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I noticed this thread was part of the thread-casualties during the recent server switch so decided to re-post it as it's a kickstarter in progress and there might be some useful information here for people that are considering buying one.
Note: The new s/w incorrectly identified this post as 10,000 characters or more (it's 9,600 characters) so I had to break it up in two posts.
Note: The new s/w incorrectly identified this post as 10,000 characters or more (it's 9,600 characters) so I had to break it up in two posts.
Original Post below:
Part 1:
This will be something very different, and long, that I hope you will all enjoy - a rather exclusive ‘First Look' at the Blackland razor.
At the time of writing this, June 9, 2015, there are no other third-party reviews posted of this razor - and this “First Look/Review†will be posted simultaneously on both TSD and TSR for anyone interested to read. This review might be re-posted on other forums later but for today these are the two sites that will receive it.
Aren't you special?
Background and Disclaimers
Some things to get out of the way before we dig into the razor itself:
Shane, of Blackland Razors, reached out to me some time ago with the idea of having me test out his razor as he was getting close to both having a production ready razor as well as launching his Kickstarter campaign.
I want to be very clear in that at no point in time did Shane request any sort of special treatment or that his razor should be reviewed in a particular way. What you read here is 100% my own thoughts on the razor with nothing added to or removed by Shane.
Shane did do me the favor of doing a pre-check of the review to spot any true factual mistakes such as weight, dimensions, etc but nothing pertaining to subjective thoughts on the design or performance.
The razor I am reviewing is an early version that have some slight differences to what the final production version will look like;
- my model has a feature that prevents the head from being compatible with other, standard three-piece razor handles. This will be removed for the production version so that the head can be freely attached to any regular razor handle, and
- my model does not have a maker's mark on it. This is something that Shane is looking into and it's something that the production units may receive. I will let Shane address that as he gets final words from the shop.
The razor I am reviewing was provided to me at no cost and is free for me to keep - or send back - with no strings attached.
With that out of the way, let's move on the more interesting part of all of this;
The Blackland Razor.
Evaluation
How do you evaluate a razor apart from how it shaves as everything, including that experience, is highly subjective?
One way to do it, is to break it down into aspects of the razor and try to, when possible, compare those aspects to razors that people may have had first-hand experiences with.
I took a closer look at these four aspects;
- Aesthetics (talk about subjective) and color/finish,
- Overall machining/manufacturing quality,
- Razor Head design, and
- The Shave
Aesthetics
I'll be honest - this is a sexy looking razor.
It's big, black and rough.
Not only does it look mean but the weight of it also reinforces that impression.
It's the kind of razor you want to leave out on your bathroom sink for your friends to see - or bring with you to the gym and shave there. It is, in lack of a better word, a manly-looking razor.
In addition to the actual design there is also the topic of the color/finish that I get a feeling will be one of the most important decision making data points for a lot of people.
So the razor is black - but it's not a deep, solid painted/coated black like say the iKon B1 razor.
Ikon B1 next to the Blackland
To quote Shane:
“The black oxide finish gives a uniquely, imperfect black finish that shows the machining marks.
The finish will wear, but it won't chip or flake. Black oxide is a chemical conversion process, not a coating. The surface molecules are converted to black oxide during the process so the only way to remove them is through physically marring the steel. Over time the finish will wear and develop a patina unique to that specific razor. Black oxide is used on rifle barrels and the razor, similarly, will show its own battle scars.â€
When I first got the razor I will be honest in that I did take a second look.
I had expected it to be that black, solid paint (that's) shiny and deep - instead the razor already exhibit a light ‘patina' in certain areas. I could see very faint traces of the machining process.
It took me a day or so until I warmed up to the look of it but now I admit that I am rather drawn to it and to how the razor, my razor, will ‘age' and show its patina through usage.
In much it's like the pride film photographers praise the aging signs of well worn cameras - like Winogrand's Leica M3 below. People even go out of their way to enhance/speed up that aging process because of how unique it makes the item look.
Winogrand's Leica M3 - beautiful
I also like that it will ‘wear' not flake or chip like a painted/coated razor would.
I did. on my model, perceive the oxidation to be a bit ‘lighter' on the top cap than on the rest of the razor that felt more evenly, almost solid, black. That may well be because of it being the largest flat area on the razor and that makes the color come across differently. If possible I would had loved for the topcap to have the same ‘richer' black that the rest of the razor have.
Overall Machining/Manufacturing Quality
The first thing you notice when you pick up the Blackland is that it's a heavy, solid piece of equipment. Nothing about it feels flimsy or cheap.
The razor will, initially, come in two configurations (all made in 303 Stainless steel);
- 70mm handle giving a total weight of 90g, and
- 101mm handle giving a total weight of 110g.
Traditional three-piece design. All components fits very well together.
A highly unscientific way for me to quickly gauge how well a razor is machined is to dis- and re-assemble the razor a few times. I did it with the Wolfman razor just a few days ago and last night I did the same thing with the Blackland. If people saw me they'd probably question my sanity as I sit there in complete silence putting the head on...and taking it off, but to me it really helps assess ‘quality'.
I also looked at things like;
- the edges on any part to see if they are smooth to the touch, and
- if flat surfaces are truly flat and is there any sign of a ‘Weber wave'-effect with a loaded blade.
The blade lay very flat and no sign of 'wave' or uneven blade exposure
The head comes off and on with no resistance. It's as buttery-smooth as the Wolfman - and (that's) saying quite a lot. There is also no wave in a loaded blade - it lies perfectly flat - and any edges feels well rounded/finished.
If I would call out anything here, and now I'm nitpicking, it would be that the grooves in the handle felt a bit too prominent/sharp to my touch. I would had liked for them to feel a bit more ‘refined' and softer. On the other hand the handle does end up feeling very secure and there is absolutely no feeling of that this handle would ever slip in my hand during a shave.
Feels very secure in the hand
