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Blackbird?
- Thread starter Spider
- Start date
Named after the SR-71...I see why you are interested! It's about the same price as a Timeless...I am interested to see what others have to say.
Definitely a beautiful razor. Haven’t tried one though.
dmshaver
0
Agreed. Would be interested to read reviews. As gorgeous as it is, I hope it's an exceptional razor.
An excellent razor the Dart from Blackland. I acquired one once they went up for sale at the Blackland site. An exceptional razor for those that like a bit of blade feel and efficiency. Not a mild razor for sure, more towards the mid aggressive side but, nothing like an Ikon Tech or Muhle R41. Just an excellent feeling shaver that is well balanced and nicely finished. For $99, it punches and performs higher than its price tag.....
I have a polished Blackbird SB and it is turning out to be a very nice razor. I was actually pleasantly surprised at the quality of the results when I first started shaving with it. I have had it for a couple of months and have had about 20+ shaves with it.
Blackland lists the aggressiveness at 7 for the safety bar version while the open comb gets a 7.5 rating or slightly more aggressive. I would not describe it as aggressive--for me it is efficient. It gives me a close, comfortable shave with less irritation than other razors. I can feel the blade and hear it as it cuts through my beard.
The BB is very aesthetically pleasing from the shape of the cap to the fluting on the handle. On a more practical level, the handle fluting provides good grip points though I find I sometimes have to rinse it off with water when it gets covered with soap. The handle does thread all the way into the base plate so I would think it would be difficult to use other handles. But then why would you?
I now regularly rotate the following razors: Blackbird, Rex Ambassador, Rockwell 6S and Karve. I also own a Feather AS-D2 and two Edwin Jaggers but have not used them for some time.
Thanks Glenn for the information!
Thank You! The reason I even brought this up, is that someone on another forum said they had used all of those razors and many more, and decided that for them the Blackbird was THE Razor! I don’t think they had tried the Timeless, but pretty much every other razor I’d heard of. So it got me curious, and wondering if it was maybe on par with the Timeless. Where do you rank it among the razors you listed?
LOL, if you’ve seen my videos, you know I don’t fear soap on my razor handke!
I purchased a Blackbird a long time ago. Shaved with it off and on for a bit, and then sold it. It is an interesting looking piece of kit, although I think it looks better at first than it does after you've owned it for a while. I don't know how to explain what I mean other than to say that when I first bought it I thought it looked pretty awesome, but after a while it looked rather plain. By way of contrast, I've had my Fatboy for the better part of 8 years and I still think it looks cool.
It shaved nicely. It has a LOT of blade feel. Back then, I really hated blade feel. Interestingly, despite how much blade feel it had, it did not leave me with irritation.
Overall, I think it shaved really nicely; mid-aggressive but with the blade feel of an aggressive razor. Minimal irritation. I kind of didn't like that it could only be used with the proprietary handle that came in two lengths: too long and too short. I have a few nice aftermarket handles like UFOs and I hated that I couldn't use them. The handle was also quite narrow; too much so for my large hands.
If I had it again, I would probably like it better. Shaving with a straight has taught me a tolerance for blade feel, lol. Still, the handle issue would still bother me.
It shaved nicely. It has a LOT of blade feel. Back then, I really hated blade feel. Interestingly, despite how much blade feel it had, it did not leave me with irritation.
Overall, I think it shaved really nicely; mid-aggressive but with the blade feel of an aggressive razor. Minimal irritation. I kind of didn't like that it could only be used with the proprietary handle that came in two lengths: too long and too short. I have a few nice aftermarket handles like UFOs and I hated that I couldn't use them. The handle was also quite narrow; too much so for my large hands.
If I had it again, I would probably like it better. Shaving with a straight has taught me a tolerance for blade feel, lol. Still, the handle issue would still bother me.
I actually have a hard time trying to rank my razors at the present time. Right now, I just move each razor through a rotation, use it a few times then move to the next razor.
If pressed, I suppose the order would be Blackbird, Rex Ambassador tie with Karve and Rockwell 6S.
Part of the issue has to do with the fact that three of the four have some means of changing the level of aggression while the Blackbird is one size fits all so the BB is less flexible than the other three. I like flexible. As an example, I like to start out with an E guard on the Karve and move to a D then C on successive passes to minimize irritation especially on my lower neck area, particularly when I am shaving every day.
But then if I have two or three days growth, the Blackbird is a good choice.
@Dave in KY should be able to give a decent comparison between the Timeless .68, Karve and Rockwell.
BTW, I have checked out your videos. Fun stuff.
Dave in KY
Shave Newbie
He's working thru my 3 to see for himself as YMMV is proving true here
Yes, Dave is lending me his 3 razors. My videos over the past couple weeks have detailed my experience with the Rockwell and Timeless. And I will shortly be trying the Karve. I was kinda curious how the BB compared with them.
Sorry K.J. I have never used a Timeless and cannot provide any sort of comparison.
That said, take a look at how the Timeless and Karve are built. Both clamp the blade top and bottom relatively close to the cutting edges. This has to minimize blade vibration. As a result, the Karve is a smooth shaver and I suspect the Timeless is as well.
BTW, the black oxide version of the Blackbird is now available. The polished and machined versions are on sale at 10% off.
That said, take a look at how the Timeless and Karve are built. Both clamp the blade top and bottom relatively close to the cutting edges. This has to minimize blade vibration. As a result, the Karve is a smooth shaver and I suspect the Timeless is as well.
BTW, the black oxide version of the Blackbird is now available. The polished and machined versions are on sale at 10% off.