It had to happen eventually, so I thought why not get it over with - or is it actually (ever) over?
Blackland Blackbird
As I said before this razor needs no introduction on this forum being a favourite ever since it first hit the streets. I have the polished stainless steel version with the original baseplate and regular handle. The Blackbird I have weighs 90 grams (compared to the 94 grams listed on Blackland's website) with (according to Kickstarter) a blade gap of .58mm and blade exposure of .101mm. The Blackbird is a true masterpiece in terms of design and design features. During the shaves I had so far no clogging at all, blade alignment is always spot on and the fit of head and handle is amazing. Its head design leads to an intuitive finding of the right angle and the Blackbird literally guides me across my face and neck letting me know if my angle is off or not. Nice level of audio feedback as well - although I definitely have razors that produce much more audio than this Blackbird. The 90 grams steel doesn't feel as such when shaving. It is very nimble and easy to manouvre around. I haven't been able yet to get the same stellar results as others report on, but I am sure that eventually I will get there (I have already noticed that top notch blades certainly make a difference). I have briefly considered selling the Blackbird, because I have other razors delivering similar results - but for now it is firmly locked into my rotation.
Timeless Ti95 SCL
The Blackbird is already a masterpiece, but for me personally this razor is just drop dead gorgeous. The only other razor I have that comes close next to the Blackbird is the Lambda Athena, but the Timeless is just marvellous engineering and looks. I absolutely love the Crown handle. So the Timeless weighs 42.7 grams for the handle and 24.5 grams for the head totalling 67.2 grams which of course is significantly lower than the Blackbird. But as I mentioned the Blackbird doesn't feel that heavy. I have the scalloped baseplate which according to Timeless is somewhat of a hybrid between open comb and safety bar baseplates. I don't know if that is true or not, but I like the looks as well as the efficiency it brings (alledgedly more effective than the solid safety bar). It has been the razor I reach most for and I always smile when I get to use it. I like rotating razors, but I would let the others gather dust if I were to use this one daily. It is a daily driver to me despite the blade gap of .95mm and .05mm positive exposure. So more blade gap but less exposure compared to the Blackbird.
Summary of results
Notes
It would be too easy to say it's too close to call and both razors are too much alike. Which they are and they are not. I am sure metal plays a role, but then again titanium usually wins from stainless - at least from what I have been reading and today that doesn't seem to be the case. Both had good blades and bad blades so no advantage for one or the other. The Blackbird shaves closer than the Timeless Ti95 - at least during these shaves. In hindsight the result of 18 March was closer to 8.5 than 8.75, but it is what it is. If I however factor in comfort the Ti95 wins as there is positive blade feel, but less than the Blackbird making it a more smoother shaver for me. Obviously I have more mileage with the Ti95 and that does count for something, as the Ti95 is neary autopilot for me whereas the Blackbird and I are still growing on each other. If I take a superior blade into account - like the KCG - I see both razors performing admirably and delivering dolphinic or marble results - even with a KCG blade going on 20 shaves.
So where does this leave us. Ultimately you cannot go wrong with either. Both are true testaments to modern wet shaving and they represent some of the best out there. In this face-off the Blackbird got the upper hand. In terms of end results that is. The Ti95 is less aggressive and more predictable than the Blackbird making it a smoother shaver for me. And I am biased towards the design of the Ti95. Not to mention the emotional and sentimental value this particular razor represents to me. End of the story is that I am glad to have both in my rotation. As these razor wars show there are alternatives. For example the Green Cult 2.0 and recently @tomas1870 mentioned the Yates 921 H as a possible contender. And I would say the Game Changer has a place as well punching above its weight.
Blackland Blackbird
As I said before this razor needs no introduction on this forum being a favourite ever since it first hit the streets. I have the polished stainless steel version with the original baseplate and regular handle. The Blackbird I have weighs 90 grams (compared to the 94 grams listed on Blackland's website) with (according to Kickstarter) a blade gap of .58mm and blade exposure of .101mm. The Blackbird is a true masterpiece in terms of design and design features. During the shaves I had so far no clogging at all, blade alignment is always spot on and the fit of head and handle is amazing. Its head design leads to an intuitive finding of the right angle and the Blackbird literally guides me across my face and neck letting me know if my angle is off or not. Nice level of audio feedback as well - although I definitely have razors that produce much more audio than this Blackbird. The 90 grams steel doesn't feel as such when shaving. It is very nimble and easy to manouvre around. I haven't been able yet to get the same stellar results as others report on, but I am sure that eventually I will get there (I have already noticed that top notch blades certainly make a difference). I have briefly considered selling the Blackbird, because I have other razors delivering similar results - but for now it is firmly locked into my rotation.
Timeless Ti95 SCL
The Blackbird is already a masterpiece, but for me personally this razor is just drop dead gorgeous. The only other razor I have that comes close next to the Blackbird is the Lambda Athena, but the Timeless is just marvellous engineering and looks. I absolutely love the Crown handle. So the Timeless weighs 42.7 grams for the handle and 24.5 grams for the head totalling 67.2 grams which of course is significantly lower than the Blackbird. But as I mentioned the Blackbird doesn't feel that heavy. I have the scalloped baseplate which according to Timeless is somewhat of a hybrid between open comb and safety bar baseplates. I don't know if that is true or not, but I like the looks as well as the efficiency it brings (alledgedly more effective than the solid safety bar). It has been the razor I reach most for and I always smile when I get to use it. I like rotating razors, but I would let the others gather dust if I were to use this one daily. It is a daily driver to me despite the blade gap of .95mm and .05mm positive exposure. So more blade gap but less exposure compared to the Blackbird.
Summary of results
| Date | Razor | Blade | Quality | Comfort | Effectiveness |
| 05.03.2024 | Timeless Ti95 SCL | GSB (5) | 10 | 10 | 9 |
| 08.03.2024 | Blackbird SS | Sputnik (1) | 9 | 8 | 9.25 |
| 16.03.2024 | Timeless Ti95 SCL | Racer (6) | 9 | 7 | 6 |
| 17.03.2024 | Blackbird SS | Tiger Platinum (1) | 8 | 6 | 7 |
| 18.03.2024 | Blackbird SS | ASCO (1) | 9 | 8 | 8.75 |
| 19.03.2024 | Timeless Ti95 SCL | ASCO (2) | 9 | 8 | 8.25 |
| Average Blackbird SS | 8.67 | 7.33 | 8.33 | ||
| Average Timeless Ti95 | 9.33 | 8.33 | 7.75 |
Notes
It would be too easy to say it's too close to call and both razors are too much alike. Which they are and they are not. I am sure metal plays a role, but then again titanium usually wins from stainless - at least from what I have been reading and today that doesn't seem to be the case. Both had good blades and bad blades so no advantage for one or the other. The Blackbird shaves closer than the Timeless Ti95 - at least during these shaves. In hindsight the result of 18 March was closer to 8.5 than 8.75, but it is what it is. If I however factor in comfort the Ti95 wins as there is positive blade feel, but less than the Blackbird making it a more smoother shaver for me. Obviously I have more mileage with the Ti95 and that does count for something, as the Ti95 is neary autopilot for me whereas the Blackbird and I are still growing on each other. If I take a superior blade into account - like the KCG - I see both razors performing admirably and delivering dolphinic or marble results - even with a KCG blade going on 20 shaves.
So where does this leave us. Ultimately you cannot go wrong with either. Both are true testaments to modern wet shaving and they represent some of the best out there. In this face-off the Blackbird got the upper hand. In terms of end results that is. The Ti95 is less aggressive and more predictable than the Blackbird making it a smoother shaver for me. And I am biased towards the design of the Ti95. Not to mention the emotional and sentimental value this particular razor represents to me. End of the story is that I am glad to have both in my rotation. As these razor wars show there are alternatives. For example the Green Cult 2.0 and recently @tomas1870 mentioned the Yates 921 H as a possible contender. And I would say the Game Changer has a place as well punching above its weight.
