It's strange that I had level II, III & IV and never felt that heavy blade exposure from level III & IV. I could tell that it had more than level II but not a huge difference. What I could tell though was the reduced smoothness as compared to the level II. I have other razors that are supposed to have less blade exposure than the GC III & IV and I feel the blade more with those. Anyways, since my shaving life revolves around buying, trying and keeping what I like most, my GC 2.0's got sold. In the end, I kept the 1.1's in two different finishes. I actually found the 1.1 to be my favorite GC.The GC has double the blade exposure and that is undeniable.
It's equivalent to the 2.0 level II and just seems to shave better for me. Maybe it's the handle (which I love)/weight/balance?
I don't know but I really love that razor!
As for the OP's question, I wish I could help but I've never owned a Blackbird. And I do own a Timeless .68 but not the .95!