Weekly Razor Review

Errol said:
Razoblique R77 (Italy)



Maggard Razors have this razor listed as a ‘Focus R77 Double Edge Slant Safety Razor, White’. Focus, in their web site do not list the Razoblique. Another company, Rasoi Milano (Razoblique?) has their finger in the pie somehow, but their website is closed???? One thing everyone agrees is that the razor was crafted in Italy, Razo in the name gives that away, and it is printed on the packaging. Even when I was using cartridge razors, I shied away from the flimsy disposable models so the 3D printed polypropylene Razoblique will be the lightest razor I’ve probably ever shaved with. Initially I was a little taken back when I seen that I had purchased a razor where only the head is offset slightly to the expected 90 degrees to the handle. I can’t read Italian but the name of the razor should have enlightened me somewhat – Razor oblique. Razoblique have done a smart thing from their perspective to use the least amount of raw material in production, the back of the plate has been printed with large, recessed areas. Parts like the handle and even the blade posts are hollow, but Razoblique did insert metal threads for the handle post and handle, not a standard thread size. Flats on the side of the handle proudly display the manufacturer’s name – Razoblique. With the blade fitted, everything lines up, to be expected when 3D printing can deliver a product to such accurate dimensions. White was the manufactures' choice of colour and to my way of thinking it’s a good choice, looks clean, looks good on display without being too way out and if it was something like bright red, I may not have purchased it. At the bottom on the printing on the handle, the finish is shiny, but the remainder of the razor has a flat white appearance.

“Let the weight of the razor do the work”.

“What weight?”

Coming in at a miniscule 11g, the Razoblique does require some assistance, but I was surprised just how little pressure had to be applied to maintain contact with the skin. It did take a fair proportion of the first pass just to establish pressures in order to keep the razor working; after that it was all pretty much plain sailing. No bending of any part of the razor was noted and everything felt strong; well as strong as plastic can be. With an efficiency slightly below that of a Karve CB Level #D range and some positive blade feel the Razoblique performed well. There was no feeling of using a slant, it made little, if any difference, but the resultant shave was smooth. There was a tendency for it to not always clear the lather, at that time it would simply ride over the built up lather; a lot of that may come back to maintaining pressure too. There were times when I wished for less radius on the top of the cap, it seemed to be dictating the shave angle and only one other small gripe, the knob on the end of the handle felt out of place and unnecessarily large. Overall, there was no misadventure and a close shave resulted, that is all I can ask for. Now I have no intention of selling off my metal razors and going down the polypropylene path but this style of razor has its uses and I would not be adverse to trying another at some stage. It would make a good travel razor and would excel if you were travelling very light and wanted to maintain your regular shaving ritual, well worth a try.

Blades Used – Gillette 7 O’Clock Yellow and Howard
Material – Polypropylene
Blade Tab – Covered
Weight – 11g
Head Width – 46.46mm
Handle Length – 80.36mm
Handle Diameter – 11.96mm
Availability – Maggard Razors
Final Word – Has its uses
Click to expand...

Another unique a interesting review of an unknowns to me razor/brand. Thanks @Errol (y)
 
On Fire Designs - Design 94 Titanium (Germany)



Titanium – By name and material, of course I’m going to buy one. That the Design 94 Titanium had won the Design Award 2022 in the German Design Council’s Bath and Wellness category certainly did not go unnoticed at the time of purchase. Holy Cow!!! Take a gander at that handle, it’s massive, obviously the German Design Council and my criteria on handle dimensions do not align. Supposedly, the handle dimensions were specified for men with big hands; great that there is a handle for the men with big hands but what about the 95% of us with less than big hands? That handle certainly stands out especially when you see that there are grooves machined down the length of the shaft that leave prominent ridges. Similar ridges extend across the face of the cap, whatever for, they’re not even appealing on the eye, not much about this razor is. Maybe the edge ridges on the cap will reduce the amount of contact the cap has with the skin, might even make the razor glide better and the hold angle less critical. Gawd it’s ugly, reminds me of a defensive echidna with its spines up. Blade clamping is achieved on raised rails well inside the line of the cap leaving plenty of unsupported blade. Even with a cap slightly longer than the plate, there is still some blade tab exposed and a milled recess in the end of the plate provides for safe handling when changing blades. At last, I’ve found something good to wave the flag about, the machining has been exceptionally well executed and the razor’s finish has that appealing bead blasted titanium look and feel about it.

Starting out so far on the back foot, the Design 94 Titanium will really have to demonstrate exceptional shaving capabilities if it is to win me over. One solitary Feather blade in the Titanium’s dedicated leather canister was enough to convince me to try one for the first shave. Great news! the Design 94 delivered a very pleasant shave; under Karve CB Level #D efficiency with a very well adjusted amount of blade feel. A super smooth shave resulted, but even with a lot of cleaning up I could not achieve a close shave. Even the length of the handle was not such a big issue during the shave and I’m crediting its larger diameter for a lot to do with its success. It was anything but nimble, however the razor always felt secure in the hand. For the second incarnation of the Design 94 Titanium, 30mm could be cut from the end of the handle (think of the raw material that could saved), reduce the handle diameter slightly and get rid of those unsightly ridges from the top of the cap. Edge ridges on the cap can remain, I’m not sure they achieved anything, but they certainly didn’t harm the shave either. Second thoughts; those edge ridges may be why I could not get a close shave - get rid of them too. After sampling the Design 94 Titanium, I have reason to believe it may have been the only contender for the Design Award 2022 in the German Design Council’s Bath and Wellness category, however, it is a standout performer as the Ugliest Razor of the Year for 2022, no other razor comes close.

Blades Used – Feather and Gillette 7’Oclock Green
Material – Titanium
Blade Tab – Slightly exposed
Weight – 97g
Head Width – 42.21mm
Handle Length – 116.04mm
Handle Diameter – 15.09mm
Availability – The Razor Company
Final Word – Just another razor
 
Errol said:
On Fire Designs - Design 94 Titanium (Germany)



Titanium – By name and material, of course I’m going to buy one. That the Design 94 Titanium had won the Design Award 2022 in the German Design Council’s Bath and Wellness category certainly did not go unnoticed at the time of purchase. Holy Cow!!! Take a gander at that handle, it’s massive, obviously the German Design Council and my criteria on handle dimensions do not align. Supposedly, the handle dimensions were specified for men with big hands; great that there is a handle for the men with big hands but what about the 95% of us with less than big hands? That handle certainly stands out especially when you see that there are grooves machined down the length of the shaft that leave prominent ridges. Similar ridges extend across the face of the cap, whatever for, they’re not even appealing on the eye, not much about this razor is. Maybe the edge ridges on the cap will reduce the amount of contact the cap has with the skin, might even make the razor glide better and the hold angle less critical. Gawd it’s ugly, reminds me of a defensive echidna with its spines up. Blade clamping is achieved on raised rails well inside the line of the cap leaving plenty of unsupported blade. Even with a cap slightly longer than the plate, there is still some blade tab exposed and a milled recess in the end of the plate provides for safe handling when changing blades. At last, I’ve found something good to wave the flag about, the machining has been exceptionally well executed and the razor’s finish has that appealing bead blasted titanium look and feel about it.

Starting out so far on the back foot, the Design 94 Titanium will really have to demonstrate exceptional shaving capabilities if it is to win me over. One solitary Feather blade in the Titanium’s dedicated leather canister was enough to convince me to try one for the first shave. Great news! the Design 94 delivered a very pleasant shave; under Karve CB Level #D efficiency with a very well adjusted amount of blade feel. A super smooth shave resulted, but even with a lot of cleaning up I could not achieve a close shave. Even the length of the handle was not such a big issue during the shave and I’m crediting its larger diameter for a lot to do with its success. It was anything but nimble, however the razor always felt secure in the hand. For the second incarnation of the Design 94 Titanium, 30mm could be cut from the end of the handle (think of the raw material that could saved), reduce the handle diameter slightly and get rid of those unsightly ridges from the top of the cap. Edge ridges on the cap can remain, I’m not sure they achieved anything, but they certainly didn’t harm the shave either. Second thoughts; those edge ridges may be why I could not get a close shave - get rid of them too. After sampling the Design 94 Titanium, I have reason to believe it may have been the only contender for the Design Award 2022 in the German Design Council’s Bath and Wellness category, however, it is a standout performer as the Ugliest Razor of the Year for 2022, no other razor comes close.

Blades Used – Feather and Gillette 7’Oclock Green
Material – Titanium
Blade Tab – Slightly exposed
Weight – 97g
Head Width – 42.21mm
Handle Length – 116.04mm
Handle Diameter – 15.09mm
Availability – The Razor Company
Final Word – Just another razor
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C'mon @Errol. it's not that ugly.
 
Errol said:
On Fire Designs - Design 94 Titanium (Germany)
I have reason to believe it may have been the only contender for the Design Award 2022 in the German Design Council’s Bath and Wellness category, however, it is a standout performer as the Ugliest Razor of the Year for 2022, no other razor comes close.
Click to expand...

Yes, that might indeed be the case. The designer is a total unknown in the German wetshaving scene and I think nobody noticed this razor... but you did in Australia... so irritating and funny...^^
I didn't read anywhere about this razor. Mühle's silver coated R89 (650 EUR or so) isn't much known or talked about either.

The designer of this razor had a huge focus on "sustainability", repeat three times, so that it becomes a magic formula. I still wonder that one can win a design award with this design, even if there might have been one of few or no other contenders.

I remember when Merkur developed the FUTUR, the VISION... good enough to get cloned. Nowadays they unfortunately don't design new razors, and the new designs by Mühle aren't much beyond engraving top caps or the rather not so exciting Companion (the most interesting part of the design was the fully covered tabs of the head. The string attached to the handle and everything else just turned me off). Makes the Rocca look really good in comparison, and it is far from my favorite razor.

The Design 94 razor will remain a collector oddity, especially given the price. I smell a bad trend that is picking up, apparently it got known that wetshaving enthusiasts pay ridiculous prices for a mere razor. The razor stand for this one is 249-259 EUR, just lovely.

I remember when I started with a R41 and found the price for a Mühle Rocca to be "ridiculous bullshit". Nowadays I find it really cheap...^^
The thing is, when some artisans can demand really high prices, some contenders and new players in the market will soon start thinking they can do so, too.
Let's hope for the invisible hand of the market to correct this... I hope they plan to sell some more razors instead of going for the other option, making not-so-great razors even more rare and expensive.

I just figured out what bugged me so much: single person to small-medium companies experiment and prototype a lot different head designs. Still sell for high but not extremely high prices.
Along comes a design razor that focuses on design and the head, does it shave - yes - good enough, let's focus again fully on the not-so-pretty-award-winning-design and put a huge price tag on it.

OK, enough... this one really rubs me the wrong way.
 
Errol said:
It's good and I liked it. Highly recommended.

Go the Maroons!!!!!!!
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PSA: The Vikings Blade Emperor is a nice razor, but many have alluded the coating on it doesn't last. It was my first adjustable and I enjoyed it very much. Vintage enthusiasts would probably tie me to a post and set me on fire for heresy, but IMHO it shaves MUCH better than the Fatboy. Any one wishing to purchase the razor can consider the more boring looking frosted chrome version, which is essentially the same sans exciting colour-ways. Vikings blade does suffer from QC issues so do buy from sources that offer free returns.
 
Wolfman WR3 Ti 0.60mm - WRH7 Handle (Canada)



Success at another Wolfman razor auction – the description on the invoice read:

1.0 X WR3-SB Razor Head (0. 60mm Blade Gap) and WRH7 (90mm - Solid) Titanium
First Titanium WR3 made, sold by auction (#1978)

Probably the only detail missing from the invoice description is that the WR3 is presented in the premium polished finish. What has always fascinated me with GEM style razors is the number of variations used by different manufacturers to clamp the blade into the razor; from a simple clip system to the complicated multi piece affair ATT came up with. Wolfman have adapted a simple in principle system where the elongated slot in the blade fits over a blade post on the bottom plate, is held in place by the cap and all screwed together at the top of the blade. Inserting a blade was a fiddly operation, it did get easier as it became familiar but remained fiddly. Wolfman made no effort to present a slim design so the head is quite wide, the machining is faultless and in common with every Wolfman razor I’ve looked at, the finish is flawless, every piece is polished to perfection.

Since I heard that Wolfman was releasing the WR3 for what is basically a semi-obsolete blade, I’ve been scratching my head as to the reasoning behind the decision. A look at companies supplying GEM blade reveals that there is basically only Personna currently manufacturing blades and the supply of vintage blades has all but ceased. I have Personna and PAL blades in the GEM format and that’s not from lack of trying so a Personna blade will suffice for this review.

I always feel a little intimidated before the first stroke with any new razor but with this WR3 Ti, I have to admit to feeling more than little intimidated; the 0.60 gap is the largest gap currently available in the WR3 line up. For over 50 years I have been shaving mostly with a DE razor where the handle is positioned at the centre of the blade; my muscle memory is set for that 10mm or so offset of the cutting edge to the handle post. Now double that distance of offset, as Wolfman have done with the WR3 and everything about shaving is dramatically changed. Upward strokes that I don’t even think about with a DE become almost impossible, difficult, and not at all comfortable. All my hold angles are wrong, and shaving is a whole new ball game, a new learning experience. Just as well shave angles on the WR3 are not too critical, I certainly gave them a work out especially during that first shave. Improvement in my WR3 technique increased during the review and towards the end I was starting to get into the swing of things. Efficiency with the widest gap WR3 made was certainly noted but it was not intimidating, it’s not a razor I would want to shave with daily but very usable and well above the Karve CB Level #D range of efficiency. There is no doubt the shave was smooth and the closeness of the shave was never in doubt, I had weepers from every shave as mementos. It will take quite a lot more use before I’m totally familiar with the blade to handle post offset of the WR3, if ever at all, but it’s good to try something totally foreign occasionally and have to concentrate on what you’re doing instead of having the mind set on autopilot. There is no doubt the delivered shave was superb, but it would have been a lot better if it felt like I wasn’t trying to shave with my opposite hand.

Blade Used – Personna
Material – Titanium
Blade Tab - Covered
Weight – 58g
Head Width – Tapered - 42.13 at the widest
Handle Length – 89.86mm
Handle Diameter – 12.8mm
Availability – Wolfman
Final Word – A whole new experience
 
Nice work @Errol, and interesting razor. Incidentally, the blades aren't as obsolete as all that. A lot of Personna's market for GEM blades is for lab prep, which isn't going away in a hurry, and is probably far more important to them than our little niche. As @klinker mentioned, a comparison with the Sabre might be interesting. At least you won't have any trouble with that offset, as it's the same as a DE... :unsure:
 
Errol said:
Wolfman WR3 Ti 0.60mm - WRH7 Handle (Canada)



Success at another Wolfman razor auction – the description on the invoice read:

1.0 X WR3-SB Razor Head (0. 60mm Blade Gap) and WRH7 (90mm - Solid) Titanium
First Titanium WR3 made, sold by auction (#1978)

Probably the only detail missing from the invoice description is that the WR3 is presented in the premium polished finish. What has always fascinated me with GEM style razors is the number of variations used by different manufacturers to clamp the blade into the razor; from a simple clip system to the complicated multi piece affair ATT came up with. Wolfman have adapted a simple in principle system where the elongated slot in the blade fits over a blade post on the bottom plate, is held in place by the cap and all screwed together at the top of the blade. Inserting a blade was a fiddly operation, it did get easier as it became familiar but remained fiddly. Wolfman made no effort to present a slim design so the head is quite wide, the machining is faultless and in common with every Wolfman razor I’ve looked at, the finish is flawless, every piece is polished to perfection.

Since I heard that Wolfman was releasing the WR3 for what is basically a semi-obsolete blade, I’ve been scratching my head as to the reasoning behind the decision. A look at companies supplying GEM blade reveals that there is basically only Personna currently manufacturing blades and the supply of vintage blades has all but ceased. I have Personna and PAL blades in the GEM format and that’s not from lack of trying so a Personna blade will suffice for this review.

I always feel a little intimidated before the first stroke with any new razor but with this WR3 Ti, I have to admit to feeling more than little intimidated; the 0.60 gap is the largest gap currently available in the WR3 line up. For over 50 years I have been shaving mostly with a DE razor where the handle is positioned at the centre of the blade; my muscle memory is set for that 10mm or so offset of the cutting edge to the handle post. Now double that distance of offset, as Wolfman have done with the WR3 and everything about shaving is dramatically changed. Upward strokes that I don’t even think about with a DE become almost impossible, difficult, and not at all comfortable. All my hold angles are wrong, and shaving is a whole new ball game, a new learning experience. Just as well shave angles on the WR3 are not too critical, I certainly gave them a work out especially during that first shave. Improvement in my WR3 technique increased during the review and towards the end I was starting to get into the swing of things. Efficiency with the widest gap WR3 made was certainly noted but it was not intimidating, it’s not a razor I would want to shave with daily but very usable and well above the Karve CB Level #D range of efficiency. There is no doubt the shave was smooth and the closeness of the shave was never in doubt, I had weepers from every shave as mementos. It will take quite a lot more use before I’m totally familiar with the blade to handle post offset of the WR3, if ever at all, but it’s good to try something totally foreign occasionally and have to concentrate on what you’re doing instead of having the mind set on autopilot. There is no doubt the delivered shave was superb, but it would have been a lot better if it felt like I wasn’t trying to shave with my opposite hand.

Blade Used – Personna
Material – Titanium
Blade Tab - Covered
Weight – 58g
Head Width – Tapered - 42.13 at the widest
Handle Length – 89.86mm
Handle Diameter – 12.8mm
Availability – Wolfman
Final Word – A whole new experience
Click to expand...
giphy-downsized-large.gif
 
klinker said:
Thanks @Errol. That was an exhaustive review!
When I first heard that Wolfman was producing the WR3, my only reaction was, why?
Now you'll have to test the Blackland Sabre for comparison. Or not.
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I'll admit I had the same thought as well and judging by the pics of that head design it looks meh when compare to the DE offerings.

Great review guru @Errol (y)
 
Mark1966 said:
Is there a need for another SE?
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You, with your fabled collection of Gillettes ought be able to answer your own question. :p

There's always room in the world for a well-conceived modern SE. Just as we have no need for 5 or more blades to be in contact with your skin, there's no real need to have a sharp edge on the side of the razor head facing away from your face.

I share your faux disdain of Wolfpersons, but I just might be persuaded to abandon it if they were to come up with a non-fugly AC razor. I'm not holding my breath though, and I definitely won't be joining any queue for a WR3.

Blackland have nailed it in both classes. That's what I call an achievement.
 
Gargravarr said:
You, with your fabled collection of Gillettes ought be able to answer your own question. :p

There's always room in the world for a well-conceived modern SE. Just as we have no need for 5 or more blades to be in contact with your skin, there's no real need to have a sharp edge on the side of the razor head facing away from your face.

I share your faux disdain of Wolfpersons, but I just might be persuaded to abandon it if they were to come up with a non-fugly AC razor. I'm not holding my breath though, and I definitely won't be joining any queue for a WR3.

Blackland have nailed it in both classes. That's what I call an achievement.
Click to expand...
Hard too argue and what surprises me is how little love the Sabre actually gets as during my brief trials the thing shaved efficiently and wasn't an eyesore but maybe the misconception about lack of GEM style blades puts people off...?
 
Razor Burn said:
Hard too argue and what surprises me is how little love the Sabre actually gets as during my brief trials the thing shaved efficiently and wasn't an eyesore but maybe the misconception about lack of GEM style blades puts people off...?
Click to expand...
Maybe. It's true that there aren't a lot of GEM blades to choose from (Personna, 4 Star, Treet, PAL as far as I know), and I've only used Personna so far, but the latter are very good indeed. If I never get around to looking any further, I'll still be content. I agree, the Sabre doesn't get anywhere near the attention it deserves. Except from me, that is. I reach for it as much as I do the Vector.
 
Blackland Sabre – Level 2 (USA)



Many have marvelled at the Blackland Vector with its milled down handle post which permits the head to be machined to similar dimensions as the designated blade; Blackland pioneered this feature on this, their Sabre model prior to it becoming the stand out feature of the Vector range. For such a wide blade, the head appears to be quite well proportioned no doubt attributable to the handle being positioned in the centre of the head on its raised but angled platform. Blackland have set the handle post off square, angling the blade to something mimicking the angle a DE blade would sit at. There is a flare at the forward section of the Sabre’s simple cylindrical handle with finger grips provided by semi-circular grooves. Some fine machine marks are visible on the back of the cap but every other part of the Sabre is finished to Blackland’s highly polished standard.

My first shave with the Sabre was horrible, nothing against the Sabre, but I want to share with you how quickly everything can go pear shaped with a shave. It should have been all so straight forward; two day’s growth and it’s itching like hell, plenty of time, a motel room shave, freezing cold, hot water felt less than room temperature, first shave with the Sabre and Errol selected a PAL blade. When I purchased the PAL blades they were advertised as precision ground and made by Treet. I‘ve used Treet DE blades and in GEM format I imagined they could be an option to Personna. Ouch, pull, tug, pull, more pulling, scratch, hurt, pain, agony, the wife’s asking where I put the car keys, more pulling, I’ve done two strokes and this torture is killing me, this is just not working. I sort of completed a first pass, I’ve never experienced a shave so bad and to top it off, I have long cuts down each side of my neck, blood running down over my chest, almost reaching my belly button, just as well there is a roll of toilet paper handy, clean up the blood and throw the wads of bloodied date roll in the bin, rethink, I’d better flush them, and the whiskers that weren’t pulled out are still waving at me, clean up, the shave itch is gone, liberal amounts of paw paw ointment and I’m done. That’s more than enough for me, I packed up and walked into the bedroom “Ahh Errol, you’ve cut yourself - old age”. And you laugh, the shave from hell but you can be assured that I will be using the remaining PAL blades for paint scraping.

Blackland’s Sabre has two levels of efficiency plates available: #1 and the more aggressive #2, for this review I was using the #2 plate. Next shave and I’ve changed to a Personna blade, ah that is more like what I expected, close and relaxed but I did have to navigate around the cuts. Efficiency was under Karve CB level #D but deciding a true efficient level was very difficult to nominate due to the extra sharpness of GEM blades. A very pleasant amount of blade feel ensured a comfortable morning shave, this razor is not bad to use, now that it has a shaving blade in it. If there is one complaint it is that the handle is slippery to hold. Maybe I’m wrong and it could be the GEM format but for now I’m going to blame the handle, a continuing issue of cuts in later shaves detracted from the enjoyment of the Sabre. This handle needs grip, even a bead blasted Sabre handle might work a lot better. Shaving with a GEM blade must be an acquired taste, it feels different; it delivers an extremely close shaves but at the expense of leaving the skin feeling like it had been cleaned up with sandpaper. It won’t stop me from using another GEM bladed razor, but they certainly haven’t skyrocketed to my most popular blade format.

Blade Used – PAL Personna
Material – Stainless Steel
Blade Tab - Enclosed
Weight – 104g
Head Width – 40mm
Handle Length – 84.94mm
Handle Diameter – 11.99mm
Availability – Blackland
Final Word – Not a favourite
 
Errol said:
Blackland Sabre – Level 2 (USA)



Many have marvelled at the Blackland Vector with its milled down handle post which permits the head to be machined to similar dimensions as the designated blade; Blackland pioneered this feature on this, their Sabre model prior to it becoming the stand out feature of the Vector range. For such a wide blade, the head appears to be quite well proportioned no doubt attributable to the handle being positioned in the centre of the head on its raised but angled platform. Blackland have set the handle post off square, angling the blade to something mimicking the angle a DE blade would sit at. There is a flare at the forward section of the Sabre’s simple cylindrical handle with finger grips provided by semi-circular grooves. Some fine machine marks are visible on the back of the cap but every other part of the Sabre is finished to Blackland’s highly polished standard.

My first shave with the Sabre was horrible, nothing against the Sabre, but I want to share with you how quickly everything can go pear shaped with a shave. It should have been all so straight forward; two day’s growth and it’s itching like hell, plenty of time, a motel room shave, freezing cold, hot water felt less than room temperature, first shave with the Sabre and Errol selected a PAL blade. When I purchased the PAL blades they were advertised as precision ground and made by Treet. I‘ve used Treet DE blades and in GEM format I imagined they could be an option to Personna. Ouch, pull, tug, pull, more pulling, scratch, hurt, pain, agony, the wife’s asking where I put the car keys, more pulling, I’ve done two strokes and this torture is killing me, this is just not working. I sort of completed a first pass, I’ve never experienced a shave so bad and to top it off, I have long cuts down each side of my neck, blood running down over my chest, almost reaching my belly button, just as well there is a roll of toilet paper handy, clean up the blood and throw the wads of bloodied date roll in the bin, rethink, I’d better flush them, and the whiskers that weren’t pulled out are still waving at me, clean up, the shave itch is gone, liberal amounts of paw paw ointment and I’m done. That’s more than enough for me, I packed up and walked into the bedroom “Ahh Errol, you’ve cut yourself - old age”. And you laugh, the shave from hell but you can be assured that I will be using the remaining PAL blades for paint scraping.

Blackland’s Sabre has two levels of efficiency plates available: #1 and the more aggressive #2, for this review I was using the #2 plate. Next shave and I’ve changed to a Personna blade, ah that is more like what I expected, close and relaxed but I did have to navigate around the cuts. Efficiency was under Karve CB level #D but deciding a true efficient level was very difficult to nominate due to the extra sharpness of GEM blades. A very pleasant amount of blade feel ensured a comfortable morning shave, this razor is not bad to use, now that it has a shaving blade in it. If there is one complaint it is that the handle is slippery to hold. Maybe I’m wrong and it could be the GEM format but for now I’m going to blame the handle, a continuing issue of cuts in later shaves detracted from the enjoyment of the Sabre. This handle needs grip, even a bead blasted Sabre handle might work a lot better. Shaving with a GEM blade must be an acquired taste, it feels different; it delivers an extremely close shaves but at the expense of leaving the skin feeling like it had been cleaned up with sandpaper. It won’t stop me from using another GEM bladed razor, but they certainly haven’t skyrocketed to my most popular blade format.

Blade Used – PAL Personna
Material – Stainless Steel
Blade Tab - Enclosed
Weight – 104g
Head Width – 40mm
Handle Length – 84.94mm
Handle Diameter – 11.99mm
Availability – Blackland
Final Word – Not a favourite
Click to expand...
Wow!
 
Errol said:
Blackland Sabre – Level 2 (USA)



Many have marvelled at the Blackland Vector with its milled down handle post which permits the head to be machined to similar dimensions as the designated blade; Blackland pioneered this feature on this, their Sabre model prior to it becoming the stand out feature of the Vector range. For such a wide blade, the head appears to be quite well proportioned no doubt attributable to the handle being positioned in the centre of the head on its raised but angled platform. Blackland have set the handle post off square, angling the blade to something mimicking the angle a DE blade would sit at. There is a flare at the forward section of the Sabre’s simple cylindrical handle with finger grips provided by semi-circular grooves. Some fine machine marks are visible on the back of the cap but every other part of the Sabre is finished to Blackland’s highly polished standard.

My first shave with the Sabre was horrible, nothing against the Sabre, but I want to share with you how quickly everything can go pear shaped with a shave. It should have been all so straight forward; two day’s growth and it’s itching like hell, plenty of time, a motel room shave, freezing cold, hot water felt less than room temperature, first shave with the Sabre and Errol selected a PAL blade. When I purchased the PAL blades they were advertised as precision ground and made by Treet. I‘ve used Treet DE blades and in GEM format I imagined they could be an option to Personna. Ouch, pull, tug, pull, more pulling, scratch, hurt, pain, agony, the wife’s asking where I put the car keys, more pulling, I’ve done two strokes and this torture is killing me, this is just not working. I sort of completed a first pass, I’ve never experienced a shave so bad and to top it off, I have long cuts down each side of my neck, blood running down over my chest, almost reaching my belly button, just as well there is a roll of toilet paper handy, clean up the blood and throw the wads of bloodied date roll in the bin, rethink, I’d better flush them, and the whiskers that weren’t pulled out are still waving at me, clean up, the shave itch is gone, liberal amounts of paw paw ointment and I’m done. That’s more than enough for me, I packed up and walked into the bedroom “Ahh Errol, you’ve cut yourself - old age”. And you laugh, the shave from hell but you can be assured that I will be using the remaining PAL blades for paint scraping.

Blackland’s Sabre has two levels of efficiency plates available: #1 and the more aggressive #2, for this review I was using the #2 plate. Next shave and I’ve changed to a Personna blade, ah that is more like what I expected, close and relaxed but I did have to navigate around the cuts. Efficiency was under Karve CB level #D but deciding a true efficient level was very difficult to nominate due to the extra sharpness of GEM blades. A very pleasant amount of blade feel ensured a comfortable morning shave, this razor is not bad to use, now that it has a shaving blade in it. If there is one complaint it is that the handle is slippery to hold. Maybe I’m wrong and it could be the GEM format but for now I’m going to blame the handle, a continuing issue of cuts in later shaves detracted from the enjoyment of the Sabre. This handle needs grip, even a bead blasted Sabre handle might work a lot better. Shaving with a GEM blade must be an acquired taste, it feels different; it delivers an extremely close shaves but at the expense of leaving the skin feeling like it had been cleaned up with sandpaper. It won’t stop me from using another GEM bladed razor, but they certainly haven’t skyrocketed to my most popular blade format.

Blade Used – PAL Personna
Material – Stainless Steel
Blade Tab - Enclosed
Weight – 104g
Head Width – 40mm
Handle Length – 84.94mm
Handle Diameter – 11.99mm
Availability – Blackland
Final Word – Not a favourite
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Interesting. I wonder how you might feel about it if you had used a decent blade to start with, it does sound like your opinion is coloured by your first experience. But maybe you need to take some sandpaper to that polished handle and get rid of that unsightly shine. ;) I've never had slipperiness issues with the machined version.
 
Errol said:
Blackland Sabre – Level 2 (USA)



Many have marvelled at the Blackland Vector with its milled down handle post which permits the head to be machined to similar dimensions as the designated blade; Blackland pioneered this feature on this, their Sabre model prior to it becoming the stand out feature of the Vector range. For such a wide blade, the head appears to be quite well proportioned no doubt attributable to the handle being positioned in the centre of the head on its raised but angled platform. Blackland have set the handle post off square, angling the blade to something mimicking the angle a DE blade would sit at. There is a flare at the forward section of the Sabre’s simple cylindrical handle with finger grips provided by semi-circular grooves. Some fine machine marks are visible on the back of the cap but every other part of the Sabre is finished to Blackland’s highly polished standard.

My first shave with the Sabre was horrible, nothing against the Sabre, but I want to share with you how quickly everything can go pear shaped with a shave. It should have been all so straight forward; two day’s growth and it’s itching like hell, plenty of time, a motel room shave, freezing cold, hot water felt less than room temperature, first shave with the Sabre and Errol selected a PAL blade. When I purchased the PAL blades they were advertised as precision ground and made by Treet. I‘ve used Treet DE blades and in GEM format I imagined they could be an option to Personna. Ouch, pull, tug, pull, more pulling, scratch, hurt, pain, agony, the wife’s asking where I put the car keys, more pulling, I’ve done two strokes and this torture is killing me, this is just not working. I sort of completed a first pass, I’ve never experienced a shave so bad and to top it off, I have long cuts down each side of my neck, blood running down over my chest, almost reaching my belly button, just as well there is a roll of toilet paper handy, clean up the blood and throw the wads of bloodied date roll in the bin, rethink, I’d better flush them, and the whiskers that weren’t pulled out are still waving at me, clean up, the shave itch is gone, liberal amounts of paw paw ointment and I’m done. That’s more than enough for me, I packed up and walked into the bedroom “Ahh Errol, you’ve cut yourself - old age”. And you laugh, the shave from hell but you can be assured that I will be using the remaining PAL blades for paint scraping.

Blackland’s Sabre has two levels of efficiency plates available: #1 and the more aggressive #2, for this review I was using the #2 plate. Next shave and I’ve changed to a Personna blade, ah that is more like what I expected, close and relaxed but I did have to navigate around the cuts. Efficiency was under Karve CB level #D but deciding a true efficient level was very difficult to nominate due to the extra sharpness of GEM blades. A very pleasant amount of blade feel ensured a comfortable morning shave, this razor is not bad to use, now that it has a shaving blade in it. If there is one complaint it is that the handle is slippery to hold. Maybe I’m wrong and it could be the GEM format but for now I’m going to blame the handle, a continuing issue of cuts in later shaves detracted from the enjoyment of the Sabre. This handle needs grip, even a bead blasted Sabre handle might work a lot better. Shaving with a GEM blade must be an acquired taste, it feels different; it delivers an extremely close shaves but at the expense of leaving the skin feeling like it had been cleaned up with sandpaper. It won’t stop me from using another GEM bladed razor, but they certainly haven’t skyrocketed to my most popular blade format.

Blade Used – PAL Personna
Material – Stainless Steel
Blade Tab - Enclosed
Weight – 104g
Head Width – 40mm
Handle Length – 84.94mm
Handle Diameter – 11.99mm
Availability – Blackland
Final Word – Not a favourite
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