Review of Blackland Razors- Osprey.
So first off there are no pictures here. If you want to see the thing the Blackland Site has way better pictures than I could take and right now my camera is on the blink anyway and my phone takes crappy pictures.
I have a drawer full of DE Razors. I have too many to count both vintage and new. I have a bunch of adjustables too and I have found the promise of the "adjustment" has never resulted in a shave better than any well designed fixed razor.
So, enter the Osprey. I got this one in the first batch so I've a few weeks to play with it. It's Blackland's only adjustable razor and it's only available in Stainless with a machined finish and with a dedicated stand retails for $400.
So, the good, the bad and the ugly. The ugly is the price and the bad is the finish on the top cap which is kind of rough for any razor but especially at this price point. The cap has visible striations in it. You can't feel them but it's quite visible. I understand they are working on polished and satin variations as well as a titanium version. I reckon those will push the $500 envelope but that's a guess on my part. Also the other bad is the adjustable part (meaning the head) is heavy, very heavy. If you hold the razor in the upper third the weight is very well balanced but if you hold it at the mid point or below you really feel that head. You have to be conscious of that or you could do a number on your face.
Now the good. It's a gorgeous razor with a cut out handle with a removable brass fitting in it. Some have complained the adjustment scale is hard to read though I think it's about like most however they are working on that feature. Also you have to loosen the handle then turn the adjust wheel then tighten it again. The cut out in the handle and in the head were done for weight though I think this razor screams titanium.
So I shave every other or third day and I use either a Personna Hospital or Kai Blade at setting 7 (there are 9) or a feather at 6. I either use MDC, Castle Forbes or Meisner Tremonia for soap/cream and my beard is heavy, almost like wire. I find the shaves to be very comfortable and effortless with the head gliding over my face. The result is essentially the same as a straight shave as far as lastability of the shave and face feel after the shave.
At the beginning I said I never realized any benefit to any adjustable razor I have used. This is the first one where the adjustment does translate to performance. Is it drastic? No it's not but the Blackbird model which I have said is about like a straight in performance is bested by that tiny percentage because of the adjustment here. I don't think increasing the setting will give a better shave. In fact I used the Feather blade at 7 and did get a tad of irritation so 6 is the sweet spot for me. But the other two blades shaved great at setting 7.
So what is the verdict? If you've got the coin and can deal with the weight of the head and are OK with the machined finish I think it is the closest shaving alternative to a straight razor at this point in time. I don't think I would recommend it to a novice shaver because of that weight but if you can purchase it and return it if need be than that might be the ticket.
If I had to give it stars with 5 being the best I would probably give it at least 4 or 4+ mainly owing to the finish on the top cap and weight distribution. Maybe they could give a larger weight in the handle which would balance things out for those like me who hold the razor further down the handle. Also for the price the overall bar is higher than if the razor was say $150.
