Exclusive: A hands-on, first look at The Blackland razor

PLANofMAN · Jun 10, 2015

Interesting finish. Why black oxide over hot bluing? I would think a hot blued finish would be slightly more durable.

Darkbulb · Jun 10, 2015

PLANofMAN said: ↑

Interesting finish. Why black oxide over hot bluing? I would think a hot blued finish would be slightly more durable.
Click to expand...

What's the difference between the two?
I thought bluing was an umbrella term including treatments such as black oxidation.

ObiDon · Jun 10, 2015

Darkbulb said: ↑

This will be something very different, and long, that I hope you will all enjoy - a rather exclusive ‘First Look’ at the Blackland razor.

At the time of writing this, June 9, 2015, there are no other third-party reviews posted of this razor - and this “First Look/Review” will be posted simultaneously on both TSD and TSR for anyone interested to read. This review might be re-posted on other forums later but for today these are the two sites that will receive it.
Aren't you special?

Background and Disclaimers
Some things to get out of the way before we dig into the razor itself:
Shane, of Blackland Razors, reached out to me some time ago with the idea of having me test out his razor as he was getting close to both having a production ready razor as well as launching his Kickstarter campaign.

I want to be very clear in that at no point in time did Shane request any sort of special treatment or that his razor should be reviewed in a particular way. What you read here is 100% my own thoughts on the razor with nothing added to or removed by Shane.

Shane did do me the favor of doing a pre-check of the review to spot any true factual mistakes such as weight, dimensions, etc but nothing pertaining to subjective thoughts on the design or performance.

The razor I am reviewing is an early version that have some slight differences to what the final production version will look like;

my model has a feature that prevents the head from being compatible with other, standard three-piece razor handles. This will be removed for the production version so that the head can be freely attached to any regular razor handle, and

my model does not have a maker’s mark on it. This is something that Shane is looking into and it’s something that the production units may receive. I will let Shane address that as he gets final words from the shop.

The razor I am reviewing was provided to me at no cost and is free for me to keep - or send back - with no strings attached.
With that out of the way, let’s move on the more interesting part of all of this;
The Blackland Razor.

Evaluation
How do you evaluate a razor apart from how it shaves as everything, including that experience, is highly subjective?

One way to do it, is to break it down into aspects of the razor and try to, when possible, compare those aspects to razors that people may have had first-hand experiences with.

I took a closer look at these four aspects;

Aesthetics (talk about subjective) and color/finish,

Overall machining/manufacturing quality,

Razor Head design, and

The Shave

...and of course snapped a bunch of photos.

Aesthetics

I’ll be honest - this is a sexy looking razor.
It’s big, black and rough.
Not only does it look mean but the weight of it also reinforces that impression.
It’s the kind of razor you want to leave out on your bathroom sink for your friends to see - or bring with you to the gym and shave there. It is, in lack of a better word, a manly-looking razor.

In addition to the actual design there is also the topic of the color/finish that I get a feeling will be one of the most important decision making data points for a lot of people.

So the razor is black - but it’s not a deep, solid painted/coated black like say the iKon B1 razor.

Ikon B1 next to the Blackland

To quote Shane:
“The black oxide finish gives a uniquely, imperfect black finish that shows the machining marks.
The finish will wear, but it won't chip or flake. Black oxide is a chemical conversion process, not a coating. The surface molecules are converted to black oxide during the process so the only way to remove them is through physically marring the steel. Over time the finish will wear and develop a patina unique to that specific razor. Black oxide is used on rifle barrels and the razor, similarly, will show its own battle scars.”

When I first got the razor I will be honest in that I did take a second look.
I had expected it to be that black, solid paint that’s shiny and deep - instead the razor already exhibit a light ‘patina’ in certain areas. I could see very faint traces of the machining process.

It took me a day or so until I warmed up to the look of it but now I admit that I am rather drawn to it and to how the razor, my razor, will ‘age’ and show its patina through usage.

In much it’s like the pride film photographers praise the aging signs of well worn cameras - like Winogrand’s Leica M3 below. People even go out of their way to enhance/speed up that aging process because of how unique it makes the item look.

Winogrand's Leica M3 - beautiful

I also like that it will ‘wear’ not flake or chip like a painted/coated razor would.
I did. on my model, perceive the oxidation to be a bit ‘lighter’ on the top cap than on the rest of the razor that felt more evenly, almost solid, black. That may well be because of it being the largest flat area on the razor and that makes the color come across differently. If possible I would had loved for the topcap to have the same ‘richer’ black that the rest of the razor have.

Overall Machining/Manufacturing Quality

The first thing you notice when you pick up the Blackland is that it’s a heavy, solid piece of equipment. Nothing about it feels flimsy or cheap.

The razor will, initially, come in two configurations (all made in 303 Stainless steel);

70mm handle giving a total weight of 90g, and

101mm handle giving a total weight of 110g.

The razor I have been using is the latter version with the longer handle.

Traditional three-piece design. All components fits very well together.

A highly unscientific way for me to quickly gauge how well a razor is machined is to dis- and re-assemble the razor a few times. I did it with the Wolfman razor just a few days ago and last night I did the same thing with the Blackland. If people saw me they’d probably question my sanity as I sit there in complete silence putting the head on...and taking it off, but to me it really helps assess ‘quality’.

I also looked at things like;

the edges on any part to see if they are smooth to the touch, and

if flat surfaces are truly flat and is there any sign of a ‘Weber wave’-effect with a loaded blade.

The good news with the Blackland is that the machine shop did a great job.

The blade lay very flat and no sign of 'wave' or uneven blade exposure

The head comes off and on with no resistance. It’s as buttery-smooth as the Wolfman - and that’s saying quite a lot. There is also no wave in a loaded blade - it lies perfectly flat - and any edges feels well rounded/finished.

If I would call out anything here, and now I’m nitpicking, it would be that the grooves in the handle felt a bit too prominent/sharp to my touch. I would had liked for them to feel a bit more ‘refined’ and softer. On the other hand the handle does end up feeling very secure and there is absolutely no feeling of that this handle would ever slip in my hand during a shave.

Feels very secure in the hand

Razor head design
Closed comb/safety bar design.

The head has a rather different angled look to it and I found that when I was shaving it made me angle the head much like a SE razor. The prominent angles on the head made finding that ‘sweet spot’ easier. Due to that angle your face presses against much of the exposed blade and there is very little audible feedback so it’s a relatively quiet razor.

Showing off the angles on the razor head

One thing I noticed was that the blade edges/tabs are almost, but not completely, covered by the ends of the razor head. There is just the smallest amount of the tabs sticking out and it did make me wish - for OCD and perfectionist reasons more than anything related to performance - that the head had extended just 2-3mm more so that the entire blade-tabs would be covered and the razor head ends were completely leveled.

About 2mm of the tabs sticking out on each side

The Shave
So, is this a sexy shelf-warmer or is it good enough for you to work on getting that personal patina wear to appear?

I loaded it up with a Rapira blade and took it for a spin.
As mentioned the shape of the head did make me adopt a more shallow/SE-like angle when I shaved. The first pass was a bit of a surprise - it felt very mild.

I continued and worked my way to under the nose, my throat and chin. It felt mild but not as mild as, say the Pils 101 or Gillette Bluetip. I’d say maybe the equivalence of a ‘5’ on a Gillette Slim.

My second pass felt equally mild but still very efficient. There were a few moments where I decided to tempt fate a bit and almost ‘try’ to cut myself but the razor didn’t want any of that and just shaved away without any bloodletting. I was very clean shaven after those two passes - and my face felt smooth to the touch.

Summary
A black, sexy all stainless steel razor with a nice heft to it.

The ridges in the handle felt a bit too pronounced for my hands but on the other hand it provides a very secure grip.

Oxidized blackening process that does not look or act like a black painted razor and will allow for the razor to ‘age’ as you use it (I am really looking forward to seeing how mine will look).

Mid-mild razor head with an interesting angle to it that gave a very clean, efficient shave.

If this is what a pre-production version looks like I would be very, very intrigued about what is coming out through the Kickstarter.

June 11, 2015:
http://www.blacklandrazors.com/kickstarter

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Great review! But I like my razors old and shiny.

ShaneS · Jun 10, 2015

PLANofMAN said: ↑

Interesting finish. Why black oxide over hot bluing? I would think a hot blued finish would be slightly more durable.
Click to expand...

Bluing and black oxide are widely synonymous save for a few specific kinds of bluing. I imagine you're thinking of hot black oxide vs the cold process which is less durable. The process used here is hot black oxide and meets the military standard for the finish.

IDuck · Jun 10, 2015

JR Reyes said: ↑

Nice review.

I would have done a passaround....just saying.
Click to expand...

TOTALLY agree.

jakie55 · Jun 10, 2015

As I have never paid more than $60 for a razor, the kickstarter prices will be a bit of a leap, but then I am also intrigued with the Mongoose, and am ready to buy a top tier piece. I would even be willing to cull the herd, so to speak, to make room. I will most definitely make a decision in the next few days. I know I really want the razor.... the trick is to justify to SWMBO

PLANofMAN · Jun 10, 2015

Darkbulb said: ↑

What's the difference between the two?
I thought bluing was an umbrella term including treatments such as black oxidation.
Click to expand...

Black oxide is an oxidation process, basically its controlled rusting of the iron or carbon steel its applied to. This dark grey or black "rust" forms a very thin layer on the steel, but because of the low temperatures and less caustic nature it doesn't penetrate the steel very much. This makes it both less durable and less even a finish than hot caustic blueing or Parkerizing.

Hot caustic blueing is also a controlled "rusting" process. In spite of the name it isn't blue, its black. When applied to a highly polished surface the way it reflects light makes it look blue or blue-black. On a matte surface its totally black. The major differences between this and black oxide are its very caustic and corrosive nature, and the high and critical operating temperature it requires. However these requirements also make it vastly superior to any black oxide process done at lower temperatures.

So this razor is, technically, hot blued.

And that's a good thing.

ShaneS · Jun 10, 2015

PLANofMAN said: ↑

Black oxide is an oxidation process, basically its controlled rusting of the iron or carbon steel its applied to. This dark grey or black "rust" forms a very thin layer on the steel, but because of the low temperatures and less caustic nature it doesn't penetrate the steel very much. This makes it both less durable and less even a finish than hot caustic blueing or Parkerizing.

Hot caustic blueing is also a controlled "rusting" process. In spite of the name it isn't blue, its black. When applied to a highly polished surface the way it reflects light makes it look blue or blue-black. On a matte surface its totally black. The major differences between this and black oxide are its very caustic and corrosive nature, and the high and critical operating temperature it requires. However these requirements also make it vastly superior to any black oxide process done at lower temperatures.

So this razor is, technically, hot blued.

And that's a good thing.
Click to expand...

Thanks the technical reply! Much appreciated.

PLANofMAN · Jun 10, 2015

ShaneS said: ↑

Thanks the technical reply! Much appreciated.
Click to expand...

When it's on an assault rifle, it's black oxide...or at least I rarely hear it called hot blued if the rifle's finish is black.

That's the same finish that's on my VZ 58. Now that I think about it, it would be nice to have a matching razor.

Darkbulb · Jun 10, 2015

PLANofMAN said: ↑

Black oxide is an oxidation process, basically its controlled rusting of the iron or carbon steel its applied to. This dark grey or black "rust" forms a very thin layer on the steel, but because of the low temperatures and less caustic nature it doesn't penetrate the steel very much. This makes it both less durable and less even a finish than hot caustic blueing or Parkerizing.

Hot caustic blueing is also a controlled "rusting" process. In spite of the name it isn't blue, its black. When applied to a highly polished surface the way it reflects light makes it look blue or blue-black. On a matte surface its totally black. The major differences between this and black oxide are its very caustic and corrosive nature, and the high and critical operating temperature it requires. However these requirements also make it vastly superior to any black oxide process done at lower temperatures.

So this razor is, technically, hot blued.

And that's a good thing.
Click to expand...

Aha, thanks. I can now say I learned something new today

Darkbulb · Jun 10, 2015

This morning's shave report with The Blackland

This morning I didn't really need to shave but I felt that I wanted to (hmm..I seem to struggle with need and want in many areas...razor shopping being one of them).

Lathered up with some Cella. Been a while since I used this soap and it really struck me how good it is. Sure, the scent is a bit on the sweet-candy side of things but 'luckily' my fresh badger knot did its best to cover that up with a bit of wet-dog smell. Oh, and I'm not sure if I can say thanks enough to @clint64 for the work he did on my Rubberset brush...it is just absolutely stunning and has made my L'Occitane Plisson a very sad brush as it have seen zero use since I got this brush.

Oh, the razor?

It was a great shave. I still can't really put my finger on what makes this a different shaver. Something about the angles on the head and how I subsequently angle it against my face.
I'd still call this a mild razor but extremely efficient. One pass and I was smooth and done.

Something tells me this will get enough use to actually develop some of that personal patina.

JR Reyes · Jun 10, 2015

Soooo...when do we sign up for the passaround?

Darkbulb · Jun 10, 2015

JR Reyes said: ↑

Soooo...when do we sign up for the passaround?
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I feel so blessed that I have great selective reading

gorgo2 · Jun 10, 2015

JR Reyes said: ↑

Soooo...when do we sign up for the passaround?
Click to expand...

Bump for the visually impaired.

Darkbulb · Jun 10, 2015

Thought some people might enjoy this as a comparison to a number of other modern all-stainless-steel razors.
Can you name them all?

david of central florida · Jun 10, 2015

I can, but I'm not sure that's a good thing.

david of central florida · Jun 10, 2015

it is a very nice collection.

JR Reyes · Jun 10, 2015

From Left to Right...
Pils
Blackland (Passaround Razor)
Tradere
Wolfman
Ikon
Weber
Weber

How did I do?

Darkbulb · Jun 10, 2015

JR Reyes said: ↑

From Left to Right...
Pils
Blackland (You deserve it Darkbulb, you should keep it safe. Don't give in to those razor drooling people!)
Tradere
Wolfman
Ikon
Weber
Weber

How did I do?
Click to expand...

Lol, aced it!

JR Reyes · Jun 10, 2015

Nice! I like how you Slightly modified the original answer...

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Exclusive: A hands-on, first look at The Blackland razor

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JR Reyes I scream for....chicken wings??

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gorgo2 geezerhood

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JR Reyes I scream for....chicken wings??

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JR Reyes I scream for....chicken wings??

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Exclusive: A hands-on, first look at The Blackland razor

PLANofMAN Eccentric Razor Collector Staff Member

Darkbulb Cookie Hoarder

ObiDon member in questionable standing

ShaneS Well-Known Member

IDuck Well-Known Member

jakie55 Well-Known Member

PLANofMAN Eccentric Razor Collector Staff Member

ShaneS Well-Known Member

PLANofMAN Eccentric Razor Collector Staff Member

Darkbulb Cookie Hoarder

Darkbulb Cookie Hoarder

JR Reyes I scream for....chicken wings??

Darkbulb Cookie Hoarder

gorgo2 geezerhood

Darkbulb Cookie Hoarder

david of central florida Rhubarb Rubber

david of central florida Rhubarb Rubber

JR Reyes I scream for....chicken wings??

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JR Reyes I scream for....chicken wings??

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