First run out with my Sabre, and yet another favourite makes my list.
Using one of the 3 blades supplied with the razor, P&B Sanskrit lathered in my nice new Giles Shaving bowl and a long-handle Zenith synth, I went for a two-pass shave, with first-class results.
The razor is perfectly balanced for me, and the 85mm handle is the length and girth that I like. At 111g, the weight overall is substantial but not excessive, and in particular, the head at 33g isn't top-heavy. With a solid safety bar, and .6mm gap, Blackland rates aggression at 5/10. However, it's one of those razors where any feeling of "aggression" is absent, and it just does the job. I couldn't detect a lot of "blade-feel", but, as with almost all razors using a Gem blade, the blade itself produces quite a lot of aural feedback. I like that.
The angle (each to his own) was quick and easy to find. With some SE Gem razors, I occasionally feel that if I get it wrong, especially on the point of my chin, then it will perhaps bite me. There's no suggestion of that with the Sabre.
The machining quality and precision is flawless. There are light horizontal marks on the head, which won't be there on a polished model, and the interior has the usual linear and concentric marks around the locating pins, holes and centre post. Blackland explicitly describe this on the website. Personally, none of that bothers me in the least, and I like to see evidence of fine machining anyway.
Blade loading is uncomplicated, and it is held firmly and precisely with the two locating pins in the blade cutouts either side. The central blade hole fits closely over the post. As the post is rectangular, and threaded on two sides (i.e. not round), it is necessary to pay some attention to locating the handle properly before screwing it on, so as to avoid cross-threading. This isn't a big deal, and anyone who can't do it probably shouldn't be handling sharp objects anyway. A nice Blackland touch (akin to the socketed handle on the Blackbird) is that the handle side of the baseplate, which could, I think, be plain flat, is machined to a central flattened pyramid profile. Other M5 threaded handles can be used, but the one it comes with is, for me, as good as it gets.
All in all, it's a superb razor.
There has been some discussion about how the Sabre compares to the Rocnel SE-G. To my way of thinking, they are two very different razors that share a common blade, and each has its own qualities. Setting aside obvious stuff like blade loading, OC versus SB, colour finish and handle length, the most evident difference is in the angle of the head relative to the handle. The Sabre angle is closer to, for example, a Natural Angle, and is about 80 degrees (according to my ancient Helix protractor). The SE-G is a smaller angle, at about 75 degrees i.e. the head bends back more sharply.
A great deal of how these Gem-type razors perform depends on the angle at which they're used, and the difference between the two makes the difference in how they may perform for individuals. I now have both these razors, and whilst each shaves very well, I personally don't think it's very profitable to attempt a direct comparison, as each is unique.