Today’s shave was just as good if not better than yesterday’s. I did a 2 pass shave that gave an excellent result without a single nic, weeper or the dreaded irritation bullies showing up. The stubble didn’t start showing up until late this morning and I finally had my 5 O’Clock shadow at about 3-4 pm today, that’s how close the 1st shave was. That’s almost 13-14 hours of a BBS shave from the previous night. Impressive, only behind my straights, RX and my PAA EVO DOC SS for longevity and closeness. This razor ain’t going anywhere.......
SOTD July 23rd Blackland Dart Astra SP Yaqi Professional (30mm, Battle Cruiser Class) Crown King Old Time Lime Homemade Lime AS First shave with the Dart and it is a deceptively aggressive razor. It's sort of like a Gillette Old Type with its minimal blade reveal and small gap. We all know that's not the whole story though, The Dart sports enough positive blade exposure that you can definitely feel the edge of the blade doing its work. There were a couple of spots, namely on my chin and jawline where the pass felt less then comfortable. I did two passes and ended up with a DFS that would have been BBS but for a couple of spots that could have used a touch up pass. Finished with a shot of my homemade lime as and have no residual irritation and my face feels great!
4 shaves in with the Dart and this last one was perhaps the best of them all... Just an incredibly efficient razor with just enough smoothness to get the job done. I’m not saying that it’s a mindless or carefree shave, as you do have to use a bit of focus to get the results you need. But nothing like a Tech or R41 where lazer like precision and concentration provides exquisite results. Maybe not lazer like for the R41 but, you get what I’m saying. Just find the angle that works best for you, whether steep or shallow riding the cap or guard, once you get it, it’s Shaving nirvana..
SOTD July 25th Stirling Mentholated Pre-Shave Soap Blackland Dart Astra SP (2) Maseto Shaving Classic (30mm Finest Fan, Battle Cruiser Class) Stirling Glacial Lemony Orange AS It was mentioned by Shane on the Dart thread over at DFS that he recommends a steeper angle with the Dart. So I did some experimenting and found that it is a little smoother with a slightly steeper angle but the Dart is still an aggressive razor to me. I did two passes and had no need for a third because at this point I was already BBS. I splashed on a generous amount of the Glacial Lemony Orange and had no sting from the alcohol, a second later the glacial freeze kicked in and my face is feeling great.
SOTD July 27th Stirling Mentholated Pre-Shave Soap Blackland Dart Astra SP (3) Stirling Boar (24mm, Frigate Class) Stirling Satsuma soap and Glacial Satsuma AS The more I use the Dart the more I appreciate it aggressiveness/efficency. This razor is not for the faint of heart, it is just as efficient and aggressive as the ATT H, Fatip OC, RazoRock Wunderbar, Futur (Clone). It demands your full attention and a feather light touch. I am doing two passes with the Dart WTG and then ATG with some light buffing in the trouble spots and it just annihilates any and all stubble, BBS finish. No burn from the AS and no detectable irritation. The post shave from the Stirling products is amazing and my skin is soft and smooth.
I echo your thoughts completely on the Dart. It's a whisker whacking machine. Unfortunately, I sent mine out to a friend whom I asked if he wanted to try it. I miss it already......
I thought it was too aggressive until I paid attention to what I read about using a steep angle. Putting the handle a lot closer to my face than any other razor I have yielded a BBS with two passes and a slight touchup. Excellent razor!
Excellent. Glad that you got it to work for you. I'm more of a blade rider, so I'll ride the cap and just turn the handle down until I feel the edge of the blade engage my facial hair. Heaven from there. I enjoy the feel a bit more of the blade making contact with the lightest of touch on my end.
It is the Stirling Boar, I like it a lot. The Tips have broken in nicely and it didn't take very long at all. It still retains good backbone but has very little scritch. The Handle is solid and comfortable to hold. A real value at the price they sell it for.
First the mahvelous Gamechanger, then last night the great Karve and then tonight the just as impressive Dart. What a shave was had. A complete 2 pass WTG-ATG and a full BBS lights out finish. Definitely a bit more blade feel and efficiency with the Dart but, this razor brings a broader range in shave angle to the game compared to the other two and I think it gives it the edge in sheer shave performance over them as well. The Dart just amps up the blade feel and efficiency ever so slightly and I enjoy that the most from it. Just a fabulous performer that can give a smooth and efficient shave without breaking a sweat. A great trio of shavers for sure and all perform wonderfully..... It’s a good thing when you can nit pic and have to pull out the magnifying glass to look for faults that are basically nothing or as my Old Man used to say “that’s a pimple on a Hippo’s ass”. Like I said, all 3 are tremendous razors and shave lights out. But, the Dart has surged into the lead for me between these aforementioned three in the world of affordable, high quality razors.....
Well over a month since my last shave with the Dart. Completed a smooth, comfy and BBS finish in 3 passes. The Dart is an excellent shaver that is at mid-level in terms of blade feel and comfort. Yet, gives a pretty nice angle of adjustment depending on how much or how little blade feel you want. I’ve learned that using a shallow angle you get a wee bit more blade feel that gives an extremely close and rather comfy shave. Go a bit steeper and the shave is almost GC .68 smooth with light blade feel that gives a super comfy shave. Trade off for me is that it’s not as close a shave as when I use a shallower angle. That angle produces an exquisite shave that just requires a bit more attention to technique & pressure, which is none. Just a real easy razor to get an awesome shave with. It delivers.......
What? What is it with me and waiting a month to shave with the Dart? Foolishness on my part. A phenomenal shave tonight with a calm and cooling menthol after effect that was amazing provided by Lisa’s Florida Freeze. A dead ringer for the hotter days...... And more shaves with the Dart for sure.
Got back to the Dart after almost 2 months away from it. Just a really nice and smooth razor that works in a wide range of angles, shallow or steep it just delivers. But with this shave (last night), I decided to use one of my favorite blades in it. The KAI SS. It's a bit wider from edge to edge and can potentially up the blade feel on any razor. It did not disappoint in the Dart and it felt amazingly smooth yet you get the increased blade feel that is so good. Overall the Dart is an excellently manufactured razor that in my experience will work with any blade combination you can throw at it. Throw in the very competive pricing and materials and it's an exceptional razor and value.
The Dart was up today and as always, no disappointments to speak of. A well executed design with Blacklands pedigree of razor shave performance. A well balanced tool that gives one a nice range of adjustment in terms of how you want to feel your shave. Ride the cap and there is really good blade feel. Ride the safety bar and it’s a mild yet deceptively efficient whisker reducer. Find the neutral zone and it’s the best of both worlds. Not a whole lot is being said about the Dart and what it can do. It flies a bit under the radar compared to its bigger brother, the Blackbird and it’s two other siblings the Sabre & Vector. But it performs just as good as those if not better. For the money, it’s a very, very good razor and shouldn’t be overlooked if one is in the search for a modern de made of quality material at a competitive price.....
