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Well [email protected] Blackbird has ruined all other razors for me!...

So it's been 12 months since I got my blackbird SS machined and I've gotten rid of all my other razors, except the Merkur Progress which comes out once or twice a month.

I also picked up a brass blackbird from the BST so I'm extremely happy!

The problem is that I'm so accustomed to the high efficiency, and the extreme comfort on my skin, of the blackbird that I'm kind of stuck without any other razor options.

I don't like big gap razors as they up the aggression without any extra efficiency!
The higher ones I've used are 1.55mm, and the karve F plate. I got LESS efficiency than the blackbird whilst sustaining much more skin discomfort.

So, which razors come close to the blackbird super efficiency AND comfort??

Or am I now destined to live out my life with only the blackbird?
 

JCarr

More Deep Thoughts than Jack Handy
I was really surprised at how good a shaver my SS Blackbird OC is when I first got it. As you said, the comfort and efficiency are excellent. My Wolfman WR1 .80 OC is on par as is the Muhle R41 Grande SS. For me, now, these three razors are the prize horses in my stable. I also have a Wolfman WR2 1.15 that performs at that same level.
 
The only razor I have that beats my Blackbird in comfort (but not efficiency) is my Timeless.
The only razor I have that beats my Blackbird in efficiency (but not comfort) is my Muhle R41.
My Rex Envoy is as efficient but not as comfortable as the Blackbird.
My Tatara Masamune with Nodachi top cap is as comfortable as the Blackbird but not as efficient.
My Lambda Athena is more comfortable than the Blackbird but not quite as efficient.

Those are all of my top razors. My other razors: Rocca, Christopher Bradley, Game Changer, Lupo, and Rockwell 6C are a notch below those. And I have some others a notch below those that I should probably sell.

I'll keep wondering if a Wolfman, Sailor, Charcoal Goods, Haircut&Shave, etc can top any of my top razors. I've spent too much already. LOL

Of course, all of this is JMHO, YMMV, etc etc etc....
 

BradWorld

Dances with Wolfs
I was really surprised at how good a shaver my SS Blackbird OC is when I first got it. As you said, the comfort and efficiency are excellent. My Wolfman WR1 .80 OC is on par as is the Muhle R41 Grande SS. For me, now, these three razors are the prize horses in my stable. I also have a Wolfman WR2 1.15 that performs at that same level.
Boy, we have the same tastes in razors. Saved me some typing. Lol. This ^^^^. I prefer all of those razors to the Blackbird. No because of shave results, but because of the shave experience. The Wolfman WR2 1.15 is the pinnacle of shaving for me. Best mix of comfort, luxury and efficiency.

And the Blackbird Ti blows away the SS and Brass versions. Yes, I have had all three. I didn’t want to believe it! Resisted for years. But yes, they were all right. The Ti Bird, with the exact dimensions and shave specs, shaves better. Defies logic. But it does. The SS and Brass Birds are no longer in my den.

And the Blackland Tradere OC is just awesome. Top notch. Super comfortable, shave results to match. More luxurious than the BB by far. Fantastic razor. In my top rotation as well. Another razor that defies logic. It shaves way better than it should.
 

BradWorld

Dances with Wolfs
My favorite or "best" anything still ends up part of a rotation just to keep life interesting.

I tell this to people who ask me which of my guitars is my favorite: "If I had a favorite, I wouldnt have 80 of them!" Same thing applies to razors. I certainly have a small handful that are my favorites. But variety is the spice of life! And shaving with an 80 year old Gillette every so often is really just as satisfying as shaving with an expensive precision modern razor. I even shave with the lowly Techmatic about once a year, and that is a fun departure from getting great shaves! :)
 
Before I found the One (in my case two), I also tried many DE-Razors from A like ATT to Y like Yaqi, in a range from 5 bucks (a cheap baili from ali) up to 250 bucks (Rex Ambassador), with most of them I got a decent shave, sometimes dfs sometimes bbs. But with three passes there was always a slight razor burn left.
After that I started to clean out my den and only keep the ones that were so efficient to achieve an irritation free shave even after two passes. Today I stuck with two go to Razors with which i can shave every day without razor burn, the Merkur Progress and the Blackland Blackbird.

Awesome!
I thought I was the only one to love these two razors so much!
Only down side I found with the progress is that it doesn't make a good travel razor as I find it's very prone to damage/misalignment during travels.

I was really surprised at how good a shaver my SS Blackbird OC is when I first got it. As you said, the comfort and efficiency are excellent. My Wolfman WR1 .80 OC is on par as is the Muhle R41 Grande SS. For me, now, these three razors are the prize horses in my stable. I also have a Wolfman WR2 1.15 that performs at that same level.

The blackbird OC plate is one I'm curious about but haven't jumped in as I generally dislike OC razors.

The R41 was just ok for me. The BBS from it doesn't last anywhere as long as the BBS from the blackbird.

@nav do you use a steep or shallow angle with your Blackbird? I find using a shallow angle following the top cap bevel very smooth and comfortable with this razor, but it is a lot more efficient with a steep angle (but also much less comfortable).

I would say it's closer to neutral, with maybe just a couple of degrees towards steep.
But I can feel the top cap bevel so I tend to use that as a guide and find I can hardly feel the blade!...I mean, I can "feel" the blade but more as a guide, not aggressive or harsh blade feel. It's actually buttery smooth on the skin!

The only razor I have that beats my Blackbird in comfort (but not efficiency) is my Timeless.
The only razor I have that beats my Blackbird in efficiency (but not comfort) is my Muhle R41.
My Rex Envoy is as efficient but not as comfortable as the Blackbird.
My Tatara Masamune with Nodachi top cap is as comfortable as the Blackbird but not as efficient.
My Lambda Athena is more comfortable than the Blackbird but not quite as efficient.

Those are all of my top razors. My other razors: Rocca, Christopher Bradley, Game Changer, Lupo, and Rockwell 6C are a notch below those. And I have some others a notch below those that I should probably sell.

I'll keep wondering if a Wolfman, Sailor, Charcoal Goods, Haircut&Shave, etc can top any of my top razors. I've spent too much already. LOL

Of course, all of this is JMHO, YMMV, etc etc etc....

Unfortunately the timeless 95 was very inefficient for me. I could hardly get a BBS from it so the extra aggression on my skin was definitely not worth it.

I was bummed as I really wanted to love it given it looks like an SS version of the Merkur Progress. But it was actually a very poor experience.

In that range of blade gap, I loved the ATT Windsor SSH1.
Karve D and Tatara nodachi were both nice but I don't really like razors where I need to ride the cap.

Boy, we have the same tastes in razors. Saved me some typing. Lol. This ^^^^. I prefer all of those razors to the Blackbird. No because of shave results, but because of the shave experience. The Wolfman WR2 1.15 is the pinnacle of shaving for me. Best mix of comfort, luxury and efficiency.

And the Blackbird Ti blows away the SS and Brass versions. Yes, I have had all three. I didn’t want to believe it! Resisted for years. But yes, they were all right. The Ti Bird, with the exact dimensions and shave specs, shaves better. Defies logic. But it does. The SS and Brass Birds are no longer in my den.

And the Blackland Tradere OC is just awesome. Top notch. Super comfortable, shave results to match. More luxurious than the BB by far. Fantastic razor. In my top rotation as well. Another razor that defies logic. It shaves way better than it should.

I was thinking about the Ti but skipped it as I like minimum 90g weighted razors.
I find lightweight razors transmit too much vibrations and that leads to a less close shave and skin irritation at times.

you found your holy grail razor, but you are not happy about it? :)

It kills the variety aspect of this hobby.
I'm now concerned that I'll waste money searching for another razor like blackbird and never find one.
 

BradWorld

Dances with Wolfs
I was thinking about the Ti but skipped it as I like minimum 90g weighted razors.
I find lightweight razors transmit too much vibrations and that leads to a less close shave and skin irritation at times.
Me too! Love big heavy razors, which is why I failed to believe that the Ti would be better. I hate light razors. But I'm a believer in the Ti Bird. It just works.
 
Awesome!
I thought I was the only one to love these two razors so much!
Only down side I found with the progress is that it doesn't make a good travel razor as I find it's very prone to damage/misalignment during travels.
:thumbup:
You're right, but for traveling I still have a Merkur 33c (like the 34c, but as a three piece) in my toiletry bag.
But a Blackbird travel razor would be nice.
 
Your not alone, I could have typed everything you typed out of my own head! Every time I think... what about... like the meme, then nope. There is something that just doesn't quite match the Blackbird. You might find something as efficient, as you say, but there is a certain feel to shaving with a Blackbird that nothing else replicates. So no more razors for me either, but my brushes are breeding again though...
 
It is tough to beat the Bird.....it's at the top of my den as well. My Yates H plate comes real close, and at times I think it's better, until I pull the Bird out again. I have a Ti Slim OC that competes as well, but just lags behind in the efficiency dept. My new Athena and Green Cult 2.0 are getting some love at the moment. The Athena maybe the best mannered daily razor I've ever used. Very good efficiency and super comfortable with out of this world ATG behavior. It's not quite as efficient as the Blackbird, but is definitely more comfortable and is begging me to use it every day.

You might want to consider the Vector. I find it to shave very similarly to the Bird as far as efficiency goes. Great razor.
 
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So, which razors come close to the blackbird super efficiency AND comfort??

Or am I now destined to live out my life with only the blackbird?

Blackbird is one of my "Magnificent Six", also.
(I arbitrarily self-limit myself to 6 total razors, no exceptions...)

Others in my 6:
Wolfman WR2 1.15
Blutt BR-1 1.25
Lambda Athena
Yates SB and OC H Brass <<< yes, I count this as "1". :p
Fatip Lo Storto Originale

I'm considering a WR1 OC someday, and will likely boot the FOCS when I do.
(or maybe chuck that one in a drawer. no re-sale value, to speak of...)

ALL of the razors I have now offer very efficient and comfortable shaves.
I like them all, and rotate amongst them freely and often.
I, like you, have tried others like Karve, Timeless, etc. and didn't love the results of them.

I would strongly recommend a Lambda Athena.
It's a very nice compliment to the Blackbird, in both feel and performance.

I had a brass Blackbird OC for a while, but found the teeth on the OC a bit harsh and "pointy".
Comfort was only achieved at very shallow angles. I sold it.
 
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