid and not threatening.
The first shave was with four or maybe even five days of stubble and the
Amakuni mowed it down without any issues.
Again, as with all other A/C safety razors, I couldn't help noticing that on
certain parts of the face only a small portion of the blade is actually in
contact with the face.
I took the shave in my usual four-pass stride (WTG/XTG/GTX/ATG) and without
even trying I ended up with what I can only describe as an effortless BBS. Nice.
There were absolutely no complaints from the alum block or the ASL.
I'm writing this about seven hours after the shave and I'm quite impressed
about how smooth my face still is.
More thoughts after more shaves.
sɐǝɹpu∀
riverrun
I have used the Tatara Amakuni several times.
Sometimes on consecutive days and up to three days apart.
All shaves were really pleasant with one exception:
I found a pack of Feather ProGuard blades and the shave was somewhat unpleasant.
Maybe it was that one particular blade, maybe Feather ProGuards don't work well in this razor.
Who cares, there was not enough time to investigate - I'm tempted to blame the blade.
So I'm only talking about my shaves with the Schick ProLine P-30 blades.
The shaves were really pleasant and resulted in a really close shave.
No matter how much stubble I was attacking.
I won't go into shave-by-shave details. It would bore me and it would bore you.
Let's talk about the razor itself:
The magnetic blade holding mechanism works really well.
Having designed magnetic blade holders myself in 3D printed razors I can't
stress enough how impressed I am with the Tatara solution. Brilliant. I love it.
Build quality is exceptional, as with other Tatara razors I had the pleasure to test.
I still think the dimple pattern on the handle should go all the way to the bottom.
I wish that were the only complaint I have with this razor... and it (almost) is.
I love the stand the razor came with. Elegant and space-saving. It matches the razor nicely.
If you order the razor, add the stand. Well worth it.
I did mention my issue with AC blades in SE razors. They are too wide.
Yes, they are, but I think I have made my peace with them.
So what if there isn't contact with the entire blade? The results speak for themselves.
AC blades in SE razors are now officially OK. As declared by me.
So why did I say "almost" the only complaint above?
As nice as this razor is, I have one issue.
Most of my razors are vintage and cost me £20 or less.
£230 including the stand (which is not optional, see above) is too steep for me.
If you don't care about spending that kind of money on a razor, go for it.
It's a great razor and making it probably costs a great deal of money.
I was reminded of testing the Asylum RX in 2016 and what stopped me from buying one was a simiar price.
That was a similarly great razor.
Then I found one for sale on a German forum for £80 a week ago and went for that instead.
My first razor purchase in probably two years or so.
Unfortunately, I won't get my hands on it until I go to Germany in late May.
So here are my conclusions:
- The Tatara Amakuni is a fantastic razor
- Build quality is great
- It's a looker
- Shaves are brilliant
- Buy one if you can justify the price
- It inspired me to buy an Asylum RX
Thanks to @Masamune for organizing the pass-around and @TATARA RAZORS for the loan of a great razor.
Sometimes on consecutive days and up to three days apart.
All shaves were really pleasant with one exception:
I found a pack of Feather ProGuard blades and the shave was somewhat unpleasant.
Maybe it was that one particular blade, maybe Feather ProGuards don't work well in this razor.
Who cares, there was not enough time to investigate - I'm tempted to blame the blade.
So I'm only talking about my shaves with the Schick ProLine P-30 blades.
The shaves were really pleasant and resulted in a really close shave.
No matter how much stubble I was attacking.
I won't go into shave-by-shave details. It would bore me and it would bore you.
Let's talk about the razor itself:
The magnetic blade holding mechanism works really well.
Having designed magnetic blade holders myself in 3D printed razors I can't
stress enough how impressed I am with the Tatara solution. Brilliant. I love it.
Build quality is exceptional, as with other Tatara razors I had the pleasure to test.
I still think the dimple pattern on the handle should go all the way to the bottom.
I wish that were the only complaint I have with this razor... and it (almost) is.
I love the stand the razor came with. Elegant and space-saving. It matches the razor nicely.
If you order the razor, add the stand. Well worth it.
I did mention my issue with AC blades in SE razors. They are too wide.
Yes, they are, but I think I have made my peace with them.
So what if there isn't contact with the entire blade? The results speak for themselves.
AC blades in SE razors are now officially OK. As declared by me.
So why did I say "almost" the only complaint above?
As nice as this razor is, I have one issue.
Most of my razors are vintage and cost me £20 or less.
£230 including the stand (which is not optional, see above) is too steep for me.
If you don't care about spending that kind of money on a razor, go for it.
It's a great razor and making it probably costs a great deal of money.
I was reminded of testing the Asylum RX in 2016 and what stopped me from buying one was a simiar price.
That was a similarly great razor.
Then I found one for sale on a German forum for £80 a week ago and went for that instead.
My first razor purchase in probably two years or so.
Unfortunately, I won't get my hands on it until I go to Germany in late May.
So here are my conclusions:
- The Tatara Amakuni is a fantastic razor
- Build quality is great
- It's a looker
- Shaves are brilliant
- Buy one if you can justify the price
- It inspired me to buy an Asylum RX
Thanks to @Masamune for organizing the pass-around and @TATARA RAZORS for the loan of a great razor.
wooky114
YMMV Shaves
First shave, a précis; 3 days growth, loaded up a Schick Proline as they were the first SE blade I laid my hands on. Loading the blade was easy, onto the posts on the head and the magnets held the top cap and blade with ease. The shave; well, the easiest way to say it is, it's probably one of the best shaves I've had in a long time. The razor was easy to use, nimble around the face, and the head dimensions meant there were no issues under the nose.
I'm looking forward to the more shaves, and I'll give it whirl as a head shaver in a couple of days (ran the Leaf over the noggin just prior to the face shave).
I'm looking forward to the more shaves, and I'll give it whirl as a head shaver in a couple of days (ran the Leaf over the noggin just prior to the face shave).
wooky114
YMMV Shaves
Second shave, a précis; firstly the head shave. Again there were no issues loading the blade or with the shave and the razor was easy to use as head shaver, two passes and done. The face was much akin to the first shave really; the razor is easy to use, the angle easy to find and the thing just works and gives a good result.