Tatara Masamune Nodachi DE Passaround Review - A Notable Evolution of the Original

I am OK with this but Canadians have to get a USPO Box or pay entire of cost of shipping to and from Canada and any related charges both ways - it is only way to be fair to other trialers.  Also will need to declare full value as insurance is a must.

Been a while for the BlackBird but my memory is the Nodachi much smoother and slightly more efficient

But to be frank, my perspective is the Dart was Shane's best shaver - REALLY liked it and certainly in my top 5 of razors at any price.  Flame away

Nodachi is more efficient?! That is interesting as I had never heard that from anyone else. I guess I may have to give it a try to determine it, for myself. 

Personally, I didn't like the Dart. I found it a bit harsh compared to the Blackbird. YMMV. 

Thank you for your perspective.

It's not a simple question. My Blackbird was much more aggressive and somewhat more efficient on my beard. It however was tuggy and ineffective ATG on my head where the Nodachi OC is smooth sailing. I sold the Bird, kept the Dart.

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It just goes to show you how different we all are. I much prefer the Blackbird to the Dart.

I am OK with this but Canadians have to get a USPO Box or pay entire of cost of shipping to and from Canada and any related charges both ways - it is only way to be fair to other trialers.  Also will need to declare full value as insurance is a must.

Thanks, again, but with all of the effort and expense to get it to Canada, I'll have to decline your generous offer.

It just goes to show you how different we all are. I much prefer the Blackbird to the Dart.

Does go to show indeed how the same stuff can be different for us. I think with my default Personna blue I prefer the Dart over the Blackbird, the Blackbird is so efficient I’m not willing to let it go yet and will blade swap and see if a particular blade shines in it.

Been a while for the BlackBird but my memory is the Nodachi much smoother and slightly more efficient

But to be frank, my perspective is the Dart was Shane's best shaver - REALLY liked it and certainly in my top 5 of razors at any price.  Flame away

Nodachi is more efficient?! That is interesting as I had never heard that from anyone else. I guess I may have to give it a try to determine it, for myself. 

Personally, I didn't like the Dart. I found it a bit harsh compared to the Blackbird. YMMV. 

Thank you for your perspective.

My experience is very similar to that of Celestino's with these three razors: BlackBird, Nodachi, and Dart. The BB is THE CHAMPION. For me it is the most efficient and most pleasant razor to shave with. The Nodachi is a close second. The Dart is much harsher than the other two and in my opinion it is not as efficient. I did not like the Drat enough to keep in my collection.

Alex, I haven't yet tried the Nodachi, but with your recommendation of it being a close second to the Blackbird, then I may have to try it, finally.

I hope you will enjoy the razor as much as I do, Celestino! I actually purchased my own as soon as I had a chance to try it during the pass-around and I use it at least once a week. I shave five days a week and currently have 14 razors in my rotation.

Thanks, Alex.
I'll probably look into getting one and having it shipped to my parents house in Portugal when they return for their annual stay, later in the year.
Or else, I may place a BST add.

Used both the Nodachi and Masamune today. Nodachi for my right side and Masamune for the left.

Equipment used:

Fresh Personna Lab Blue in each razor
Tabula Rasa Vetiver & Tangerine first shave, mixed in a bit of La Toja Sensitive cream for second pass
VP Leonhardy 700050 Large Loft
The two razors

Should have used my Simpson cream as I didn't have enough Tabula Rasa for two passes, and the La Toja seems to have something that after the shave feels slightly off. Really helps to stick with something you know well. Anyhow, for both razors I did my normal 2 passes. I believe it has been about a week now since my last shave. I started off with the Nodachi and could tell right away the efficiency of the razor has a significant bump. At first the razor felt possibly a bit harsher in a few areas, but that dissipated quickly. Need to note to pay attention to technique as I did get one tiny weeper from the first pass, but it went away quite fast and didn't need any alum or styptic pen to take care of it. The Nodachi made quick work of anything in its path. Blade feel might be possibly increased, but it wasn't enough to stand out and grab my attention.

The handle on the Nodachi is a bit heavier and wider. I measure the depth of the Masamune handle at 10.95mm and the Nodachi at 12.45mm. I would measure the weight of both handles but too lazy to get the scale at the moment. The additional weight is jarring when switching back to the Masamune, and the diameter difference is noticeable, but have to say that I found the handle for the Nodachi grew on me. The weight felt just slightly fatiguing, but it thankfully did not impart any negative attribute to my shave. Holding it the balance seems like it would be off, but when you actually go about the task of shaving I was able to find natural holds. The primary grip I came to was with the handle secured by the end of my pinky and my thumb down at the bottom with a good grip around the middle. In some areas my hand just slipped up a little closer to the head. I suspect I'll get more comfortable with this as I use it more.



The Masamune didn't suffer in terms of performance and was able to plow through my growth. The Nodachi was indeed more efficient, but I was equally satisfied with its performance it put out. Do note that my left side has slightly less growth, so this could be the reason. Balance was excellent, but I've had more time with this too. I cannot think of too much else to say other than it did well with the first pass, and was much like the Nodachi except for more efficiency in the Nodachi and different handle.

My facial hair growth is quite crazy on my neck and grows in unusual directions and while most of my pass is WTG, there are a few spots that I border on a WTG/ATG pass. My right side prefers this type of pass more so. I did a bit more of an ATG pass than I usually do just slightly below my right jawline close to my ear and was rewarded with good results. Taking it slow and easy I was able to get closer to the area than what has normally happened in the past for me. While I like smooth, I also like not having irritation that turns into razor bumps as they can be stubborn to leave, but no such problems here. The Masamune on my left side was much the same, just a noted decrease in the efficiency I had. Future shaves with less growth will tell if the added efficiency from the Nodachi is too much for me.

One other part that stood out for me was during my second pass where I did the ATG pass with the Nodachi. Something felt different as I was doing that. I've never had what I would consider blade chatter with my razors, but the Nodachi felt more stable is the best words I can think of shaving in that area. Perhaps I am looking too much here, but hope to remember this and take note of trying this a bit more and being mindful of what is taking place. My thoughts already have wandered to swapping the handles between the two and trying that, but need to remember, one change at a time and observe. All in all, I am pleased with my first go with the Nodachi!