Blackland Sabre GEM Razor
- Thread starter p.b
- Start date
So Shane, I know this is a bit of a loaded question, but if you had to choose one of the razors you have produced, would you go for the SE given your preference towards GEM blades? Which other razors do you consider best for you?
Tough question. The Blackbird and Sabre were each designed for very different purposes. The Blackbird began as just a project for myself. Because of this, it is perfectly suited for me and my face; it's use among the general population was quite secondary to the process. The Sabre, on the other hand, was designed for mass appeal. It's more intuitive and middle-of-the-road in terms of aggressiveness compared to the Blackbird. While the Blackbird is about trying to get the most efficient shave, the Sabre is a balanced approach looking for where ease and efficiency meet. This isn't to say the Sabre isn't efficient because it really really is, otherwise I wouldn't sell it.
You can probably see by now that I'm going to give a non-answer. Over any other razor I've tried so far, the Blackbird gives me the absolute closest shave. But the Sabre gives a very close result and is a blast to use. So they each have their uses for me. When I want to focus, the Blackbird is the ticket to the perfect result. The Sabre is better for shutting off the brain and just easing into a calm, relaxing shave and still getting damn near perfect.
As far as other razors go, I've long acknowledged that the BBS-1 is my second favorite razor. With my bias being what it is, the Sabre bumps it to third. I tried the BBS-1 after the Blackbird was in production and was surprised to find that they shave, imo, very similarly despite using very different approaches. Quite a few customers have made the same observation. As far as SE razors go, excluding the Sabre, I like the 1912 and MMOC like everyone else. The General is also quite nice, but I prefer GEM razors to AC (though there will probably be a Blackland AC at some point).
Fair play Shane, to be honest I wasn't expecting an outright answer, seems these days with everything being heavily scrutinised (especially as a vendor) it would possibly be non-sensical to throw around total claims, add to that the very personal aspect of user related razor experiences and your pretty much in the heated kitchen.
But I do appreciate the answer, it gives us an insight into what works for you and how the Blackbird originated. The SB Blackbird is one of my favourite razors, incredibly smooth and efficient. So anything you design for yourself has definitely caught my attention. The GEM looks and sounds like a great alternative too.
But I do appreciate the answer, it gives us an insight into what works for you and how the Blackbird originated. The SB Blackbird is one of my favourite razors, incredibly smooth and efficient. So anything you design for yourself has definitely caught my attention. The GEM looks and sounds like a great alternative too.
Well, I don't really mind being scrutinized and if I had an outright favorite I would probably just tell you. The Sabre has been my favorite lately, but it swings back and forth all the time. I will say that I think the Sabre will be more broadly liked which probably makes it "better" I guess.
So out of interest whilst we can scrutinise, any chance of an explanation as to why ATG can't have just one razor as a pass around
On a serious note it's quite refreshing to hear that from a manufacturer. Of late I've noticed it's usually sales orientated.
I'll have to see how many I have left before committing to any pass around. As I'm sure you can imagine, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to give a freebie out if demand is higher than supply. I'm also concerned about getting in the habit of giving a pass around razor to every forum and FB group that asks because it's tricky to say "well they got one because I like them, but I'm not giving any more out".So out of interest whilst we can scrutinise, any chance of an explanation as to why ATG can't have just one razor as a pass around
On a serious note it's quite refreshing to hear that from a manufacturer. Of late I've noticed it's usually sales orientated.
The Sabre should be available in about three weeks. I hadn't wanted to do pre-orders because the latest Blackbird pre-order was such a mess. But with demand seemingly high I'm begrudgingly reconsidering it.
Frankly, from my end pre-orders have been a lot of trouble. Production delays, customers changing orders they've already placed, order cancellations, etc. have made pre-orders a convoluted and stressful nightmare. A lot of that is probably my fault for arranging pre-orders the way I had been. But used in a very specific and focused way, like for a product launch after production has already begun, it might help customers out a bit.
In short, I don't want to offer pre-orders so I probably won't, but that decision isn't yet final.
sɐǝɹpu∀
riverrun
It doesn't have to be a freebie. The razor would still be yours and you can either have it sent back to you or sell it on BST - should be easy enough if it is as good as claimed - with the added incentive of no VAT/Royal Mail penalty for the buyer as the razor would already be in the UK.
Good point. Man, you guys are breaking me down
! Let's just get through the first couple days after launch, I'll see how many I have and then we'll go from there.
Slant_Fan
Über Member
Those are certainly better than the standard Gems, but they are still essentially Gems. I'm also one of those folks, like Len in the post a few above this, that vastly prefers Feather SEs to a Gem.
Not even a contest. OTOH, this is a YMMV sport, and one man's meat is another man's poison. I've only shaved with Gem blades, both the drugstore variety from Gem, and the coated Ted Pella blades, in a G-bar and a Gem Micromatic. The shaves weren't terrible, but couldn't compare to a good DE shave.
I have the 2nd build of the Mongoose, and the 1st of the ATT SE-1, and they shave very well with the Feather pro and super pro. The former being a bit aggressive while the ATT is more middle of the road. I'm going to break out my G-bar and a Ted Pella just to revisit the shave.
BTW, I think it is remarkable that a couple of weeks ago there were no options for Gem blades save vintage razors, and now both Blackland and ATT are offering upcoming newly designed SEs. Surely an unhappy coincidence for both parties.
I think every razor maker has recognized for a while that GEM razors were going to the next hot thing after last year's AC SE explosion. I think there are at least four GEM razors at various stages of the process.
Slant_Fan
Über Member
Well I wish you luck with it. I've got the leading DE razors and your Blackbird is right up there with the Wolfman, Timeless, BBS-1 AFAIC. Remarkably great shaving instrument. If this SE is anywhere near effective as that it will be a success for sure.
Thank you! Btw, there will a Blackland slant as one of the next two razors we make
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