Blackland Era #4 OC (USA)
Additive engineered, or more commonly known as 3D printing is the production process utilized in the manufacture of the Blackland Era. As the name suggests material is added to form the part rather than the age old process of removing material from a solid block by such means as cutting, drilling, milling etc. Additive engineering is said to be very accurate, more flexible and efficient to manufacture, therefore there are cost savings. Some of these production cost savings have been passed onto the customer by Blackland resulting in a reasonably priced razor. Light weight is the word when talking about the head, the cap is particularly light with wide flats at the out edge and noticeably rounded corners, no one is going to get scratched by a corner on the Era. There is also no excess metal on the plate, it is a simple affair with wide blade clamping flats, the brand name, country of origin, and the aggression level printed during the 3D process. Blackland did not spend a lot of coin in designing the handle, it is a simple cylindrical shape with six circumferential grooves at the front and a Blackland flare towards the neck plus there is a hole visible in the end. One thing that did not impress was the quality of the thread engagement, it is by far the sloppiest fitting thread I’ve found on any Blackland razor, I class the thread engagement as poor. Supplied with the razor were six ‘O’ rings that would fit the handle grooves, but I never fitted them; with the satin like finish, I did not see a requirement. In fact, the whole razor has that same satin look and feel. Recently it was advised that the Era would be discontinued due to supply issues and all the popular plates are now sold off.
Now, the most important part, to check the Era’s performance and investigate a razor manufactured using the 3D printed stainless steel process. When I ordered the Era, OC and SB versions of the top three available aggression levels were acquired, and for this review I will be using the #4 OC, the second highest level of plate. Straight up, the Era #4 OC is one very handy performer that performed flawlessly throughout the period it was being tested. Just under Karve CB #D efficiency, a handy but usable amount of blade feel and ‘smooth as’ are the recipe for a very pleasing shave and the open comb was barely noticeable in use; to the Era’s credit it delivered a very close shave. I enjoyed the razor enough to say that it is a better performer than either of Blackland’s own Blackbird or Dart models so I would be very enthusiastic about a machined version if Blackland ever went down that path. With the pin being pulled on Era production, it is probably too early to make a determination if 3D printed stainless steel is the future of razor production. 3D printing has many advantages in manufacture, so I feel confident this razor won’t be the last printed razor, someone is bound to try again.
Blades Used – Gillette Minora and Derby Extra
Material – Stainless Steel
Blade Tab – Slightly exposed
Weight – 100g
Head Width – 42.28mm
Handle Length – 88.95mm
Handle Diameter – 11.98mm
Availability – Discontinued
Final Word – Will be missed
