Paradigm Ti II Arrived. Pics and Review

OK I get it, the hyperbole is justified.  Having completed but one shave, can provide a preliminary report.

The Constituents:
Distilled Water
Kent BK-2 Brush
Swarovski Crystal Lathering Bowl
Grooming Department Experimental Beef Tallow Soap
Paradigm Ti II
Timor Blade
Noxema Preshave
Roccia Alum
Thayers Medicated Witch Hazel
Pitralon Pure
ABC Apricot Hull AS Balm
Le Labo Another 13

Initial Impressions:
The packaging was Teutonic bowing neither to the machine shop traditions characterized in Wolfman products nor the glitzy marketing practices employed by One Blade to disguise that the product is of inexpensively cast Chinese origins.  A simple cardboard box affixed with a tasteful yet simple logo opens to reveal a wrapping sheet taped around a preassembled razor - that is it.  No card relaying appreciation nor highlighting that one is the owner of 1 of 28 units retailed to date.  In fact the razor literally is packed loosely within the box and knocks about when shaken.  A honest if inelegant approach and not confident is amiss nor appreciated....  Even unwrapped the heft, despite being made of Titanium is apparent and surprising, seriously surprising and so much so it makes one wonder how was so much heft retained (akin to how BMW manages to produce a 2 seat small roadster that weighs 2 tonnes - is anybody in control there...but I digress).  Once unwrapped a nicely polished razor falls to hand and the first thought one has is, damn this handle sure is slippy.  However, moving it about and unfastening the cap provides confidence that there was a lot of effort placed into the manufacture and that there is a balance rewarding to the handler.  For better or worse, the cap and base completely cover the blade and as such, the blade can be cumbersome to assure seated and especially, remove; a small matter where reasonable minds can diverge.  Another thought is that this handle design just screams out for a minimalist yet deco base ala Wolfman, imagining a low rise round base with hexagonal segments spreading to the periphery mirroring the engraving on the segments.  The threading is positive but have yet to investigate thread pitch and if rounded.  En toto have to confess Wolfman is still the king of fit and finish BUT this appears easily the best of any other DE razor regarding fit and finish.  Andrew has shown he has an ability to realize a vision and the wherewithal to select a machinist capable AND willing to execute his vision...all in all a nice job of it for a novice to the industry.

Shaving Impressions:
Initial impressions that the handle may be slippy were spot on, particularly with the new generations of super soaps.  From the outset feared losing grip and dropping this beautiful piece but honestly the fears never actually came remotely close to fruition.  Addressing the actual shave characteristics has to be the best part of this initial review.  Hitherto have absolutely raved regarding the close yet comfortable shave of the Timeless but pined for the raw feedback of the BBS1 - well this razor delivers folks!  Well and truly, the blade feel is absolutely incredible!  Were I to compare it to automobiles, it would be a Ferrari midengine: providing absolute feedback of every ripple and nuance of road surface but unlike the Lotus Exige (BBS1), neither biting the driver for subtle errors at the edge nor possessing the bulk, lack of feel and wide margin of safety of the latest 911GT3s (Timeless).  The shave could have been concluded in two passes North to South and ATG (with minor touch up) but did a third pass South to North to determine if it would result in irritation.  Even with the superfluous pass there was zero irritation on a face renown for extraordinary sensitivity.  Another element one typically fails to appreciate until late into ownership is the ability to easily and thoroughly rinse the blade quickly whilst yet lodged in the head: in this case not only was it unnecessary to loosen the cap it could easily be accomplished with a low flowing faucet of cold water - truth told, it probably could have been accomplished shaking in a bowl of water but didn't bother to try.  Those longing for a BBS1 for its legendary shaving properties would do well to accept this razor as the absolute equal of the Legendary John Brown design for feel and satisfaction with the added benefit of being somewhat more user friendly and usable on a daily basis.  This really is a huge complement to both of these razors and their designers/fabricators and sincerely hope it will be taken as such.  That stated, it is understandable that some will want the BBS1 mostly for its mystique which is fine but owning and loving both, there is nothing between them I assure you.

Final Thoughts:
The shave was BBS by any standard, literally no stubble and none appearing hours later - more importantly, no irritation!  That is but one man's view and being so am undertaking an invite only passaround on the Ti II and am curious how others will opine.  Of course one shave does not comprise a scientific analysis BUT the latest design from Paradigm immediately goes to the top!  Great work Andrew and looking forward to more from Paradigm's creative genius.

Nice

Wow, I'd expect a lot nicer packaging/presentation for a $400 razor. Hope it shaves nice for you though.

Dan, looks beautiful!

Packaging is fine...it’s the razor your shaving with and the shaves are extraordinary.

Dan, looks beautiful!

Packaging is fine...it’s the razor your shaving with and the shaves are extraordinary.

I’m with you. Packaging is a cost passed along to the customer, and the nicer it is the more obligated I feel to keep up with it. Unless it’s something I can repurpose for blade storage etc. I’m okay keeping it vanilla as possible and keeping costs down. My favorite brush of all time came in a white Uline box with a packing label slapped on it. The brush itself doesn’t know the difference.

Agreed, it would be nice to have a nicer package for the razor but if it's going to increase the price it's something I could surely do without.

I have plenty of nice packaging that came with other items. It all just sits in a drawer. The last time I looked at an items packaging was when I sold an item and had to find the matching package for it.

To me it's a nice to have but it's not necessary.

That razor look beautiful. Mine is scheduled to arrive later today.

I get that too. I'm with you all, I personally couldn't care less about the box either. I was just pointing out the fact that you pay a premium price for a product and it shows up in a cheap cardboard box wrapped in packing foam with tape around it, it's kinda like, "Huh, ok". Take a look at Timeless or ATT packaging. Much more presentable at a much lower cost. So it wouldn't factor that much into the price when you're dropping $400. But it would do a lot to give you that upscale feel to go along with one if the priciest razors you can buy. Again, I realize a lot of people don't really care about such things, but some do.

The razor looks outstanding. I don’t care about boxes as I don’t shave with them, looks like it could use a little more padding though.

Where is the review Dan, everyone has been hitting reload, every 1 minute for the past hour