The Vector is Blacklands best razor.

[dfs]

I am about 50 shaves in on the vector and prior to it was using a merkur 34c.
Initially I found the Feather pro cutting me too much. I switched to the Kai protouch mg and loved them. Close, irritation free shave. Next up were Shick prolines and I found these also smooth and close. Now that I am more comfortable with the Vector will give the Feathers another go.

 

[never-stop-learning]

I am about 50 shaves in on the vector and prior to it was using a merkur 34c.
Initially I found the Feather pro cutting me too much. I switched to the Kai protouch mg and loved them. Close, irritation free shave. Next up were Shick prolines and I found these also smooth and close. Now that I am more comfortable with the Vector will give the Feathers another go.

The Schick Proline and Kai Protouch MG are my go to blades with my Vector.

 

[nicked78]

Congrats!

You should get both plates! Seriously.

To me OC was the true revelation. SB is fine, but OC is what made it out-of-this-world experience.

That said, I think it largely depends on the shaving technique. I go shallow and I blade-buff a lot. For that OC is unrivaled, as it allows the lather to penetrate deeper. Therefore, the skin is always kept well lubricated.

Let us know once you get it!!

Will do! Tracking says it should arrive Monday. Yeah, that OC was tempting. Great points about lather and blade buffing, which is the main thing I would see the OC benefit from (I shave every day, and never need an OC to help shave longer growth).

I decided on the SB because:

--My current preference is steep angle shaving with SB's. But I have also had good results with shallow angle and OC's!
--I thought I would just start with what the razor started as, and go from there.

This will keep the price more reasonable for now and help me just focus on trying different blades as I make sure it's a good fit during the 30-day return window.

If I love it, though, I have a hard time imagining I wouldn't eventually get the OC too.

 

[xlri]

One of the finest SE razors ever produced! Very smooth and super efficient!

 

[never-stop-learning]

 

[molon_labe]

My Vector OC is out for delivery today. I honestly haven't been this excited to receive a new razor in quite a while. I think the fact that it's such a departure from what I've been using (this is my first SE after 7+ year wet shaving) has me really eager to see what all this hype is about. I'm hoping the blades also arrive today so I can give it a spin tomorrow morning.

 

[MaineYooper]

My Vector OC is out for delivery today. I honestly haven't been this excited to receive a new razor in quite a while. I think the fact that it's such a departure from what I've been using (this is my first SE after 7+ year wet shaving) has me really eager to see what all this hype is about. I'm hoping the blades also arrive today so I can give it a spin tomorrow morning.

We are all anxious to read of your experiences!

 

[molon_labe]

We are all anxious to read of your experiences!

Unfortunately it’s going to be another few days. Vector arrived but I just now got shipping notification on the blades. Weird, seeing as how I ordered the blades first. Oh well, I guess patience is a virtue.

I don’t want to get ahead of myself, but the Vector certainly feels great in hand.

 

[nicked78]

Unfortunately it’s going to be another few days. Vector arrived but I just now got shipping notification on the blades. Weird, seeing as how I ordered the blades first. Oh well, I guess patience is a virtue.

I don’t want to get ahead of myself, but the Vector certainly feels great in hand.

I got in my first shave with mine today on a Schick Proline and posted in the "What are you using today" thread.

In addition to it being my first Vector shave, it was my first SE razor shave, and it was the kind of feel and experience I was hoping for. I'm sure other SE razors would offer this, but I'm glad I just went for the Vector. It's what I would have ended up with anyway.

It's a bummer that your blades are holding you up! I wonder if you have a sampler on the way, or just one or two kinds? Hang in there, the time will pass!

 

[GNR]

@nicked78 congrats on your first Vector shave. It is a remarkable razor and I hope you have years of great shaves with it.
Putting on my “Super Enabler Cape”...have you tried a GEM format razor? Blackland Razors Sabre is great. Don’t be surprised if you like SE razors that you feel the call to add the Sabre to your arsenal.
Seriously though, you picked a great razor...enjoy.

 

[nicked78]

@nicked78 congrats on your first Vector shave. It is a remarkable razor and I hope you have years of great shaves with it.
Putting on my “Super Enabler Cape”...have you tried a GEM format razor? Blackland Razors Sabre is great. Don’t be surprised if you like SE razors that you feel the call to add the Sabre to your arsenal.
Seriously though, you picked a great razor...enjoy.

I ordered some coated GEM blades in a recent sampler . . . so yeah, the thought has crossed my mind! I think I'll probably start with a vintage GEM, though, just to try it out for fun. Otherwise those four or five $0.40 blades will go to waste! Can't have that.

When I was deciding between the two, it sounded like the Vector was just a bit more efficient and more customizable than the Sabre due to the GEM format locking you in to pretty much one blade option. That being said, it also sounds like the Sabre offers an even smoother shave potentially, and the blades are only $0.25 each in bulk. The other thing that tipped me towards the Vector was that it is so simple to order--just SB or OC, rather than trying to decide between L1 and L2 with the Sabre, and I didn't want to go beyond the $200 price point on either razor for starters.

That being said, the idea of shaving with a GEM blade, which looks just like a hardware store paint scraper, is something totally up my alley. I had to overcome a somewhat emotional pull towards the Sabre when ordering the Vector. See how disciplined I am?

 

[DaveHStone]

I ordered some coated GEM blades in a recent sampler . . . so yeah, the thought has crossed my mind! I think I'll probably start with a vintage GEM, though, just to try it out for fun. Otherwise those four or five $0.40 blades will go to waste! Can't have that.

When I was deciding between the two, it sounded like the Vector was just a bit more efficient and more customizable than the Sabre due to the GEM format locking you in to pretty much one blade option. That being said, it also sounds like the Sabre offers an even smoother shave potentially, and the blades are only $0.25 each in bulk. The other thing that tipped me towards the Vector was that it is so simple to order--just SB or OC, rather than trying to decide between L1 and L2 with the Sabre, and I didn't want to go beyond the $200 price point on either razor for starters.

That being said, the idea of shaving with a GEM blade, which looks just like a hardware store paint scraper, is something totally up my alley. I had to overcome a somewhat emotional pull towards the Sabre when ordering the Vector. See how disciplined I am?

Time to get the OC plate and the stand for your Vector, all while you place an order for the Sabre

 

[GNR]

I ordered some coated GEM blades in a recent sampler . . . so yeah, the thought has crossed my mind! I think I'll probably start with a vintage GEM, though, just to try it out for fun. Otherwise those four or five $0.40 blades will go to waste! Can't have that.

When I was deciding between the two, it sounded like the Vector was just a bit more efficient and more customizable than the Sabre due to the GEM format locking you in to pretty much one blade option. That being said, it also sounds like the Sabre offers an even smoother shave potentially, and the blades are only $0.25 each in bulk. The other thing that tipped me towards the Vector was that it is so simple to order--just SB or OC, rather than trying to decide between L1 and L2 with the Sabre, and I didn't want to go beyond the $200 price point on either razor for starters.

That being said, the idea of shaving with a GEM blade, which looks just like a hardware store paint scraper, is something totally up my alley. I had to overcome a somewhat emotional pull towards the Sabre when ordering the Vector. See how disciplined I am?

Great idea on the vintage GEM. I have 2 and they are nice shavers and reasonably priced.
You made a good call with the Vector, it can definitely be tweaked a little with blade choice.
I don’t have the OC head, but I see @DaveHStone has already “enabled” adding that to your Vector in the future. Then you can definitely customize your Vector shaves.

 

[dfs]

Speaking of the Vector OC plate. I’ve used the vector about a month now with SB and getting much more comfortable with it. I tend to shave daily and my hair growth is moderate heavy but never gets too long. Have been intimidated to use OC, but, should I give it a try? Maybe with a guarded blade?

How different is aggresiveness vs just with the sb plate?

 

[DaveHStone]

Great idea on the vintage GEM. I have 2 and they are nice shavers and reasonably priced.
You made a good call with the Vector, it can definitely be tweaked a little with blade choice.
I don’t have the OC head, but I see @DaveHStone has already “enabled” adding that to your Vector in the future. Then you can definitely customize your Vector shaves.

To me the OC was a true "game changer", a revelation. So close, yet ultimately smooth, a dream shave come true.

 

[DaveHStone]

Speaking of the Vector OC plate. I’ve used the vector about a month now with SB and getting much more comfortable with it. I tend to shave daily and my hair growth is moderate heavy but never gets too long. Have been intimidated to use OC, but, should I give it a try? Maybe with a guarded blade?

How different is aggresiveness vs just with the sb plate?

I know everything here is YMMV. That said, TO ME, the OC is just slightly more "aggressive", maybe half a notch, compared to SB plate. However, for my shaving technique, which is almost exclusively riding the cap and involves a lot of buffing, I find the OC smoother, as combs allow the lather to penetrate deeper and so the shaved portion of the skin is always kept well lubricated.

Hope it makes sense.

 

[dfs]

I know everything here is YMMV. That said, TO ME, the OC is just slightly more "aggressive", maybe half a notch, compared to SB plate. However, for my shaving technique, which is almost exclusively riding the cap and involves a lot of buffing, I find the OC smoother, as combs allow the lather to penetrate deeper and so the shaved portion of the skin is always kept well lubricated.

Hope it makes sense.

Interesting. I find a steeper angle works best for me with the sb plate, handle almost verticle.
Maybe I will start off more shallow with the OC? Thanks.

 

[molon_labe]

It's a bummer that your blades are holding you up! I wonder if you have a sampler on the way, or just one or two kinds? Hang in there, the time will pass!

Glad to hear your favorable first impressions. I didn’t get the full sampler because I had read about some experiences where blades possibly got dulled during shipping from Try A Blade. I decided to order 5 each of Proline, Kai Pinks, and Kai Protouch MG. After the fact I regretted not getting a few Feather Pro as well but I’m sure I’ll try those at some point down the road.
I went with the OC plate because OC tend to work better for me with DE razors, and Shane recommended going that route based on my preference and the fact that blade choice would have more impact on shave characteristics than the plate does.

 

[DaveHStone]

Interesting. I find a steeper angle works best for me with the sb plate, handle almost verticle.
Maybe I will start off more shallow with the OC? Thanks.

I ride the cap irrespective of what razor I am using, always shallow angle no matter what.

That said, while both shallow and steep may cut whiskers with the same efficiency, steep will scrap the skin, while shallow won't. YMMV.

 

[never-stop-learning]

Interesting. I find a steeper angle works best for me with the sb plate, handle almost verticle.
Maybe I will start off more shallow with the OC? Thanks.

I go steep with both SB and OC plates.