New Osprey
- Thread starter Dave himself
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I don't know if this shows anything that wasn't in the other YouTube videos. I just thought I'd post it for anyone interested.
Hannah's Dad
I Can See Better Than Bigfoot.
That is such a good looking razor it's almost unseemly.
That Taipei 101 aesthetic would lend itself well to an Osprey brush as well.
You don't have to with a Toggle, but you are meant to with both the Fatboy and the Slim. And believe me, we have been over and over this on this forum.
For me it looks also not so easy to do like Kevy Shaves showed and tell in his review.. waiting for price of ti version
Why does that ruin it for you?
ERS4
My exploding razor knows secrets
As a Taiwanese + Taipei City resident.
I'm so glad this razor introduced Taipei 101.
Of course, I still have some expectations for it.
1. Really removable for cleaning.
2.The height of the brass block in the handle can be changed to adjust the center of gravity.
I believe these will be gradually realized in Blackland's plan.
Many people will use Gillette's adjustable products to defend that "it does not require disassembly" and "it is normal to turn the handle before adjustment."
However, don’t forget that the Gillette TTO is one of the oldest adjustable razors.
The Osprey is a 21st century three-piece razor, not the TTO produced 70 years ago.
All in all, the Osprey does bring some amazing innovations and sparks discussion, so we’ll have to wait and see.
I'm so glad this razor introduced Taipei 101.
Of course, I still have some expectations for it.
1. Really removable for cleaning.
2.The height of the brass block in the handle can be changed to adjust the center of gravity.
I believe these will be gradually realized in Blackland's plan.
Many people will use Gillette's adjustable products to defend that "it does not require disassembly" and "it is normal to turn the handle before adjustment."
However, don’t forget that the Gillette TTO is one of the oldest adjustable razors.
The Osprey is a 21st century three-piece razor, not the TTO produced 70 years ago.
All in all, the Osprey does bring some amazing innovations and sparks discussion, so we’ll have to wait and see.
I've been on these boards for over ten years, and discussions related to the Osprey are literally the first and only times I've seen this mentioned anywhere. Granted, I have not read every thread related to the Fatboy or Slim of course, but in passing I've learned a lot about them and I've never seen this discussed. I don't feel like it's quite the common knowledge you're making it out to be. I have examples of both of those razors, and they are easily adjusted without releasing tension on the bottom knob. I'm not saying it hasn't been discussed, I'm just saying it's not as common as you may think it is.
I feel like this is fair criticism when discussing the Osprey, and if Gillette designed their razors with that intent they deserve similar criticism. But even if so, their design doesn't have you interacting with the head during the adjustment, which brings me to my full reasoning below...
First, I feel like it's generally unsafe to handle the head with wet hands to loosen the handle (or really any reason). I understand that Blackland provided grip on the underside of the head to accommodate this, but I still feel like it's generally a bad idea. To safely adjust the razor, the user would have to either dry their hands, or use a towel or something to protect them during adjustment.
Second, it's just an extra step that doesn't have to be there. I can adjust any number of razors without extra steps, what makes this one more compelling than those?
I do applaud Blackland for coming up with an original design, no one is doing that with adjustables (or really any razor design) these days. Seriously, that alone is a feat; even the much-lauded and similarly-priced Ambassador is just another copy of an existing design. And a three-piece adjustable in itself is pretty cool. And the potential customization options for the handle could be interesting. But all of this coupled with the "hands-on" adjustment mechanism makes this razor seem much more like a proof of concept to me than it does a finished product.
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Properly functioning Slims and Fatboys have the final quarter-turn 'lockdown' mechanism. While it is certainly possible to adjust the setting with the blade locked down, it is generally believed that this will provide more wear on the razor than loosening the lockdown, adjusting the setting, and then locking it back down again. You can do what you want with your Gillette adjustables, but I do not change the setting without releasing the quarter-turn lockdown.
Second, how many times do you think a user will have to adjust the setting in the middle of a pass? I suspect that most people will take one of two approaches: 1) pick a setting and leave it for the entire shave, or 2) pick a setting for the first pass and change it in between passes. I think the number of people who will need to almost continuously tinker with the setting during the middle of a pass will be vanishingly small. Maybe for the first few shaves when they are trying to figure out what range works best for them, they might need to dial it up or down during the first pass, but once they have used it for two or three shaves, most guys will probably have figured out what setting/s they like and will settle into one of the two categories I mentioned above.
You are welcome to your own opinion, and if you think it is a deal breaker, I imagine you won't be purchasing one, which is fine. My feeling is that the concern you expressed will be unlikely to be a deal breaker for most people, and that in practice the razor and its adjustment method will be quite safe.
Second, how many times do you think a user will have to adjust the setting in the middle of a pass? I suspect that most people will take one of two approaches: 1) pick a setting and leave it for the entire shave, or 2) pick a setting for the first pass and change it in between passes. I think the number of people who will need to almost continuously tinker with the setting during the middle of a pass will be vanishingly small. Maybe for the first few shaves when they are trying to figure out what range works best for them, they might need to dial it up or down during the first pass, but once they have used it for two or three shaves, most guys will probably have figured out what setting/s they like and will settle into one of the two categories I mentioned above.
You are welcome to your own opinion, and if you think it is a deal breaker, I imagine you won't be purchasing one, which is fine. My feeling is that the concern you expressed will be unlikely to be a deal breaker for most people, and that in practice the razor and its adjustment method will be quite safe.
I really like the look of this.
I have a lot of adjustable razors.
I'm not sure if I like the idea of having to loosen the handle to change settings. Especially with wet hands. I use adjustable razors by changing the setting for each pass as required.
Still thinking
I have a lot of adjustable razors.
I'm not sure if I like the idea of having to loosen the handle to change settings. Especially with wet hands. I use adjustable razors by changing the setting for each pass as required.
Still thinking
Mr. Shavington
Knows Hot Turkish Toilets
With all the talk about the Osprey’s quirks (the hollow handle with the brass insert, and the need to unscrew the handle to change setting) I have utterly forgotten what it was that made the razor design interesting for shaving. I’m sure there was something that caught my interest as it was being developed. Does anyone recall, or am I mistaken? I don’t want to re-watch all the videos. Was it something with the blade clamping?
FWIW, I don’t care one way or the other about the handle design or the way you change settings. I think those things are ok - neither a problem nor a benefit overall.
FWIW, I don’t care one way or the other about the handle design or the way you change settings. I think those things are ok - neither a problem nor a benefit overall.
Maume the first three-piece fully/infinitely adjustable? Maybe full range of settings from mild to aggressive? Maybe fully CNC machined from quality stainless steel? Maybe partially skeletonized to keep the weight in a reasonable range? Maybe blade well clamped to prevent chatter and allow for an ATG pass? Maybe the chance to change the weight and balance by removal of a novel brass handle insert? Maybe designed by and produced by a guy with a long record of production of quality, original products? Maybe the assurance of outstanding customer service? Maybe extensive beta-testing?
So many choices here.
Asked and answered - thank you.
Mr. Shavington
Knows Hot Turkish Toilets
I’m sure it was to do with the razor head design. That’s the part that would matter to me. I think perhaps the floating plate covers more of the blade than a Sailor or a Gibbs copy, so it may give a more rigid blade edge. That tends to augur well for me in most cases.
The Rocnel ‘Hybrid’ is surely going to be a better machined and finished razor, and I think it actually costs less than the Osprey will. But I think, if I remember right, I was interested in the head design of the Osprey and hopeful that it can deliver a very efficient and smooth shave against-the-grain at the lower gap settings. I think that’s always the acid test of a razor for me and the other stuff is secondary, though I do like a premium finish and attention to detail in manufacturing.
I’m quite interested in the Osprey.
Pretty bold statement to make having not even held the new Blackland offering!! Do you have the Rocnel "Hybrid" in your possession? The reviews I've read on the "Hybrid" is the quality isn't the usual Rocnel quality, and probably why its $650 cheaper than the Sailor models.
The head design intrigues me as well. In one of the videos Shane mentions that the blade clamping is very similar to the Era at all settings. I own an Era with several base plates and find the blade clamping/rigidity addictive. No other DE razor I own, including Henson models, comes close. An infinitely adjustable Era is very interesting to me, indeed. The three-piece design also allows for a lower profile head than other adjustables.
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