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Review: the Blackland Tradere (pre-launch)

Gorgeous. Thanks for sharing your insights and pictures. Mine arrives tomorrow! I’m pretty excited!


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Enjoy! It’s an impressive piece that is done beautifully. It’s a nice sized razor with some weight but, it feels good in the hands. Look forward to your thoughts......:thumbup1:
 
I was asked by a couple of forum members for a few more pics of the razors underside of the top cap and base plate.
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Not as thorough a finish but, it doesn’t need to be. Plus, who shaves with the underside??
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The stepped base plate which is beautifully done.
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The etching on the base plate is flawless. There are two very, very light scratches at the lower left of the base plate. That was on me as it slipped out of my hands when I first removed it from the case, hitting the floor & sliding a foot or two. Drats!!
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I’ll be using a few different blades in the Tradere just to fiddle around with what works well and what doesn’t plus a try out with the King C. Gillette blade. From tonight’s shave, I can tell you that the KAI turned this Tradere into a whisker whacking assasin while still staying super smooth. It was an eye opener. Feather was good last night, KAI was better....

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There are a lot of great pictures and I just got mine. Didn’t have time to stage anything just used some crappy cardboard boxes.

Thought I’d show it side by side with a gen 2 OG Tradere. Enjoy.

My only real insight on the new Tradere by Blackland is that’s it’s machining tolerances are so tight the base plate and top cap take actually physical pulling apart to separate. Beyond that one slight annoyance it’s spectacular.

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I have to say that I think I like the look of the original handle slightly better, although the grip of the new one is probably superior.
 
Last two shaves have been with the KAI blade. And quite simply, they have been excellent. A slight boost in blade feel & efficiency while STILL remaining exceptionally smooth on the face whether ATG, XTG or WTG. The Tradere SB benefits with the KAI SS installed therefore giving one (the user) a bit more of blade feel, an increase in audible feedback and being super smooth and soft on the face in giving a BBS finish in both shaves. Stubble took a bit longer to regrow extending the duration of the shave by about 2 hours. Not bad at all....

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I have to say that I think I like the look of the original handle slightly better, although the grip of the new one is probably superior.

The detail work on the original is pretty messy, to be honest. In particular, the way they ended the knurling is certainly not ideal. The updates were necessary to fix that.
 
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Last two shaves have been with the KAI blade. And quite simply, they have been excellent. A slight boost in blade feel & efficiency while STILL remaining exceptionally smooth on the face whether ATG, XTG or WTG. The Tradere SB benefits with the KAI SS installed therefore giving one (the user) a bit more of blade feel, an increase in audible feedback and being super smooth and soft on the face in giving a BBS finish in both shaves. Stubble took a bit longer to regrow extending the duration of the shave by about 2 hours. Not bad at all....

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This has been my experience. This razor is deceptively efficient. Very smooth and easy.
 
I actually posted another thread about which particular DE I should upgrade to. Wasn't specific enough I guess and my choices keep evolving so I guess I should ask it here as I'm leaning towards a tradere.

So I have been DE shaving for probably 3 years now, and an rather comfortable with my r89 head. Maybe it's partly me not using the right blade yet as I have been mainly using kai / med prep / merkur platinum / muhle blades. But some days I get smooth irritation free shaves. Some days I still do get some razor burn particularly when i try to touch up a tad too much to get it to bbs I guess.

I don't have thick growth, never grown out a full beard, but do have stubble by the end of the day so can manage a shave every 2-3 days to keep rather clean shaven. Sensitive oily skin that is rather acne prone. So that caused some dryness when I use creams on my face for that.

Oh yes I have a harner xhp straight that I have been trying to learn to use for a while. I can get by doing about 70% of the shave bit finish off with a de not wanting to cut myself up. Haven't cut myself up yet but still wouldn't say I have my straight technique down.

So I'm looking for an upgrade to my r89 as I don't find it particularly efficient nor smooth.

The blackland tradere seems to tick all the boxes.
Plus the fact that Shane just comes across as such a gentleman, makes me all the more lean towards a blackland product.

However just wondering if I were to compare the tradere to the following, how would it stack up in terms of being smooth with minimal irritation to skin, just easy to use, and decently efficient so I don't end up aggravating my skin trying to do too many touch ups:
- an either pre or post war British / us / Canadian tech
- the wr2 wolfman with most mild gap
- timeless.68 or.95 in ss or ti though I know that is a topic all of its own and has been discussed at length in various threads.
- tatara


Or you would just say.... Just get the tradere and u won't regret it?;)
I have a wolf man WR2 1.05 and I find the Tradere to be smoother. I havent used the WR2 in a few weeks so I’ll pick it up again and compare . I really really like both razors.
 
I have a wolf man WR2 1.05 and I find the Tradere to be smoother. I havent used the WR2 in a few weeks so I’ll pick it up again and compare . I really really like both razors.
I agree. I find the Tradere SB to be smoother than my WR2 1.15, but much less efficient than the Wolfman. That’s the only issue I have with my Tradere so far. I really like the razor, but I guess I’ve gotten so spoiled by the smoothness AND efficiency of razors like the WR2, Timeless Ti95, and even my GC84, that I find myself struggling a bit to achieve the same end result following the same routine I employ with my other go-to razors. It is a beautifully designed razor, though.
 
Nice looking razors just a bit too mild for me. The OC is supposed to be aggressive, but even with a Kai I'd put it between an 89 and Timeless .95, ATT H and Karve F. Looks like another bst.
 
A good & easy carefree shave with the Blackland Tradere. Used a fresh Feather Hi-SS blade and the suds from Barrister & Mann Ravish soap, nearly flawless. I’ve grown to like the length of the handle and it no longer feels awkward though it wasn’t by much when I first used it 6-7 months ago. It’s a beaut to look at with it’s unique make up and delivers a smooth yet deceptively efficient shave. It’s always a 3 pass affair but, most of the time I make plenty of lather for 4-5 passes ( I’m a glutton for having more lather than necessary) and simply it’s just a true joy to shave with this wonderfully crafted piece of kit. No regrets in owning this tool....

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FarmerTan

"Self appointed king of Arkoland"
A good & easy carefree shave with the Blackland Tradere. Used a fresh Feather Hi-SS blade and the suds from Barrister & Mann Ravish soap, nearly flawless. I’ve grown to like the length of the handle and it no longer feels awkward though it wasn’t by much when I first used it 6-7 months ago. It’s a beaut to look at with it’s unique make up and delivers a smooth yet deceptively efficient shave. It’s always a 3 pass affair but, most of the time I make plenty of lather for 4-5 passes ( I’m a glutton for having more lather than necessary) and simply it’s just a true joy to shave with this wonderfully crafted piece of kit. No regrets in owning this tool....

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Looks like sculpture...
 
A good & easy carefree shave with the Blackland Tradere. Used a fresh Feather Hi-SS blade and the suds from Barrister & Mann Ravish soap, nearly flawless. I’ve grown to like the length of the handle and it no longer feels awkward though it wasn’t by much when I first used it 6-7 months ago. It’s a beaut to look at with it’s unique make up and delivers a smooth yet deceptively efficient shave. It’s always a 3 pass affair but, most of the time I make plenty of lather for 4-5 passes ( I’m a glutton for having more lather than necessary) and simply it’s just a true joy to shave with this wonderfully crafted piece of kit. No regrets in owning this tool....

View attachment 1222884

Nice setup!
 

never-stop-learning

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A good & easy carefree shave with the Blackland Tradere. Used a fresh Feather Hi-SS blade and the suds from Barrister & Mann Ravish soap, nearly flawless. I’ve grown to like the length of the handle and it no longer feels awkward though it wasn’t by much when I first used it 6-7 months ago. It’s a beaut to look at with it’s unique make up and delivers a smooth yet deceptively efficient shave. It’s always a 3 pass affair but, most of the time I make plenty of lather for 4-5 passes ( I’m a glutton for having more lather than necessary) and simply it’s just a true joy to shave with this wonderfully crafted piece of kit. No regrets in owning this tool....

View attachment 1222884

Gorgeous Kit! :cool:
 
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