Paradigm releasing a new razor

Wonderful third outing - respect the stealthy efficiency and shaves are glorious 

I just had a very nice first shave (head and face) with the Ti Diamondback. Tips from previous posts about trying a steeper angle and being cautious of over shaving were very helpful, so thanks to those of you who provided that advice. I prefer razors with a decent amount of blade feel / feedback and high efficiency (my current favorite is the titanium Yates 921-EH), so I was concerned that this razor might feel too mild for me. But that wasn't the case. This was a very promising first shave, and I'm already looking forward to the next one. 

Blade: Personna lab blue 
Brush: Trotter Handcrafts T1
Soap: Grooming Dept Charge

Still loving the Ti. It's one of my three razors that I'll continue to use. This is different from the other two, in that I can (maybe should) shave every day... whereas the other two I could (but don't need to and sometimes shouldn't) shave every day.
So nice to have a variety within the 3 razors that I consider perfect! If I want to shave daily, I'll choose the Ti Diamondback, and if I don't want to then I'll choose one of the other two.

Fourth shave completed, and I am so close to having this razor 100% dialed in. My experiences seem to echo the observations and progressions of others. The most meaningful adaptation has been shifting the angle of engagement and optimizing placement of the head (bar vs cap). At this point I am primarily relying on audible feedback for guidance. There is a sweet spot on this razor that is communicated by effortless cutting and a calming tone. I was a bit surprised how audible this razor can be. I have convinced myself that it gets louder as you move away from optimal placement, providing a warning of sorts.

Overall, this fourth shave has been the best. The two remaining details are: maintaining angle and placement while navigating the curvature of the jawline; and completely eliminating two small, but terribly difficult, patches on each side of the mustache region. Today I attempted a modified J hook and had fairly good success. I believe with more runtime I can safely attack those two patches more directly with a full ATG stroke.

On blade pairings, I have tried Bic, Wizamet, and Gillette 7 o'clock blacks. The Bic was most efficient but lacking somewhat in smoothness. Wizamet was improved on smoothness, but I could detect a step down in efficiency. The last two shaves have been with the 7 o'clock blacks. I am finding these to be a nice balance of efficiency and smoothness. I don't have much experience with this blade, as I only recently picked a few tucks up. I did not love it in the Salient but have found it to be an excellent match for my Aristocrat. So hoping it continues to be a good fit for the Diamondback.

Arrival!
Looks and feels great in the hand. Threads are butter smooth.
Packaging didn't bother me one bit...I wouldn't have minded even if it came swathed in JUST bubble wrap.
Obligatory pics:

First shave is in the books and here are my first impressions.
I'll say that the one razor that kept coming to mind while I was shaving is the also excellent Henson Ti +++
which is comparable in terms of immediate efficiency and comfort. I believe this is also known as Recency Bias.

I last shaved on Sunday morning (one pass shave only) so this was 2½ days' growth.

• Shaving angle: found instantly, recall holding handle a little further away from my face than usual.
With Henson, I keep the handle a bit closer to the face. The shave angle is not very wide...deviation might result in surfing lather.

• Feedback: Not raucous, but crisp, controlled and well behaved audio feedback...reminds me of a Naim solid state amp I
once owned. Lets you know when you have the cutting angle right. Do not recall any ghost blade feel yet but it's possible I was
not paying attention.

• Handle:I must say I really enjoyed the 92mm length of this handle...feels substantial and yet nimble.

• Comfort: High comfort levels because the smoothness is very high. Due to the razor's light weight, I think I may have used a little more pressure
than I should have. Nevertheless, I did not receive one weeper or any hint of skin trauma...very impressive showing. Next time will consciously
dial back pressure and see. This razor was very good ATG on my neck and even sideways...near perfect. Only other razor that I can whiz around
with abandon like this is the Henson Ti, hard to say which was more comfortable...both feel different but are neck to neck to my mind. More
shaves required to be sure.

• Efficiency: Stealthy efficient is what comes to mind. Face feels absolutely fantastic...it did not miss a single follicle by the looks of it.
Let's see how long before I need to shave again...will update.

• Overall Impressions: Damn good razor and well worth the price of admission ($262.50). It never entered my mind that this should have 
a higher asking price. It's good the way it is. However, if lesser razors can ask $350 and get away with it, why should Paradigm leave money on 
the table?

Congrats to Andy for releasing a razor this exciting!

Hey folks. For anyone that missed it the first time, more Titanium Diamondback razors are going on presale. The bad news is that costs of machining and finishing were higher than anticipated, so the price is going up to $380 — in future. The good news is that I'm offering a substantial discount for presales, and am holding the line at $315, a $65 saving.

The razors will be the same. What’s going to change is shipping. I'm going to prepack boxes as early as possible to make this process more efficient. Jake is still doing the machining, but he doesn’t need to build fixtures, program tool paths, or do any other engineering this run, so — in theory at any rate — delivery might be a little quicker. Still, I want to say ten weeks, with the understanding that Jake is busier than a one-armed guy hanging wallpaper. Hopefully we've all learned a bit in this process and things will run smoothly, but the usual caveat applies: manufacturing is complex and error-prone, so dates may slip. 

Thank you all who have purchased, and thanks to those who will purchase in future. Paradigm remains committed to making great razors, and some very interesting things are in the pipeline. See you down the trail, and stay smooth.

Hey folks. For anyone that missed it the first time, more Titanium Diamondback razors are going on presale. The bad news is that costs of machining and finishing were higher than anticipated, so the price is going up to $380 — in future. The good news is that I'm offering a substantial discount for presales, and am holding the line at $315, a $65 saving.

The razors will be the same. What’s going to change is shipping. I'm going to prepack boxes as early as possible to make this process more efficient. Jake is still doing the machining, but he doesn’t need to build fixtures, program tool paths, or do any other engineering this run, so — in theory at any rate — delivery might be a little quicker. Still, I want to say ten weeks, with the understanding that Jake is busier than a one-armed guy hanging wallpaper. Hopefully we've all learned a bit in this process and things will run smoothly, but the usual caveat applies: manufacturing is complex and error-prone, so dates may slip. 

Thank you all who have purchased, and thanks to those who will purchase in future. Paradigm remains committed to making great razors, and some very interesting things are in the pipeline. See you down the trail, and stay smooth.

You can also open pre-orders for the Steel version and even for the Brass version.

Wednesday April 10, 2024
Razor: Paradigm Ti Diamondback
Blade: Wizamet
Brush: Stirling/Boar
Soap: Stirling Smoky Grapefruit
AS : Witch Hazel + Clubman Citrus Musk
Fragrance:
Consecutive Daily Shaves - # 1,981

I had my first shave this morning with this beautiful razor. I like it. An efficient smooth shaver and beautiful. I couldn’t ask for anything more.