First off, I had some USPS problems with my shipment. But @Blackland Razors had my back and their customer service made me very happy. Short version: USPS said it was delivered on one day, but it did not arrive until 8 days later. Thank you Blackland—I didn’t want to feel like I lost $$$ in the mail, and I appreciated you working with with me. Whew, all was well in the end.
I had read for years that the Blackland Blackbird had some real blade feel. Hmm, not for me, at least with this titanium version. It felt no more aggressive than a Karve C plate or Wolfman 1.15 on my face. If there was blade feel, it was minimal at worst (maybe this is a titanium thing?). I was expecting the blade, to be honest. Instead, perhaps incautiously, on my first use, I was soon whipping it around my face like an old friend. Really. Now, I was using an angle I normally use with the Karve. It was not steep, but I don’t think it was overly shallow either. The planes of the razor design help guide you here. Perhaps, however, since I am a big fan of the Karve, it was easier for me to use that shaving memory for a ‘shallower’ shave. Fwiw, I do use a steeper angle with the WR2 Wolfman, and the Wolfman WR2 1.15 has been my mainstay for quite a while.
As for smoothness of the Blackbird? A+++. Like a Karve and Wolfman WR2 (and yes even a Rockwell 6s on a 4-5 plate), again for smoothness. I was not expecting anything less actually. But, as we all know, while smoothness is wonderful and matters a lot, what about efficiency (i.e. how long will it take for whiskers to grow back)? So many of us chase the unicorn of a shave that is smooth and as close as possible but without undue blade feel and dreaded irritation, but the shave is also aggressive and close enough one can skip or day or two, even if they have heavy growth (wait, is that not your unicorn?). For any razor review, this will always be subjective. This was my first shave with the Blackbird, and it’s the day before Thanksgiving (and it was an evening shave as well). I’ll let y’all know soon enough.
I will admit to having been nervous about the potential blade feel since I do not like it (e.g., the Karve D plate is too much blade feel for me). But, the Ti Blackbird was really gentle, I can happily say. What a nice surprise.
Overall, I LOVED it. What a wonderful first shave.
P.S. This may seem really silly. But, I’ve watched some Blackland videos with Shane. His facial hair growth and thickness seem similar to mine. This only added to my shopping confidence that if something worked for his face, it should work for mine. In other words, if he designed it to shave his face well, it should shave mine well too. Probably stupid and silly, but it really did reassure me (as did the money back guaranty tbh).
I had read for years that the Blackland Blackbird had some real blade feel. Hmm, not for me, at least with this titanium version. It felt no more aggressive than a Karve C plate or Wolfman 1.15 on my face. If there was blade feel, it was minimal at worst (maybe this is a titanium thing?). I was expecting the blade, to be honest. Instead, perhaps incautiously, on my first use, I was soon whipping it around my face like an old friend. Really. Now, I was using an angle I normally use with the Karve. It was not steep, but I don’t think it was overly shallow either. The planes of the razor design help guide you here. Perhaps, however, since I am a big fan of the Karve, it was easier for me to use that shaving memory for a ‘shallower’ shave. Fwiw, I do use a steeper angle with the WR2 Wolfman, and the Wolfman WR2 1.15 has been my mainstay for quite a while.
As for smoothness of the Blackbird? A+++. Like a Karve and Wolfman WR2 (and yes even a Rockwell 6s on a 4-5 plate), again for smoothness. I was not expecting anything less actually. But, as we all know, while smoothness is wonderful and matters a lot, what about efficiency (i.e. how long will it take for whiskers to grow back)? So many of us chase the unicorn of a shave that is smooth and as close as possible but without undue blade feel and dreaded irritation, but the shave is also aggressive and close enough one can skip or day or two, even if they have heavy growth (wait, is that not your unicorn?). For any razor review, this will always be subjective. This was my first shave with the Blackbird, and it’s the day before Thanksgiving (and it was an evening shave as well). I’ll let y’all know soon enough.
I will admit to having been nervous about the potential blade feel since I do not like it (e.g., the Karve D plate is too much blade feel for me). But, the Ti Blackbird was really gentle, I can happily say. What a nice surprise.
Overall, I LOVED it. What a wonderful first shave.
P.S. This may seem really silly. But, I’ve watched some Blackland videos with Shane. His facial hair growth and thickness seem similar to mine. This only added to my shopping confidence that if something worked for his face, it should work for mine. In other words, if he designed it to shave his face well, it should shave mine well too. Probably stupid and silly, but it really did reassure me (as did the money back guaranty tbh).