New Blackland Era

Guys, what Era do you recommend for a similar shave that Karve Overlander or Henson Medium? L4 or L5?

Guys, what Era do you recommend for a similar shave that Karve Overlander or Henson Medium? L4 or L5?

Either would work, but I'd recommend L4. Even L3 is in the ballpark, but just on the milder side.

Guys, what Era do you recommend for a similar shave that Karve Overlander or Henson Medium? L4 or L5?

Either would work, but I'd recommend L4. Even L3 is in the ballpark, but just on the milder side.

Thanks you Shane!


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These are great photos Shane. They make me realize that a lot of razors support the blade on the sides but that the support does not run the entire length of the blade like the era does.  I have a few that do but most don’t.  The Era gives great shaves, and it feels like that support is a lot of the reason.  

I got this yesterday from someone who makes a great razor:  “Smoothness has almost nothing to do with blade gap or exposure - otherwise it would be impossible to get a great shave with a straight razor.  It's about blade angle, rigidity, and sharpness.”  Era really nails rigidity with its 3D printing design, and I can feel it when I shave with the Era.

When I look at my Tatara Nodachi head the blade is clamped almost identical to the ERA...

No it isn't. The Nodachi appears to be clamped fully when assembled. However, the support does not extend through the majority of the base plate so the vast majority of the blade does not have the support that the sides do. See the red circle in the first pic below.

Compare that to the Era in the following two pics. In the first, you can see that the top cap and base plate touch at the leading edge across the entire span of the blade.

In the second, you can see how the blade support does not change across the full width, while the Nodachi does.

Btw, this isn't a hit against Tatara. They make amazing stuff and I'm a big fan. I just want to correct this one post.

I looked at my other razors to see if there were any that support and clamp the blade the way the Era does, i.e., with the top cap and baseplate touching at the leading edge, across the entire expanse of the blade. I know that this doesn’t automatically translate into better performance, but I was curious. The only ones in my collection that appear to do this are the Charcoal Goods Gen. 3 razors and the Timeless razors (including the 0.5 slim). Not Overlander or Tatara or Lupo or Barbaros or Yates (or Blackbird). These brands rely on what some have referred to as a suspension type of blade support rather than rigid support from the baseplate across the entire blade at the leading edge of the blade. The question is - does it make a difference with respect to the shave or, put another way, does it means that these razors are “better?” Again, I think it’s a question of personal preference, and all of the aspects that go into the performance of any given razor. I am going to keep this in mind, though, as I use the Era and CG and Timeless, just to notice if there is any difference in the experience of the shave.

I looked at my other razors to see if there were any that support and clamp the blade the way the Era does, i.e., with the top cap and baseplate touching at the leading edge, across the entire expanse of the blade. I know that this doesn’t automatically translate into better performance, but I was curious. The only ones in my collection that appear to do this are the Charcoal Goods Gen. 3 razors and the Timeless razors (including the 0.5 slim). Not Overlander or Tatara or Lupo or Barbaros or Yates (or Blackbird). These brands rely on what some have referred to as a suspension type of blade support rather than rigid support from the baseplate across the entire blade at the leading edge of the blade. The question is - does it make a difference with respect to the shave or, put another way, does it means that these razors are “better?” Again, I think it’s a question of personal preference, and all of the aspects that go into the performance of any given razor. I am going to keep this in mind, though, as I use the Era and CG and Timeless, just to notice if there is any difference in the experience of the shave.

It'll be interesting to see how much overhang the blade has compared to each other.

So I tried my level 5 SB with a Tibam handle and I was surprised that it wasn’t as balanced as it was with the standard handle. So I’m good with it the way it is. Another nice 2 pass DFS shave.

Era really nails rigidity with its 3D printing design, and I can feel it when I shave with the Era.

I 100% agree. The Era feels very different (in a good way) from my other razors, and I attribute that directly to the superior clamping.

I looked at my other razors to see if there were any that support and clamp the blade the way the Era does, i.e., with the top cap and baseplate touching at the leading edge, across the entire expanse of the blade.  I know that this doesn’t automatically translate into better performance, but I was curious.  The only ones in my collection that appear to do this are the Charcoal Goods Gen. 3 razors and the Timeless razors (including the 0.5 slim).  Not Overlander or Tatara or Lupo or Barbaros or Yates (or Blackbird).  These brands rely on what some have referred to as a suspension type of blade support rather than rigid support from the baseplate across the entire blade at the leading edge of the blade.  The question is - does it make a difference with respect to the shave or, put another way, does it means that these razors are “better?”  Again, I think it’s a question of personal preference, and all of the aspects that go into the performance of any given razor.  I am going to keep this in mind, though, as I use the Era and CG and Timeless, just to notice if there is any difference in the experience of the shave.

That's great info! Since I tried the Era I've been on a hunt for razors with similar design. I've considered the Timeless razors many times but never pulled the trigger. Which versions of the Timeless do you have btw?

Would be very interested in hearing how the Era compares to the CG, and especially the Timeless, as you keep using them!

I did a mini comparison of the Era and CG Lvl 2 last night, and found the Era to be smoother shaving under my nose and on the front of my chin. Next I am going to do a similar mini comparison against the CG Everyday. I was using the #4 SB plate for the Era.

I have nearly all versions of the Timeless but am right now only using the Timeless Ti 0.5 Slim and the Bronze 0.38. I found the Era to be smoother than the Timeless Ti 0.68.