Blackland DART

Blackland Dart
Gillette Nacet (2)
Brad Sears DFS LE
Declaration Grooming Colonia Balsamic 

I picked up The Dart this morning. First impressions. The packaging is excellent. A strong thick cardboard box with foam cut to hold the razor firmly. 

Fit and finish. There are some machine marks on the baseplate and the inside of the top cap. These are minimal though. No shape edges or corners like the V2 Blackbird I owned. A big thumbs up.

With the mixed reviews of the Dart I started the shave with some trepidation. 
The loading of the blade had a faff factor of zero BTW. Another thumbs up.
Looking at the blade exposure I struggled to see how it could be (reportedly) so aggressive. 
Time to find out...

Have read a number of reviews. A steeper angle (riding more towards the safety bar) seemed to be the way to go. This worked for me too, along with a very light touch. 

I didn't think the blade feel was too excessive, for the most apart, apart from on my top lip. I found it very tuggy and struggled to find the right angle. This is the only area of concern I have with the razor.

Rising off after the first pass was the first shock. WOW! Super close apart from on my neck. 
I did 3 passes and two small touch-ups either side of my Adams Apple and that was it!

Is this the most efficient razor I've ever used? YES! "Even more efficient than the R41?" I hear you cry. YES!
It's not the smoothest and it's a razor you need to take great care with. Get the angle wrong and it will bite you.

The finished results were spectacular.

This is my first use and first impressions but it shows great promise. 

Cheers
Rob

nice looking brush and razor.

Thanks very much.

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.

Thank you!

Sent from my Galaxy using Tapatalk

Blackland Dart vs Karve Christopher Bradley
Pre Shave Hot Shower
Soap Asylum SV Flying Mango
Brush Elite Razor stone with DG B5 knot
Blade Polsilver 2nd use
To start Fit & Finish, my Karve was polished by a generous member in another forum but the Karve has a more clean finish and the top cap screw is longer and smoother than the Dart. I also have used the the Karve D & E Plate and the 3 1/2” Handle but I prefer the 3” Handle for balance. The D plate was not efficient enough for me and the E plate shaves nearly the same as the F.
WTG Both Razors were smooth with noticeable blade feel. Both took down my one day grey whiskers to a DFS. Part of this could be that I did a 3 pass shave yesterday, I still had good stubble tonight but a little less than after my usual 2 pass daily shave.
XTG Again Both Razors were smooth but definitely there was blade feel   The shave gave a BBS by my wife’s touch and left me with no irritation and that slight sting with my alcohol based AS.
For me these 2 razors which are similar in price gave a very equal shave with similar feel and identical outcomes. I am glad I have both and if you only could pick one I would go by your preference to the ease of SS maintenance or the beauty of Brass which does take a little more work to keep shiny.

Thanks for the detailed review of a couple new DE razors that reside in the C-note price category.

I have three shaves logged with my Dart and it is an excellent razor. This was my first Blackland razor and I have no thoughts of getting rid of it.
The Dart can be aggressive if you don't watch you angle, but once I adjusted slightly toward the SB, it really smoothed out for me. Imagine taking the advice of the creator of the razor! LOL
My favorite razor is still my Timeless 0.95 titanium, but it was more than twice the price of the Dart.

Blackland Dart vs Karve Christopher Bradley
Pre Shave Hot Shower
Soap Asylum SV Flying Mango
Brush Elite Razor stone with DG B5 knot
Blade Polsilver 2nd use
To start Fit & Finish, my Karve was polished by a generous member in another forum but the Karve has a more clean finish and the top cap screw is longer and smoother than the Dart. I also have used the the Karve D & E Plate and the 3 1/2” Handle but I prefer the 3” Handle for balance. The D plate was not efficient enough for me and the E plate shaves nearly the same as the F.
WTG Both Razors were smooth with noticeable blade feel. Both took down my one day grey whiskers to a DFS. Part of this could be that I did a 3 pass shave yesterday, I still had good stubble tonight but a little less than after my usual 2 pass daily shave.
XTG Again Both Razors were smooth but definitely there was blade feel   The shave gave a BBS by my wife’s touch and left me with no irritation and that slight sting with my alcohol based AS.
For me these 2 razors which are similar in price gave a very equal shave with similar feel and identical outcomes. I am glad I have both and if you only could pick one I would go by your preference to the ease of SS maintenance or the beauty of Brass which does take a little more work to keep shiny.

Great review. You answered a lot of my questions. I used the Karve F plate and couldn't get along with it. Blade feel and efficient it had, it just wasn't as smooth as I need it to be.

I do think the Dart is better looking. I like the handle much better. I bet if you took the time to polish the cap it would have a better face feel.

What else do you have in the same category? Keep the comparisons coming.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk

Blackland Dart
Gillette Nacet (2)
Brad Sears DFS LE
Declaration Grooming Colonia Balsamic 

I picked up The Dart this morning. First impressions. The packaging is excellent. A strong thick cardboard box with foam cut to hold the razor firmly. 

Fit and finish. There are some machine marks on the baseplate and the inside of the top cap. These are minimal though. No shape edges or corners like the V2 Blackbird I owned. A big thumbs up.

With the mixed reviews of the Dart I started the shave with some trepidation. 
The loading of the blade had a faff factor of zero BTW. Another thumbs up.
Looking at the blade exposure I struggled to see how it could be (reportedly) so aggressive. 
Time to find out...

Have read a number of reviews. A steeper angle (riding more towards the safety bar) seemed to be the way to go. This worked for me too, along with a very light touch. 

I didn't think the blade feel was too excessive, for the most apart, apart from on my top lip. I found it very tuggy and struggled to find the right angle. This is the only area of concern I have with the razor.

Rising off after the first pass was the first shock. WOW! Super close apart from on my neck. 
I did 3 passes and two small touch-ups either side of my Adams Apple and that was it!

Is this the most efficient razor I've ever used? YES! "Even more efficient than the R41?" I hear you cry. YES!
It's not the smoothest and it's a razor you need to take great care with. Get the angle wrong and it will bite you.

The finished results were spectacular.

This is my first use and first impressions but it shows great promise. 

Cheers
Rob

More efficient than an R41? High praise. Lucky for me, I have a Dart en route to try (thanks, Gus!). That's a high bar you've set, my friend.

On a different note, we've got Johnny Marr performing in-studio at my place of employment in Seattle in a couple of months. PM me if you want VIP treatment during your visit...

If you're lucky Morrissey will show up

Blackland Dart
Gillette Nacet (2)
Brad Sears DFS LE
Declaration Grooming Colonia Balsamic 

I picked up The Dart this morning. First impressions. The packaging is excellent. A strong thick cardboard box with foam cut to hold the razor firmly. 

Fit and finish. There are some machine marks on the baseplate and the inside of the top cap. These are minimal though. No shape edges or corners like the V2 Blackbird I owned. A big thumbs up.

With the mixed reviews of the Dart I started the shave with some trepidation. 
The loading of the blade had a faff factor of zero BTW. Another thumbs up.
Looking at the blade exposure I struggled to see how it could be (reportedly) so aggressive. 
Time to find out...

Have read a number of reviews. A steeper angle (riding more towards the safety bar) seemed to be the way to go. This worked for me too, along with a very light touch. 

I didn't think the blade feel was too excessive, for the most apart, apart from on my top lip. I found it very tuggy and struggled to find the right angle. This is the only area of concern I have with the razor.

Rising off after the first pass was the first shock. WOW! Super close apart from on my neck. 
I did 3 passes and two small touch-ups either side of my Adams Apple and that was it!

Is this the most efficient razor I've ever used? YES! "Even more efficient than the R41?" I hear you cry. YES!
It's not the smoothest and it's a razor you need to take great care with. Get the angle wrong and it will bite you.

The finished results were spectacular.

This is my first use and first impressions but it shows great promise. 

Cheers
Rob

More efficient than an R41? High praise. Lucky for me, I have a Dart en route to try (thanks, Gus!). That's a high bar you've set, my friend.

On a different note, we've got Johnny Marr performing in-studio at my place of employment in Seattle in a couple of months. PM me if you want VIP treatment during your visit...

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

If you're lucky Morrissey will show up

Blackland Dart
Gillette Nacet (2)
Brad Sears DFS LE
Declaration Grooming Colonia Balsamic 

I picked up The Dart this morning. First impressions. The packaging is excellent. A strong thick cardboard box with foam cut to hold the razor firmly. 

Fit and finish. There are some machine marks on the baseplate and the inside of the top cap. These are minimal though. No shape edges or corners like the V2 Blackbird I owned. A big thumbs up.

With the mixed reviews of the Dart I started the shave with some trepidation. 
The loading of the blade had a faff factor of zero BTW. Another thumbs up.
Looking at the blade exposure I struggled to see how it could be (reportedly) so aggressive. 
Time to find out...

Have read a number of reviews. A steeper angle (riding more towards the safety bar) seemed to be the way to go. This worked for me too, along with a very light touch. 

I didn't think the blade feel was too excessive, for the most apart, apart from on my top lip. I found it very tuggy and struggled to find the right angle. This is the only area of concern I have with the razor.

Rising off after the first pass was the first shock. WOW! Super close apart from on my neck. 
I did 3 passes and two small touch-ups either side of my Adams Apple and that was it!

Is this the most efficient razor I've ever used? YES! "Even more efficient than the R41?" I hear you cry. YES!
It's not the smoothest and it's a razor you need to take great care with. Get the angle wrong and it will bite you.

The finished results were spectacular.

This is my first use and first impressions but it shows great promise. 

Cheers
Rob

More efficient than an R41? High praise. Lucky for me, I have a Dart en route to try (thanks, Gus!). That's a high bar you've set, my friend.

On a different note, we've got Johnny Marr performing in-studio at my place of employment in Seattle in a couple of months. PM me if you want VIP treatment during your visit...

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

I'm certainly not counting on it...