New Blackland Sabre 2024

[chazt]

Update with no pics. I’ll get on that in the daylight tomorrow. Today was shave three with the Sabre, L1. All three were with the same AccuForge blade, shaves 5, 6 and 7. Shaves were mid-late morning Thursday, Saturday, Monday with none in between. I’ll next shave late Tuesday evening as I must be out of the house early Wednesday morning. Tuesday evening I will bump the shave up to level 2 with the same blade. I believe I understand the Sabre well enough now to increase the efficiency.

I’m quite enjoying this new tool. Fortunately, it being SEptember, we’ll have an extended honeymoon period. Of course I’ll enjoy some injector and DE shaves for good measure

Re: the AccuForge blade, today was shave 7, and it was already demonstrating early tell-tale indicators of tug. This has also generally been the case with Personna blades. Then shave 8 it smoothes out a bit and I’m always fooled into pushing it further. But almost always by 9 and 10 the blade is pooped and not up to anymore abuse at the hands of my Kryptonian-like whiskers. This suggests to me, at least with this one AccuForge blade, that it seems to be identical to its Personna counterpart. Speaking of which, the Personna blade I’d been using prior to this AccuForge has iirc ~6 or 7 slash marks on the wrapper. I‘ll use that one up next and make some final comparisons.

More to follow..

 

[chazt]

View attachment 154868

Nice photo.

 

[Str8Mug]

Nice photo.

 

[chazt]

First time out with Level 2, same blade. 34 hours between shaves. My whiskers are tough as nails and my skin is sensitive to highly efficient razors. Level 2 was clearly a big step up in efficiency. There was much more blade feel than what I generally prefer. But, I was expecting that to be the case, and is why I stayed with Level 1 for my first three Sabre shaves, just to acclimate to angles and pressure. Well, I got an absolutely brilliant shave with a very light light touch and short strokes. Close as anything! A genuine BBS shave. Two passes, no touchups. There was no alum sting or irritation on my lower neck which is prone to redness with highly efficient razors. And still, I flipped the plate back over to Level 1 for my next shave.

 

[Str8Mug]

Just a quick note. I’ve put in 16 shaves total with this one tonight and the GEM has delivered smoothly & effectively. I did feel a slight bit of tugging on the initial first two strokes but, it smoothed out from there and not a single issue nor shave drama to report. I’ll try one more and hopefully it can deliver another solid shave. If not, 16 is a real good number for me and in this new Sabre, it has exceeded my expectations on longevity as 10-12 shaves for me is an acceptable number and anything after is just gravy. Nearly a full month has gone by and sans a few weepers and minor irritation early on, this new/revamped Sabre has proven to be exceptional at every stage of the shave for me. L1, L2, L3 & L4 have gone from providing a mild yet efficient shave to mid-aggressive with an upgrade in blade feel & cutting effectiveness without losing shave composure or feeling out of the norm and unnatural. I say that and I can’t stress the fact that this is just my experience and I can not speak for anyone else. However, this razor in the L3 & L4 configuration will leave its mark if one gets too comfortable and forgets that this pup has teeth and with a GEM SS blade, one can make it ugly if there is a careless or nonchalant demeanor in using this razor. Those two plates are just stating the simple fact that if one wants a nice & deep shave, these two will get you there without a hitch. And with a good hand it will do it comfortably & easily.

Great shaves to all…

 

[chazt]

Shave 10 on the AccuForge blade was the last one. It was just too tuggy to push it any further. I suspect they are exactly the same as the Personna branded blades, as the longevity from the AFG (AccuForge GEM) exactly mimicked their predecessors. Frankly, I was hoping to get at least a dozen comfortable shaves from the blade because so many folks wax poetic about how many shaves they’re able to coax from a GEM blade. Not me. Barely more than a half dozen, tbh. In the case of my first AFG, shaves 1-6 were smooth, but by 7-8 it was noticeably “different,” and yet I pushed it two more. Shave 9 was similar to 7/8, but by 10 it was a drag. A well known drag. I even started to say rude things about it.

 

[Johnny Bravo]

Shave 10 on the AccuForge blade was the last one. It was just too tuggy to push it any further. I suspect they are exactly the same as the Personna branded blades, as the longevity from the AFG (AccuForge GEM) exactly mimicked their predecessors. Frankly, I was hoping to get at least a dozen comfortable shaves from the blade because so many folks wax poetic about how many shaves they’re able to coax from a GEM blade. Not me. Barely more than a half dozen, tbh. In the case of my first AFG, shaves 1-6 were smooth, but by 7-8 it was noticeably “different,” and yet I pushed it two more. Shave 9 was similar to 7/8, but by 10 it was a drag. A well known drag. I even started to say rude things about it.View attachment 155261

I am now on shave 9 with my Personna blade and I will take it to shave 10 because I like round nunbers and no more.
For me 9 definitely showed a decline in sharpness and will change the blade after every 8 shaves going forward just like my ac blades, they are so cheap there is no point in pushing into a tuggy shave.

 

[chazt]

I am now on shave 9 with my Personna blade and I will take it to shave 10 because I like round nunbers and no more.
For me 9 definitely showed a decline in sharpness and will change the blade after every 8 shaves going forward just like my ac blades, they are so cheap there is no point in pushing into a tuggy shave.

Agreed. Even with an eight shave limit, it’s still just pennies per shave.

 

[Str8Mug]

Well, 17 was the # on this particular blade and I’m not complaining a bit. The shave was starting to show its age as I felt some tugging from time to time throughout the whole shave. Nothing uncomfortable nor fearful but, I was coaxing this GEM blade to the finish line. No nics or cuts and just the slightest bit of heat as I buffed the chin area to clear out stragglers. A testament to the newer design of the Sabre with the L3 guard plate as this would have been a bit more difficult or uncomfortable with the OG Sabre & L2 configuration. 17 shaves is still a heck of a number but, in hindsight I should have called it at 15 and definitely at least at 16 shaves in. However, I just wanted to see for my own gain and purpose how far this combo could take me in the event of a shavepocalypse and all I had were the new Sabre & GEM SS blades. It passed with flying colors.

In conclusion, I will say that as far as my experience is concerned, this is the best SE out of the house of Blackland (haven’t sampled the Vector Ti) over the Vector SS which I own and cherish immensely. However, the options provided in terms of customizing one’s shave gives this tool the edge in my eyes. It takes the best of what the GEM SS ptfe blade has to offer in terms of sharpness, smoothness & longevity to another level of shave optimization & real time performance. The overall feel that the new Sabre provides is pride in ownership but, more importantly, it will deliver the shave results regardless of the level of shave gap one pursues or requires. That’s the beauty of the design as it practically gives the user 4 levels of customization or 4 razors in 1. No moving parts nor a dial to adjust gap spacing. Just unscrew the handle, swap out the guard plate or flip retightening the handle and a done deal. Magnets do an excellent job of holding the guard in place with precision and the quartet of parts creates a single whole that is formidable against any & most whiskers if not all. The new Sabre has the ability to take on easy peach fuzz growth or a light graying shadow at the end of the day for daily users as well as take on dense and more thicker growth regardless of how many days since one’s last shave. It’s the complete package and one can argue the ultimate one for those that prefer GEM bladed razors. Simultaneously, it can hang with the best of them regardless of blade format & razor configuration.

Love them or hate them, the team over at Blackland produces innovative shaving tools that actually do the work to ease the shave regime for an individual. Thinking outside the box is how one overcomes challenges and puts themselves on the road to eventual success. No easy feat for anyone, let alone in the niche world of wet shaving artisan razor producers. No, not everything will turn to gold nor be a complete success but, with the New Sabre, Shane over at Blackland with his crew have definitely produced a top notch performer that is adaptable to nearly all shavers and in my eyes a success that has superseded expectations and is competitively priced among the premium razor makers in the business.

Great shaves to all…

 

[chazt]

Well, 17 was the # on this particular blade and I’m not complaining a bit. The shave was starting to show its age as I felt some tugging from time to time throughout the whole shave. Nothing uncomfortable nor fearful but, I was coaxing this GEM blade to the finish line. No nics or cuts and just the slightest bit of heat as I buffed the chin area to clear out stragglers. A testament to the newer design of the Sabre with the L3 guard plate as this would have been a bit more difficult or uncomfortable with the OG Sabre & L2 configuration. 17 shaves is still a heck of a number but, in hindsight I should have called it at 15 and definitely at least at 16 shaves in. However, I just wanted to see for my own gain and purpose how far this combo could take me in the event of a shavepocalypse and all I had were the new Sabre & GEM SS blades. It passed with flying colors.

In conclusion, I will say that as far as my experience is concerned, this is the best SE out of the house of Blackland (haven’t sampled the Vector Ti) over the Vector SS which I own and cherish immensely. However, the options provided in terms of customizing one’s shave gives this tool the edge in my eyes. It takes the best of what the GEM SS ptfe blade has to offer in terms of sharpness, smoothness & longevity to another level of shave optimization & real time performance. The overall feel that the new Sabre provides is pride in ownership but, more importantly, it will deliver the shave results regardless of the level of shave gap one pursues or requires. That’s the beauty of the design as it practically gives the user 4 levels of customization or 4 razors in 1. No moving parts nor a dial to adjust gap spacing. Just unscrew the handle, swap out the guard plate or flip retightening the handle and a done deal. Magnets do an excellent job of holding the guard in place with precision and the quartet of parts creates a single whole that is formidable against any & most whiskers if not all. The new Sabre has the ability to take on easy peach fuzz growth or a light graying shadow at the end of the day for daily users as well as take on dense and more thicker growth regardless of how many days since one’s last shave. It’s the complete package and one can argue the ultimate one for those that prefer GEM bladed razors. Simultaneously, it can hang with the best of them regardless of blade format & razor configuration.

Love them or hate them, the team over at Blackland produces innovative shaving tools that actually do the work to ease the shave regime for an individual. Thinking outside the box is how one overcomes challenges and puts themselves on the road to eventual success. No easy feat for anyone, let alone in the niche world of wet shaving artisan razor producers. No, not everything will turn to gold nor be a complete success but, with the New Sabre, Shane over at Blackland with his crew have definitely produced a top notch performer that is adaptable to nearly all shavers and in my eyes a success that has superseded expectations and is competitively priced among the premium razor makers in the business.

Great shaves to all…

View attachment 155298

Good post here, Gus. I agree with you on all points. One in particular, gave me pause; pride of ownership. I can’t address the psychological aspect because frankly I don’t have all the words clear in my head, but I can equate the concept to owning a sweet, high end guitar. I’d always felt that a razor with this price tag wasn’t going to shave me any better than anything else I already own. But y’know what? I feel this Sabre razor does indeed shave me better than any MicroMatic or any of the other one or two piece design vintage razors I’ve owned. Maybe it’s my brain rationalizing the cost of entry, but I don’t think so. I do believe it is a better tool for me than the old ones. The Sabre V2 is so perfectly modernized. The design enables me to get the absolute most from the GEM blade. I could with little trepidation, quite contentedly use this razor exclusively for the rest of my shaving days. Ha! Naturally I won’t. But I could. Is it “better” than any of my DEs or injectors? Maybe. Maybe not. It’s different, for sure. I happily enjoy all three formats. Perhaps down the road I’ll consider a Vector or something similar (or not), but until then, I’m a really satisfied and happy shaver.

Now, as for GEM blade longevity, how do you get so many shaves per blade? Do you suppose it could be the more aggressive gaps you seem to enjoy? I’m thinking that is likely the explanation. Interested in your thoughts.

 

[Str8Mug]

Good post here, Gus. I agree with you on all points. One in particular, gave me pause; pride of ownership. I can’t address the psychological aspect because frankly I don’t have all the words clear in my head, but I can equate the concept to owning a sweet, high end guitar. I’d always felt that a razor with this price tag wasn’t going to shave me any better than anything else I already own. But y’know what? I feel this Sabre razor does indeed shave me better than any MicroMatic or any of the other one or two piece design vintage razors I’ve owned. Maybe it’s my brain rationalizing the cost of entry, but I don’t think so. I do believe it is a better tool for me than the old ones. The Sabre V2 is so perfectly modernized. The design enables me to get the absolute most from the GEM blade. I could with little trepidation, quite contentedly use this razor exclusively for the rest of my shaving days. Ha! Naturally I won’t. But I could. Is it “better” than any of my DEs or injectors? Maybe. Maybe not. It’s different, for sure. I happily enjoy all three formats. Perhaps down the road I’ll consider a Vector or something similar (or not), but until then, I’m a really satisfied and happy shaver.

Now, as for GEM blade longevity, how do you get so many shaves per blade? Do you suppose it could be the more aggressive gaps you seem to enjoy? I’m thinking that is likely the explanation. Interested in your thoughts.

Excellent post. In the same boat here. Listen, I need to clarify or most importantly quantify my perception & opinion on where I stand concerning the new Sabre as it's compared to the OG and all previous vintage GEM razors out there (specifically for those that would just happen to read this post and assume I'm disregarding all vintage GEM's). First, the quality of craftsmanship is at least equal to if not better than any previous vintage GEM razor that has ever existed. The alloy arguably is better than brass alloy and secondly, there is no question that the stability & rigidity of the new Sabre outperforms all vintage creations combined. Granted, I haven't sampled every GEM razor but, of those that I have, all have fallen just a bit short to this and the OG Sabre in shave performance. Monetary wise, the debate or argument is substantially closer when making the comparison between vintage & modern GEM razors. I can't justify my criteria on performance vs value with others because the price thing is such a subjective topic that can be argued from here to eternity. Yes, I can get a great shave from one of my vintage GEM's for example my Contour which was all of about $15US to acquire. My Pall Mall that I've adapted to take GEM blades is another wonderful razor that was all of a measly $10US to purchase.and on a side note, the Pall Mall is the only other "semi-adjustable" GEM that I own (roller guard moves in or out from the blade with a turn of the knob to give more or less blade gap) and it is superbly smooth & efficient in action. Still, there is something to be said about an item being machined and produced today. Tolerances are tighter as is quality control and it's implementation in today's modern production shops. These artisans are producing quality gear in small batches. And that's wherin lies the rub. Could these razors of today be mass produced from the juggernaut of Gillette or GEM? Produce them with the existing tolerances & quality of today? I would have to say quite possibly yes. Which also means that potentially prices would also be more feasible for the shave masses. This is just theory & a hypothetical situation because in reality, this scenario does not exist and possibly never will. That's where artisans charge a premium for their specific & small number produced products. And I don't have an issue with that scenario especially with today's economic stance. Everything just gets more expensive from the ebs & flows of skyrocketing inflation worldwide. Supply & demand is another determining factor in affordability & procurement. Only a specific individual or person can determine whether a particular shave product is worth or not worth the investment. Criteria varies and that always must be accounted for when debating worth or value in shave hardware or anything else for that matter.

Blade longevity for me with GEM blades has been quite good for the most part. I think hair growth & density of that growth plays a big part in a blade maintaining its sharpness over a period of time. Personally, my facial hair isn't to thick but, I do get a light but, full coverage shadow. It's more thin and wire like. It definitely gets thicker and tougher with a couple days of whisker growth. Maybe some luck too but, I generally take a new GEM blade and pass it 2-3 times through a wine bottle cork top. It softens the initial harshness of the blade and I flip the blade over after each shave as naturally with each passing stroke, the skin actually is stopping the blade. Plus, that edge is triple faceted so, that helps in keeping a longer & sharper edge. That's what has worked for me in the past 6-7 years and I haven't seen anything come through on the negative side. I really have no other secret or trick for getting GEM blades to last longer.

My apologies for the long & boring answer in replying to your question amigo.

 

[Str8Mug]

Simply a superb shaver from A to Z. If you want easy & mild? Check. Looking for efficient and still smooth? Check. You want almost balls to the walls performance without being extra? Check. Check. I’ve already stated in previous posts how good the razor is and it is quite a substantial improvement over the original version. But, words nor a description can’t manifest nor inspire the feeling or emotions when one picks up a razor and knows that from the start, they have a razor tool that can deliver at every stage one may potentially desire or create without fear of disappointment or repercussions. The New Sabre has performance to cater to every level of shaver from newbie to seasoned veteran with a simple flip of a guard plate. There are no shortcomings in the overall package on what the New sabre was designed to do & deliver. One just simply has to try it to get a full understanding on how and what it does to near perfection. Will it be the best shaver that you have ever tried? I don’t know but, I will tell you that as a GEM designed razor it is perhaps the best that has ever been produced to date. Quality, alloy, rigidity & adjustability with solid customer support to back one up if needed.

If you’re a GEM fan like I am because of the OG Sabre, then the New Sabre is one to be sampled as I consider it to be the pinnacle of GEM razor design in performance & craftsmanship in my experience. I can’t think of another GEM razor that brings the performance attributes along with shaver user options mentioned above to the GEM razor arena. Just a fantastic razor to use, period.

Great shaves to all…

 

[chazt]

Simply a superb shaver from A to Z. If you want easy & mild? Check. Looking for efficient and still smooth? Check. You want almost balls to the walls performance without being extra? Check. Check. I’ve already stated in previous posts how good the razor is and it is quite a substantial improvement over the original version. But, words nor a description can’t manifest nor inspire the feeling or emotions when one picks up a razor and knows that from the start, they have a razor tool that can deliver at every stage one may potentially desire or create without fear of disappointment or repercussions. The New Sabre has performance to cater to every level of shaver from newbie to seasoned veteran with a simple flip of a guard plate. There are no shortcomings in the overall package on what the New sabre was designed to do & deliver. One just simply has to try it to get a full understanding on how and what it does to near perfection. Will it be the best shaver that you have ever tried? I don’t know but, I will tell you that as a GEM designed razor it is perhaps the best that has ever been produced to date. Quality, alloy, rigidity & adjustability with solid customer support to back one up if needed.

If you’re a GEM fan like I am because of the OG Sabre, then the New Sabre is one to be sampled as I consider it to be the pinnacle of GEM razor design in performance & craftsmanship in my experience. I can’t think of another GEM razor that brings the performance attributes along with shaver user options mentioned above to the GEM razor arena. Just a fantastic razor to use, period.

Great shaves to all…

Bravo, Gus! I agree with every word of your glowing assessment of the Sabre as a near perfect shave tool. Couldn’t have said it any better. It’s opened up a whole new world of shaving fun. I previously had a love-hate relationship with all my vintage Gem and EverReady razors. Each and every one of them. One day a great shave, next time out, a miserable shave. And then along comes the Sabre 2.0! Since it arrived I’ve probably used it for 75% or more of my shaves. It’s so ergonomically perfect for me and it shaves effortlessly and effectively. And because of the blade there’s zero chatter ATG. It’s a beautiful shave every time. I’m getting six to seven ideal shaves from each blade before I begin to detect it’s “lost a step,” so then it’s tossed and another little Gem takes its place Y’know, the Sabre is so good on L 1 and 2 I may never even unwrap 3/4. And Damn, it is sooo good looking. It’s the sexiest looking razor I own. In my review on Blackland’s home page, I said it reminded me of a high-end luxury sport sedan. It’s still true.

+1 re: your assessment of the company. Top notch folks, for sure. For one thing, I was really impressed with Shane’s active listening skills and how he responded to customer input on the Sabre’s handle design. Also, emails are answered quickly. Shane seems to take a real hands-on approach with his customers. He got involved when my package seemed to be lost in transit. Tracking info was dormant for a week, and Shane spoke with his postal rep. Two days later tracking showed it finally left California and was headed my way. Ha! I was so excited when tracking showed it had arrived at my local post office, I went to pick it up rather than wait yet another day day for it to be delivered.

So, yeah. Great razor, great shaves, great company. And yeah, I can’t believe I’m going to say something is the “best,” but it may very well be the best razor I’ve tried.

 

[Str8Mug]

The best GEM razor on the market. Period, stop. An exquisite shave this morning with the L3 side that delivered a 2.5 pass BBS finish with no fanfare or inconvenience that can potentially rear its head in any shave exercise. A very composed, smooth & deliciously efficient process from start to finish. Adjustable on the flip. A definite top 10 razor in my experience regardless of format and the king of GEM bladed whisker whackers that offers versatility, ease of use and top notch performance oriented results. Competition? If it’s there, I haven’t seen it yet.

 

[spacemonkey42]

I really like my v2 Sabre, the original was great as well!

I am confused about GEM blades. I thought I would get more shaves out of them. I can not get 10 shaves from a GEM, I might be able to get a ninth, but eight is a good number for comfortable shaves. Yet I get 14+ from injector blades! I thought they would be more similar.