rbscebu
Mr. Strop
There are two main manufacturers of traditional straight razors in East Asia; Ningbo Gold Dollar Razor & Scissors Manufacturing Co. Ltd. (aka Gold Dollar) and Guangzhou Suijia Eco-Technologies Co. Ltd. (aka Titan). This post is about Titan. Titan straight razors are available on Alibaba and AliExpress. Like Gold Dollar, Titan manufacture other straight razors for "competition" vendors who re-badge them and sell them for a higher price.
Living in the Philippines at the time I was looking into traditional straight razor (SR) shaving, there were none available in the Philippines and the only source available was through Lazada. Lazada had Gold Dollars, Titans and some other razor shaped objects (RSO). After foolishly purchasing a RSO, I was then looking at either a Gold Dollar 66 or a Titan ACRM-2. Although three times the price, I settled on the Titan (about USD20 in 2019) as I prefer the timber scales. After I taught myself to hone and SR shave I purchased a few (many) more Titan razors covering all their models. Once I had moved back to Australia I was able to branch out and try many other different SRs.
Titan started manufacturing SRs in Korea (then ruled by Japan) in 1918. In about 1940 Titan moved their manufacturing to Yilan on the island of Formosa (then also ruled by Japan). Historically Their SR manufacturing has remained in Yilan ever since. (In about 1946, Titan moved their scissor manufacturing to Guangzhou in China.)
Since moving to Yilan, Titan have sourced all their SR steel blanks from Japan. In Yilan, Titan stamp the blanks to their desired shape, grind and finish off to saleable products. From Yilan their finished SRs go to Tai Wai in Hong Kong where they are marketed to their main market China and the rest of the world.
Titan manufacture four models of SRs. They are (generally in order of price);
ACRM-2 T.H.60
Living in the Philippines at the time I was looking into traditional straight razor (SR) shaving, there were none available in the Philippines and the only source available was through Lazada. Lazada had Gold Dollars, Titans and some other razor shaped objects (RSO). After foolishly purchasing a RSO, I was then looking at either a Gold Dollar 66 or a Titan ACRM-2. Although three times the price, I settled on the Titan (about USD20 in 2019) as I prefer the timber scales. After I taught myself to hone and SR shave I purchased a few (many) more Titan razors covering all their models. Once I had moved back to Australia I was able to branch out and try many other different SRs.
Titan started manufacturing SRs in Korea (then ruled by Japan) in 1918. In about 1940 Titan moved their manufacturing to Yilan on the island of Formosa (then also ruled by Japan). Historically Their SR manufacturing has remained in Yilan ever since. (In about 1946, Titan moved their scissor manufacturing to Guangzhou in China.)
Since moving to Yilan, Titan have sourced all their SR steel blanks from Japan. In Yilan, Titan stamp the blanks to their desired shape, grind and finish off to saleable products. From Yilan their finished SRs go to Tai Wai in Hong Kong where they are marketed to their main market China and the rest of the world.
Titan manufacture four models of SRs. They are (generally in order of price);
- ACRM-2 T.H.60 (cheapest)
- VG-10HZ T.H.63
- ACRO T.H.64
- ACRO T.H-70 (most expensive)
ACRM-2 T.H.60
The Titan ACRM-2 T.H.60 SRs are of high carbon steel. They are Titan's cheapest and most popular model. Originally this model was supplied with a blade bevel angle of 18° to 19° or even a bit higher. Since their 2022 batch, they have reduced the blade's bevel angle to about 17°. This made the razor less forgiving but improved the edge's keenness. They are reasonably easy to hone, shave well and are a good SR for those starting out on their SR journey.
VG-10HZ T.H.63
The Titan VG-10HZ T.H.63 was their first stainless steel blade SR. Initially this SR was very popular as it was one of the first stainless steel SRs readily available in China. Being a VG10 type stainless steel its popularity waned as users found that a good knife steel does not necessarily make for a good SR blade. In honing these SRs, I have found them to be rather "chippy", good for knives and scalpels but nut for SRs. I would not recommend this model unless you just must have a stainless steel blade and your budget is limited.
ACRO T.H.64
After the "failure" of their VG-10HZ stainless steel, Titan got together with an artisan steel manufacturer in Japan and together they developed their ACRO stainless steel. This stainless steel has a finer grain structure and better inter-granular bonding. A much better steel for SRs. The ACRO T.H.64 is a harder steel and thus requires more effort (not pressure) to hone. It is also Titan's heaviest SR. Once properly honed, the blade retains its edge for longer than their high carbon steel SRs. These razors are more suitable for a SR shaver who has perfected his basic honing technique.
ACRO T.H-70
The ASCRO T.H.70 is Titan's top-of-the-line SR (and their most expensive). Together with their ACRO T.H.64, this razor was produced to mark the company's centenary of SR manufacturing. The steel in this razor's blade is HARD, probably the hardest I have ever had to hone. It has taken me many honing sessions (over 20) to develop the correct feeling to hone this SR to a decent shave-ready condition. Honing one is not for the faint of heart. I would not recommend this SR to anyone unless they are prepared to put in the work to learn how to hone them. Once properly honed, the ACRO T.H-70 is a very good and forgiving razor that holds its edge for what appears like forever.
Any questions, just ask in this thread and I will endeavour to answer them to the best of my ability.