Tradere razor head - first impressions

Discussion in 'Safety Razors' started by Etoyoc, May 12, 2012.

  1. Etoyoc

    Etoyoc Backwards

    Edit: as this razor head is just coming out, many of you haven't heard about it. It is a stainless steel razor being made in the U.S.A. It is/will be sold at Bullgoose shaving and West coast shaving. I have no affiliation with the company, I just happened to get in on the pre-purchase and managed to receive mine in the first batch.

    Tradere website: http://www.tradererazors.com/Tradere_Open_Comb_Razor.html



    My tradere head arrived yesterday, so this morning was the first shave with the combined head/handle combo for me.

    Unfortunately, it was not the best day to do an initial shave test as there were many variables changed. Instead of shaving in peace and silence at 4:30, I slept in and was shaving in noise and distractions with wife/daughter coming up to ask/tell/report on things so I was distracted. I was in a hurry, and to top that off, my lather wasn't the best, so anything about the shave quality needs to be taken with a grain of salt.

    Anyway...
    • It is a nice heavy razor. It is certainly easy to let the weight of the razor do all the work. Loaded with blade it shows up on my scale as 123 g (about 4.34 oz).
    • The tabs to hold the blade in place was on the cap, unlike the iKon H2O that has them on the base.
    • The tabs were longer and thicker than the iKon.
    • I found it much easier to load a blade in the Tradere than the iKon. The tabs held the blade securely in the cap. The blade seated well without any opportunity to wiggle or be less than lock down straight when the head was screwed down.
    • The curvature on the side of the head was less pronounced than the iKon. It fit my thick fingers better, and I liked the grip lines in the inset curve.
    • The grip was great - no worries about the handle. I have been using the handle for a while and it is a champ!
    • The balance was great. I have had heavy razors where the upstroke was a mess and the balance just wasn't there. I didn't have to think about grip or balance, it just worked.
    • Acoustics? I didn't notice, people were talking to me. I will have to have a good listen next time.
    • Aggressiveness? Well, I got a few tiny microweepers, I didn't feel anything but there were red dots. I don't usually get myself like that anymore, so either the razor is a touch aggressive, my lather was poor, or I wasn't paying attention. As we already established that my lather wasn't 100% and I was distracted, I don't know that I know anything about the aggressiveness of this razor yet.
    • Shave quality - some of my trouble spots are BBS (yay!), but on the other hand, some of my normally BBS spots were not (huh?). Dunno... but I had non-stop chatter the entire shave and by the end of the shave was not paying attention.
    Edit: Here are some pics that I just quickly snapped with my crud'n'shoot. Sorry the quality isn't the best, the razor is much better than it looks.

    [​IMG]

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    Mechguy, tomnat, Conrad1959 and 2 others like this.
  2. Neolithium

    Neolithium I am Canadian, eh

    I just happened to take a peek since I've never heard of Tradere. They look very well made and little pieces of artwork (I'm assuming you may as well call it that due to the price tag) I have to say they seem a little more classic design than iKon razors. Now if only I could bring myself to spend $150 on a razor that wasn't a straight...
     
    alpla444 likes this.
  3. Slipperyjoe

    Slipperyjoe Rusty Metal Tetanus

    Thanks for posting. 125g..boy that sure is one heavy hammer! Might turn out an interesting company this Tradere...
     
  4. alpla444

    alpla444 That's sweet!

    Yeah I just had a look at them online as I had never heard of them either. That is one nice looking razor:cool:
     
  5. Etoyoc

    Etoyoc Backwards

    Yeah, well I got in on the purchase of the razor early and purchased the handle before they were produced. I was looking to get a new stainless handle. And they had an offer on some of the forums to get the first batch of handles rolling. When the handles were in and the offer then came up to do the same initial pre-purchase at a discount for the head, I sold off some things that I wasn't using in order to pick up the head. So it didn't feel like I was spending $150 for the razor. My bank account never took a hit. I certainly prefer it to the $150 iKon that was a gift from my wife. At $150 I don't think I would have purchased the iKon for myself.

    The first batch of heads were just finished and sent out. I happened to be lucky enough to get mine in the first batch.

    http://www.tradererazors.com/
     
  6. Etoyoc

    Etoyoc Backwards

    The first batch was just released, so most people haven't heard of them. I should probably add some pictures to the thread...
     
    alpla444 likes this.
  7. Etoyoc

    Etoyoc Backwards

    Oh.. for those slant lovers... the scuttlebut on other forums is that Tradere is willing to try their hands on a slant, maybe even OC slant for their next model...
     
  8. GDCarrington

    GDCarrington Burma Shave

    Nioe looking razor and a good review.
     
  9. IAmTheJody

    IAmTheJody Gillette-i Master Staff Member

    Excellent post Justin. It looks nice. I especially like the flare-tip handle reminiscent of the old 1914 Gillette Aristocrat stems. If they'd put a magnet in it like another custom handle maker does in his, I'd consider at least buying a handle from them. As for the head, if it's not on par, in terms of shave, with the Muhle 2011 R41, I'll pass.

    I wonder if I'd get a discount if I told them I didn't want that huge, generic case... overkill... looks like they bought up a bunch of handgun cases, slapped a label on the lid, and cut some foam squares for the inside.
     
    alpla444 likes this.
  10. lindyhopper66

    lindyhopper66 Well-Known Member

    Please give us an update when you aren't distracted. I plan on buying one.
     
  11. huck1680

    huck1680 Great Northern CanUkrainian

    After looking at your pics and a good review under duress I'm really looking forward to getting mine.
     
  12. battle.munky

    battle.munky Has the menthol.munky on his back!

    Looks well made, but I'm with Jody, if it isn't on par with the shave the 2011 R41 gives, I'll just have to wait until that OC slant comes out :signs002:
     
  13. Rob72

    Rob72 Member

    The case is sized (per Tradere) to hold 2 complete razors(and perhaps an extra head, OC/CC/Slant, perhaps?) Every piece of the package is made in the USA. For all SS, US-made, I'm glad to sell off a couple of other toys.:cool:
     
    GDCarrington likes this.
  14. Rob72

    Rob72 Member

    I would encourage you, bro.:) I'm pretty confirmed in my SEs and straights, by now, but I received my Tradere last night.

    May have been a tad ambitious, as I also tried a feather for the first time, and a moment of inattention left me with a nick on the chin. Barring that, I do believe I had the best DE shave I've ever experienced.

    Baseline razors (in no particular order of preference):
    Tradere handle with '31 Goodwill or Stahly head
    Senator
    Valet (VC-4, VB-1, VC2)
    Fatboy
    Wilkinson Sword Strong Beard
    Lather catcher variants

    Of the above, the Wilki is probably my "gold-standard", and the Tradere/Feather combo was very, very close.
     
    tomnat and lindyhopper66 like this.
  15. Luteplayers

    Luteplayers Well-Known Member

    I like the looks of that handle. I see they have the Slant on the site as coming this year. I am on a slant kick right now. Just got a new Merkur 39C for the longer handle than my vintage 37C, but I will definitely be getting a Tradere Slant when they appear. Maybe just the head if it ends up being a 3 piece. Then I could justify getting a UFO handle for it.
     
  16. MikekiM

    MikekiM Well-Known Member

    I don't see a lot of chatter on the Tradere here, so I'll offer my thoughts. I have two OC's, and have a week long loaner SB for comparison. The OC had two generations, I have one of each. The SB only one iteration. I'll report that the SB is more aggressive than the second generation OC. The OC is the smoothest OC I have used.. it toppled the Gen II iKon Deluxe from that pedestal. The SB and I didn't get along. I haven't shaved with the Gen I OC yet..I bought primarily because it's SN #12 and my B-Day is 12/12.. But I suspect the Gen I is going to be more aggressive than the Gen II.

    This bad-boys are a work of functional art. Beautifully made, solid, secure grip. Not too heavy nor too light. Extremely well balanced. That said, in a no-holds-barred shoutout, the Weber DLC beat the Tradere on all counts..
     
    fl_guy likes this.
  17. shaveslave

    shaveslave Member

    very interesting; here's my impressions-i've used the tradere sb 3 times paired with a gillette super plat black from india and i've used the weber dlc a great many times paired with many different blades (gillette spoiler, super plat black, super plat blue, blue extra, paltinum from spain). i found the tradere sb to be very mild in the same class as a gillette tech-even with a three pass shave i still has stubble; i was going to try the current oc but if the oc is milder than the sb i don't see the point in giving it a go. i would say the weber gave me closer shaves than the tradere sb, but the tradere was a smoother, albeit milder, shaver.
     
  18. PLANofMAN

    PLANofMAN Eccentric Razor Collector Staff Member

    Moderator Article Team
    That's interesting, another member on here did try the OC. Read about it here: http://theshaveden.com/forums/threa...open-comb-founders-tradere-pass-around.29381/ From what I understand, he found it to be one of the most aggressive razors sold today.
     
  19. Etoyoc

    Etoyoc Backwards

    Huh... how odd to find this topic active when I return from months of absence. I would agree the OC is a bit aggressive. I don't think it is the most aggressive made today. I never used mine much because of the aggression levels. It has been sadly neglected since a few weeks since my first post.
     
  20. PLANofMAN

    PLANofMAN Eccentric Razor Collector Staff Member

    Moderator Article Team
    Welcome back!
     

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