Kudos to Shane and Blackland

Before I get to the point, please indulge me in a brief rant. Lots of retailers complain that they're being forced out of business because of customer preference for on line shopping. But have they considered the frequent subpar service customers get when we enter a store? By no means always, but quite often, I feel as if I'm intruding on the sales staff. When I manage to cajole someone into assisting me, it's not unusual to learn they know nothing about the product I'm interested in. This happened to me at Lord & Taylor, to cite a recent example. I was looking at a not inexpensive briefcase. It was scratched up like it had fallen off the back of a truck. The sales associate brought out one from storage. It, too, looked like it had been in a bar fight. This was not a style choice. These goods were damaged. I asked if they were offering a discount due to the damage. No, they weren't. I asked why they were selling damaged goods. She shrugged. She didn't know, she didn't care. 

Lord & Taylor is now closed for good. I'm not surprised and I don't miss it. 

What do you do if you want excellent service? Call Blackland Razors. 

I did this yesterday. The phone rang a few times then I heard, "This is Shane." 

How often does the owner answer the phone? He spoke with me for about fifteen minutes, helping me decide on a razor. 

Now, I need a new razor like I need a spotted tail. (Though that might be fun, particularly at parties.) But I noticed something recently. I posted a question on this site about a razor I'd bought from another company. Shane offered an opinion. It wasn't his product. But his opinion was helpful. The company I bought the razor from didn't weigh in, though they answered my email after a few days. But Shane was right there. 

This happened again last week. I posted about a razor from yet another company (I have RAD. It was in remission for several years. But it's back in full force.). Shane offered an opinion. It was insightful. 

That in itself is caring, and helpful, and I would even say selfless. Anyone who is that on the ball must make a wonderful product. So I ordered a razor and feel confident that it will fit the bill wonderfully well. And if it doesn't, as Shane pointed out, I have thirty days to return it. 

Many people find our hobby strange. To some it's like saying, "My hobby is flossing." I don't care. One of the best aspects of it is that its got lots of wonderful people in it. Shane at Blackland. Matt at Timeless. The folks at Maggard's. Leon here at Pasteur. This kind of painstaking attention to detail, to offering the best products at the best prices, and to ensuring the customers feel well-cared for, it's all too rare but you can find it here, in the world of wet shaving. And that alone is reason enough to put down the cartridge that's the size of a catcher's mitt, to unplug the electric shaver, and lather up.

Wait, so what did you end up ordering?

I have all 4 of Shane's razors and they're all amazing!

I have to agree, Shane is a class act when I bought my Blackbird he was very supportive and answered emails very quickly, he’s not the only razor maker that has gone above and beyond over the years, we have a small niche community and it is all part of the experience.


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Would love to hear from Shane about a titanium Blackbird with a 101mm handle !


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Thank you so much for sharing your story. We hear the bad stories, but we often don't hear the good. There are some wonderful vendors in this world of wet shaving, & they deserve recognition for their exceptional products & service.

Now excuse me, I have to find the floss rabbit hole!

The Blackbird. Matte finish. I was tempted to veer off and get the Vector but I don't use SEs all that often. I have the Dart and love it. I wondered if the BB would be too "efficient." But I often shave with Feather AC razors and am used to the feel of a blade on my face. I'm psyched.

Thanks for sharing your experiences. Shane is truly a class act, and is tops when it comes to customer service. I had decided a little while back that I wanted a couple of his razors. The Vector was a given. For the second razor, I was on the fence between the Blackbird and (pre-ordering) the Tradere. He talked me into the Blackbird, and I'm so glad he did. The reason he recommended the Blackbird comes down to the experience with the razor itself. He said, in so many words, that using the Tradere isn't all that different from most DE razors on the market. I was asking his honest opinion, and he gave it. He didn't try to up-sell me.

Hopefully you'll love the Blackbird as much as I (and many others) do. If I could only keep one DE razor, it would be the Blackbird, hands down.
As for the Vector - I can see why so many call it a "RAD killer".

I too have spoken to Shane and am eagerly awaiting my Tradere. He was extremely helpful in my decision process. Shane's accessibility is to be commended. I have tried to gain information from certain other high end producers and have been ignored, whether it be arrogance or lack of caring for potential new customers.

Another factor not related to the quality of the Blackland product is the quality of the Blackland company. On another forum it was made very clear by a gentleman that is terminally ill and wanted to use a Tradere before he died. Shane sent an early model that he hand-finished at no charge to the gentleman. This is the kind of company that I prefer to patronize.

The Blackbird. Matte finish. I was tempted to veer off and get the Vector but I don't use SEs all that often. I have the Dart and love it. I wondered if the BB would be too "efficient." But I often shave with Feather AC razors and am used to the feel of a blade on my face. I'm psyched.

The Flagship of the Blackland line. It is a great razor. I'd venture to say, of those I've tried, and I've tried a lot, there are some that might be as good, but none better ... in terms of the shave. For my particular face of course, YMMV.

You guys are extremely nice and I deeply appreciate your support and for taking the time to share your kudos. Trust me, I don't take that lightly and I love a pat on the back as much as the next guy. But my reaction to this thread after first thinking "aww how nice!" is "how sad". Our standards as a community are far, far too low if answering a phone or returning emails is odd enough to be pointed out. The reality is that responding to customers promptly, effectively, and nicely is quite literally the bare minimum you can do as a business. It's also exceedingly easy so there is absolutely no excuse. My service isn't above and beyond; I drop the ball, people fall through the cracks, and I make mistakes. But I try and I also try to improve. It's the minimum that should be expected from all businesses and in most markets it is.  For some reason the wet shaving world seems to be largely okay with poor communication, generally bad business practices, and, worst of all, just no effort to even improve at it year after year. And this tolerance of disregard permits and encourages it to continue. People who can't be bothered to answer a phone or who ignore emails from paying customers simply should not receive your money yet these companies continue to thrive and operate on cruise control for years. Demand better service and keep your money until you get it and you'll be blown away by how quickly those practices change. You guys, the paying customers, get to decide which business practices become standard. Right now, when we look across the wet shaving landscape it's clear that mistreatment and disregard are tolerated. It doesn't have to be that way.

Again, please don't take this as lacking gratitude. I couldn't be more thankful for my incredible fans, customers, and cheerers-on. Let's all work together to demand more and to raise the standards in this community. <3