Member
Las Vegas, NV, USA
A keen interest in wet shaving isn't exactly commonplace, so it's always nice to get together with those who “get it”. I've thoroughly enjoyed meeting and becoming friends with Hobbyist and Michael P in Las Vegas. Recently, I was in the San Francisco area for a few weeks, and had the wonderful opportunity to meet another wet shaving enthusiast (and the designer of my favorite razor), Shane of Blackland (Blackland Razors), who had just moved to the city with his wife.
Shane and I probably spent more time talking about things other than shaving, such as our background, the politics and government in our respective native countries, the San Francisco bay area, and our pets.
Of course we did discuss wet shaving matters, as well. Shane mentioned that he is more interested in the “hardware” than the “software” side of the hobby, but we did discover that we enjoy some of the same soap brands, such as Sapone Di Paolo and Eufros.
We talked about the evolution of the Blackbird razor from a CAD practice project to the well-known safety razor that it is today. One important aspect that came up in this conversation was that not only does blade gap affect the performance of a razor (the Blackbird’s is 0.58 mm, which could be considered relatively “mild”). Another equally important matter is a razor’s blade exposure, and we both agreed that this variable doesn’t tend to be discussed as much as blade gap.
I told Shane that when I first started using the Blackbird, the handle seemed a little too thin, but that with time, I have learned to appreciate its design. When I asked about possible future variations to the Blackbird, Shane said something that I have thought about myself lately, and which very much resonated with me: Sometimes variety can be paralyzing. In other words, when we have too many choices, we may never be able to develop an appreciation for a single product, or the necessary skill to utilize that product’s full potential.
All in all, it was great to be able to meet the person behind the Blackland brand, and I hope that Shane and I can meet again sometime in the future. Shane — thanks for taking the time! I’d also like to encourage anyone reading this: if you have the opportunity to meet some of the people of our online community (whether it be this forum or some other medium), take the opportunity. There are nice people to meet and new things to learn when you do so.
![[Image: Cd4QnB1.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/Cd4QnB1.jpg)
Shane and I probably spent more time talking about things other than shaving, such as our background, the politics and government in our respective native countries, the San Francisco bay area, and our pets.
Of course we did discuss wet shaving matters, as well. Shane mentioned that he is more interested in the “hardware” than the “software” side of the hobby, but we did discover that we enjoy some of the same soap brands, such as Sapone Di Paolo and Eufros.
We talked about the evolution of the Blackbird razor from a CAD practice project to the well-known safety razor that it is today. One important aspect that came up in this conversation was that not only does blade gap affect the performance of a razor (the Blackbird’s is 0.58 mm, which could be considered relatively “mild”). Another equally important matter is a razor’s blade exposure, and we both agreed that this variable doesn’t tend to be discussed as much as blade gap.
I told Shane that when I first started using the Blackbird, the handle seemed a little too thin, but that with time, I have learned to appreciate its design. When I asked about possible future variations to the Blackbird, Shane said something that I have thought about myself lately, and which very much resonated with me: Sometimes variety can be paralyzing. In other words, when we have too many choices, we may never be able to develop an appreciation for a single product, or the necessary skill to utilize that product’s full potential.
All in all, it was great to be able to meet the person behind the Blackland brand, and I hope that Shane and I can meet again sometime in the future. Shane — thanks for taking the time! I’d also like to encourage anyone reading this: if you have the opportunity to meet some of the people of our online community (whether it be this forum or some other medium), take the opportunity. There are nice people to meet and new things to learn when you do so.
Blackland Razors on the left and Matsilainen on the right, during an afternoon discussion
of the shaving hobby and the state of many other matters under the sun.
of the shaving hobby and the state of many other matters under the sun.
Whenever I go to shave, I assume there’s someone else on the planet shaving, so I say “I’m gonna go shave, too.”
– Mitch Hedberg
– Mitch Hedberg
