Review of Blackland Saber v2-(Gem Type Single Edge Razor)
So, we all know about King Gillette and his disposable blade safety razor going back to the first years of the 20th century. Alternatively, the American Safety Razor Co which was a merger with another outfit that went back to the late 1800s produced this funny looking contraption using what appears to be a commercial single edged scraping blade. The Gem came out a dozen or so years after Gillette. I don?t know if the Gem was ever a real competitor to the Gillette. I reckon they ceased production sometime around 1970. However, the blades are still available as stainless steel with coatings designed for shaving.
So Blackland produced v1 of the Saber a few years ago which I have and my main complaint about it is it?s heavy and as a member of the over the hill gang it can be a chore to hold on to when it gets wet or soapy. Recently they came out with v2 which is the one I?m concerned with here. It?s lighter and more comfortable to hold and does not slip like the other.
The original gem was a one-piece design with a flip top which you opened and placed the blade in and pushed the top town (its actually spring loaded and goes down by itself). The blade is held in place by the top and there are two little nibs at the business end that hold the edge in place. I have one of the old gems (the art deco model) and the blade is not clamped in place like modern safety razors and some lateral movement is possible as it?s used. Tiny but it?s there. They made many models and I here tell some are more aggressive than an R-41 or so they say. The one I have gives a good shave but not great.
The Blackland Saber is unique in that it is a three piece unit , well, actually four. The handle and base plate and top come apart and then the base plate leading edge comes off and can be changed with another piece (which comes with the razor) and flips over so you have four adjustments possible. That leading edge is magnetically attached and clamps in place once the razor is put together. The razor gives a very good shave comparable to all but the most aggressive Blackland products like the Blackbird, Osprey and their small single edge razor.
To me the Achilles Heel of the Gem is the blade. They are more prone to rust than standard double and single edge blades and they are not as sharp. I can run a single or double edge razor down my face with a two- or three-day growth and I hear and feel nothing. It?s just silky smooth. The original Gem sounds like you are tearing a sheet of paper in half and you can feel that blade working on your face. It?s not uncomfortable mind you but you can feel it. The Blackland is also noisy but not nearly as much as the original Gem but you can still feel it doing its job.
They say the Gem razor blade will last 10-20 shaves. Good luck with that. I?ve found after five shaves that blade working on your face feeling starts turning into some unpleasantries and by the eighth shave I?m done. Maybe if there were more choices in blades things might be different but there is little choice.
So, the bottom line is, should you buy it? The Blackland is a very nice razor, very well constructed and is something different and on the pricey side. If you shave every day for work, it?s fine and maybe some of the other aggressive razors are too good for everyday shaving. The choice is yours and I?m keeping mine. Oh, that?s right, no pictures. You can see way better pics than I can take at the Blackland site and for pics of the original Gem Razors go to YouTube. Just do a search of gem razors to get the lowdown on those with pics of all the models they made and they made a lot. Also, if you want to buy a Gem pretty much no one wants them, so they are cheap on Eboy. You can find a mint one circa 1930 or earlier for about $30-40.
