Blackland Brotherhood (BB)

Astra SPs are my-go to blades. Lab Blues are catching up. Voskhods incoming?

 

I hate the dots as well.

Anyone have a line on a good deal for the Voskhods?

 

Put a Voskhod in for Day 3. Slightly less quality shave today, but not the razor's fault. I was reading on another thread, and got all amped up for a Glacial shave, Stirling Glacial Lemon. Absolutely nothing wrong with the soap, but not the best for face feel by the 3rd pass. The Voskhod being a little milder of a blade, I found myself buffing a bit on cleanup, and left a little line of irritation on my neck. Again, sloppy shaving on my part.

Ryan, I think you are totally right about the pressure, and we were both right about angle.... After reading your comment earlier today, I made extra sure to use ZERO pressure, and any of the perceived drag was gone.

I am still not sure what I think about its mild/aggressive factor. It's kind of like those psych experiments you read about where a blindfolded dude get a rag soaked in onion juice put over his nose, then bites into an apple. It doesn't shave like it feels. Way closer. At this point, I would recommend it to anyone who doesn't claim to be a mild junkie, but with only three shave completed, it is early to say. For myself, and my preferences, I really like it a lot.

 

First shave today was excellent. I didn't need ATG pass or any touchup for a smooth BBS shave. As I mention in my SOTD I paid close attention to angle and pressure. It feel like the razor is made of iron...not so much from the weight but the overall presentation on the face. Very cool. I have the 100mm handle and felt that it balanced very well, and the design keeps the water off the handle when rinsing the head between passes.
I'm very pleased and looking forward to more Blackbird shaves.

 

I went ahead and gave my BO Blackbird a light Ren Wax coat. I was doing my horn and wood brush handles and thought why not. It made the razor slightly shinier and there was some black residue on the rag. I'm sure it will continue to age and wear but more slowly. I prefer my shaving gear smooth and shiny. It still looks great.

 

I hope that in a year or so we'll have a thread showing off the patina on the black blackbirds like is done on the old black painted Leica M cameras

People go out of their way to get that aged look but the ones that have worn 'naturally' over the past 40-50 years fetch a premium.

 

I wonder how long it will actually take for that patina to come out.

 

I had my first shave with the"bird" this morning, I used a Polsilver blade and lathered up some Razorock xxx. A couple test strokes on my cheek and I went to work. I noticed a pretty solid feedback, I knew I was shaving. After the first pass I rinsed and felt my face, very good reduction almost BBS on my cheeks. Relathered and went ATG on my neck and WTG once more on the rest of my face. This is my standard routine. Rinsed off and applied my after shave. No burn and no irritation. Near BBS results. Very good for the first run. A couple other notes, I didn't experience any drag and I had no problems finding the right angle. The second shave will tell me more as I am always more comfortable after the initial shave with a new razor. Very good!

 

I think a long time. Years probably. Razors experience maybe an hour a week of use at an absolute maximum. And they are used lightly and in a forgiving environment that washes them(sort of) while they're used. It's not a very stressful application for a product. Of course, it will collect scratches as you smack it around your cabinet or drop parts. Mine are worn from that kind of thing.

 

Do like my Blackbird!!!

 

Tracking number shows that my Blackbird has landed in Colorado. Hoping for delivery today or tomorrow (although tracking shows Saturday)

 

According to USPS, mine has been stuck Chicago since 30/12.

 

Problem is that it is not available anymore.....

 

Today was my third shave with the BB. I switched to a Polsilver and the results were pretty much on par with the Voskhod, perhaps a bit sharper. Most importantly is that I'm getting awesome results with not much effort and almost no touch ups. Today I didn't go ATG, it really wasn't necessary. My neck really likes this razor. I may be getting the best neck shaves of any of my razors. Twenty four hours later I didn't even need to shave above my lip! I have to admit this is a bit of a surprise since I have several high quality razors as well. Nice.
(this post has been published elsewhere, i.e. across the pond)