Blackland DART

Anyone care to compare it with the Charcoal #2?

I am finding it a bit less comfortable with CG level 2. With a steeper angle, I would say similar blade feel, maybe a bit more than CG2.

I was asked by a few members how the Dart compared to the Paradigm 17-4 so I thought I would use one on one side and the other on the opposite side. First let me say I don’t think the Dart was designed to compete against a razor costing more than twice its price.
Pre Shave was Mickey Lee’s Lime
Brush Wolf Whiskers
Soap Declaration Grooming North Shore
Blade New Polsilver in each razor
WTG. Paradigm is smoother with very little blade feel while there is definite blade feel with the dart yet still a smooth shave, rinse, Paradigm slightly more hair removal.
XTG Same feel on both razors and after the rinse I would normally be done for a work night shave. Most would call it a DFS and I would just do a few touch ups but I wanted to try ATG as this is where the Paradigm shines
ATG. Paradigm is notably smoother, the Dart is not harsh but side by side no where near the Paradigm.
Definitely BBS good enough fore date night.
Overall the Paradigm wins hands down. Better finish, smoother shave and slightly more efficient but the dart was no slouch and I definitely need to use it more to get a better handle on it, its a very good razor at a great price, but it certainly will not be replacing my Paradigm.

I was asked by a few members how the Dart compared to the Paradigm 17-4 so I thought I would use one on one side and the other on the opposite side. First let me say I don’t think the Dart was designed to compete against a razor costing more than twice its price.
Pre Shave was Mickey Lee’s Lime
Brush Wolf Whiskers
Soap Declaration Grooming North Shore
Blade New Polsilver in each razor
WTG. Paradigm is smoother with very little blade feel while there is definite blade feel with the dart yet still a smooth shave, rinse, Paradigm slightly more hair removal.
XTG Same feel on both razors and after the rinse I would normally be done for a work night shave. Most would call it a DFS and I would just do a few touch ups but I wanted to try ATG as this is where the Paradigm shines
ATG. Paradigm is notably smoother, the Dart is not harsh but side by side no where near the Paradigm.
Definitely BBS good enough fore date night.
Overall the Paradigm wins hands down. Better finish, smoother shave and slightly more efficient but the dart was no slouch and I definitely need to use it more to get a better handle on it, its a very good razor at a great price, but it certainly will not be replacing my Paradigm.

I totally agree with your assessment the dart will definitely get the job done but it's hard to compare the dark with the Paradigm which cost more than twice as much. The quality build and the smoothness is much better on the Paradigm but again it's more than double the cost. But also it's amazing what Karve has done with his razor at that price. I feel a fair comparison would be between the Karve and the Dart again with the both being efficient and both built very well but the Karve is smoother

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Well rawfox1, after several shaves with the Dart, I had just about decided to cancel my Karve order from 2 months ago. On that very day, I got my shipping notification from Karve (C and E plates). So, it looks like I will be comparing them ....

Well rawfox1, after several shaves with the Dart, I had just about decided to cancel my Karve order from 2 months ago. On that very day, I got my shipping notification from Karve (C and E plates). So, it looks like I will be comparing them ....

Both wonderful razors just shave differently

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Need a couple of days to do a fair comprison but I wll put my Karve F plate against the Dart This will be a more apples to apples comparison

I was asked by a few members how the Dart compared to the Paradigm 17-4 so I thought I would use one on one side and the other on the opposite side. First let me say I don’t think the Dart was designed to compete against a razor costing more than twice its price.
Pre Shave was Mickey Lee’s Lime
Brush Wolf Whiskers
Soap Declaration Grooming North Shore
Blade New Polsilver in each razor
WTG. Paradigm is smoother with very little blade feel while there is definite blade feel with the dart yet still a smooth shave, rinse, Paradigm slightly more hair removal.
XTG Same feel on both razors and after the rinse I would normally be done for a work night shave. Most would call it a DFS and I would just do a few touch ups but I wanted to try ATG as this is where the Paradigm shines
ATG. Paradigm is notably smoother, the Dart is not harsh but side by side no where near the Paradigm.
Definitely BBS good enough fore date night.
Overall the Paradigm wins hands down. Better finish, smoother shave and slightly more efficient but the dart was no slouch and I definitely need to use it more to get a better handle on it, its a very good razor at a great price, but it certainly will not be replacing my Paradigm.

Thanks for the feedback!

SOTD July 25th


Stirling Mentholated Pre-Shave Soap
Blackland Dart
Astra SP (2)
Maseto Shaving Classic (30mm Finest Fan, Battle Cruiser Class)
Stirling Glacial Lemony Orange AS

I did some experimenting and found that it is a little smoother with a slightly steeper angle but the Dart is still an aggressive razor to me. I did two passes and had no need for a third because at this point I was already BBS. I splashed on a generous amount of the Glacial Lemony Orange and had no sting from the alcohol, a second later the glacial freeze kicked in and my face is feeling great.

Thanks for doing this review. Your opinion is appreciated because we tend to like similar gear, I've noticed.

It sounds like, by all accounts, Shane released a fantastic, American made shaver. It just HAS to be a serious contender in the sub-$100 category. It will be interesting how it fares with others in that price range. I don't know what they all are, Karve, Game Changer, R41?, Rockwell 6?, etc. I'll bet that the Dart is an easy Top 3.

I was asked by a few members how the Dart compared to the Paradigm 17-4 so I thought I would use one on one side and the other on the opposite side. First let me say I don’t think the Dart was designed to compete against a razor costing more than twice its price.
Pre Shave was Mickey Lee’s Lime
Brush Wolf Whiskers
Soap Declaration Grooming North Shore
Blade New Polsilver in each razor
WTG. Paradigm is smoother with very little blade feel while there is definite blade feel with the dart yet still a smooth shave, rinse, Paradigm slightly more hair removal.
XTG Same feel on both razors and after the rinse I would normally be done for a work night shave. Most would call it a DFS and I would just do a few touch ups but I wanted to try ATG as this is where the Paradigm shines
ATG. Paradigm is notably smoother, the Dart is not harsh but side by side no where near the Paradigm.
Definitely BBS good enough fore date night.
Overall the Paradigm wins hands down. Better finish, smoother shave and slightly more efficient but the dart was no slouch and I definitely need to use it more to get a better handle on it, its a very good razor at a great price, but it certainly will not be replacing my Paradigm.

I've been reading along with the entries as the mailboxes begin to flood with Dart-calls. It seems to be very 50/50 at the moment which doesn't really mean much as it's still early days but DAM, the more photos I see, the more I can't wait to get some funds together so I can try one.

SOTD July 23rd


Blackland Dart
Astra SP
Yaqi Professional (30mm, Battle Cruiser Class)
Crown King Old Time Lime
Homemade Lime AS

First shave with the Dart and it is a deceptively aggressive razor. It's sort of like a Gillette Old Type with its minimal blade reveal and small gap. We all know that's not the whole story though, The Dart sports enough positive blade exposure that you can definitely feel the edge of the blade doing its work. There were a couple of spots, namely on my chin and jawline where the pass felt less then comfortable. I did two passes and ended up with a DFS that would have been BBS but for a couple of spots that could have used a touch up pass.

This pic really brings out the quality in the overall look. Very nice piece indeed.