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Another creation
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  1. twhite
    Ryan

    I found I preferred 3 on the setting. I like blade feel

    On the magnets. I found some that I can use with my existing design. I will only need to grind the ID larger to accommodate the clearance for the thread. I think I will buy some and give it a go. If it does not work nothing lost.

    As for the crusty springs. It is soap scum I think. Unfortunately I could not source SS springs to my liking. I went with plated springs. Not what I wanted, but for a prototype they will work.

    If the magnets work it is a never fail design. This is my favorite razor that I have made to date. I really need to look into getting these produced on a small scale. I am very Leary of doing a business. I do not have what it takes. I am a tinkerer by nature.
    Jim99, Jayaruh, Edison Carter and 3 others like this.
  2. PLANofMAN
    Inside diameter of the handle or the magnet? Neodium magnets are notoriously brittle. Another possibility is incorporating them into the centering pins on the head, which would give you more flexibility on the magnet size, but would double the number of magnets used.

    Either way, sign me up for one when you do decide to make the razors.
    Jim99, Edison Carter and GAW9576 like this.
  3. twhite
    Inside of magnet. I Have dealt with having to cut magnets before. I have a small ID grinding attachment for the lathe. I was planning on doing that. If I do make them. I would have the correct magnets made.
    Jim99, PLANofMAN, Edison Carter and 2 others like this.
  4. GAW9576
    Mine was a knockoff of a 4Nine mods by Tarsius. It was given to me I don't tend to buy knockoffs. It was had an all copper body and used an 18650 battery. Other than the stock magnets being a bit week making the button a little crunchy it was pretty nice. As I said once I upgraded the magnets it was even better.

    @twhite a lot of magnets ive seen are coated will enlarging the center whole and removing the coating cause potential corrosion issues? Or can you recoat it after the work is done.
    I really like the Idea of the magnets.
    Edison Carter likes this.
  5. twhite
    I would coat what I cut with some enamel paint.
    GAW9576 likes this.
  6. jgreenepa
    Ryan;
    As one of the previous 5, I can only say that the Brass Model is gangbusters! It shaved beautifully for me as well. I won’t say any thing more, but I’m looking forward to reading your continuing reviews.
    Edison Carter, GAW9576, twhite and 1 other person like this.
  7. PLANofMAN
    Day 3. Setting 1.5.

    I think 1.5 is my preferred setting with this razor. I still get blade feel, but not any sense of 'skin cutting' potential.

    I'm sold on the weight. I think there is an untapped market for 'sledgehammer' razor builds. What I'm less sure about is the width of the handle. Dialing it back just a tad would make the razor look more proportionally aesthetically pleasing. On the other hand, the size of the handle is one of the bigger (pun intended) talking points of this razor, as well as making it instantly identifiable. We'll call the handle issue a wash.

    I am a fan of the vertical groove grips (aka corduroy) on the handles. From a design standpoint, it's one of the better non-slip handle treatments. It's used to good effect on this razor, as well as the Blackland Blackbird and the original 1st generation Shake Sharp.

    Still very happy with the shaves I'm getting from this razor.

    Switching back to the Aluminum version tomorrow to test out the higher settings. I'm hoping the lighter weight will offset some of the increased edge exposure.
    ischiapp, Jim99, jgreenepa and 5 others like this.
  8. Jayaruh
    Corduroy handle. I like that.
    jgreenepa, Edison Carter, GAW9576 and 1 other person like this.
  9. PLANofMAN
    There's probably a proper name for it, like "greco-roman column groovature," but all I could think of was corduroy wales. Lol

    Edit: Looked it up. The proper term is "fluted."

    I knew that. *facepalm*
    jgreenepa, hins2jw0, Edison Carter and 1 other person like this.
  10. PLANofMAN
    I've decided to put off today's shave until this evening.

    There is one thing that's been bugging me.

    The outer teeth are very thin, compared to the inner teeth. Not sure if that's a stylistic or artistic choice, but from a practical viewpoint, the outer teeth should be the thickest on the razor, as they are the most prone to drop damage. Something to consider on future versions of these razors.
    Edison Carter, GAW9576, jgreenepa and 1 other person like this.
  11. PLANofMAN
    Changed my mind again and shaved this morning instead of this evening. Setting 6 on the Alumi-TAR.

    As expected, the aluminum razor performed better on it's second outing. In fact, it went so well I decided to crank the brass TAR to 6 and give that a try as well.

    ...that lasted for half a pass. And yes, I now have razor burn on that spot.

    Finished the shave with the aluminum TAR. Had to go back and do a second pass on my neck, as the first pass left stubble.

    For me, at least, a heavy mild razor is a more efficient shaver than a light aggressive razor. The actual shave feel between the brass @ 1.5 and the aluminum @ 6 is about the same.

    I should note that I was riding the cap on the aluminum razor, whereas I just used the natural shave angle on the brass razor. Most likely I used the same shave angle on both razors, but I didn't pay any attention to it when using the brass razor on previous shaves.
    Jim99, Edison Carter, Jayaruh and 3 others like this.
  12. PLANofMAN
    Today's shave was just for fun. Switched out one variable, the KmF shaving cream, and choose to go with Saponifico Verisino's Felce Aromatica instead.

    Brass TAR, setting 1. Fifth shave with the Astra SP blade. No tugging or other indications that the blade is slowing down, but I did have to do a second pass on the neck.

    For my final shave tomorrow, I'll change out the blade for a feather instead. To say I've enjoyed my time with these razors is a gross understatement! Thank you Tom for letting us try these.
    Jim99, Edison Carter, GAW9576 and 2 others like this.
  13. PLANofMAN
    It's rather aggressive with a feather. Brass razor, dialed down to 1, BBS shave, three weepers despite my best efforts.

    I shall miss this razor.

    Some final observations on the brass version. At the end of my time with these, I was starting to develop razor fatigue. Some of this is due to the weight, but I think part of it is due to the balance point. In it's current incarnation, the balance point is approximately an inch below the head. Just about all DE razors have a balance point just below the head, down to about a quarter inch below the head. This makes them 'head heavy,' and lets the razor's weight do much of the work of shaving. The TAR is 'handle heavy,' which would usually be a bad thing. In this case, the overall weight of the razor offsets any disadvantage.

    Thinner handle walls or a narrower handle would resolve this. I almost typed "resolve this issue." I'm not convinced it is an issue. It might only be an issue to me. I'd not use it as a daily driver as it currently is, but I would certainly take it out for the occasional shave.

    Despite my criticisms, this is the most fun I've had with a razor in quite some time, and it was very exciting to shave with a razor that incorporates so many untraditional design elements. I'm not sure I would be as patient as Tom has been with me if somebody nitpicked my razor design to death. :)
    Jim99, joshsmith, Edison Carter and 3 others like this.
  14. twhite
    Ryan

    I truly appreciate nitpicking as you say. I can only improve if I am made aware of issues. If I ever make more, they will have improvements to them. Size the handle down to 9/16” instead of 5/8”. Make the threads on the head much shorter so it can be machined in a single piece. It is a pain to get the stud lined up perpendicular to cap. Make the numbers on a ring so it can easily be adjusted. Having to assemble the razor and mark where everything needs to be is very inefficient. Get stainless springs at minimum. Maybe try the magnets. ( I really like that idea.

    These are a few off the top of my head.

    Thank you everybody who is testing.

    Tom
    joshsmith, Edison Carter, PLANofMAN and 3 others like this.
  15. hins2jw0
    Tom's creations were waiting for me late last night at my house in PA. Thanks to Ryan for the tight packaging.

    I'm seriously looking forward to the shave tonight... Maybe I'll try one on each side of my face / neck . Arko maybe?? I'll draft some thoughts after my shave tonight.

    Sent from my LYA-L29 using Tapatalk
    PLANofMAN, Jim99, Edison Carter and 3 others like this.
  16. jgreenepa
    Have fun!
    brit, Edison Carter, GAW9576 and 1 other person like this.
  17. hins2jw0
    May 1st SOTN

    A very intriguing first shave with both of Tom's adjustable razors - Brass-TAR and Alumi-TAR. I chose Arko as it's a great soap - easy to obtain bountiful slick lather and usually provides great lubrication for me.

    Two fresh Personna platinums for the maiden voyage - L face Brass-TAR, R face Alumi-TAR. Based on previous observations, I set the Alumi-TAR at 4.5 and the Brass-TAR at 3.5 and off we went.

    I traditionally do a 3 pass shave followed by minimal touch up buffing. With new adjustable razors I usually slowly adjust down as I go with subsequent passes with my last pass ending against the grain if I feel comfortable - today was no different.

    My shave ended with the Brass-TAR at 2 and the Alumi-TAR at 3. In all honesty I think I'll call it a tie as far as overall shave grading - I'll say DFS on both sides with only minimal more alum tingle on the Brass-TAR side but not uncomfortable by any means.

    I do believe that the Brass-TAR is slightly more efficient overall but this is most likely related to the difference in weight. I also gave a slight "edge" (see what I did there ) in smoothness to the Brass-TAR; however I could see that some may feel slightly overwhelmed with its weight.

    I caught myself being more cautious with the Brass-TAR and by the end of the shave was taking off the whiskers much faster with the Alumi-TAR. It just felt "easier to weild" - I was a little less concerned that I was going to really whack myself . This would probably not be an issue with more shaves under my belt but worthy to bring up at the beginning.

    Overall, truly wonderful shaves from both shaving instruments. My last observation that I want to make before bed is regarding the materials... My limited experience with aluminum razors has usually left me . I've had more frequent "rougher" shaves when comparing a couple aluminum razors to stainless steel or brass counterparts. I just feel that the top cap is slightly more abrasive on my sensitive skin maybe?? I'll see if future shaves comparing these guys strengthens or weakens those previous observations.

    At some point I definitely want to see what happens with the Brass-TAR cap on the Alumi-TAR... I think someone else tried it. I will as well before my week is up.

    I apologize for my rambling... Tired and have to be up early in the AM. Off to bed I go. I can't wait for tomorrow's shave.

    Josh IMG_20200501_224949.jpg

    Sent from my LYA-L29 using Tapatalk
    ischiapp, PLANofMAN, Jim99 and 4 others like this.
  18. Edison Carter
    Great shave.
    Great writing.
    Lousy photo........... It makes me miss em!.......... Sooooo much

    :sad023:
    GAW9576 likes this.
  19. jgreenepa
    Good summary! I look forward to following your shave journey with both razors!
    Edison Carter and GAW9576 like this.
  20. PLANofMAN
    Someone made a box for them, but didn't make it small flat rate box friendly. They fit well enough in separate pieces, and I figured it would save everybody some money. Please include the wood box when you send it on. :)
    Edison Carter and hins2jw0 like this.
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