Titanium Is it a good metal for Razors?

Im glad to read this thread.

I have been shaving with a Titanium razor , the Paradigm , but I haven't tried the Wolfman one.

Does the Titanium razor shaves better than the other aluminum , brass or stainless steel razors I own ? No , it doesnt
Does the Titanium razor offers the same close , enjoyable shaves than razors made of brass , aluminum or stainless steel ? Yes , it does.
Is it worth the price ? Then , we have another debate here.Do the Acqua di Parma shaving brush , the OneBlade razor or Santa Maria La Novella shaving cream are worth the asking price when we have more cheaper options which are as good ?

For some people , Titanium is not worth the price that is being asked for these days (well see when Italian Barber releases their Titanium razors) and for others would be their objects of desire.

But Im glad we are living on a time were we can buy great shaving razors for < 100 dollars (Colonel SE , Rockwell , Standard Razor etc) and others over 300.I didnt have those options back in 2009 when I started in shaving forums.

Im glad to read this thread.

I have been shaving with a Titanium razor , the Paradigm , but I haven't tried the Wolfman one.

Does the Titanium razor shaves better than the other aluminum , brass or stainless steel razors I own ? No , it doesnt
Does the Titanium razor offers the same close , enjoyable shaves than razors made of brass , aluminum or stainless steel ? Yes , it does.
Is it worth the price ? Then , we have another debate here.Do the Acqua di Parma shaving brush , the OneBlade razor or Santa Maria La Novella shaving cream are worth the asking price when we have more cheaper options which are as good ?

For some people , Titanium is not worth the price that is being asked for these days (well see when Italian Barber releases their Titanium razors) and for others would be their objects of desire.

But Im glad we are living on a time were we can buy great shaving razors for < 100 dollars (Colonel SE , Rockwell , Standard Razor etc) and others over 300.I didnt have those options back in 2009 when I started in shaving forums.

Your bank account is thankful that you didn't had those options in 2009 LOL.

Im glad to read this thread.

I have been shaving with a Titanium razor , the Paradigm , but I haven't tried the Wolfman one.

Does the Titanium razor shaves better than the other aluminum , brass or stainless steel razors I own ? No , it doesnt
Does the Titanium razor offers the same close , enjoyable shaves than razors made of brass , aluminum or stainless steel ? Yes , it does.
Is it worth the price ? Then , we have another debate here.Do the Acqua di Parma shaving brush , the OneBlade razor or Santa Maria La Novella shaving cream are worth the asking price when we have more cheaper options which are as good ?

For some people , Titanium is not worth the price that is being asked for these days (well see when Italian Barber releases their Titanium razors) and for others would be their objects of desire.

But Im glad we are living on a time were we can buy great shaving razors for < 100 dollars (Colonel SE , Rockwell , Standard Razor etc) and others over 300.I didnt have those options back in 2009 when I started in shaving forums.

Your bank account is thankful  that you didn't had those options in 2009 LOL.

Youre very right about that.And I didnt pay for this Paradigm either , as I mentioned on the thread.

I paid for a OneBlade v 2.0 (399 dollars , by the way , since I didnt discover the Amazon Prime offer on time) and sold it afterwards for 300.Was it worth it ? Well , not for me , when I even lost 100 bucks on it.But I was glad that I had the option (and money) to buy it.But these days , I dont think I will be spending that amount of money again on a razor , so I will have to pass on the 600 dollars Rocnel , which I know , wont shave me better than my cheaper razors.

That thread ended up being closed at the end, that's why I didn't even mentioned the Rocnel and Paradigm while I was teasing you above. Although your thread was closed here, on another forum it survived and we can read there how your shaves progress with it, hopefully you will review the Rocnel too.

I believe that we have at least established that regardless of the product, be it soap, brush, razor, bowl, etc. Price is for those who either can afford it or are willing to pay it. But the higher you pay for product generally does not mean a better shave. It is like anything else, you can drive from Los Angeles to San Francisco in a BMW 7 Series or a Ford Taurus. Both of them are going to get you there. It depends on what you are willing to pay for how it gets you there.

I personally enjoy using titanium hardware. I have a titanium BSB brush, which happens to be my personal favorite, and a couple of titanium razors/handles.

The thing that I enjoy about them is they're a nice middle ground between the heft of stainless and the ultra light aluminum. Plus you have the benefit of the strength of titanium in the case of accidental drops.

That said, my favorite razor thus far is my Pils 101NE which is a stainless razor. It's easily the smoothest razor I own, and if I had to choose a daily driver the Pils would be it.

I wouldn't say titanium is a must have. But it definitely has a place in the market in my opinion. Different strokes for different folks.

My curiosity was piqued after reading a member's review of a titanium razor on a now closed thread - yes titanium is a polarizing metal.  In any case I went to Wiki and learned all sorts of fascinating things about titanium.  My conclusion is that the use of titanium in safety razors is essentially a marketing ploy - its a vanity metal in that it is perceived to be rare, exotic and expensive thus enabling the producer to obtain premium pricing, (although Italian Barber is about to kick the underpinnings out from under that market.  Assuming they are able to produce their promised sub $100 titanium razor in sufficient quantities to meet demand.) From what I can see there is nothing about the strengths and weaknesses of titanium that makes it necessarily suited nor unsuited to making safety razors.  

Here is the Wiki link to Titanium - its very interesting

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titanium

Marko   I'll admit I just glanced over your link as I am on break here at work but I too was interested in this when I saw Chris Bailey reviewing the new Razorock Titanium handle and that he said it was Grade 2.  He said something like I don't know what grade 2 is but it seems fine me.  I just pulled up this site http://supraalloys.com/titanium-grades.php  IB notes on his website that it was Grade 2 but I guess I never checked into what other Grades of Titanium other handles/razors are made from.

Fascinating thread Marko and as such can't help but put my two cents in. I am not a machinist but know there are some on the site who are and expect them to weigh in shortly. I do run sales for a Mfg company that employs many machinists (or CNC jockeys) that do work stainless, aluminum, and titanium. I can assure you that added cost for working with titanium is well warranted. That said, you mentioned it was unnecessary and a vanity metal (which I think is a brilliant choice of words). I would agree that nobody needs a titanium razor and ought not expect one to shave better than the same razor in another metal. But it will state THANK GOODNESS WE DO NOT BUY ONLY WHAT WE NEED. If we did we would certainly not have the lifestyle we currently enjoy. If we all bought only the soaps we needed, most soapers would be out of business and we would have to learn to love that sweet lye soap Grandma boils up every fall. If some of us didn't keep enough blades around for shave-pocalyps we might all have a choice of just one blade (and with my luck it would be a Merkur blade). Our aftershave balm would be the bacon grease from mornings breakfast. (Which makes me think things.....things.....wonderful things). And none of us would have an iPad to write messages to DFS. I attend the SEMA show in Vegas every year and I'm dumbfounded walking acres of booths dedicated to selling amazing products that nobody in this whole world needs, but without which new technologies, designs, and luxuries never become mainstream. I would much rather live in a world of excess than scarcity and revel in my freedom to choose to spend my dollars for a totally unnecessary item..... or not. I'm too old to appeal to the ladies and too young for my handicap parking placard. Don't take my only joy, that of conspicuous consumption away from me!

Lipripper660 made a statement in his reply: THANK GOODNESS WE DO NOT BUY ONLY WHAT WE NEED. There is a mall near me that has a store with stuff you can't imagine. On the front door the sign reads "EVERYTHING YOU WANT AND NOTHING YOU NEED". We are all guilty of wanting things that we don't need but really want. Lipripper660 I agree with you.

My curiosity was piqued after reading a member's review of a titanium razor on a now closed thread - yes titanium is a polarizing metal.  In any case I went to Wiki and learned all sorts of fascinating things about titanium.  My conclusion is that the use of titanium in safety razors is essentially a marketing ploy - its a vanity metal in that it is perceived to be rare, exotic and expensive thus enabling the producer to obtain premium pricing, (although Italian Barber is about to kick the underpinnings out from under that market.  Assuming they are able to produce their promised sub $100 titanium razor in sufficient quantities to meet demand.) From what I can see there is nothing about the strengths and weaknesses of titanium that makes it necessarily suited nor unsuited to making safety razors.  

Here is the Wiki link to Titanium - its very interesting

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titanium

Marko   I'll admit I just glanced over your link as I am on break here at work but I too was interested in this when I saw Chris Bailey reviewing the new Razorock Titanium handle and that he said it was Grade 2.  He said something like I don't know what grade 2 is but it seems fine me.  I just pulled up this site http://supraalloys.com/titanium-grades.php  IB notes on his website that it was Grade 2 but I guess I never checked into what other Grades of Titanium other handles/razors are made from.

I also find this subject fascinating, today after noticing that IB had sold a grade 2 titanium handle (which I bought BTW)- grade 2 titanium is one of 4 grades of commercially pure titanium and the grade best suited to making razors. I had to go a step further from yesterday's wiki search and look at titanium alloys
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titanium_alloy
Again, I'm amazed at the diversity of applications for titanium and its alloys . My son is currently studying mining engineering (I'm jealous) and one of his profs likes to say "if it cannot be grown, it must be mined" to illustrate the importance of mineral resources and human ingenuity in the extraction and processing thereof. Its amazing what you can pull out of the ground. It is what gives us the lifestyle we currently enjoy.

I'm enjoying this thread and acknowledge that its an individual's right to buy, use and enjoy whatever products they choose in whatever metal they desire (subject to legality of course). I'd be interested in a razor made from titanium alloyed with palladium because I enjoy saying palladium almost as much as I enjoy saying titanium