I do have to say, that she at least is nice about bringing packages to the door, and making sure they are tucked under the eave when it is raining. Others have been way less consciencious.

Rec'd mine right after Xmas - presentation was stellar! I did not order the wooden case and wish I would have lol! I especially wish I would have ordered the black long handled version with the stainless that I did order! Anyway - I feel that the shave was very aggressive which is great for me - I love aggressive razors. Lathered with the soap (which is a very nice smelling soap - thank you), used a Satin Tip brush and my first go was surprised at the aggression (in a good way). I think the provided blades were very sharp and helped increase this aggression (again - fine for me and my thick Italian beard).

I did a two-pass BBS shave - not perfect because I need several shaves to dial in any shave (with the sole exception of the Wolfman and BBS-1 razors which dialed in - for me- immediately). I had a frightening drop of the base plate from my fingers which did little to no damage thank goodness! Freaked me out because I never drop anything shave related and here I was dropping the first time I tried!

I will have to report back after I have more than 10 shaves (I think I am on shave 3-4 now). I do notice the drag that others have mentioned. I find a kindred thought regarding the Mongoose comparison. They do not compare in looks to me but, in the manner of the shave except for the Mongoose that is more on the negative - not completely negative as I am a owner and fan of their razor as well. I am also a straight razor shaver so, for me to switch to a DE is a rarity but, I am enjoying the switch up! Added: thanks to
PLANofMAN for this thread!

The Blackbird is a welcome addition to my den!

Okay, first shave. I used a favorite set up, making sure to change nothing but the razor. SOTD:

-Blackbird SS (silver, 70 mm handle)
-Nacet blade, (new)
-Omega 10066 knot in a Manhandled Woods Handle
-Stirling PSO (I am kind of hit or miss on oils, but in the MN winters, I probably use it more often than not, because I like the moisturization.)
-Stirling Limes soap

I think it is very important to differentiate between aggression and efficiency here. While I will admit that after reading reviews I went after this with a very light touch, this is not an especially "aggressive" razor. It is however, efficient as all Hell. For modern shavers, I would like to compare the face feel to an ATT M1, (SORRY, EDIT: THIS SHOULD READ R1, NOT M1), for vintage, somewhere between a New and an adj set about half way-ish. But, I would like to compare the result to an ATT H2, 2013 R41, or a maxed out Gillette adj. This thing shaves WAY closer than it feels like it is. Serious winner on this count.

I really was looking for the "drag" people were commenting about, and I found it. My take is this: Shane commented on how intuitive the angle is on this, and I have to disagree a bit. The angle just a bit too shallow? (And by shallow I mean what feels (to me) normal), and the razor feels like it is going to skid to a stop. Too steep? Like any other razor, you are just dragging the wrong side of a blade. Right in the middle, Goldilocks? Wow. It will obviously take some more shaves, but my initial impression is that the correct angle is kind of specific. First impression: Not a razor I would recommend to a beginner.

I know I was vocally leery about the 70mm handle, stating that 85ish was kind of my personal sweet spot. Allowing that it is a complete YMMV, it is fine. Considering that I often use Gem SE's with shorter and much less ergonomic handles, this is cooler than I thought. The balance is great, and the length lends itself to the "two fingers" while resting your third on the end. (Very much like I shave with old SE's.)

Overall first day impressions, (include last post):

-The razor is first class in terms of design and machining. I can't compare it to anything else, because I have never seen anything else quite like it. Any comparisons I could make on aesthetics would be apples to oranges. Based on fit and finish (tolerances) it is every bit on par with the competition, if not maybe a bit ahead of some.

- It is unique in that it's efficiency WAY outpaces its aggression.

- This razor might take more of a degree of skill (or at least practice) to enjoy to its fullest.

First impressions are a serious positive. More to come.

Thank you for taking the time to write such a detailed post. You really did a great job with the review.

With out pictures how can we be sure any of this really happened?

Well, if someone wants to hold my hand and take me on a picture tutorial for this site, I have plenty to post. But I am NOT going to mess around registering with a photo hosting website, and I got sick of trying to downsize them to whatever KB limit is necessary here. Sorry.

So, some congrats (whatever they may be) are in order? Well, congrats.

I have that exact clock except mine is in the kitchen. Great set up.

Yes, but I see some problems. One you had better give up that side of the sink, because curling irons, straighteners and blow dryers either cannot plug in, or you will have cord tangle all over your stuff.

Once you move your stuff to the outside, you need to set up some sort of netting to catch your glassware when it gets shoved off by makeup bags, and misc. containers full of scrunchies and various sundry items. After all, they can't sit next to hot curling irons, what were you thinking?

As a man who obviously enjoyed (emphasis past tense) his shave den space, you should start planning your "bathroom out". In my case, I moved into a downstairs bathroom with only a laundry tub just to have the space all to myself. If your number of bathrooms is limited, you can work wonders with a fruit crate, a stainless salad bowl and a small cistern perched over a floor drain... Hell, you're a welder, you can figure something out. Never met one who couldn't build just about anything out of pretty much nothing.

Good luck, and congrats again!

Wow! Beautiful, classy, and BLING...

Great photo!

They are meant for each other

Would Renaissance Wax be appropriate for the black version? I don't know if it would affect the perceived drag, but it may change how the black finish transforms over time. FWIW I've used it on SS razors to prevent spotting and make clean up easier. I have never experienced any tea staining or rusting after using the Ren Wax.
just 2 cents...

Nice Nice and Nice!

I can't wait to get a picture with my Glock and the "tactical" Blackbird for the SOTD!