Blackland Razors AMA, September 25th, 2016

Hi all,


First I'd like to thank Blackland Razors for taking the time to do an AMA (ask me anything) with the Damn Fine Shave community. Shane has said that he'll be popping in and out of the forum for most of the day to answer questions that we have for him.

Please keep in mind that the questions that are asked NEED to follow our site rules. Failure to follow our rules will result in the removal of your post(s).

Check out Shane and his Blackland Razor items at: http://www.blacklandrazors.com/




Thanks,

Andrew

Only one question: How in Gods name where you able to produce such a fabulous shaver out of nowhere?  I've tried or owned a whole lot of DE's but this one has become my favorite in no time. Here is hoping that in the future all your other projects are just as fabulous!

There has been a pass around on our Dutch forum of the BlackBird and I believe almost everyone has either ordered one or is saving up for one.

1) There is a pre-order campaign for the Blackbird that is ongoing. However, I could not find information about how long the pre-order phase is going to last. Is that information available? (Perhaps I just didn’t look thoroughly enough.)

2) There is an open comb version of the base plate coming out in the near future. Are there any reviews/feedback of the prototype, and how does it compare to the solid bar? (Again, I did try to search for this information on a general level online, but could not readily find it.) Thanks beforehand.

Also — the design of the Blackbird is very pleasing; the handles are especially distinctive. High fives are in order.

Hi friends! I'm happy to be here today. Many thanks to Andrew and DFS for the opportunity.

I've got my coffee so let's jump into it!

Only one question: How in Gods name where you able to produce such a fabulous shaver out of nowhere?    I've tried or owned a whole lot of DE's but this one has become my favorite in no time. Here is hoping that in the future all your other projects are just as fabulous!

There has been a pass around on our Dutch forum of the BlackBird and I believe almost everyone has either ordered one or is saving up for one.

I was able to design it with a bit of luck and a lot of trial and error. I was able to actually produce it with a lot of really frustrating legwork, learning, and finally partnering with a stellar manufacturer. Kickstarter played a big part, too!

1) There is a pre-order campaign for the Blackbird that is ongoing. However, I could not find information about how long the pre-order phase is going to last. Is that information available? (Perhaps I just didn’t look thoroughly enough.)

2) There is an open comb version of the base plate coming out in the near future. Are there any reviews/feedback of the prototype, and how does it compare to the solid bar? (Again, I did try to search for this information on a general level online, but could not readily find it.) Thanks beforehand.

Also — the design of the Blackbird is very pleasing; the handles are especially distinctive. High fives are in order.

The pre-order phase(and the discount) will go until the parts are back in stock and then it will shift over into "regular" orders sans discount. I expect that to happen in late October. Once I know for sure when shipping will start I will send out an alert or two letting people know that the pre-order sale will be ending.

The best we have is the some 3D-printed reviews by a couple members(I'm not sure if they're on here). Unfortunately, the first stainless samples were not perfect so we needed to modify them a bit. We are waiting on the (hopefully) final samples before making the OC pre-orders available. That will probably not happen until mid-October. Assuming they are great, we will open up the pre-orders until the parts are ready to ship(again, late October). This means that unlike the safety bar Blackbird, there probably won't be many YouTubers or reviewers getting a first look. The good news we always offer a 30-day refund policy on all Blackbird parts. So buy the OC if you'd like, try it out, and if it's not to your liking just send it back within a month for your money back.

Thank you for the design compliment. I wanted to create a unique handle without any knurling that still displaced water/lather and provided excellent grip. I think it's worked out perfectly.

Don't let the shaving community rush you, better to have a stellar product then satisfy the demand, a few months won't make a difference if it's good.

Don't let the shaving community rush you, better to have a stellar product then satisfy the demand, a few months won't make a difference if it's good.

We won't rush it. If the OC needs more work then so be. But I'm extremely confident that it will be ready.

hi there,
Rumor has it, you're thinking about developing a slant as well. If so, will this be an own design or a variation on a vintage model?

hi there,
Rumor has it, you're thinking about developing a slant as well. If so, will this be an own design or a variation on a vintage model?

We will definitely be releasing a slant next year. It will be our own design. Whether it is a Blackbird slant or something different hasn't been decided. I have designs for both options.

Thanks. Looking forward to it/them

Hi Shane!

Can't wait to give the OC a try; you know I'd be first in line again!

What was your thought process and how did you feel pulling the first Kickstarter campaign, and were you nervous setting up an second campaign? If the second campaign didn't work out did you have a 'plan c'?

Any 'behind' the scenes action/stories with Blackland that the public at large doesn't know about?