Polished Blackbird

Has anyone bought or seen it yet? Wondering how it looks? Has the time been taken to make it really pop?

They are polished to order, require an extra week to ship and cost an extra $25.00.

Hey there! I can answer most of those questions. First a brief clarification: polishing is $20 for the razor with either handle and $25 for the razor with both handles. I'm hoping to get that lead time down in the coming days as I work through the backlog of orders. A week is just the upper boundary. Most orders should take less time once I am caught up.

I'm biased, but I think it's the best Blackbird available. Each part is individually polished by hand and requires several hours to complete. Reviews will start trickling out this week or next. So far there are only two reviews that I know of(on other forums) and both are extremely positive.

The goal of the polished finish was to address the two primary concerns for users: drag and sharp corners. The high polished surface completely eliminates that drag and increases glide. Base plate corners are rounded slightly to increase comfort and approximate the modifications that will be made to the base plate for the next production run.

Keep an eye out for more reviews coming this week and next as they start arriving at their destinations.

Hey there! I can answer most of those questions. First a brief clarification: polishing is $20 for the razor with either handle and $25 for the razor with both handles. I'm hoping to get that lead time down in the coming days as I work through the backlog of orders. A week is just the upper boundary. Most orders should take less time once I am caught up.

I'm biased, but I think it's the best Blackbird available. Each part is individually polished by hand and requires several hours to complete. Reviews will start trickling out this week or next. So far there are only two reviews that I know of(on other forums) and both are extremely positive.

The goal of the polished finish was to address the two primary concerns for users: drag and sharp corners. The high polished surface completely eliminates that drag and increases glide. Base plate corners are rounded slightly to increase comfort and approximate the modifications that will be made to the base plate for the next production run.

Keep an eye out for more reviews coming this week and next as they start arriving at their destinations.

Have seen some pics of the polished Blackbird and it looks killer. I like the brushed finish in general but the polished does kick it up a notch and I think lends itself particularly to the Blackbird's design.

I can only imagine the time it takes to polish by hand as well!

Appreciate your comments, Shane and clarafication noted. If you were not biased, I'd be amazed!

I've admitted in another thread how smitten I am by the bling of polished SS. Yes, utilitarian, matte finish SS is fine for razors, as in my Feather AS-D2, but the pizazz of polish is just downright sexy! Sounds like the units that you polish from the current production run will have the baseplate corners rounded some before the polishing. Looking forward to the upcoming reviews.

Just got my polished bird yesterday and used it for my first shave as well. I want to reserve a true review for after I get a bit more experience, but wanted to chime in and say I think Shane hit all of his targets on the head.

I didn't have a terrible issue using the original black oxide blackbird once I figured out the angle (hint, it's rather blunt, eg the handle is more parallel to the ground than your neck), but even then there could be a bit of a 'drag' and/or you may feel the sharper corners. I never saw that that as a flaw per say, because it was always a symptom of bad technique; in this case, too much pressure causes drag or poor handling if you're poking yourself with the corners. The original definitely pointed out bad shaving form and forces you to use good technique.

The new polished one, however, is significantly easier to use and more forgiving in respect to angles of attack,while still maintaining the efficiency that I've come to LOVE with a backland razor.

More thoughts to come after I get more experience. Feel free to pop questions, however.

Hey there! I can answer most of those questions. First a brief clarification: polishing is $20 for the razor with either handle and $25 for the razor with both handles. I'm hoping to get that lead time down in the coming days as I work through the backlog of orders. A week is just the upper boundary. Most orders should take less time once I am caught up.

I'm biased, but I think it's the best Blackbird available. Each part is individually polished by hand and requires several hours to complete. Reviews will start trickling out this week or next. So far there are only two reviews that I know of(on other forums) and both are extremely positive.

The goal of the polished finish was to address the two primary concerns for users: drag and sharp corners. The high polished surface completely eliminates that drag and increases glide. Base plate corners are rounded slightly to increase comfort and approximate the modifications that will be made to the base plate for the next production run.

Keep an eye out for more reviews coming this week and next as they start arriving at their destinations.

do you have any photos to share?

I'm working on better photos as I struggle to shoot reflective surfaces. Hopefully these will suffice until my photography skills improve. These shots are with unrounded corners.


[Image: Polished1.jpg]

[Image: Polished3.jpg]

We are moving, in mid March, to Greenville, SC to be near daughter and her husband. (Much easier to handle our affairs after we croak if we're in the same town. )  Do you have any idea, Shane, when the next production run will be shipping?

We are moving, in mid March, to Greenville, SC to be near daughter and her husband. (Much easier to handle our affairs after we croak if we're in the same town. )  Do you have any idea, Shane, when the next production run will be shipping?

No set date yet. Hopefully April-ish.

That's good enough for my rough planning. Thanks!