Tatara Muramasa Adjustable DE Passaround Review – Adjustability Without Bulk

Have you tried the official replacement O Ring offered from Tatara?

Yes - 8x6x1, as above, along with the same size ring I purchased.  Just to clarify my observations, photos below (excuse the low-res phone photos), for those unfamiliar with the mechanism:

Adjustment column assembly (the adjustment column fits inside the adjustment sleeve, and numbers are visible through the round window):


Interior of sleeve (interior groove noted):



8x6x1 O Ring (left to right - 8x6x1 silicone, 9x7x1 silicone, 9x7x1 Nitrile, 8x6x1 on adjustment column):


9x7x1 O Ring on adjustment column:


You can see from the photos that the 8x6x1 (red) ring is virtually flush with the width of the adjustment column - it does not engage the interior groove at all.  Consequently there is no resistance to the column turning - in fact the column isn't retained inside the adjustment sleeve if you invert it - it just falls out.  The 9x7x1 ring (black, the original) extends past the column width just fractionally - but enough to engage the interior groove and retain the column inside the sleeve, even if inverted or shaken.  This is apparently enough to give the column some resistance in adjusting - a feeling I prefer - and it keeps the adjustment ring from just free-wheeling when you turn it.  The 9x7x1 silicone ring does the same, but is more flexible and therefore looser in the assembled mechanism and allows some play in the ring when turned - not a desireable feature.  I've therefore concluded that the original (Nitrile) OEM ring serves me best in my razor.

But specifically, have you tried the alternate O Ring supplied directly from Tatara? 

The reason asking is I HAVE a spare in possession if you have not; it would be advised to try their ring prior to giving up.  Will gladly ship it to you in ConUS  

Fully realize you have sized everything but suggest giving Tatara's supplied solution an opportunity prior to quitting on it.

Thanks so much for the offer but yes, Tatara sent me a ring shortly after they announced the replacement.  It's identical to any of the commercial 8x6x1 mm silicone rings.  It doesn't work, again for the reasons above, but if it works for anyone without the above deficiencies, that leads me to believe that there may be different tolerances or some mid-course correction in the manufacture of these razors.  Mine works great with the original (in fact Tatara said in the accompanying letter if yours works, no need to swap - which also makes me think there may be a difference in razors).

Per Tatara, this razor is so sensative of tolerances that EVERY Muramasa head's constituent parts are hand finished to assure a smooth operation. Consequently, any replacements of parts within the head unit would require Tatara fitting the new parts in order to assure optimum operation.

As suggested in the review, this is a unique, innovative adjusting mechanism relying on highly engineered precision components.

APPLES and Oranges on this O-ring situation…. From trifling to smooth operator AFTER the swap out

I’m no engineer, but I would want a bag of these o-rings on hand…..

Interesting that the smaller ring works on yours (I assume that's what you're saying).  On mine it's like having no ring at all, which just allows the adjustment column to sort of spin around with no resistance.  That says to me that perhaps there was some sort of dimensional change in the milling process somewhere along the line.  I've now tried a range of O rings, including 8x6x1, 9x7x1, and 9x6x1.5  in Nitrile and Silicone, and I found that the original size (9x7x1), and the original material (Nitrile rubber) works best in my razor for both setting and retaining the setting.  I've also not noticed any sort of wear at all, so I'm guessing these rings will last a long time in either material.

Have you tried the official replacement O Ring offered from Tatara?

Per Tatara, this razor is so sensative of tolerances that EVERY Muramasa head's constituent parts are hand finished to assure a smooth operation.  Consequently, any replacements of parts within the head unit would require Tatara fitting the new parts in order to assure optimum operation. 

As suggested in the review, this is a unique, innovative adjusting mechanism relying on highly engineered precision components.

Agreed, although the main hand finishing on mine appeared to be just the face of the adjustment sleeve and the inner surface of the sliding plates - the indication being the carbon adjustment marks still on mine when received.   It's obviously a precision-fitted razor.  The O rings however are just commercial pre-sized metric rings, although the difference in razors could well be dimensional variances of the sleeve or column (the column does have some sort of finish on it, so there is  likely some standoff tolerance built in to prevent it contacting the inner wall of the sleeve as it rotates and marring the finish - hence the O ring.

The Muramasa passaround box arrived at my house ahead of a snowstorm late last week and I've now had 3 excellent shaves with its contents. My first shave was a 3-pass shave after a 2-day pause in shaving. An initial pass at 4 followed by 2 passes at 2.5 was quite smooth and extremely comfortable. Yesterday's and today's shaves were 2-pass affairs set at 2.5. Although I'm feeling just a few whiskers 7 hours later, I still find myself checking out the results as I work at my desk.

All in all, the Muramasa works extremely well for me. There are a few nits that I could complain about but it would just be quibbling at best. I'm hoping to shave a few more times and then will send it off to the next recipient. I'll post with my conclusions after I'm through with my turn.

Received the Muramasa last week in good condition. Although the box was soaked, the contents were all in good shape. The razor itself is very well made and oozes quality. Everything from threading the handle on to adjusting the razor is very smooth and easy. The only part I will knock is the numbers are a little hard to see through the window.

I loaded a once used feather blade for the maiden shave. I had never used any of the included soaps before, so I decided to use a familiar one. I lathered up FLS Kituwah and started at setting "3" WTG. The razor was very smooth and had no blade feel. After my first pass there was a bit of stubble left, but impressively close for how smooth the razor was. I decided to max it out at "5" for my second XTG pass. There was quite a bit more blade feel and a drop in smoothness. All said and done I gave myself a weeper near my chin and had a little razor burn. All my own fault for not being familiar with the razor and pushing it too much, especially with a feather.

Second shave I decided to stay with the feather but drop the razor down to "3.5". For this shave I used Chicago Grooming Co "darkwing" tester. This shave was much better than the first, ending with a DFS after two passes and no irritation.

Third shave I popped in a new Gillette platinum, and finally went with one of the included soaps. The "terror" was out just due to how cold the weather has been the last few days, I didn't want to freeze my face off. Seville is a nice powdery barber shop that seemed inoffensive. At first smell, the bay rum smelled too spicy and didn't seem to be something I would like. But when smelling it again last night it seemed sweeter and almost had a bubble gum smell to it. A very pleasant take on bay rum. I decided to go with the Seville and save the bay rum for later. Seville lathered easily and made a thick gooey lather. I kept the razor on 3.5 again and had a wonderful shave. Barely any blade feel but efficient enough to give a DFS. Finished with no irritation and a smooth shave. Look forward to a few more shaves and trying out the rest of the B&M offerings!

My time with the Muramasa is up. For my last few shaves I stuck with the Gillette platinum and had close irritation free shaves. For experimentation I went up to 4.5 on one side and stayed at 3.5 on the other side. Slightly more blade feel resulting in a slightly closer shave on the 4.5 side. I think 3.5 is still my favorite setting. It has barely any blade feel and just gives a super smooth shave while still having enough efficiency to give a daily DFS. The guys over at Tatara know how to design a razor. The balance of the razor is perfect and it has just enough heft to cut through whiskers not needing any extra pressure. Thanks to Dan Law, Tatara, and B&M for sponsoring the passaround!

(Long) Midway review.  I’ve had the Muramasa a few weeks now and have used it I believe now 6 times.  I’m going to keep it another week or two because this is a fascinating razor and I keep wanting to try it out in new ways.  I don’t think I need to repeat here just how well made it is — it is an exceedingly well made precision instrument. The manner in which the bottom plate extends and retracts as the exposure changes is both creative and effective.  What makes the razor so fascinating is that it is (for me) strikingly different from any other razor I have tried. First, it just works.  It gives fantastic shaves.  But that’s true of other razors I have had.  With the Muramasa, however, it gives a great shave essentially effortlessly, with little to no blade feel or feedback. It is smooth and I feel as though I’m using a cartridge razor but getting a much better — that is to say a much closer — shave. It is a different kind of shave than I’m used to.  It’s a clean and effective shave but I almost miss the act of shaving itself and, for me, there’s an enjoyable respite each day when I choose my soap and my aftershave, and then spend about 15-20 minutes doing the shave which, I now realize, means, in part, feeling the shave.  It’s a bit of a ritual— both enjoyable and also slightly nervous as to whether I might (or not) nick myself even thought that has become rather rarer with time.  While I still can choose soap/aftershave, the sensation of feeling the shave is diminished given how little blade feel and sensation the Muramasa gives off over the range of settings.

Interestingly, what the Muramasa brings to my mind is a whiskey analogy. I love whiskeys of all sorts and have literally had hundreds from distilleries all over the world.  Japanese whiskeys, however, leave me a bit cold:  they are beautifully crafted, precisely blended, taste clean and are well-flavored. But (for me) they lack character.  For me, they provide little unique defining or interesting, different, taste sensations.  I much prefer whiskeys, most often scotches, that have nuance, levels of sometimes even sharp or differing tastes; scotches that are not just pleasant and “smooth” (a word whiskey anoraks hate) but provide a more pronounced and varied experience. So, too, with this razor: it works, and works damn well but there is a somewhat characterless shaving experience.  Or put another way, It doesn’t excite me, the way my other favorite razors do.  It just works but the experience isn’t as much fun.

Having said all that, I really might want to get one.  Why? Because it works so darned well!  Because there are days, like, today, when I have to rush through my shave and enjoying the experience is not foremost.  For that, this razor rocks.  I know I’m going to get a great shave and it will be easy to get there. 

Finally, so why am I keeping it a bit longer? Well, I keep trying it in different ways:  different blades, different settings, etc.  All striving to get the shave even better. At first, after reading the earlier accounts in this thread, I started with settings around 3 and using a Gillette Silver Blue blade.  The shaves were good but not as close as I would like. So, after two shaves with that, I then put in a sharper blade — a Bic platinum chrome.  Worked better but for the last two shaves, I opted to use the razor at higher settings, still using the Bic — 5 for the first pass, 4 for the second and third.  And it still gave a great, but closer, shave.  Still no irritation, no fear of nicks.  So, I intend to continue to up the aggressiveness and I also want to try a few other blades. 

My only complaint?  I find the handle a shorter than I would like…..


and here are a few photos of some of my SOTDs using the razor:

Second submission today. The previous one was about the razor. Now, the software. The B&M is, of course, and no surprise here, excellent. I have used the Bay Rum and the Seville and the shaves were top notch -- and I know that these aren't in B&M's new, praised base. If there is such a thing as an iconic artisanal soap, I think it's Seville. It is such a successful level of orange that I have been told it's perpetually a B&M best seller; but then I've heard that about....Bay Rum, too. In any event, Seville is a lovely scent. And as to B&M Bay Rum, it is certainly popular, too, but, for me, it's a bit soft and fruity -- orangey -- as Bay Rums go. Pleasant but not my favorite. And, then, there was Terror also included. I didn't try it because I dabbed on some of the aftershave and my skin just did not like it. Others probably love it but it's not for me.

So, huge huge thanks to B&M (and DanLaw ) for sharing the soaps and aftershaves. It is so appreciated. And, of course, thanks to Tatara for sharing the razor!

Finished my go with the Muramasa -- tried moving up to 5-6 range and it worked rather well but I think from 2.5 to 4 is this razor's sweet spot. Also tried Voskhod and Persona blades and I still like using a GSB or Gillette Yellow for this. In any event, this razor is elegant. From a design perspective, I makes nearly every traditional razor I've used, including adjustables, seem almost crude. The manner in which the gap and exposure change together is elegant and leads to smooth shaving at all levels of efficiency. After some more uses, I feel my viewpoint in post #28 borne out: it's elegant, it's smooth, it's effective, and efficient. Not necessarily exciting and with little blade feel, yet most certainly providing a great job shave. My complaint, as previously noted, is simply that the handle is shorter than I like. At 76 or 77mm and without a lot of heft, I find it lacking. In a 85 length, I might flip completely over a Muramasa! As is, I've been delighted and impressed and so glad to have the opportunity of trying this razor. SO VERY MANY thanks to Tatara, to B&M, and to DanLaw for being so generous for this pass-around.