Tatara Amakuni Passaround Review – Tatara’s First AC Showcases Innovation (Updated)

Tatara Branding, Engineering and Innovation

This is my eighth exposure to offerings from Tatara and what a journey it has been!  From the first release of the Masamune DE through the Muramasa continuously adjustable loft brush the product line has demonstrated the foremost engineering and design innovation in the razor hardware industry rivaled only by BlackLand.  While one could argue an engineering oriented manufacturer would be expected to deliver on solid mechanical engineering principles, quality and innovation, what sets Tatara apart is its unique and consistently perfectly executed branding strategy – the Tatara guys know exactly where their values lie and how to execute.

Although covered in prior reviews, it is worth reiterating the company’s product history in summary for those new to Tatara.  Tatara branding strategy draws on the two most common attributes associated with Japanese culture: samurai tradition and quality.  Every Tatara product to date has drawn upon a legendary swordsmith or sword for its nomenclature from the original Masamune, Nodachi, to the Muramasa.  The Amakuni is Tatara’s first foray into single edge razors, centered on the AC style blades, presenting the opportunity to honour a legendary and innovative Japanese swordsmith.  Amakuni Yasutsuna (天國 安綱) was the smith that created of the first single edged curved longsword – taici (太刀) around 700AD as well as the double edged katana – Kogarasu Maru (小烏丸) in response to numerous of his previous swords breaking during a key battle when wielded by the Emperor’s samurai.  As always, there is a sense of history and honour employed in Tatara nomenclature matched only by LJDJ, a Spanish soapmaking artisan; clever of the Tatara boys to utilize the single edge connection.

In keeping with the outstanding and consistent branding, there are various design elements common to all Tatara products.  A hallmark of Tatara products is the nie (錵) finish, originally arising from martensitic crystals embedded in a pearlite matrix resulting from the tempering process and said to resemble stars in a night sky (hold the razors up to a light source to view the sparkling effect) characteristic of the swords smithed by Masamune.  The handle is a homage to samurai sword handles and presents impossibly slippy to the eye but actually is amazingly grippy even covered in the world’s slickest soaps.  Despite experience to the contrary, there are always qualms that the slim handle and dimpled design will be slippy when combined with slick modern soaps but, between the finish and dimples, there has never been a moment of jeopardy over the course of numerous shaves and several razors.

Those familiar with traditional Japanese mores are well aware that how an item is packaged is as important as how well it is made.  Tatara products immediately grab one’s attention with packaging that screams low volume craftsmanship.  While simply boxed in high-grade and embossed paperboard and (in homage to Portuguese heritage) beautiful cork insert, the first and lasting impression is one of understated elegance with a tasteful touch of marketing sizzle.  Despite the passage of many years and exposure to many high end razors from numerous global artisans, inside rests the most uniquely finished razors I have encountered; the finish has a texture and appearance that is so strikingly different that many of the design features are easily overlooked.  Were one to describe it, the best I can offer is it derivative of the colour and texture of the frame/casing finish of Ducati Reparto Corse superbikes of the 90s and early 2000s pre carbonfibre.  This is the nie finish effect alluded to above and almost worth the price of admission alone.  As one stares transfixed by the finish, other obvious design details begin to make an impression: there is a sense of quintessentially traditional Japanese design, a simplistic functional elegance reminiscent of the feudal samurai weaponry’s aura of fragility belying its inherent strength and capability.  It was a transformational moment years ago when encountering the first Tatara and it remains just as much so today having been down the path 7 models later.  Nobody produces as unique a razor in look and design as Tatara, period with a very very hard stop.

Tatara has focused on DE razors and brushes to date bringing solid engineering principles to every product they have produced.  Every Tatara DE razor has featured best in industry extremely low profile stack heights to facilitate perfect control of the head assembly during shaving in tight areas, a PROPERLY designed handle:baseplate interface to assure strength against damage if dropped and transmit feedback feel from the razor head to the handle aiding the shaver and extreme well clamped blades to eliminate chatter.  Unlike any other twist to continuously adjust razor, the Muramasa designed adjustability through retracting/extending shave bars resulting in a continuously adjustable on the fly razor with the stack height of the best nonadjustable DEs which is BRILLIANT.  Tatara even managed to produce the world’s first continuously adjustable shave brush that is so unique and perfect (even facilitating knot swapping mid shave), it remains in my collection of premium custom brushes as a favourite – it is so good, favour it as much using the synthetic knot as when using the badger knot. 

Amakuni

AC blades, for those unfamiliar, are unlike any other blades in that they are available in various depths and edges SUBSTANTIALLY impacting the shave feel and efficiency using the exact same razor.  Thus, one can use the same razor with a Feather SoftGuard blade to experience an extremely smooth shave or a Feather Super to experience one of the most aggressive. Some have suggested they wished Tatara DE razors were more efficient; the Amakuni should accommodate their desire for blade feel and efficiency when equipped with a Feather Super.  But the properties of AC blades are common amongst all AC razors and, make no mistake, Tatara would never simply produce ‘another’ AC razor without their trademark innovation!

The most striking innovation is the completely magnetic head.  Paradigm produced an AC razor relying a combination sliding and magnetized head which could cause extreme cuts if the hand slipped during blade changes.  The Amakuni features a completely different system utilizing ONLY magnets to secure the blade and top cap which is foolproof and brilliant in usage!  Want to switch blades between passes?  Changes are effected instantly under all conditions – it even encourages thoroughly rinsing the blade between passes.  This innovation is so impactful it changes the way top caps and blades are forever more fastened: gone are the days of stripped top cap threads or broken weld screws - am now so enamoured with the magnetic top cap, detest screwing handles into top cap assemblies, a process executed without thought most of my life.  The head assembly is near perfectly minimized, extending approximately 4mm beyond the spine for some unknown reason - wish Tatara had eliminated the dead space for an even more compact head.  The straight bar soap channel is approximately 2,5mm deep and is more than adequate to handle moderate beard growth but, given the inherent rigidity of AC blades, wish it had extended further into the body of the baseplate by another millimetre and the center reinforcement eliminated. Complaining about 4mm of excess material and an ever so slightly narrow by 1mm soap channel aside, the head design is about perfect.

A characteristic so dramatic that it is obvious prior to shaving is the handle:baseplate angle: it is extreme, providing both benefit and challenge depending on one’s facial structure.  Structurally, the razor angle is executed through a steeply sloping handle top with dimples locating the interface to the baseplate and relying on a standard industry 5mm x 0,8 T20 screw to secure the assembly - the baseplate is relatively flat.  The razor angle encourages shaving with the Amakuni as though it were a cartridge razor and on flat expanses such as the cheeks, neck and chin it cuts brainlessly, smoothly and efficiently.  As well, am quite confident that for those with square or rounded faces, even areas around the ears and nose could be accessed without any issue.  However, there are a minority of people with very angular (and in my case disfigured) faces requiring extreme maneuverability to manipulate the blade into tight confines.  By far the best razors I have encountered possessing ultra low stack height heads and maneuverability are the Tatara DEs across the range (even the adjustable Muramasa), Wolfman WR1,  BlackLand Vector and straight edges.  I was hoping the similarly low stack height head of the Amakuni would be added to the razors well suited to my facial requirements but the extreme handle:baseplate interface made shaving angle adjustments required around the nose and ears almost impossible.  That is not to suggest that the Amakuni is a bad design; I experienced the same stellar performance on flat expanses and accessibility issue on tight confines, although attributable to a rather deep comb, with the Durdan La Foulx and it is beloved as one of the best all time SE razors (only highlighting how unique is my need for extremely maneuverable razors).

Tatara was very conscious of providing a baseplate compatible with a wide variety of AC blades.  The baseplate posts are spaced 28,11mm OS:OS which fit both of the notoriously oddly holed blades in the industry - Feather Light and Schick P30 (by contrast the BlackLand Vector is 37,8mm OS:OS).  A number of blades were loaded and evaluated for shaves with the Feather SoftGuard being best for daily shaving and a Feather ProGuard optimal for 2+ days of beard growth; any other blade was simply too harsh for me, even the Feather Light.  The Durdan La Faulx with a medium plate required a Feather Super to shave 1+ day growth as a comparison. 

Conclusion

The Amakuni is a significant advance in razor construction.  It employs a top cap design solely reliant on magnets that could become an industry standard across all multipiece safety razors, eliminating a potential failure point where the top cap screws into the handle.  Were the top cap the sole innovation considered, that alone would be sufficiently noteworthy to rightly label this a breakthrough product.  Tatara also addressed a longstanding request to step up the blade feel/efficiency quota in their razor design without totally abandoning those preferring their comfortable shaving reputation, achieved by focusing on the AC blade system facilitating the ability to tune the shave over a substantial range by simply selecting different blades.  Most will find the Amakuni able to perform squarely in their wheelhouse as delivered in its first iteration through simply selecting the appropriate blade. 

Having become an AC razor advocate, had high expectations for this razor.  To be honest, focusing on the general market instead of my unique needs arising from facial injuries, this is an outstanding design that will completely satisfy almost every shaver.  However, for the very few requiring extreme maneuverability, the sharply angled handle:baseplate interface combined with the extra material beyond the blade spine conspire against accessing the tight areas on damaged and angular faces. 

In conclusion, love everything about the Amakuni razor and it delivered a wonderfully comfortable BBS shave on the open expanses of my face using a Feather SoftGuard as a daily blade or Feather ProGuard on growth exceeding 2 days but just couldn’t fully access the extremely tight confines around MY damaged face: specifically the ears and nostrils.  While it possible to offer suggestions for a few minor design tweeks to make this MY perfect razor it likely wouldn’t be as well loved by the GENERAL SHAVING COMMUNITY as it is in its current release format.  My assessment is, considering the build quality and shave quality, it is almost a dead heat with the Durdan La Faulx in premium finish with a superiour plate: a uniquely beautifully designed razor and versatile shaver which is high praise indeed and a bargain by comparison.

The razor has already arrived at the next participant. Please follow this thread as other passaround participants opine.  Our first participant has generously offered to donate 2 cartridges of Kai blades; it would be appreciated if others also donate clearly labeled AC blades so all may experiment to get a real feel for this razor.  It will be interesting to read the impressions and looking forward to the feedback - which will be shared with Tatara.  Feel free to PM directly if interested in participating in the passaround.  Thanks to Tatara for designing such an innovative razor, making it available for passaround and forum members for your time in reading this review and thread.

Apologies to all for the delay in posting the review thread: we have been quite ill - family and dogs - over the past 2 weeks. The razor has already arrived at the next participant so my issues have not impacted the passaround.

It is good to see you back in the saddle and posting again DanLaw , and may I be the first to thank you for that very detailed and informative review.  Per your earlier request, I am reposting my review and follow-up here, in an effort to keep all impressions and ensuing conversation in one thread.  There are some minor edits in the following repost.


REVIEW

I am very fortunate that my good friend MaineYooper has loaned me his Tatara Amakuni razor, and I'd like to also thank DanLaw, who has yet again arranged with Tatara for a pass around on the DFS forum.  Of course, thanks to Tatara too! 

The Amakuni is a single edge razor that accepts Artist Club blades.  The Tatara website lists Feather Soft Guard, Proguard, Professional, and Super as compatible blades.  This blade assortment provides a wide range of choices of smoothness and efficiency.  In addition, and FWIW, I have no problems using Schick P-30 and Kai Titan Mild ProTouch MG blades.

The Amakuni is a two-piece design in which the base plate is permanently attached to the handle.  The fit and finish are impeccable throughout.  Magnets are used to clamp the top cap and base plate together.  This arrangement makes the Amakuni super easy to load and unload.  The specs given by Tatara are:

    Blade Gap: 0.85 mm
    Blade Exposure: 0.060 mm
    Blade angle: 29º
    Weight: 85 grams
The loaner from MaineYooper weighs 80.3 grams on my scale.

I am three shaves in, and I would say that the Amakuni is an unmitigated joy to use, unless, as described below, you have grip issues like mine.  I rate it as “mid-aggressive” (with a P-30 blade), and I was struck from the first few strokes by how beautifully the razor cuts:

• The angle is easy to find.
  
• The flow through is excellent.
  
• The head is compact and nimble.
  
• There is enough blade feel and chatter to suit my taste (which is some of each, but not much of either).
  
• It is very efficient, and also very smooth, considering how efficiently it cuts.
  

I alluded above to grip issues that disturb the unmitigated joy of using the Amakuni, and I hasten to reiterate that these issues are personal and may not apply to you.  Suffice it to say that I’m an older guy, and my hands cramp up from time to time.  I have found that lighter weight razors generally work better for me, and 80 grams is borderline – a weight where some razors work, and some don’t.  Unfortunately, the Amakuni presents some handling problems for me. 

The balance point is about halfway down the handle, and the bottom 30 mm of the handle has no dimples and culminates in a rounded bottom.  The upshot of this is that it is difficult for me to use my pinky on the handle bottom as a lever.  In some places, this makes the shave unenjoyably worky for me.  By contrast, my 77 gram SS Vector also balances about halfway down the handle, but the bottom 2/3 of the Vector handle is spiral grooved and culminates is a flat bottom.  This makes the SS Vector much more manageable for me.

I am on the fence as to whether I will buy an Amakuni.  If I had better hands, I’d be all over the SS version (currently $246 USD), but as it is, the SS is a pass for me.  OTOH the Titanium version (43 grams) is well within my comfort zone.  However, the titanium version goes for $482 USD, and I am not sure how much it would add to the titanium Vector that I already own.

And that's all I got.  Thanks once again to MaineYooper for the loan, and to DanLaw  for honchoing the pass around.  Thanks again also to Tatara, and congratulations on producing an excellent razor!  I love how it cuts, and I expect that a clear majority of buyers will love how it handles too."

 
Brush ....  Elite Malachite
Soap .....  PAA Clubguy
Razor ....  Tatara Amakuni
Blade ....  Proline P-30
Post .....  PAA Clubguy AS
Finish ...  Castle Forbes Gentlemen's Cologne EDP
 
Note:  You may notice the rubber end cap, which has been affixed to the Amakuni's handle for the duration of the shave.  It is easily affixed and removed, and its purpose is to (hopefully) make handling the Amakuni easier for me.  The end cap does not ship with the Amakuni.  This one is an 11mm end cap, and it fits easily over the end of a 7/16" dowel.  Fitting the end cap onto the dowel allows you to scuff up the rounded end with sand paper without risking any scuff marks on the handle.  (The scuffed, rounded end is not visible in this photo.)  Just be sure to thoroughly rinse off the grit and allow the end cap to dry completely.  One other thing:  You might want to remove the end cap promptly after each shave, just to be sure no tea stains develop.

 = = = = = = = =

This post was originally published a few days after the review.  As I explained in the review, my experience of the grip is problematic.  But grip aside, I find the Amakuni so appealing that I am looking for a way to remediate the personal grip issues - and to do so without spoiling my view of the Amakuni's aesthetics.

The razor has arrived from Dan! Like all Tatara razors, it is very well made and has the usual excellent finish. The magnets are an interesting idea and they seem to work well.
I've had two shaves and both have been excellent. For me it falls into a mid aggressive razor with very good efficiency. The shave is very smooth, which is more important to me than extreme closeness. This razor has a good combination that I think will work for most guys. Thanks to Dan & Tatara for getting this passaround in place. Will post some pics and more reviews after a few shaves.

Apologies to all for the delay in posting the review thread: we have been quite ill - family and dogs - over the past 2 weeks.  The razor has already arrived at the next participant so my issues have not impacted the passaround.

Good to have you posting again amigo and that all is well within the family at DanLaw land. Great write up as always.... 

Merged Unboxing thread pictures; deleted Passaround Signup and Unboxing threads

 
Brush .... Tatara Muramasa Adjustable (Synthetic)
Soap1 .... ETHOS Bay Rum
Soap2 .... ETHOS Vanilla Safi
Razor .... Tatara Amakuni
Blade .... Kai Titan Mild ProTouch MG
Post ..... ETHOS Bay Rum SFS
Post ..... ETHOS Vanilla Safi SFS
Finish ... Les Indemodables Vanille Havane EDT
 
Today's shave was like out of a really sweet dream.  I borrowed a page out of dtownvino's playbook and scraped some ETHOS Bay Rum and Vanilla Safi together into a bowl, using a roughly 2 to 1 ratio.  Swirling some hot water over the soap softened it, and setting the brush to 1 - the lowest, stiffest loft - made quick work of picking the softened soap up and out of the bowl grooves.  Working the suds for a couple of minutes produced a beautiful lather.  FWIW I set the brush to 2 for a little scrub on the first pass, and to about 2 1/2 thereafter.  The Amakuni and ProTouch MG also worked beautifully.  Again FWIW, I have gradually gone from "on the fence" to thoroughly sold on this razor.  

And I am both happy and grateful to say that, being thoroughly sold on the Amakuni, I purchased one a few moments ago.

Today was my first shave with the Amakuni.
The Amakuni is very smooth and forgiving. Of my SEs, I would say it is the most “DE-like”. You don't need to be afraid of doing anything wrong. It is also thorough and efficient. However, not as much as the Hawk V3 with the A plate. But much tamer than this one. It's already better in all respects than the Legend I own.
I'm not going to mention the Rocnel SE, which is in a different league in terms of efficiency, but also handling, etc.

I've had a few more shaves with the Amakuni and all have been great. I can confirm that this is a mild feeling razor that shaves very smooth and also has excellent efficiency. Tatara has done a wonderful job with their first Artist Club razor. This could easily be a daily driver because of the smoothness.
The blades I used were the Schick P30 and Kai Sharpedge and both blades performed great. I don't care for the edge on the Feather Pro Supers but if you like those blades, then this razor could be even better.
I'm impressed with this razor. The design, fit & finish, balance and the shave it delivers are all top of the line.
Hopefully, other razor makers get inspired by what Tatara have done here and develop an Artist Club razor of their own because I think the blades are fantastic.
Thanks again to Dan and Tatara for getting this passaround going.