Blackland GEM

Very cool how they came up with the threaded rod that goes through the hole in the blade. I'm wondering about its long term durability though. Its got to be pretty skinny to fit through that hole. Then again, it is stainless steel so it would take a lot of force to snap it off.

Very cool how they came up with the threaded rod that goes through the hole in the blade. I'm wondering about its long term durability though. Its got to be pretty skinny to fit through that hole. Then again, it is stainless steel so it would take a lot of force to snap it off.

The Sabre design, like all design, is about compromise. I experimented with a lot of designs. I tried hinged caps, single piece piece heads similar to OneBlade, and of course three-piece designs. Once I settled on the three-piece approach there are two options: post behind the blade like a Mongoose, or a modified post that inserts like a DE razor. Positioning the post behind the blade allows you to keep a full threaded rod, but you make a huge sacrifice with regards to size, weight, balance, appearance, and maneuverability. By modifying the post, you don't sacrifice those performance characteristics, but the compromise is that you lose the full rod thickness. The modified post requires a bit more care when initially threading the handle to avoid cross-threading. Using stainless steel that post is still plenty strong for the task and should function properly for decades. I'm not sure that doing the same approach in a softer metal would be appropriate. Whatever small downsides there are to the post are surely worth it for the massive advantages it brings to the table. The head is the same size as a GEM blade and very thin. I don't think it's possible to create as small and maneuverable a GEM head with any other approach.

I would love to see a GEM version of the Weck Surgical Prep Razor (the non-shavette type) with an option to change handles.  In the Weck, the blade slides in, no hinge or other moving parts, and is held in place by the compression of the top cap folded over the blade (as top and base are one piece).  It works surprisingly well with no blade shift at all and an absolutely fantastic shave.

Here's a pic I found of the Weck design with blade functionality:

I would love to see a GEM version of the Weck Surgical Prep Razor (the non-shavette type) with an option to change handles.  In the Weck, the blade slides in, no hinge or other moving parts, and is held in place by the compression of the top cap folded over the blade (as top and base are one piece).  It works surprisingly well with no blade shift at all and an absolutely fantastic shave.

Here's a pic I found of the Weck design with blade functionality:

I made something like that in 3D printed prototypes. They work well in that material, but that design cannot be machined as a single piece so it would have to be cast. To make it machinable, I made the head in two pieces with the top cap mounted to the base plate via small screws at the back. It works just fine, but makes the head slightly bigger, holds the blade less tightly, and requires assembly. All with no real benefit over a three-piece design.

I think it's a great idea for a different manufacturing technique, but I reached the conclusion that this approach is not the best for a machined razor.

Very cool how they came up with the threaded rod that goes through the hole in the blade. I'm wondering about its long term durability though. Its got to be pretty skinny to fit through that hole. Then again, it is stainless steel so it would take a lot of force to snap it off.

The Sabre design, like all design, is about compromise. I experimented with a lot of designs. I tried hinged caps, single piece piece heads similar to OneBlade, and of course three-piece designs. Once I settled on the three-piece approach there are two options: post behind the blade like a Mongoose, or a modified post that inserts like a DE razor. Positioning the post behind the blade allows you to keep a full threaded rod, but you make a huge sacrifice with regards to size, weight, balance, appearance, and maneuverability. By modifying the post, you don't sacrifice those performance characteristics, but the compromise is that you lose the full rod thickness. The modified post requires a bit more care when initially threading the handle to avoid cross-threading. Using stainless steel that post is still plenty strong for the task and should function properly for decades. I'm not sure that doing the same approach in a softer metal would be appropriate. Whatever small downsides there are to the post are surely worth it for the massive advantages it brings to the table. The head is the same size as a GEM blade and very thin. I don't think it's possible to create as small and maneuverable a GEM head with any other approach.

All good points Shane. I'm sure your design will work out just fine. I like how it will clamp the blade down tightly with no possibility for movement.

Yes, I'm loving how compact and tight the razor looks in Shane's posts. Boy, I felt I was in the golden age of wet shaving back in 2005 era but 2017 is shaping up to be a blockbuster.

Here is a base plate with the top operations competed. Bottom photo shows the blade gap (0.6mm). Notice the blade guards. They are just big enough to hide those sharp corners on a GEM blade, but we kept them as small as possible to not interfere with the shave in any way.

These pieces then get flipped over to mill the underside.

I appreciate the design goals here more than others I've seen, recognizing that mass is not desirable with a GEM blade. I'll start saving.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

I appreciate the design goals here more than others I've seen, recognizing that mass is not desirable with a GEM blade. I'll start saving.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

Keeping the head as streamlined, minimal, and balanced as possible was the entire design challenge here. The head should wind up being about the same weight as a DE head with similar handling characteristics. Of course, you can always go crazy with weight reduction by just cutting away bits, but the thing also has to be attractive. I think it will be a fine compromise.

I'd also have to admit that your GEM razor is one of the more nicer looking versions in the pipeline.