The stainless steel razor has been the working horse of the DE world of shaving for many years. There can’t be much wrong with being the work horse as there are some might fine razors included in their numbers; if you cannot find a razor from the many brands and models on offer then you are very hard to please.
Enter a new manufacturer using a substitute manufacturing metal to stainless steel; the Paradigm Shaveware branded razor manufactured in titanium. This is not the first titanium razor nor will it be the last but before looking at the razor lets have a quick look at the material used in the manufacture of this razor. Titanium is more expensive to purchase than stainless steel, extremely strong, stain resistant and with a weight that sits around half way between that of steel and aluminium should be a great material for making a razor. The difficult part has been that machining titanium is not an easy task but with titanium’s obvious benefits to the motor racing industry, medical and other industries where its inherent properties are utilized more and more titanium is being regularly machined. Machinists have been working with and developing methods of machining titanium so it is not the challenging to work with material that it once was. For the majority of manufacturer though, it is still one hell of a lot easier to work with one of the various grades of stainless steel, brass, bronze or aluminium etc and that is why these metals are still very popular with manufacturers and will continue to be.
The Paradigm razor comes in what can only be described as an adequate cardboard box, packed in what looks like a shredded cardboard type material that does a good job to protect the contents. The distinctive titanium colour of the Paradigm stands out as soon as you have the razor in hand; the other standout feature is the noticeable weight reduction over the stainless steel variant. There is no manufacturer name or markings etched or engraved onto any part of the razor, a point I would like to see changed.
The cap is nothing special to look at and is very similar to a many other brands. There are two long blade mount blocks that secure the blade firmly and in proper alignment. Simple, easy and very effective. When fitted up, the visible protrusion length of the blade is 1.58mm with no end protrusion. The machining on the base plate is intricate and is especially well done with fine tolerances. It is a mastery of machining with one long channel the whole length of the base plate for the cap to fit neatly into. No machining marks are visible.
The jewel in the crown of this razor is the handle. At around 90mm long, it is what I consider to be the ideal length. The end of the handle is round but at 7mm from the end transforms into a hexagonal form that tapers towards the threaded end before returning to round. There are no sharp edges on the hexagonal section; nicely rounded edges with each of the flats having a series of chevrons along its length. I checked that the thread form in the handle was the standard 5mm x .08 and can report that it is. The smoothness of the cap screwing into the handle is just so smooth and with very little play, like it had just been lubricated. An observation here is that when screwing down the handle, the thread could be felt tightening but seemed to take a lot longer than other razors before becoming firm. Conversely, when unscrewing the handle the initial release was very firm; I would go so far as to suggest that the hexagonal form on the handle may have been a design factor to allow more purchase on the handle to crack the initial lockup. A question I often see - is the handle slippery? I never found any problem but then again I never have a problem even with a round bone handle or polished stainless steel handle. As an old fitter and turner I would never try to use a screwdriver with oil on my hands so why would I try to shave with soap (lubricant) on my hands while wielding a sharp blade and trying not to lacerate my undeniable good looks. A simple rinse of the hands under the tap, a quick wipe before picking up the razor and no problems.
I loaded the Lapas blade into the razor, done my lather and stepped forward to tame or be tamed. What had threatened to be a little snarly but not quite a man eater was in fact a real gem. Nothing to worry about, on the mild side of aggressive but oh so smooth and it just sings like a bird. My guesstimation is that the aggression is very similar to the ATT Kronos R1. I was probably concentrating on my shave rather than the tool but did not notice any difference in weights between a stainless steel razor and the titanium razor while the Paradigm was being used. When the Feather blade was fitted, it felt very similar to the Lapas but I generally find the performance from those two blades so very similar anyhow. Blade rash is not something that I am bothered by generally so I am not a good judge here. All I can say is that I did not experience any signs of rash from this razor.
The biggest problem that I have with the razor is the name. How do you say Paradigm? I’ve made the ‘g’ silent so I can call it something. Probably 100% wrong but what a stupid name for a razor anyhow. Maybe call it a PST - but that sounds like a medical complaint.
This razor is defiantly a standout, just the dull titanium colour alone separates it from every stainless steel razor; it is nicely balanced and not too heavy while the quality of the machining and the finish is exemplary. The razor is expensive and at this time there are only fifty released so it is rather exclusive. I’m sure I can get the same quality of shave from a less expensive razor, but!
