Phoenix Starling V3 Stainless

They claimed the machine marks were part of the charm and design

It's not as bad as brand-new guitars that are "relic-ed" at the factory.

---

The handle on the Starling ...


... certainly evokes the Flare-Tip Rockets:



Or more specifically, the Red-Tips:



Not that there's anything wrong with that. It's a good handle design.
Plus, they acknowledge that in the description: "This version of The Starling Razor comes with our Flare Tip handle."

[edit] Oh - you can buy just the handles too. That's nice.

Ugh. I hate relic-ed guitars. I used to sell them. Only thing in the world you can actually destroy or ruin it, sell it as new, and raise the price. I'll relic them myself, thank you.

Machine marks look like soap bubbles? 

I found the Starling V3 handle so close in weight to the Blackland Sabre handle weight that I decided to weigh them to see how close they were in weight.

The V3 Starling and Blackland Sabre weight comparison:

Blackland Sabre handle: 75.1
Starling V3 handle with tip: 79.4g

Blackland Sabre top cap plus L2 plate: 32g
Starling V3 top cap plus SB plate: 51.6g

Starling V3 handle with top cap and SB plate: 131g
Blackland Sabre handle with top cap and L2 plate: 107.1g

I also had my first shave with the V3 Starling this morning:

I shaved the left side with SB and right side with OC. Both gave a comfortable shave and I did not notice much difference between the two plates on 2 days' growth as far as comfort or efficiency. I am thinking with 3 days growth that maybe the OC place would be better for the first pass. The XTG pass (horizontal pass) with the V3 was a little awkward due it the weight and mass of the razor head. That will take some getting used to. I would say that the V3 is more efficient than most of my GEM style razors (modern or vintage) especially when it comes to the mustache area (without resorting to ATG/Fool's passes). I liked the handle better with the tip than without it as the handle was too short for me without the tip. This razor is a welcome addition to my den. It was an excellent shave!

The price is very reasonable for what sounds like a quality tool. I am tempted, but then I just got my WR3 earlier this year.

When loading a blade in the V3 Starling, after placing the blade over the two posts on the base place, you have to gently place the top cap over the base plate or the blade will come off one (or both) of the posts and be out of alignment.

I normally shave every other day, and I have three shaves with the Starling V3 so far. I have been well pleased with the closeness of the shave without being aggressive.

I normally shave every other day, and I have three shaves with the Starling V3 so far. I have been well pleased with the closeness of the shave without being aggressive.

Are you less concerned with blade loading? Thank you for the review

Sent from my SM-S918U1 using Tapatalk

I normally shave every other day, and I have three shaves with the Starling V3 so far. I have been well pleased with the closeness of the shave without being aggressive.

Are you less concerned with blade loading? Thank you for the review

Sent from my SM-S918U1 using Tapatalk

The base plate of the Starling V3 bends downward beyond where the blade sits to give the razor head the angle of the design (bending downward at an angle). That bend area is the area where the top cap screw goes through the base plate. Having to align that screw with the base plate hole while at the same time aligning the rest of the top plate with the two base plate blade posts (that go into the side cut outs on the modern GEM style blades) is where the blade shifting issue comes into play. I think this is the consequence of removing the blade stops/front posts from the previous versions of the Starling (though I have not tried one of those versions). It is a minor annoyance that can be overcome with practice. There are other razors that are more difficult to load for sure. Is it a deal breaker for me? I don't think so. I think the shave more than makes up for this minor inconvenience.

I have learned to balance the large flat area of the base plate (before the base plate makes an angle) level using two fingers, then place the blade over the two posts followed by gently placing the top cap over the base plate. If I do it gently enough, the blade does not move.

Speaking of the area where the base plate angles down, if you like to use a washer to prevent the handle from scratching the bottom of the base plate, you will want to go with a washer that has a small outer diameter otherwise the washer will no sit flat against the base plate and your handle will not be able to screw down as many threads. I initially tried a washer with a larger outer diameter (that I bought form Maggard Razors) and the outer diameter was too large and basically made a bridge over the bend in the base plate, so the razor handle did not screw all the way down. I then tried a nylon washer that works with my Yates 921 and that was perfect.

The Yates 921 base plates have a slot in them that the washer needs to go into it in order to hit the bottom of the base plate. (If you use a few of those washers at the same time to fill the slot, then you can use just about any handle with a Yates 921 razor head as long is the threading is a standard thread) thread).

The smaller outer diameter washer used on a Starling V3 will sit flush just on the smaller, bent portion of the base plate (where the top cap screw hole exists). The washer will not extend much beyond the lip of the handle. Just something to consider if you like having a washer between your handle and base plate. If that is too confusing and you would like a picture, let me know and I will take some pictures of the washer situation.

Today I tried a comparison shave between the PAA Starling V3 OC and the Micromatic Open Comb (MMOC), bumpless version with half spine shim. I had three days growth. I used a Personna SS PTFE GEM blade. I shaved one side with the V3 OC plate and the other side with the MMOC. I did a two pass shave with touch ups in the mustache area. The MMOC was a little more efficient on the XTG passes under the nose than the V3 but the difference as very slight. The MMOC is a little more aggressive than the V3. The V3 provided a more comfortable shave. The end result from both razors was the same level of smoothness. Either would work for 3 days growth.

Today I tried a comparison shave between the PAA Starling V3 SB and the Micromatic Clog-Pruf (MMCP), Peerless variant (with 17 teeth, has bumps). I had two days growth. I used a Personna SS PTFE GEM blade. I shaved one side with the V3 SB plate and the other side with the MMCP. I did a two pass shave with touch ups in the mustache area. The V3 SB has the same efficiency as the MMCP. The MMCP provided a more comfortable shave. The shave results were identical.