Today I received a Blackbird razor that I bought from another gentleman here on the BST. It was a remarkable bargain - a polished safety bar Blackbird in stainless steel for roughly 55% of the current going price. So here is my new razor:
As you can see, it's very difficult to tell that this is not a brand new razor. What surprised me most upon opening the box was how elegant the razor looks. From photos I always thought it was more massive and quite industrial looking. That is simply not the case. I was also curious about the weight of the razor, particularly compared to my current favorite DE's, the Dart and the brass Karve CB. The Blackbird is the lightest of the three at 3.37 oz, followed by the Dart at 3.56 oz., and unsurprisingly the brass Karve CB is the heaviest at 3.99 oz. But the proof of the pudding, as they say, is in the shaving. So I held off on my morning shave until after lunch so that I could give the Blackbird its first flight. I loaded it with a new Personna Israeli red blade. That is the blade that I have used most and the one which allows me to get a good sense of how a new razor compares with the others I own or have owned. Then I lathered up using Shannon's Haymarket Vetiver and my Yaqi Rainbow Brown brush (it is, after all, pride month!). My BB has the short handle, and that took a little bit of getting used to, as it is the shortest handle of any of my current razors. Perhaps, however, the shorter handle contributed to the lighter weight and overall nimbleness that the BB exhibited. It was simply a pleasure to use. Yes, there is some blade feel, but it is never intrusive or uncomfortable. Using the Karve and Dart for comparison, I would say that the BB is the smoothest, followed by the Karve. The Dart is still quite comfortable, and I could quite happily used it daily as my only razor, but it's not as comfortable as the other two. Getting back to the handle, it provides excellent grip and by the second pass I had happily adjusted to the shorter length. All things considered I think I would actually opt for the shorter handle if given the choice.
So after my usual two pass shave plus touch-ups, what was the result? No cuts, nicks, weepers or irritation and a wonderfully smooth BBS shave. In another post earlier today I said I thought that it was equally efficient as the Dart and Karve, but now I'm starting to think it might be slightly more efficient. Then again, it's only been one shave so it's probably too soon to say. It is safe to say, however, that I will very soon have many more shaves with this razor to use for comparison purposes.
As you can see, it's very difficult to tell that this is not a brand new razor. What surprised me most upon opening the box was how elegant the razor looks. From photos I always thought it was more massive and quite industrial looking. That is simply not the case. I was also curious about the weight of the razor, particularly compared to my current favorite DE's, the Dart and the brass Karve CB. The Blackbird is the lightest of the three at 3.37 oz, followed by the Dart at 3.56 oz., and unsurprisingly the brass Karve CB is the heaviest at 3.99 oz. But the proof of the pudding, as they say, is in the shaving. So I held off on my morning shave until after lunch so that I could give the Blackbird its first flight. I loaded it with a new Personna Israeli red blade. That is the blade that I have used most and the one which allows me to get a good sense of how a new razor compares with the others I own or have owned. Then I lathered up using Shannon's Haymarket Vetiver and my Yaqi Rainbow Brown brush (it is, after all, pride month!). My BB has the short handle, and that took a little bit of getting used to, as it is the shortest handle of any of my current razors. Perhaps, however, the shorter handle contributed to the lighter weight and overall nimbleness that the BB exhibited. It was simply a pleasure to use. Yes, there is some blade feel, but it is never intrusive or uncomfortable. Using the Karve and Dart for comparison, I would say that the BB is the smoothest, followed by the Karve. The Dart is still quite comfortable, and I could quite happily used it daily as my only razor, but it's not as comfortable as the other two. Getting back to the handle, it provides excellent grip and by the second pass I had happily adjusted to the shorter length. All things considered I think I would actually opt for the shorter handle if given the choice.
So after my usual two pass shave plus touch-ups, what was the result? No cuts, nicks, weepers or irritation and a wonderfully smooth BBS shave. In another post earlier today I said I thought that it was equally efficient as the Dart and Karve, but now I'm starting to think it might be slightly more efficient. Then again, it's only been one shave so it's probably too soon to say. It is safe to say, however, that I will very soon have many more shaves with this razor to use for comparison purposes.