Member
The more I read about this razor the more I think I NEED one when there are more available. The Gibbs is my favorite razor and if this one matches it then I guess I HAVE TO GET ONE.
Happy shaves
SMURF
Happy shaves
SMURF
Soap Sniffers Anonymous
Edmonton
First shave with it today and just kept cranking it up, I think the guard floating baseplate and top cap design is the secret behind the smoothness of this razor, it is a very well built razor and I’ll have to give it a few more shaves but first impressions are that’s it’s a winner
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Member
I said I wouldn’t get pulled in, but the Start razor was really nice. Really am wanting to try more gap variations with both SB and OC designs, so the Taiga theoretically is right up my alley. I greatly appreciate getting a chance to try this! Anyone that has the Taiga, could you post a vertical side picture showing the profile of the teeth? Preferably with a blade in. Trying to see if the teeth are long or not.
Joe
Member
Been using the Taiga this week and I don’t think there is much to add that hasn’t been said.
The razor is superb, smooth, close, little blade feel and gentle with the face. In my efficiency ranking it is very high up.
The razor is well built, it has a very good balance and feels great in the hand.
Over the week I’ve only had one shave that was not as pleasurable as the rest. But all was down to the blade that I tried to see if I could stretch the Permasharp a bit.
Also tried with a Feather on it and it was just silk on the face. It was then when I got a bit over confident and had the first nick in months. Over confidence seeing how smooth it was.
How does it compare to equivalent price razors. I used to own a Rex and sold it within weeks, I found the Rex to be completely the opposite. While not giving a good shave on setting 3, it felt as if I had left the face on the sink. Lower settings didn’t cut it and left behind a lot of stubble. In addition you have to ride the cap to avoid having a rough shave while loosing efficiency. For me it just didn’t work.
The machining on the Rex feel better though it’s satin finish makes it a bit draggy. The Rex knurling I find it best in class though. But it is not about the looks, it’s about the shave.
Having said this I find the Taiga equally attractive.
I would have loved to see the Taiga with a laser engraving of at least the serial number for quality control but that is about it.
Would I recommend it. Sure, if you like heavy razors that are build to last which will give you superb smooth shaves. It’s gone directly to my wish list.
The only regret is that on Monday it will have to go to the next in the list.
![[Image: 5b8b9afed9347286f04f16a6303538cb.jpg]](https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200216/5b8b9afed9347286f04f16a6303538cb.jpg)
Happy shaves and thank you for organizing this pass around.
Greetings from Santa Rosa, CA
The razor is superb, smooth, close, little blade feel and gentle with the face. In my efficiency ranking it is very high up.
The razor is well built, it has a very good balance and feels great in the hand.
Over the week I’ve only had one shave that was not as pleasurable as the rest. But all was down to the blade that I tried to see if I could stretch the Permasharp a bit.
Also tried with a Feather on it and it was just silk on the face. It was then when I got a bit over confident and had the first nick in months. Over confidence seeing how smooth it was.
How does it compare to equivalent price razors. I used to own a Rex and sold it within weeks, I found the Rex to be completely the opposite. While not giving a good shave on setting 3, it felt as if I had left the face on the sink. Lower settings didn’t cut it and left behind a lot of stubble. In addition you have to ride the cap to avoid having a rough shave while loosing efficiency. For me it just didn’t work.
The machining on the Rex feel better though it’s satin finish makes it a bit draggy. The Rex knurling I find it best in class though. But it is not about the looks, it’s about the shave.
Having said this I find the Taiga equally attractive.
I would have loved to see the Taiga with a laser engraving of at least the serial number for quality control but that is about it.
Would I recommend it. Sure, if you like heavy razors that are build to last which will give you superb smooth shaves. It’s gone directly to my wish list.
The only regret is that on Monday it will have to go to the next in the list.
Happy shaves and thank you for organizing this pass around.
Greetings from Santa Rosa, CA
Member
Greetings all!
My apologies for my inactivity on the pass around. My current project has turned into an all time consuming effort. Better late than never, I do want to share my experience with the Taiga.
The Shaves:
I loaded the Taiga with a fresh Wizamet and used that blade along with MdC Fougere and badger for my shaves.
1) I wanted to squeeze four shaves in during my time with the Taiga. I timed it to have perfect growth for a good shave when the Taiga arrived, with my eye on the tracking from fmalpartida. I was extra scruffy by the time the razor actually arrived and bumped my initial test setting up to a '4'. The Taiga was smooth and efficient at '4' handling my extra beard growth with ease. I was especially impressed with the smoothness against the grain. I would say the '4' setting is roughly equivalent to a Karve C plate, nice but a little less aggressive than I prefer.
2) I bumped the Taiga up to a '5' for my second shave. The shave was just as smooth as the '4' setting for me but with a nice bit of extra efficiency. I would compare this shave favorably to the Timeless .95.
3) I went with setting '6' for my third shave. I would classify this this setting as ‘very aggressive’ for my shaving preference. The razor was still remarkably smooth for the level of efficiency and blade gap (approx. 1.33mm from memory). I got a nice shave with no irritation, but the '6' is more aggressive than I need or prefer.
4) I had an important meeting the morning of my fourth shave and played it safe with a '5' setting for my final shave with the Taiga. This was my favorite setting on the dial and I had another excellent shave.
Concluding Thoughts:
I think this is an exceptional razor. I’ve used maybe a dozen 3-piece razors but only two adjustable razors. I own a Fatboy and I tried the Rex on a pass around. I like using the Fatboy but I find that it loses its smoothness towards the higher settings. I liked the ‘3’ shave with the Rex and loved the ‘4’ shave but found the ‘5’ way too wild with blade feel for me. I recall that the Taiga retains the same blade exposure throughout its adjustable range. This may be the reason the Taiga seemed to maintain the same smooth shaving characteristic on different settings.
Misc Thoughts:
-I found the build quality of the Taiga to be very good. I was going to knock off some quality points initially because I noticed that the dial wouldn’t adjust back down to ‘1’. When I fully disassembled for final cleaning I realized how easily that could have been fixed. It is very easy and intuitive to dis/reassemble; which it great!
-I prefer a wider handle, but the balance is very good in its current configuration.
-I like the adjustment dial on the prototype better than the production style, from an aesthetic viewpoint.
-I do have one criticism about the handle. The end knob on the prototype has a slightly smaller diameter than the main handle. Many razor handles have a wider, easily graspable portion near the end of the handle. I hold a razor upside down and grab that knob for my final neck pass. The Taiga didn’t feel secure when I did this.
Overall, I really enjoyed using this razor and got great shaves with it. I went a little overboard with my RAD in the last year but when it pops up again, I’ll be looking at the Taiga. Thanks to fmalpartida for the speedy and secure shipping to WI. Thanks to the organizers of the pass around and the members of DFS for the opportunity. The Taiga is cleaned up, boxed, and well on its way to IanG153.
![[Image: QBQCrr3.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/QBQCrr3.jpg)
My apologies for my inactivity on the pass around. My current project has turned into an all time consuming effort. Better late than never, I do want to share my experience with the Taiga.
The Shaves:
I loaded the Taiga with a fresh Wizamet and used that blade along with MdC Fougere and badger for my shaves.
1) I wanted to squeeze four shaves in during my time with the Taiga. I timed it to have perfect growth for a good shave when the Taiga arrived, with my eye on the tracking from fmalpartida. I was extra scruffy by the time the razor actually arrived and bumped my initial test setting up to a '4'. The Taiga was smooth and efficient at '4' handling my extra beard growth with ease. I was especially impressed with the smoothness against the grain. I would say the '4' setting is roughly equivalent to a Karve C plate, nice but a little less aggressive than I prefer.
2) I bumped the Taiga up to a '5' for my second shave. The shave was just as smooth as the '4' setting for me but with a nice bit of extra efficiency. I would compare this shave favorably to the Timeless .95.
3) I went with setting '6' for my third shave. I would classify this this setting as ‘very aggressive’ for my shaving preference. The razor was still remarkably smooth for the level of efficiency and blade gap (approx. 1.33mm from memory). I got a nice shave with no irritation, but the '6' is more aggressive than I need or prefer.
4) I had an important meeting the morning of my fourth shave and played it safe with a '5' setting for my final shave with the Taiga. This was my favorite setting on the dial and I had another excellent shave.
Concluding Thoughts:
I think this is an exceptional razor. I’ve used maybe a dozen 3-piece razors but only two adjustable razors. I own a Fatboy and I tried the Rex on a pass around. I like using the Fatboy but I find that it loses its smoothness towards the higher settings. I liked the ‘3’ shave with the Rex and loved the ‘4’ shave but found the ‘5’ way too wild with blade feel for me. I recall that the Taiga retains the same blade exposure throughout its adjustable range. This may be the reason the Taiga seemed to maintain the same smooth shaving characteristic on different settings.
Misc Thoughts:
-I found the build quality of the Taiga to be very good. I was going to knock off some quality points initially because I noticed that the dial wouldn’t adjust back down to ‘1’. When I fully disassembled for final cleaning I realized how easily that could have been fixed. It is very easy and intuitive to dis/reassemble; which it great!
-I prefer a wider handle, but the balance is very good in its current configuration.
-I like the adjustment dial on the prototype better than the production style, from an aesthetic viewpoint.
-I do have one criticism about the handle. The end knob on the prototype has a slightly smaller diameter than the main handle. Many razor handles have a wider, easily graspable portion near the end of the handle. I hold a razor upside down and grab that knob for my final neck pass. The Taiga didn’t feel secure when I did this.
Overall, I really enjoyed using this razor and got great shaves with it. I went a little overboard with my RAD in the last year but when it pops up again, I’ll be looking at the Taiga. Thanks to fmalpartida for the speedy and secure shipping to WI. Thanks to the organizers of the pass around and the members of DFS for the opportunity. The Taiga is cleaned up, boxed, and well on its way to IanG153.
Member
Thanks Zen Shaver - nice write-up - the Taiga is still en route (delayed) so it will probably be my Monday morning shave - Looking forward to trying it, sharing impressions, and sending it on to shaveSymptomatic
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