Already had someone offer to send me a razor head, and to even keep it! I knew this community was what I was looking for. Glad to have found a place with like-minded people.
Razor wars - Blackland Blackbird versus Timeless Ti95 SCL
- Thread starter Guido75
- Start date
Nice review. For me it’s the Blackbird ever day of the week over the Timeless razor. Love the smoothness of Timeless but they don’t cut my whiskers very efficiently for some reason. The Bird looks at my facial hair and just laughs.
- Thread starter
- #23
Thanks! Sounds like the head design is getting in your way. I do like the slickness of the BB design too. Looks very efficient.
And then Athena trumps your Blackbird again? Or Ares does?
Cheers,
Guido
Nothing trumps my Ti BB. I have several that come close, but no cigar.
Yates H, ATT SRMH, R41 and Ares come close….Athena lags slightly behind these but still a great shaver.
Just something about the Ti BB that ticks all my shave buttons.
- Thread starter
- #25
Good info - thanks!
Considering a Le Maurice 1.4 to see how that compares. Loving my La Faulx but DE works better for me compared to AC.
There are rumors about Blutt BR-1. It should be available again later this year. If this is true 1.20 will be my choice 100%.
Mine made me sell everything else I had when I received it!!
I think you'd be disappointed in the Blutt BR-1 1.20 if you are looking for Blackbird efficiency. I just love mine... but I don't require the top efficiency of a Blackbird or Vector... or even the Timeless 0.95.
All my razor fit into a narrow grouping of upper mild to lower medium efficiency.. the BR-1 fits there, sort of in the middle of them.
Well, Bird could be too much for daily use. I don't know, but there are not so many razors with such a reviews and fame.. I can find it only when I try. In last days I use only WR1 0.67 and found this like perfect combination, little blade feel, little gap. For me way better as WR2, or neutral exposure razors, also with bigger gaps. Could be my only razor for daily use.
Blutt BR-1 1.20 is described from seller as aggressive, for shave every 5 to 7 days, but here everyone tell it is super smooth and nice efficient. Didn't find some negative review so far..
Yeah, I remember when reading the Blutt website about the 1.20 being aggressive. I bought both the .86 and 1.20 base plates when I placed my first order. The 0.86 was great, but I tended to use the 1.20 almost exclusively, except during the first trials. Along the way, I had purchased another cap so I'd have two razors but I didn't buy a second handle. I sold the BR-1 0.86 as a complete razor and am using the 1.20 with a Ti Crown handle.... I love it. It sure doesn't feel aggressive to me, but more of a razor on the lower end of medium efficiency scale.
The Elite models from Rocnel are a bit more efficient.... For me, the Athena is the same efficiency, along with the Timeless 0.68OC.... The Wolfman WR2 0.95 SB would be closer to the Elite models, I think.... but I'm a pretty poor judge of these things.... I tend to let the razor get me into the Zen Zone and forget about paying attention to anything but the shave itself....
I don't shave every day and that could well be a factor. I shave every other day... or sometimes, on the 5th day or so, depending. I'm sure for a daily shaver, they would evaluate things completely differently.
- Thread starter
- #32
My beard not necessarily coarse (although the LOTH might have a different opinion), but it does grow relatively fast. I usually feel stubble appear again after 3-4 hours - still smooth mind you, but BBS is relatively short lived for me. I then reside at DFS or CCS levels for another 7-10 hours with sufficient growth there when I wake up the next morning.
To me both the Blackbird and Ti95 are excellent daily shavers. It does depend on the blade I use. Top notch blades shave me closer and then there is obviously less to do the next day. Still great daily razors.
I don’t have any experience with razors that have a blade gap of above .95 (well maybe the Swing has 1.00) which seems to be in my ballpark from .80 to .95. The Blackbird is actually less in gap, but make up for it in blade exposure. It is like the GC2.II in that sense for me. Lower gap with more exposure. Both are really smooth during my shaves and I like them very much for it.
You are building an excellent stable there @tomas1870 !! Kudos to you!
Guido
To me both the Blackbird and Ti95 are excellent daily shavers. It does depend on the blade I use. Top notch blades shave me closer and then there is obviously less to do the next day. Still great daily razors.
I don’t have any experience with razors that have a blade gap of above .95 (well maybe the Swing has 1.00) which seems to be in my ballpark from .80 to .95. The Blackbird is actually less in gap, but make up for it in blade exposure. It is like the GC2.II in that sense for me. Lower gap with more exposure. Both are really smooth during my shaves and I like them very much for it.
You are building an excellent stable there @tomas1870 !! Kudos to you!
Guido
That's interesting. I have the BB Ti and the Athena and Ares. I would agree that the BB Ti is a bit more efficient than the Athena, just slightly, but I find the Athena much smoother. As for a comparison of the BB Ti with the Ares, the Ares wins hands down in efficiency and comfort. I don't have a Timeless razor, so I can't compare that one.
An absolutely wonderful review and comparison. Well done Guido. I too was considering selling the BB Ti since the Lambdas and the Konsul were turning into my regular go-to razors. I decided to give the BB Ti another shave the other day. Well, the shave was wonderful and reminded me why I bought it and kept it. I will absolutely keep it in my rotation now, even with the La Faulx arriving soon. The BB Ti is a razor well worth having in a razor collection.It had to happen eventually, so I thought why not get it over with - or is it actually (ever) over?
Blackland Blackbird
As I said before this razor needs no introduction on this forum being a favourite ever since it first hit the streets. I have the polished stainless steel version with the original baseplate and regular handle. The Blackbird I have weighs 90 grams (compared to the 94 grams listed on Blackland's website) with (according to Kickstarter) a blade gap of .58mm and blade exposure of .101mm. The Blackbird is a true masterpiece in terms of design and design features. During the shaves I had so far no clogging at all, blade alignment is always spot on and the fit of head and handle is amazing. Its head design leads to an intuitive finding of the right angle and the Blackbird literally guides me across my face and neck letting me know if my angle is off or not. Nice level of audio feedback as well - although I definitely have razors that produce much more audio than this Blackbird. The 90 grams steel doesn't feel as such when shaving. It is very nimble and easy to manouvre around. I haven't been able yet to get the same stellar results as others report on, but I am sure that eventually I will get there (I have already noticed that top notch blades certainly make a difference). I have briefly considered selling the Blackbird, because I have other razors delivering similar results - but for now it is firmly locked into my rotation.
Timeless Ti95 SCL
The Blackbird is already a masterpiece, but for me personally this razor is just drop dead gorgeous. The only other razor I have that comes close next to the Blackbird is the Lambda Athena, but the Timeless is just marvellous engineering and looks. I absolutely love the Crown handle. So the Timeless weighs 42.7 grams for the handle and 24.5 grams for the head totalling 67.2 grams which of course is significantly lower than the Blackbird. But as I mentioned the Blackbird doesn't feel that heavy. I have the scalloped baseplate which according to Timeless is somewhat of a hybrid between open comb and safety bar baseplates. I don't know if that is true or not, but I like the looks as well as the efficiency it brings (alledgedly more effective than the solid safety bar). It has been the razor I reach most for and I always smile when I get to use it. I like rotating razors, but I would let the others gather dust if I were to use this one daily. It is a daily driver to me despite the blade gap of .95mm and .05mm positive exposure. So more blade gap but less exposure compared to the Blackbird.
Summary of results
Date Razor Blade Quality Comfort Effectiveness 05.03.2024 Timeless Ti95 SCL GSB (5) 10 10 9 08.03.2024 Blackbird SS Sputnik (1) 9 8 9.25 16.03.2024 Timeless Ti95 SCL Racer (6) 9 7 6 17.03.2024 Blackbird SS Tiger Platinum (1) 8 6 7 18.03.2024 Blackbird SS ASCO (1) 9 8 8.75 19.03.2024 Timeless Ti95 SCL ASCO (2) 9 8 8.25
Average Blackbird SS
8.67 7.33 8.33
Average Timeless Ti95
9.33 8.33 7.75
Notes
It would be too easy to say it's too close to call and both razors are too much alike. Which they are and they are not. I am sure metal plays a role, but then again titanium usually wins from stainless - at least from what I have been reading and today that doesn't seem to be the case. Both had good blades and bad blades so no advantage for one or the other. The Blackbird shaves closer than the Timeless Ti95 - at least during these shaves. In hindsight the result of 18 March was closer to 8.5 than 8.75, but it is what it is. If I however factor in comfort the Ti95 wins as there is positive blade feel, but less than the Blackbird making it a more smoother shaver for me. Obviously I have more mileage with the Ti95 and that does count for something, as the Ti95 is neary autopilot for me whereas the Blackbird and I are still growing on each other. If I take a superior blade into account - like the KCG - I see both razors performing admirably and delivering dolphinic or marble results - even with a KCG blade going on 20 shaves.
So where does this leave us. Ultimately you cannot go wrong with either. Both are true testaments to modern wet shaving and they represent some of the best out there. In this face-off the Blackbird got the upper hand. In terms of end results that is. The Ti95 is less aggressive and more predictable than the Blackbird making it a smoother shaver for me. And I am biased towards the design of the Ti95. Not to mention the emotional and sentimental value this particular razor represents to me. End of the story is that I am glad to have both in my rotation. As these razor wars show there are alternatives. For example the Green Cult 2.0 and recently @tomas1870 mentioned the Yates 921 H as a possible contender. And I would say the Game Changer has a place as well punching above its weight.
- Thread starter
- #35
Thanks man! The Blackbird will indeed have a place in my rotation - I have to say that yesterday’s shave with the Athena was about as good as it gets for me so I can certainly understand where you are coming from.
Cheers,
Guido
I haven’t used my Ares all that much to be honest so it could be me. It comes really close to my BB Ti in closeness but not quite as good. I’ve been using the BB about 5-6 years though (stainless) so I’m much more familiar with the Bird. The Ares is definitely no slouch.
Since I posted this I have obtained a Stando Chors and after 3 shaves I’m declaring it as good, or better, than all my razors.
- Thread starter
- #37
High praise indeed. High gap too! And positive exposure is I recall correctly. And he makes beautiful razors for quite affordable prices.
@Guido75 I have so far 3 shaves with Blackbird Ti, 3 following days, always did usual 3 passes.
I can hardly describe how well it worked for me. It will sound like fanboy.. It is addictive experience, cuts like nothing I used before. I don't have to repeat strokes on same places it just cut perfectly close and what I didn't thing very smooth too. Sharper blade works better. Zero irritations, my skin is very happy from this fast close shave. And yes, I can use it daily (so far, will see more in future but why not).
There is blade feel but I would never describe Blackbird Ti as aggressive. With little care and learning process it can be destiny razor with no need to buy something else.
My other razors have now problem, with Blackbird one day perfectly dialed in (I still learn this razor and need much more time) they could become only collection for occasional use.
I can hardly describe how well it worked for me. It will sound like fanboy.. It is addictive experience, cuts like nothing I used before. I don't have to repeat strokes on same places it just cut perfectly close and what I didn't thing very smooth too. Sharper blade works better. Zero irritations, my skin is very happy from this fast close shave. And yes, I can use it daily (so far, will see more in future but why not).
There is blade feel but I would never describe Blackbird Ti as aggressive. With little care and learning process it can be destiny razor with no need to buy something else.
My other razors have now problem, with Blackbird one day perfectly dialed in (I still learn this razor and need much more time) they could become only collection for occasional use.
The Bird affects lots of us like this.
- Thread starter
- #40
First off I am superglad for you @tomas1870 that the razor was/is excellent. And you still have the Yates incoming right? Would be interesting to hear from your comparison on that one.
It is a daily shaver for me and I believe it is turning into one for you.
!
And maybe I am just in denial. If I look at my statistics I have used the BB 11 times so far and apart from the shave with the Tiger blade all have been excellent shaves with pretty much BBS results all the time beating every razor in my den at the moment. So strike that - I was in denial and the Blackbird is the best performing razor I have with perhaps only one other that shaves even better (at least in 2023): my Gillette Single Ring. I need to bring my favourite blades to the other razors to see if my statement is completely accurate.
Anyway: enjoy that razor Tomas!! Congrats on buying it!
Cheers,
Guido
It is a daily shaver for me and I believe it is turning into one for you.
That is some high praise indeed! And similar to what I have been reading about from other reports. So the Wolfies you have do not match up? I guess I need to get the Ti version to know for sure
And maybe I am just in denial. If I look at my statistics I have used the BB 11 times so far and apart from the shave with the Tiger blade all have been excellent shaves with pretty much BBS results all the time beating every razor in my den at the moment. So strike that - I was in denial and the Blackbird is the best performing razor I have with perhaps only one other that shaves even better (at least in 2023): my Gillette Single Ring. I need to bring my favourite blades to the other razors to see if my statement is completely accurate.
Anyway: enjoy that razor Tomas!! Congrats on buying it!
Cheers,
Guido
