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Issue with Blackland Vector, and Schick Proline

Ordered the Blackland Vector during the recent restock. Saw the Schick Proline P-30 recommended everywhere, and decided to order a cartridge. Have tried about 10 of the blades from the cartridge, and none of them fit the posts, it seems the Vector posts are just a bit too far apart. I previously had a Vector that I lost, and the blades fit perfectly. Is there a quality control issue with the most recent set of Vectors? Has anyone else had this problem?

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My vector is on the way to me. I should have it tomorrow. I have some pro lines and will try tomorrow.

 
My vector is on the way to me. I should have it tomorrow. I have some pro lines and will try tomorrow.

⬆️ +1 to this. ⬆️

@darkermath - My Schick Proline blades fit my Vector Stainless perfectly.

Looks like the Schicks got taken off the compatibility list on the Blackland Vector webpage, no notice at all. Puzzling. Has the design changed?
 

never-stop-learning

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Looks like the Schicks got taken off the compatibility list on the Blackland Vector webpage, no notice at all. Puzzling. Has the design changed?
Unknown. I put in (what should be) a lifetime supply of Schick Prolines a little over a year ago. They've all fit so far.

Best thing to do is contact Shane @Blackland Razors and see what he says.
 
Unknown. I put in (what should be) a lifetime supply of Schick Prolines a little over a year ago. They've all fit so far.

Best thing to do is contact Shane @Blackland Razors and see what he says.
Just spoke with Shane, it seems that the Schicks aren't that great in the QC department, and that is why Blackland no longer recommends them. I guess my whole cartridge not fitting the Vector is not an uncommon problem. Shane was great about answering my questions regarding other blades, as well as their other razors. This is why @Blackland Razors is the best!
 
Right. We've removed Schicks from our list of Vector-approved blades due to the hit-or-miss fit of these blades. They have a slightly different hole pattern which makes fit something of a gamble from pack to pack or even blade to blade. The narrower hole pattern means that in the best case, the blades fit tighter when tolerances work in our favor and when the tolerances work against us, they don't fit at all. This is not a new issue and it's something we've dealt with for years, but we've finally just removed the Schicks from our list altogether because we cannot guarantee that they will work, even though they often/usually do.
 

never-stop-learning

Demoted To Moderator
Staff member
Right. We've removed Schicks from our list of Vector-approved blades due to the hit-or-miss fit of these blades. They have a slightly different hole pattern which makes fit something of a gamble from pack to pack or even blade to blade. The narrower hole pattern means that in the best case, the blades fit tighter when tolerances work in our favor and when the tolerances work against us, they don't fit at all. This is not a new issue and it's something we've dealt with for years, but we've finally just removed the Schicks from our list altogether because we cannot guarantee that they will work, even though they often/usually do.
Thank you, Shane. Appreciate the information.
 
Right. We've removed Schicks from our list of Vector-approved blades due to the hit-or-miss fit of these blades. They have a slightly different hole pattern which makes fit something of a gamble from pack to pack or even blade to blade. The narrower hole pattern means that in the best case, the blades fit tighter when tolerances work in our favor and when the tolerances work against us, they don't fit at all. This is not a new issue and it's something we've dealt with for years, but we've finally just removed the Schicks from our list altogether because we cannot guarantee that they will work, even though they often/usually do.

Appreciate that Shane but prolines work best with me and so far no issues, so will stick with them until there's a problem.
 
Yep! It's hit or miss and it sounds like a hit for you so far.
Just got a Vector yesterday (lovely razor, @Shane) and a magazine of Schick Prolines. First blade sort-of fits, but requires a whole load of squeezing to get it in, and there's clearly some smile to the blade before clamping down with the baseplate, so I won't risk it, and reserve them for my shavette.
 
All AC blades I have (Feather, Kai, and Schick) fit perfectly in my Vector Ti. But at one point, I also had a Vector SS polished, which i returned because Kai blades wouldn’t fit. Blackland customer service was great to work with.

It turns out that polished SS Vectors can end up with top cap bent ever so slightly to preclude the proper seating of certain blades. Vector Ti is much stiffer and not susceptible to this issue. I suspect all problematic Vectors mentioned in this thread were polished SS. But clearly, only a minority is impacted as there are many perfectly happy polished SS Vector users that enjoy all available blades.

Blackland customer service instructed me to bend the top cap slightly to reverse the curvature and see if the blade would fit - they even recorded and attached a short video. But I wasn’t courageous enough to do it.

I’m using my Vector Ti with guarded blades from Feather and Kai, and my face really appreciates it. I would love to buy the new Vector Lite Ti standard base if they ever release it. If not, I’ll buy the Lite version in SS but only machined or satin finish.
 
All AC blades I have (Feather, Kai, and Schick) fit perfectly in my Vector Ti. But at one point, I also had a Vector SS polished, which i returned because Kai blades wouldn’t fit. Blackland customer service was great to work with.

It turns out that polished SS Vectors can end up with top cap bent ever so slightly to preclude the proper seating of certain blades. Vector Ti is much stiffer and not susceptible to this issue. I suspect all problematic Vectors mentioned in this thread were polished SS. But clearly, only a minority is impacted as there are many perfectly happy polished SS Vector users that enjoy all available blades.

Blackland customer service instructed me to bend the top cap slightly to reverse the curvature and see if the blade would fit - they even recorded and attached a short video. But I wasn’t courageous enough to do it.

I’m using my Vector Ti with guarded blades from Feather and Kai, and my face really appreciates it. I would love to buy the new Vector Lite Ti standard base if they ever release it. If not, I’ll buy the Lite version in SS but only machined or satin finish.

To be clear, this isn't specific to polished top caps. All stainless (and even titanium) caps can bend because the part is so thin. Temperature changes, drops, misuse, etc can all cause that bend which moves the pins apart. These parts are so thin that you can take a top cap and fold it in half with your bare hands if you wanted to. The finish doesn't impact this.
 
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