Thread: A Tip For Someone Buying Their First Kamisori

As I've been shaving exclusively with Kamisori style razors for over two years now and I thought I'd pass along an observation. If this is your first Kami, whether traditional Japanese style or Western style, I would gravitate toward one that has a tacky handle. By this I mean that Japanese kami's often have an unwrapped, plain metal tang (handle) and many Westerns have either unwrapped metal or rubber or even a polished wood handle.

I would avoid these for a newbie simply because soap is slippery and (if you use) razor oil is even slicker. I would recommend a Japanese kami with a rattan or cord-wrapped handle and similarly a cord or cloth-wrapped Western. You will appreciate the control that having a tacky handle gives you when you are first figuring out the nuances of shaving without some scales to be able to grip between your fingers.

Cheers!