Blackbird Ti polished

Nope. We polish in-house currently.

It's important to remember that titanium does not polish to the same mirror finish that stainless does.

The handle in this thread should not have been shipped, simply put. The Blackbird handle/stand interface in particular is very sensitive to polishing due to the very small amount of surface area on that part of the handle. There's not much for the stand to contact so removing even the smallest amount of material from this area creates unwanted wobbling which is what happened here. For handles with more surface area that contact the stand, you can be more liberal with material removal because it doesn't impact fit. For the Blackbird, decreasing the diameter by a fraction of a mm causes problems so we don't have much leeway.



Never really thought about the polishing possibly causing  handle / stand issues, but I suppose that makes sense.

However as a customer hearing you use words like causes problems and we don’t have much leeway and unwanted wobble isn’t great to hear as you obviously acknowledge there is an issue yet still seem happy to sell the polished Ti and stand despite the acknowledgement.

Customers pay good money for one of your razors despite there being many others to choose from and I feel by acknowledging the issue yet seemingly minimising it you are not helping you’re brands reputation.

Simply put the handle to stand interface should be excellent with no wobble whether machined finish or the more expensive polished finish.
This topic creeps up on forums from time to time so it does annoy customers…..my two pennies worth…..I think you need to redesign  the stand so customers get what they expect and pay for rather than making excuses.

At the very least if you acknowledge the problem, then your website should have a disclaimer to the effect that there may be some wobble….that way customers could decide for themselves.

You shrugging your shoulders would be enough for me to look elsewhere in the future for another razor purchase.

Nope. We polish in-house currently.

It's important to remember that titanium does not polish to the same mirror finish that stainless does.

The handle in this thread should not have been shipped, simply put. The Blackbird handle/stand interface in particular is very sensitive to polishing due to the very small amount of surface area on that part of the handle. There's not much for the stand to contact so removing even the smallest amount of material from this area creates unwanted wobbling which is what happened here. For handles with more surface area that contact the stand, you can be more liberal with material removal because it doesn't impact fit. For the Blackbird, decreasing the diameter by a fraction of a mm causes problems so we don't have much leeway.



Never really thought about the polishing possibly causing  handle / stand issues, but I suppose that makes sense.

However as a customer hearing you use words like causes problems and we don’t have much leeway and unwanted wobble isn’t great to hear as you obviously acknowledge there is an issue yet still seem happy to sell the polished Ti and stand despite the acknowledgement.

Customers pay good money for one of your razors despite there being many others to choose from and I feel by acknowledging the issue yet seemingly minimising it you are not helping you’re brands reputation.

Simply put the handle to stand interface should be excellent with no wobble whether machined finish or the more expensive polished finish.
This topic creeps up on forums from time to time so it does annoy customers…..my two pennies worth…..I think you need to redesign  the stand so customers get what they expect and pay for rather than making excuses.

At the very least if you acknowledge the problem, then your website should have a disclaimer to the effect that there may be some wobble….that way customers could decide for themselves.

You shrugging your shoulders would be enough for me to look elsewhere in the future for another razor purchase.

After acknowledging the handle should not be this way, I'm guessing Shane will replace it. Sounds like you assume otherwise.

Not at all, on the contrary, I believe Shane would replace either handle, base or both. Blackland razors customer service is well acknowledged by forum members as one of the best in the business.

My point is that to acknowledge that there could be issues with the polished version of the Blackbird due to tolerances after the polishing phase yet continue to sell a product which has or could have issues strikes me personally as poor. I don’t mean to come across as disparaging but if I were Shane the issue would bug me enough to look into how to solve it, not just basically say we know there is a problem in the first place but it’s out with our control. There are always solutions given time, possible expense but most definitely the inclination to do better.

For some the price will not be an issue and the return, refund policy will be seen as a good safety blanket, but for me the issue should be resolved in the first place and the only way I can see that happening is to revise the handle too stand interface. Would that cost money,YES, but as a CEO / owner who is obviously passionate about what he does and the products he takes to market it should annoy him enough to improve the design and manufacture so there is no issue in the first place.

As with any forum I realise the opinions of others is equally as valid as my own. If the above wouldn’t bother you then I respect that ( even if I found that strange) but for me shelling out my hard earned money I expect better.

Living in Scotland I don’t have the luxury of the return policy without incurring more costs due to duties and having paid duty already to get it into the UK I’m not keen to repeat.

I just received my polished Blackbird Ti and I’m very pleased with the finish. It also fits in the stand correctly and is not too wobbly. I believe some of the past issues, posted above, may have been early production pieces that slipped through QC…

I just received my polished Blackbird Ti and I’m very pleased with the finish. It also fits in the stand correctly and is not too wobbly. I believe some of the past issues, posted above, may have been early production pieces that slipped through QC…
so your stand fits properly? No machining marks on the handle and a better polish? Hmmm

I just received my polished Blackbird Ti and I’m very pleased with the finish. It also fits in the stand correctly and is not too wobbly. I believe some of the past issues, posted above, may have been early production pieces that slipped through QC…

The razor is an incredible shaver with the looks to match. I’m happy your razor worked out great. Unfortunately mr replacement handle didn’t fit into the stand cause a major lean (unlike my brass bird) so I decided to return my order.

Happy shaves!

I also own a Blackbird w/stand in polished stainless steel… I’ve compared the Stainless & Ti side by side and to my eye they appear equal in fit & finish. The obvious exceptions are that the Ti is lighter in weight, a shade darker in color and has a softer face feel. In comparison, I’ve owned 7 Wolfman razors and the finish was better on all of them but then again the price point was higher.

I’m assuming Blackland stepped-up the QC after the complaints here (I wouldn’t be happy with those heavy machining marks/dings either)… It’s also possible that I just got lucky and received a nice one.

I also own a Blackbird w/stand in polished stainless steel… I’ve compared the Stainless & Ti side by side and to my eye they appear equal in fit & finish. The obvious exceptions are that the Ti is lighter in weight, a shade darker in color and has a softer face feel. In comparison, I’ve owned 7 Wolfman razors and the finish was better on all of them but then again the price point was higher.

I’m assuming Blackland stepped-up the QC after the complaints here (I wouldn’t be happy with those heavy machining marks/dings either)… It’s also possible that I just got lucky and received a nice one.

You're right, maybe they stepped up the QC or the luck of the draw.
    My polished SS I sold was a much better polish than my Titanium. 
    I should have returned mine too

Here’s the polished stainless (left) vs the polished Ti (right)…

Ok so the new handle I was sent from Blackland did not change the fit to the stand, still the same.
    I did purchase a Stainless steel stand cause I want one that just work as should. Guess what it is the same fit as the Titanium one that came with my razor. 
  Ok so , after going to the scale with both the Ti and SS stands I now have they both weigh the same 68 grams. This isn't right either! Oh my! What now? 
  Believe me if I didn't like the razor alot it would have been returned and the nuisance involved.