After the first 2 stellar shaves with my new Ti Satin Blackbird, I decided a shave off was in order between it and my Ti Timeless .95 OC. As you can see from the pics, the BB is shorter, lighter and has a slightly lower profile cap. The satin finish of the BB is very nice. I like the flat gray tone, mainly because it's unlike any of my other razors. The Timeless is polished and, while not as shiny as my Wolfman, it is a beautiful piece. (Please excuse the finger prints in the pics). Both razors are extremely well made and well balanced. Interestingly, upon assembling the BB it felt a bit creaky at first. A tiny drop of mineral oil did the trick however.
With a fresh Astra SP blade in each razor, I shaved the right side of my face and neck with the Timeless, and the left side with the Blackbird. Both were extremely smooth. The BB had noticeably more blade feel, but it never, ever felt menacing. The Timeless seemed to glide along more freely, and I could literally fly around my face much quicker with it. The BB had more drag. But, as I've previously noted with regard to the BB and the Rex Ambassador, this is not a negative for me. Personally, I think it accentuates the shave quality. I have to move a little slower with the BB. And guess what? Slow and steady wins the race! The BB just seemed to vacuum up lather and beard, and didn't miss a spot. The Timeless glided around so effortlessly that I missed a few spots and, because of the lack of blade feel, I lost the shaving angle on occasion. So, the Timeless required more touch ups.
After a 3 pass shave with minor touch ups (again a little more required on the Timeless side), I ended up with a great BBS shave all over. In face feel I could not detect a difference in shave quality. I then looked in my wife's magnifying mirror, searching for any hint or shadow of stubble. If you'll hallucinate with me (because I'm truly splitting whiskers here), I'd say that the BB provided an ever so slightly closer shave.
Both are wonderful, comfortable, well made, premium and efficient razors. They are very different in build, appearance and shaving experience, so both will remain in my den. The Timeless was my most frequently used razor. Right now I find myself grabbing the BB almost every day. That maybe because it's new. Or perhaps the Blackbird has flown to the top of the den. Time will tell!
With a fresh Astra SP blade in each razor, I shaved the right side of my face and neck with the Timeless, and the left side with the Blackbird. Both were extremely smooth. The BB had noticeably more blade feel, but it never, ever felt menacing. The Timeless seemed to glide along more freely, and I could literally fly around my face much quicker with it. The BB had more drag. But, as I've previously noted with regard to the BB and the Rex Ambassador, this is not a negative for me. Personally, I think it accentuates the shave quality. I have to move a little slower with the BB. And guess what? Slow and steady wins the race! The BB just seemed to vacuum up lather and beard, and didn't miss a spot. The Timeless glided around so effortlessly that I missed a few spots and, because of the lack of blade feel, I lost the shaving angle on occasion. So, the Timeless required more touch ups.
After a 3 pass shave with minor touch ups (again a little more required on the Timeless side), I ended up with a great BBS shave all over. In face feel I could not detect a difference in shave quality. I then looked in my wife's magnifying mirror, searching for any hint or shadow of stubble. If you'll hallucinate with me (because I'm truly splitting whiskers here), I'd say that the BB provided an ever so slightly closer shave.
Both are wonderful, comfortable, well made, premium and efficient razors. They are very different in build, appearance and shaving experience, so both will remain in my den. The Timeless was my most frequently used razor. Right now I find myself grabbing the BB almost every day. That maybe because it's new. Or perhaps the Blackbird has flown to the top of the den. Time will tell!
