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Mid-Length Handle for Blackbird

I had a machinist friend shorten my Razorock Ti Halo, a while back. Lopped-off about 3/8” and now its *perfect*…
That is a nice finished look at the bottom. Not being a machinist, I chose a pre-existing groove as a cutting guide.

I went just a little shorter. Ti was much easier to cut than I expected.
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One slight dissatisfaction I have with the razor is the handle length. The short handle, which I have, is just a bit too short. The long handle, which I considered buying, is too long. I would like a handle in the 90-95 mm range which will match the design and polished finish of my Blackbird. Any suggestions? Also, given the way the Blackbird baseplate has an indent for the small protrusion on the Blackbird handle, how well do 3rd party handles fit?

the way the Blackbird design recesses the handle up into the base plate knocks at least 5mm off the “effective length” of the handle. Makes an 85mm really an 80mm, or so.

I agree - just slightly too short, but a much better option for me, over the 101mm long handle option.
 
the way the Blackbird design recesses the handle up into the base plate knocks at least 5mm off the “effective length” of the handle. Makes an 85mm really an 80mm, or so.

I agree - just slightly too short, but a much better option for me, over the 101mm long handle option.
I posted in another thread that the longer handle, while more comfortable, made the shaves with my Blackbird noticeably less efficient. I've gone back to the original handle and have adjusted quite well to the short length. I could try to alter the angles I use with the long, Halo handle, but my experience with changing the shaving angle has not been good. I might try to cut down my Halo handle, but I don't even have a vice to hold it. Maybe I'll ask around and see if I can find someone with experience doing that sort of thing.
 
I'm new to this forum but have been reading it for some time. I bought a Blackbird Lite when they came out because the Blackbird always sounded too aggressive. I like longer handles and got the long one on my Lite. I don't like the looks or feel of the handle and it is too heavy. I bought a titanium razorock halo handle from reading this thread. It is MUCH better! The halo also fits perfectly in the blackbird stand. I also added some o-rings strategically on the grooves of it. I tried to buy a titanium handle from Blackland just to keep it looking original and keep it all USA made, but they wouldn't sell it separately which I think is crazy. I wasn't going to buy an entire new titanium blackbird as I already have a Timeless titanium that is fantastic. My polished Timeless titanium with scalloped head, scalloped .68 and crown handle for $310 is fantastic and looks 10x better than a blackbird IMO. Shaves much smoother and better. The clean-out channels are bigger also. Why would I pay $10 more for a Blackbird Ti with a handle I don't care for and doesn't look nearly as good IMO? I tried the crown handle on the blackbird and it worked but wasn't many threads holding it, the halo goes in the hole and feels more secure. The Timeless titanium crown handle in my opinion is the best handle there is. I also bought a scalloped .95 titanium baseplate on scratch & dent (which was still flawless) for when I have a few days growth. It is smooth and efficient but I much prefer the .68 for daily use. The Blackbird Lite is much better with the Halo handle and shaves great. But my timeless titanium still blows it and all my other razors away for my shaving. For general background I used a Merkur 23c for years and then bought a Merkur 38c but it was too heavy and inefficient. For a cheap razor I loved my Muhle R89 but found the R41 too aggressive. The only one I use is the Timeless Ti and now the Blackbird Lite with titanium Halo handle will go into the rotation. I'm on the waiting list for a Wolfman WR2 head which I'll probably go with 1.05 SB SS (scalloped cap if they make it) since it seems to be between a timeless .68 and .95 from my research on these forums. I will put a polished Timeless titanium crown handle on it. It may become king but for now Timeless is king! Timeless selling all their parts separately and having a scratch & dent section is a plus. Great forum.
 
Update: Actually after a closer study the Razorock Ti Halo handle does not completely fit inside the BB Lite head. It's just a hair too big around to bottom out. However with a nylon washer it works and looks great. It looks like it fits inside but it doesn't actually go inside the hole fully. I don't have a regular BB head to try it on but I'd assume it's the same. The long BB handle weighs 70 grams, the RR Ti Halo weighs 48 grams. For me that's a great improvement and balance is good. The long Blackbird handle is a tiny bit longer than the RR. I do like the BB Lite and more now with the Halo. YMMV
 
I decided to post a pic of the RR Ti Halo handle with the o-rings on the Blackbird Lite head. I really like them on there. I also put one inside the stand so now the end of the handle doesn't set directly metal to metal and get scratched. I used the 9x2 mm o-rings in pic. Put one inside my Timeless stand also. Got a giant set of many size o-rings for about 8 bucks on amazon. There are many sets/vendors/prices so I just showed the back to not advertise any set. YMMV
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