Greencult 2.II Review - The Goldilocks Specs

[Sweeney_]

@Shargan8 brings up a very good and often overlooked point from my perspective. The non-adjustable vintage Gillette Super Speeds use rigid edge-to-edge blade clamping just like my Nodachi, Overlander, Guerrilla, Lupos and countless other modern razors. Below is my Rocket HD:

It largely goes unnoticed because once the silo/plate clamps together, it's all hidden from view. Press up or down on the blade with a dental pick or other small tool and you realize it's a true rigid blade vise clamp.

They were using this rigid vice clamping from the 1940s with Super Speeds and Techs from stamped brass parts and not a CNC machine in sight. I mean even if you hold no love for vintage, that's still very impressive in my book.

They were also smart enough to know that the clamping area distance from the edge of the blade is more critical than the total surface area being clamped. Notice Lee's comparison photo of the Nodachi/Overlander/GreenCult.
Tatara and Karve know the score. A much more efficiently designed head imo without unnecessary weight or bulkiness.

 

[gdawg55]

Allow me to disagree. I watched this video twice and didn't believe a word of it. There's simply no way IMO to defy the laws of physics. Blackland Blackbird has absolutely lousy blade clamping and no amount of spinning will change this fact. To point out excessive blade flex with downward pressure on the blade edge and then say that this design is OK because "that's not how we shave" is preposterous, again IMO. The simple fact is that Blackbird has no other option but to suffer from excessive blade chatter. I don't own it and will never buy it because I've been burned by this design choice twice already. There are many razors with lousy blade clamping and excessive blade chatter and I own two: Merkur 38C Barber Pole and 2023 Rocnel Elite. I find both of them exceptionally uncomfortable despite the high level of efficiency. So, I've decided not to buy another razor with the same flaw. There are many other razors (again IMO) that are just as efficient but much more comfortable.

The very first image (side view close-up of Blackbird) the OP posted in this thread is telling. It's a design that sucks in my book. I believe this design is much easier to execute than a design that clamps the blade firmly along the entire edge such as Tatara, Timeless, Athena, and others. But, but, there are many forum members who absolutely admire the Blackbird and wouldn't swap it for any other razor. They claim it's the best razor they ever owned and nothing else comes even close. So, who am I to disagree with both the Blackland design team and forum members who are convinced that Blackbird is the one and only razor?

As many forum members have pointed out in numerous posts, YMMV. It's so true. What's best in the world for some could very well be the worst for others. For me, it's important to eliminate blade chatter. That's what makes many vintage Gillette twist-to-open razors so comfortable to use. The silo doors clamp down hard on the blade along the entire length and leave only a small section of the blade exposed. This design goal has been replicated by several modern artisan razor designers I mentioned previously. I should also mention that Blackland's latest design, the adjustable Osprey, states blade chatter elimination as an explicit design goal. It's the polar opposite of Blackbird design. Can both be right at the same time? It's possible but I'm firmly in the zero-blade chatter camp, which is why I mentioned in my opening paragraph that I didn't believe a word in that Blackland video.

Please note that I didn't mean to provoke or trigger anyone with my post. I realize that personal preferences play a key role in which razors people choose. All I wanted to do is state my own preference based on more than 30 years of wet shaving and more than 100 razors in my collection.

True that the Blackbird doesn’t have the best clamping, but I get absolutely zero blade chatter when shaving.