The Dark Masamune 👺

[@royhadley686]

Lovely razors Mark, take care

[@FriendshipShaving]

Thank you, Roy. All the best to you, too.

[@moggridge1]

As civilisation grinds to a halt due to Covid-19 quarantines at least we can be sure Mark will still be here to provide interest and entertainment 👍😊 Just one question though. What was the slickness like on that soap, Mark? It wasn't quite clear to me. Are we talking Exxon Valdez scale? 😂 🚢

[@DerekJS82]

No sports on, at least we got Mark helping us out.

[@FriendshipShaving]

Exxon Valdez 😅 way more slippy than that! More slippy than Teflon Trump 😃 Perhaps I got a bit carried away. I'll keep you entertained fellas, as the postman doesn't deliver the death flu as well as letters and parcels. Cheers.

[@shanedm3396]

@@FriendshipShaving Teflon Trump. Literal LOL

[@leehaseley2164]

The all black was pretty sleek, but swapping in the plate from the Nodachi made it just pop! Great shave as always, Mark. Stay safe and healthy.

[@FriendshipShaving]

How do, Lee. You and your good wife stay safe too mate. I know that might be hard with your wife working in a school. It's a uncertain time for everyone. Cheers.

[@leehaseley2164]

@@FriendshipShaving cheers very much, mucker! We will do our best.

[@iswtwytv]

Milder razors seem to be making a bit of a comeback in the artisan/smaller-scale producer world. All to the good as far as I'm concerned, since we already have a bunch of aggressive models to choose from. I was just about to blurt out "Jackie Stewart" at the screen and then you said it😉

[@FriendshipShaving]

They do, don't they. I just shaved with the Nodachi which is more aggressive but it is very smooth indeed. I'm looking forward to next week's video. I beat you to the punch line! 🙂 I remember him well, from my childhood.

[@mikeh9701]

Hi Mark- Great shave and soap/razor review; thank you! Very nice presentation of this razor, especially the ability to change top caps for different levels of blade exposure. A difficult time around the globe, but please be safe and well, my friend! Sending best regards and best wishes, as always!

[@FriendshipShaving]

Hello again 😃 I hope you're doing okay, Mike. I suppose this virus will have affected you work wise, along with very many others. It's a terrible situation that appears as if it will get worse before it improves. Keep safe, my friend.

[@kevyshaves4109]

Great shave Mark. I love how you can mix the plates up on these razors to get different blade exposures etc. The black finish looks lovely but it looked super cool with the two tone top caps, really nice. All the best. Kevy 👍

[@FriendshipShaving]

Hi Kevy. I hope you and your family are all well during this uncertain time. I'm being spoiled - I've just recieved the open comb guard to try, from my friend Malcolm, and I still have the Nodachi to share on video. Happy days 😃😃

[@malcm4763]

Morning Mark, I'll get the O/C plate in the post tomorrow, have a great Sunday mate

[@FriendshipShaving]

😃😃👍👍👍

[@WhatSetsMeFree]

Great Shave Mark! 💈😉🤙🏼💈

[@FriendshipShaving]

Thank you buddy. Take care.

[@Oxford11883]

Lovely Mike 👍

[@FriendshipShaving]

My name is Mark.

[@bradleycred99]

Howdy from Texas, Mark! That Yaqi Brush is very nice and those razors look to be very well made from my foxhole. Have a great rest of your weekend and be well.

[@FriendshipShaving]

Howdy Bradley. I hope you and yours are keeping well. Have a good week.

[@davidanderson3425]

Thank you, Mark. Always a pleasure to watch your Friday shave. Sounded very windy outside during your recording. This is a new razor to me so thanks for the review. Same message to you about the virus. Keep safe!

[@FriendshipShaving]

Thank you, David. I am endeavouring to keep safe. I had to go to the chemist the other day for a prescription; there was a lady with a kid that coughed his way around the store. Aargh 😳 Run for your life! 🙂

[@IAMCDB]

Very nice Mark. Looks like a lovely razor.

[@FriendshipShaving]

Thank you, Chris. I'm just catching up with my comments here, sorry for the delayed response. I hope you and your family are keeping safe. All the best.

[@IAMCDB]

@@FriendshipShaving No problem at all, thanks Mark.

[@ArchonSG1]

I love my Tatara. For my daily Shaves, I usually stick to the Masamune Plate + Nodachi Cap configuration, it is as you say, very comfortable, very efficient for a daily shave. For shaves if I haven't shave for a while, I prefer the Nodachi Plate + Masamune Cap configuration. It is far much more comfortable with its very slight negative -0.03mm exposure compared to the default Nodachi's positive 0.13mm exposure. With a gap of 0.90m, and that minimal exposure makes it very, very efficient and yet far more comfortable then anything I have used. I could use this configuration for dailies of course but the other configuration is pretty much brainless in its use while the Nodachi Plate and Masamune cap still requires some care due to its gap.

[@FriendshipShaving]

Thank you, Steven. I won't write to much here, as we are talking on Facebook too but I'll just re-iterate that I'm really looking forward to trying the Nadachi plate with the Masamune head. I think it's going to be great 😃👍

[@biggusd534]

Mark, your videos are a calming balm to my soul. I don’t know anyone with a more soothing voice than yours! I currently watch your videos usually late at night while shaving, so I can end the day without feeling so obsessed and stressed about work. I got this exact same razor in the mail some days ago, went for the feather blade and maaaan, was it efficient. but also cut myself way too much to repeat that in the next few weeks :D

[@FriendshipShaving]

Thank you. Perhaps I should branch out into relaxation videos 😊 I have actually thought about it, as you are not the first to find my voice relaxing. Take care 👍

[@DE_Razor_Shaving]

Pretty nice razor. I like how you can mix and match thing's. 👍🏼

[@FriendshipShaving]

It's a canny idea, I think. Cheers.

[@DE_Razor_Shaving]

Friendship Shaving Fair enough.

[@Warren.I]

We've come full circle, Mark. I got a Tatara Masamune as direct result of a video last September in which a fellow subscriber explained to you why you got razor burn from a particular adjustable however low you set it. He noted that adjustables don't adjust blade exposure (or reveal, as he called it). After testing out his theory with shims, I decided to get a negative exposure razor and chose the T.M. I haven't used another razor since. I haven't even switched more than once or twice to the -0.10mm exposure open comb I got alongside the closed comb. I seem to be the only one on this thread who's content with the "-0.13mm setting." It's interesting to read the praise for their Nodachis because what they say is what I say to myself about my Masamune. Naturally I was interested in your reaction, particularly when you said in advance you'd be switching to neutral exposure after pass 1. I thought you'd simply complain about the Masamune's mildness, but what you said was much more substantive. You noted the temptation to overshave on the last pas. This is a great observation. It's one that only crept up on me. I found that passes 1 and 2 got me so close to BBS with zero irritation or nicks that I went to town on pass 3. It's then that I irritated myself. But I found a solution: ride the cap on the ATG pass. It gives, or at has given me, an efficient, "single stroke" pass for most spots and an ability to buff with little pressure and more impunity. In fact it became so much a part of my approach that I polished the cap just to improve glide. I'm happy with the result, but out of curiosity I'll try out the open comb for a few days just to see if I find an improvement. For me this is a walk on the wild side! By the way, Michael Freedberg used the T.M. in his last review. (The last for now, that is ;-).) In a real sense, you've taken the baton. Stay healthy, friend. Cheers!

[@FriendshipShaving]

Hi Warren. I had forgotten that information about the adjustable razors. I'll have to look into that again to remind myself; I don't remember having an issue with my Slim - I'll have to pull it out again. It's sometimes easy to forget that everybody has their own preference, but I do try to be as informative as possible, rather than just saying 'that's not for me'. That is good information about riding the cap and buffing, which I must admit, is not something I normally do. I'd quite like to try the open comb, it looks great 😃 I just had a shave with the Nodachi; it has more bite but it is an incredibly smooth razor. I didn't know Michael had recorded his last video! I'm surprised. I'm off to find it and wish him well. Cheers.

[@Warren.I]

it was the Rex Ambassador that was giving you razor burn, Mark, even on setting 1. The comment on blade exposure was from one "Wazzu Cougars." It caught my eye because at the time I'd been on a blood thinner for a few months and was ready to quit DE shaving: the usual run of nicks and weepers had become intolerable. To make matters worse, my go-to razors -- an AS-D2 and a Gillette Tech -- were famously mild. My problem isn't uncommon but it's hardly ever discussed online, so I was on my own. After reading Wazzu Cougars' comment I put a shim - a DE blade with the sharp edges snipped off -- into my AS-D2 ABOVE the working blade. That reduced blade exposure. (Compare holding an umbrella higher to keep an extra person dry.) The improvement was so dramatic that I set out to find the lowest exposure razor I could. Enter the Tatara Masamune. I bought both base plates because reviewers were saying the Masamune was too mild, which is probably part of what prompted Tatara to come out with the Nodachi. I don't regret the extra purchase, but it proved unnecessary. The closed comb has yet to present a problem I couldn't fix. I mentioned the ATG pass and polishing the cap. I also had to address a kind of squeegee effect that absolutely destroyed residual slickness. I made the lather wetter and used less pressure, which is hard to figure out with a recessed blade. It's gone so well that I've weaned myself from Astras and now routinely use sharper blades (though Astras do work). It's not perfect, but it's one thing to need alum, another to need styptic, and still another to need peroxide.On that scale, it's been great. To my surprise, my shaves are closer AND less carmine than ever. And I don't have to tell you this is a special razor. What the Tataras share are the tight tolerances, the vice grip construction, and the integral handle design. It's like shaving with a piece of solid steel that starts in a handle and ends in a sharp edge. A straight edge? No, more like a stainless steel clam shell. All of this makes me wonder how the Tataras compare with other razors using similar strategies: the Karve, the START, the Razorock Mamba, and a few others. To be honest, Mark, you're one of a few reviewers I'd commission for the task -- if I had the commission to offer. As promised, I used the open comb this morning, with a Feather on its fifth use and a Declaration Grooming bison soap. It definitely had more of an edge, but I'll have to give it a few more shaves to come to a view. If you're using the Nodachi around then I'll offer an update. Till then.

[@billydancy1730]

Take care Mark.

[@FriendshipShaving]

Thanks Billy. You too, mate. Full bio hazard suit on when you go out to buy toilet rolls 🙂

[@victormazzella5796]

Nice razor, thanks Mark.

[@FriendshipShaving]

Thanks Victor, take care mate.

[@viningscircle]

A lovely Friday The 13th to you Mark!

[@FriendshipShaving]

Thank you Spencer. Nothing bad happened 😃👍 I hope your day was good, my friend.

[@viningscircle]

All is well when we have our shaves my friend 😉👍

[@TheCrash212]

Great shave, Mark. Beautiful razors. I recently purchased the RazoRock Lupo S.S. razor and am extremely pleased with it. I've used up a Voskhod blade in it with near BBS shaves with no/very little irritation. I'm going to use a variety of blades in it to see if I still keep getting the great shaves. Have a safe, great and blessed weekend.

[@FriendshipShaving]

That's fantastic, Claude. I'm really pleased that you like you SS Lupo and it'll be fun testing out different blades in your new razor. Enjoy, my friend. I noticed you mentioned me to Chris, from IMCDB, the other week. Thank you, my friend. It was kind of you to follow so and Chris has watched a few of my videos. It's good to see Chris enjoying his shaves so much. All the very best to you, as always. Cheers.

[@franciscocribari]

I have the black Nodachi. It's my favorite razor. I like it even better than my brass Christopher Bradley. Notice that the optimal angle is 24 degrees and not the usual 30 degrees.

[@FriendshipShaving]

Thanks Francisco. I had forgotten about the 24 degrees. I shaved with the Nodachi yesterday, it was a terrific shave. Quite aggressive, for me, but incredibly smooth. The shave angle was very easy to find - I didn't have to think about it at all.

[@zachcain]

Was thinking, have you tried using basically no water to see if you get any type of lather at all? Puzzling why that soap is performing that way. I’ve never used it, mind you, but my curiosity has been peaked at the problem.

[@FriendshipShaving]

I haven't, yet. It obviously needs some water for the slickness to come through but it did seem to be a lot of soap for the minimal amount of water that I added. Perhaps that is just how that soap works. Did I mention it was slick 😅👍

[@TurreTuntematon]

Must have been a very windy day? You can hear the wind in the beginning as apparently the recorder is close to the window 😂

[@FriendshipShaving]

Mate, it was all quiet until I started recording and it all went slightly mental outside! As soon as I finished shaving the sun came out, for about five minutes 😅

[@pickinduck]

For my next brush I'm thinking about getting a Yaqi.

[@FriendshipShaving]

Hi mate. I think all the stuff from Yaqi seems to be very well made for a very good price. I do love that Yaqi Moka brush.

[@richardpoole5928]

Kevy of Kevy shaves reviewed the masamune razor.Is a good razor but very expensive.

[@FriendshipShaving]

Thanks Richard. I'll check that out 👍

[@pauledmonds4141]

Have the Silver Masamune which has pride of place in my collection. Never lets me down, Jackie Pallo of wrestling fame ?.

[@FriendshipShaving]

Jackie Pallo. Mate, that's a name from my early childhood. My favourite wrestlers were Mick McManus and Kendo Nagasaki 😃 I would say that Jackie, for a fellow, seems to be a name from the past. The Silver Masamune looks fabulous. It's a great razor.

[@blainehoopes2153]

I've got the Dark Masamune in Open Comb and it is a fair bit more efficient than the safety bar version. I'm really interested to try the Nodachi (or mix/match the two) but can't really justify buying a Nodachi when I'm getting such great shaves with the Open Comb Masamune 😀 I use a more shallow angle with my Masamune than what it looks like you're using in this video - I treat it almost like a Gillette tech as far as the shave angle. I notice there is Glycerine in that Gentleman's Nod shave soap - that's probably why it's so airy and full of bubbles.

[@FriendshipShaving]

Hi Blaine. It sounds like your getting a great shave with your open comb Masamune. I was glad to be able to borrow both razors. I gave up with Gentleman's Nod soap. It's been the only soap I tried that I couldn't get a lather that I was satisfied with and I think I had four nice sample pots. I loved the scents, too. I may try again, at some point. Cheers.

[@stevek4622]

👍

[@FriendshipShaving]

Cheers, Steve. Take care mate.

[@brooklynproduction]

Nice video ) As All we LOVE(c )

[@FriendshipShaving]

Thank you, my friend. 😃👍

[@brooklynproduction]

ur Welcome 😃👍

[@WolfRanger2008]

After all you are throwing around blades and razors...maybe it would not been far off the mark to say, "Jackie Chan"! :D

[@FriendshipShaving]

Yes mate - Jackie Chan! Good call. 😃 I watched one of his movies once, and I can't remember the name of it, where he jumped on top of a hot air balloon, while it was in the air, and came down the ropes into the basket, where he beat the baddy senseless. It was an actual stunt, rather than being computer generated. What a nutter.

[@vintagelife5195]

Batmans razor.

[@FriendshipShaving]

We need one for the boy wonder.

[@vintagelife5195]

Red and black?

[@FriendshipShaving]

I like it! 😃