I get it. I figured the extended blade into the skin was just to illustrate the point. But it still made me think of the Blackbird, considering how people talk about its efficiency.
Razor wars: Blackland Blackbird versus Lambda Athena
- Thread starter Guido75
- Start date
- Thread starter
- #22
I think you might be right about that. I do love my Timeless Ti95 though, but the Blackbird is definitely in the top 3-4. I will give it the number of shaves you mentioned
.It’s also a hassle to get if you are living outside of CONUS. I really got lucky when my polished stainless presented itself. I was hesitant at first, but I am very glad I pulled the trigger rather than getting an Ares.
If you must try both, but in my experience the original isn’t as daunting as people report it to be. Carefulness gets you a long way. And really great you are offering these options Shane! Easy for me to say, but if you get the chance to try one: go for it. And remember their 30 return policy if you are CONUS.
Cheers,
Guido
- Thread starter
- #23
Of course! Every razor in my collection gets pitted against another. But I can only shave once a day! Haha!
From the razors you have and enjoy, the Blackbird will definitely have more blade feel, but it’s not overly aggressive feeling. I can shave daily with it no problem. I think for me it was just getting my skin used to the blade feel and keeping proper technique for the razor. It really is a fantastic razor. Shane offers the Lite version now for those wanting a little less beak….se what did there…lol.
I tend to compare my razors with razors other people have and go from there.
I didn’t buy an Ares for the same reason. I just don’t need that much efficiency.
I didn’t buy an Ares for the same reason. I just don’t need that much efficiency.
Everyone is different. I love the Athena, it is one of my top two razors. However, I didn't get along with the Blackbird or the Blackbird Lite at all. I wanted to and gave them a lot of shaves, but they did not work at all for me. I do have several other Blackland razors and the Osprey is near the top of my den as well and the Sabre is the best GEM I have.
- Thread starter
- #27
Bummer. I read about that in other threads. At least you gave it a try which is one of the hardest things about this hobby: usually we need to take a plunge first to find out. I am super fortunate to have a couple of brothers living a postbox away so I was able to try stuff. Glad the Lambda is working! And that Sabre sure had my attention as I really like GEM razors for my head shaves. Face is very good also. In fact I think I had my closest shave with my GEM Featherweight. Shane just released a new video about the next generation Sabre.
Cheers,
Guido
My experience is the same - I felt that blackbird was way more aggressive compared to Athena- my brother thinks completely differently and thinks his blackbird is above his rocnel velocity one etc .
I am a newb to DE shaving, with about two months of daily DE shaving under my belt. I picked up a Blackbird with both the lite and the standard plates. I shaved with the lite for a couple of days, and then decided with a bit of trepidation to try the standard plate. With either plate, it is a lovely daily shaver. I was able to do my standard, a bit rushed, 2-pass shave comfortably with either plate. No need to fear the Bird. It is wonderful!
Y'all know how I feel about my Ti Blackbird SB. My favorite DE razor.
The Athena is certainly in my Top 5.
The Athena is certainly in my Top 5.
I own both razors in this comparison (the BBird is original gap, in stainless)
Both are really good - but I do seem to favor the Blackbird.
I really have my "collection" pretty dialed-in, at this point:
(all work Sooooo well, for me...)
Wolfman WR-1 .74 OC
Blackland Blackbird SB SS
Yates Brass OC H
Lambda Athena
Blutt BR-1 1.20
Both are really good - but I do seem to favor the Blackbird.
I really have my "collection" pretty dialed-in, at this point:
(all work Sooooo well, for me...)
Wolfman WR-1 .74 OC
Blackland Blackbird SB SS
Yates Brass OC H
Lambda Athena
Blutt BR-1 1.20
- Thread starter
- #32
I remember you sold off your Karve CB razor and plate some time ago. Based on the ones you listed here I am guessing that one won’t be making a comeback of sorts.
How would you compare the BB and Athena to the Blutt?
Enjoy those very fine razors!
Cheers,
Guido
the Blutt is pretty special. Tight machined tolerances, rigid blade clamping, and oh, so smooth. Probably, my most "mindless" razor. Gives a great shave, every time, without trying.
The BB requires a little more attention when using, but only slightly so.
the BB yields a closer shave - when you have the correct angle dialed-in.
To me, the Athena is more of a novelty? It's a pretty unique razor (and a *pretty* razor!), that I would never label as "utilitarian".
It also gives me a close shave, but is also the one I probably reach for the least.
Yes - the Karve D, E OC, along with the Timeless .95 OC and Wolfman WR2 1.15 are of the highly-regarded razors that I just couldn't get to work for me. They all shaved whiskers just fine - but I would sort of butcher myself in the process. Nicks, Weepers, post-shave Irritation. Probably a combination of technique and face-geometry. The razors I've kept are a much better fit, for me.
Great reviews, GuidoNext up in my razor comparison series I have again set two giants in the arena: The Blackbird against the Athena. What will the verdict be?
Blackland Blackbird
The Blackbird I have weighs 90 grams (compared to the 94 grams listed on Blackland's website) with (according to Kickstarter) a blade gap of .58mm and blade exposure of .101mm. The Blackbird is a true masterpiece in terms of design and design features. During the shaves I had so far no clogging at all, blade alignment is always spot on and the fit of head and handle is amazing. Its head design leads to an intuitive finding of the right angle and the Blackbird literally guides me across my face and neck letting me know if my angle is off or not. Nice level of audio feedback as well - although I definitely have razors that produce much more audio than this Blackbird. The 90 grams steel doesn't feel as such when shaving. It is very nimble and easy to manouvre around. I am getting better and better in obtaining stellar results.
Lambda Athena
The Athena hit the streets somewhere in 2022 and was/is an instant hit with wet shavers across the globe. It's design is one of the most gorgeous I have every seen. It is made of a nickel aluminium bronze alloy and therefore not just plain brass. I noticed some patina this morning on mine, but it is very slight and barely noticable. Theo has managed to be a staple in wet shaving and is on his way to becoming a household name similar to Blackland before him. It weighs 105 grams with a blade gap of .34mm and neutral blade exposure. On paper this might sound very mild. Even a Tech razor has some positive blade exposure. Looks can be deceiving as we by now know. Audio feedback is very present. No clogging at all thanks to the lather channels and Athena's special way of rinsing (which the Mühle Rocca also has to some extent). As with the Blackbird the Athena doesn't feel heavy during shaving. For this comparison they are in each other's ball park.
Summary of results
Date Razor Blade Quality Comfort Effectiveness 04.05.2024 Blackbird Rubie Plus 9.50 9.00 9.25 05.05.2024 Athena Rubie Plus 9.75 9.00 9.25 15.05.2024 Blackbird Minora 9.75 7.50 9.00 19.05.2024 Athena Minora 10.0 9.00 9.00 20.05.2024 Blackbird Nacet 10.0 9.00 9.25 21.05.2024 Athena Nacet 10.0 9.00 8.75
Average Blackbird SS
9.75 8.50 9.17
Average Lambda Athena
9.92 9.00 9.00
Notes
Both razors are daily drivers for me. I am in love with both their designs and the way their designers have managed to find their take on the perfect shave. The Blackbird has definitely grown on me with just 14 shaves to date compared to the 33 shaves I have had with the Athena. For both razors to come this close to each other says something about the Blackbird. I have had more consistent results with the Blackbird.
The Athena scores a weighted average of overall of 9.31 whereas the Blackbird scores 9.21. The difference is mainly due to a cleaner shave with the Athena in terms of weepers, nicks and the like during the shave. So overall the Athena wins this round, but the differences are very slim to say the least. When purely looking at the end result of the shave the Blackbird wins. In fact, based on my shave statistics the Blackbird is my most effective razor to date. There are a couple that score better, but that's based on too few observations. The Athena gets me almost the same great shave results with more comfort - although I do not mind a little blade feel (which by the way the Athena provides even though it has neutral blade exposure!).
Superb results with both razors and you cannot go wrong with either. I at least absolutely love both of them.
- Thread starter
- #35
Thanks Mark!
Guido, what an in depth and detailed review of 2 extremely well received razors. They are both excellent razors and would be a welcome addition to any Wet Shaver's den. I had to make a decision between the 2 and chose the Athena over the Blackbird, but that was MY decision based on my needs and choices. The Blackbird is a superb tool. For me, the Athena won out. By your ratings graph, the results are "toss up" close. Great job!Next up in my razor comparison series I have again set two giants in the arena: The Blackbird against the Athena. What will the verdict be?
Blackland Blackbird
The Blackbird I have weighs 90 grams (compared to the 94 grams listed on Blackland's website) with (according to Kickstarter) a blade gap of .58mm and blade exposure of .101mm. The Blackbird is a true masterpiece in terms of design and design features. During the shaves I had so far no clogging at all, blade alignment is always spot on and the fit of head and handle is amazing. Its head design leads to an intuitive finding of the right angle and the Blackbird literally guides me across my face and neck letting me know if my angle is off or not. Nice level of audio feedback as well - although I definitely have razors that produce much more audio than this Blackbird. The 90 grams steel doesn't feel as such when shaving. It is very nimble and easy to manouvre around. I am getting better and better in obtaining stellar results.
Lambda Athena
The Athena hit the streets somewhere in 2022 and was/is an instant hit with wet shavers across the globe. It's design is one of the most gorgeous I have every seen. It is made of a nickel aluminium bronze alloy and therefore not just plain brass. I noticed some patina this morning on mine, but it is very slight and barely noticable. Theo has managed to be a staple in wet shaving and is on his way to becoming a household name similar to Blackland before him. It weighs 105 grams with a blade gap of .34mm and neutral blade exposure. On paper this might sound very mild. Even a Tech razor has some positive blade exposure. Looks can be deceiving as we by now know. Audio feedback is very present. No clogging at all thanks to the lather channels and Athena's special way of rinsing (which the Mühle Rocca also has to some extent). As with the Blackbird the Athena doesn't feel heavy during shaving. For this comparison they are in each other's ball park.
Summary of results
Date Razor Blade Quality Comfort Effectiveness 04.05.2024 Blackbird Rubie Plus 9.50 9.00 9.25 05.05.2024 Athena Rubie Plus 9.75 9.00 9.25 15.05.2024 Blackbird Minora 9.75 7.50 9.00 19.05.2024 Athena Minora 10.0 9.00 9.00 20.05.2024 Blackbird Nacet 10.0 9.00 9.25 21.05.2024 Athena Nacet 10.0 9.00 8.75
Average Blackbird SS
9.75 8.50 9.17
Average Lambda Athena
9.92 9.00 9.00
Notes
Both razors are daily drivers for me. I am in love with both their designs and the way their designers have managed to find their take on the perfect shave. The Blackbird has definitely grown on me with just 14 shaves to date compared to the 33 shaves I have had with the Athena. For both razors to come this close to each other says something about the Blackbird. I have had more consistent results with the Blackbird.
The Athena scores a weighted average of overall of 9.31 whereas the Blackbird scores 9.21. The difference is mainly due to a cleaner shave with the Athena in terms of weepers, nicks and the like during the shave. So overall the Athena wins this round, but the differences are very slim to say the least. When purely looking at the end result of the shave the Blackbird wins. In fact, based on my shave statistics the Blackbird is my most effective razor to date. There are a couple that score better, but that's based on too few observations. The Athena gets me almost the same great shave results with more comfort - although I do not mind a little blade feel (which by the way the Athena provides even though it has neutral blade exposure!).
Superb results with both razors and you cannot go wrong with either. I at least absolutely love both of them.
- Thread starter
- #37
Thanks Wally! I know that it was a though decision (and equally glad you made it CONUS only
). And it is hard to discern between them. I am still going back and forth on the Blackbird to be honest. It is amazing, but so are others before it too. And you have the Ares as well. Equally amazing if I go by your reports.I have since updated my method of calculating average scores and at the moment the Athena ranks 1st place of all my razors. But the Blackbird is firmly in 2nd (tied with my Old Type and Fatip) with significantly less shaves than the others evidencing its shaving power.
You had to make a hard decision, but judging by your shaves of late:
Cheers!
Guido
HAHA, love the GIF.Thanks Wally! I know that it was a though decision (and equally glad you made it CONUS only
I have since updated my method of calculating average scores and at the moment the Athena ranks 1st place of all my razors. But the Blackbird is firmly in 2nd (tied with my Old Type and Fatip) with significantly less shaves than the others evidencing its shaving power.
You had to make a hard decision, but judging by your shaves of late:
Cheers!
Guido
I am curious if you have tried the Ares? It is just such a wonder razor to use. For those who worry about an Open Comb (OC) razor being too aggressive, they will be in for a shock when they try the Ares. It is unbelievably smooth, comfortable and efficient. In my mind, it is a bit more efficient than the Athena and the Blackbird Ti. Again, as always, YMMV.
- Thread starter
- #39
No I have not. I came really close last year. I purchased an Ares and pulled out last minute (literally as Theo said it was already at the post office) following amongst others your input for both Lambdas. I felt they were so close I couldn’t justify getting the Ares anyway.
Theo is a number one customer act, because he didn’t even ask why or simply said bad luck for me - no I told him the truth, that I love my Athena and that an Ares would feel as a duplicate, he simply refunded me and that was that.
Subsequently the Blackbird presented itself in a town nearby no less so that saved in customs and taxes to say the least. And I was more curious about how that one would shave. Time will tell if I made the right choice down the line!
I might still get an Ares down the line. But I have others on my radar too for when my restraint ends.
Cheers,
Guido
That makes sense to me. There are many on this forum that think the same way. I just found the Ares a bit more efficient. You have to do what is most comfortable to you.
