Tatara Muramasa Adjustable DE Passaround Review – Adjustability Without Bulk

Final Thoughts

Thanks to DFS Dan and Tatara for this opportunity to try a radically different razor.

Excellent Design: Kudos to Tatara for bringing a completely new way of thinking about adjustables where blade gap and exposure are both adjustable. Now thats a true adjustable. Thia razor looks stunning, has excellent weight, finish and feels premium. I found the handle was not as grippy as i would have preferred. Did not get that secure " I am in control" feeling many a time as I handled it. And as many many have already stated, the numbering window...cant read it without my glasses.

The Shaves: This is where everything got very confusing. I used the Nacet to try a sharper blade and although i got excellent results from setting 4...I could barely get a decent shave on a quick cleanup of less that 1 day growth on settings 1 and 2. Left much to be desired. Tried again and finally got to the conclusion that settings 1 to 3 were just very mild with 3 starting to get meaningful. And then 5 got too aggressive suddenly....So how do I use this as an adjustable and change settings along the way.... maybe the nodachi is all I need.
Was ready to send it along...a little disappointed that a razir I was expecting so much from did not meet my exoectations.
I chatted with Dan letting him know that I was not so impressed. He suggested i check the tightness with the key and use an Astra.... So I did...gave it another shot...I dont know what changed but I opened it up..realigned the plates, tightened it up and set an Astra in it...and wow....Suddenly the non uniformity in adjustability between settings seemed to have smoothened out where I felt each setting getting propotionately more aggressive. Got a fantastic shave with great results and excellent post shave.... so what was it...Did the rekey do it or was it the Astra..

I will wait to see if anyone else here goes thru anything similar so we can get a final answer.

Sent from my SM-G781U using Tapatalk

Barrister & Mann Seville...excellent slickness and smells great...I loved the bay rum too...i normally dont care much for bay rum but this was good and I enjoyed the splash.. Did not dare uae the terror soap as I just tried the splash one day and .....cried for the rest of the day

I am going to pick up the Seville....my first exposure to B&M and now on my shopping list

Sent from my SM-G781U using Tapatalk

Arrived yesterday and unpacked today… I think everything looks fine. Ready for shave #1 with a fresh Astra blade today

I dig the can that the razor was packed in

Looking forward to trying these soaps and after shaves too!






Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Shave #1

This is interesting for me as I usually do not review shaving software as well

Let me start with the software as I think it’s easier. I’m very familiar with Astra blades and like them - check.

I personally really like bay rum in general so I started with these guys. I don’t have much experience with Barrister and Mann gear, but I really really like their Bay Rum soap and splash. Lathered pretty easily and smelled sweet and mildly spicy… The splash was slightly cooling at the end. If the Seville is similar, I could see myself buying some of their gear down the road. I’ll have to decide if I want to try the terror…

As far as the razor, it’s definitely a beautiful but functional piece of art - especially with the stand. We can’t forget the price - it is very expensive, and does it live up to the hype??

One 3 pass shave down - started at 3.5 for pass one and quickly went up to 4 because I felt that it wasn’t working well enough. Took down a decent amount of my beard and wasn’t aggressive at all. Pass 2 at 3 was decent, no perceived irritation or anything, pretty smooth overall. Pass 3 against the grain down to 2.5 and I felt like I could almost shave reckless abandon without any fear of being cut. I didn’t try shaving at the lower settings, but not sure that I ever would (not with an Astra anyway). The lower settings might be better with a sharper blade… I’ll shave another couple times with the Astra then maybe consider other options.

Tough to give a fair assessment with one shave down, but I agree with others and feel that the adjustment maybe too narrow or too far on the lower end. I’ll give it time to know for sure. Shave #2 planned for tomorrow.

Josh


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

For one check tightness using key. Just tight, not gorilla tight. For another, try a Feather. It a different experience.

I started on 5 for WTG pass, 4 for XTG pass and 3 for ATG pass. Different strategy but then prefer mild razors

Shave #2

Okay, so I took it all the way up to 5 with the same Astra blade for shaves number 2 and I used the Seville soap.

The scent of Seville rocks! Whipped up super easy into a creamy leather with cushion.

Three passes with touch up - 5, 4, then 2.5. I’ll say at 5 the efficiency definitely goes up, but so does the blade feel. Nothing too scary, but it is present. I also gave myself just a little irritation under the nose and two little weepers that quickly stopped. This was more than likely my fault trying to achieve a BBS finish. As there isn’t a matching splash, I pulled out one of my own personal favorites!! I’m going to go up to a sharper blade for shave #3 and see how it goes. Probably tonight

Happy shaves all.

Josh





Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Shave #3

Hmm, let’s just say today was an interesting shave on two fronts…

1) Terror was actually really awesome! I’ve read some scary reviews of it, but count me in as a fan! Lathered easily and although well mentholated, not “terrorly terrifying” . The splash was calming and soothing as well. However, I did rub my eye several hours later and slightly teared up as some of the splash must’ve been lingering on my hand. I’ll have to keep that in mind next time.

2) The Muramasa was much more precise with one of my go to sharper blades - the super iridium takes the efficiency to a whole other level. 3 passes - 4, 3.5, 2.75 and I’m much happier… I’m looking forward to the next shave. I may even stick with the terror.




Happy Healthy shaves all.

Josh


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Repeated the shave today and my previous thoughts / findings carry over to today. More efficient and smooth with the sharper blade. I’ll probably take tomorrow off and shave again on Friday.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

My time with the awesome box of goodies and Tatara Muramasa is now completed. Two more shaves with the same blade (Super Iridium) and I’m ready to give my final thoughts.

As far as the included soap and splashes, I’m a fan of all of them. The Seville soap is probably my favorite, but the terror is a close second. You just have to make sure that you carefully wash your hands super well afterwards or risk crying if you aren’t careful .

As far as the razor itself, with a super sharp blade, it performs admirably - fairly easy to get a DFS even with my steel whiskers. Could it be more aggressive? Sure I suppose, but does it need to be? Not necessarily. However, if you like to tailor your shave to different types of blades and you have a tougher beard, you may have some difficulty. If it went up 2 more on the scale with a less sharp blade, you’d probably be okay. The only other mild quirks I’d say are related to the length of the handle and the size of the adjustment dial. I have pretty huge hands and I easily made do, but I wouldn’t mind if both were slightly larger. Is it necessary, no, but would it be nice? Yes surely.

Now is it worth the price? I leave that up to you all. It is unique in its adjustment method and currently the only of its kind. At this point, there are some pretty incredible Adjustable razors out there all vying for your hard earned . Do I put it up there with its engineering, finishing, etc with some of the best of them? Most definitely.

Happy Healthy Shaves all.

Josh


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Razor received.