Errol
Razor Review Guru
Sorry, the whole razor is stainless steel.
Weekly Razor Review
- Thread starter Errol
- Start date
klinker
... seems to have LOTS of brushes
That's amazing. I don't know of any other Merkur Progress copies that are made of stainless steel.
If Merkur put out an all-stainless Progress, I would find it hard to resist.
I get fantastic shaves from my Mergress XL, which has only the bottom knob in stainless steel, but has been tuned. Some say this makes no difference, but it is a wonderful performer for me.
klinker
... seems to have LOTS of brushes
I have the regular size Mergress and love it!
Errol
Razor Review Guru
Urkunet Assassin - 2.00mm (China)
Urkunet - strange bloody name, sounds like it might be from the Ukraine. Those poor bastards have been copping the rough end of the pineapple lately; I’d better check this one out. A little investigation and I find that it is from a sister company to Oumo Shave Brushes from China. Three different efficiency plates were on offer, I am unlikely to ever use the mild plate, so I left that one out and purchased the 2.0mm and 2.5mm plates, mid and high efficiency. Three handles were also on offer; they all have a similar profile but there is enough change to differentiate between them; for no particular reason I chose the Fuxi. And just to add to the woes of the razor buyer, there were three different levels of finish; polished this time thank you.
While I can see likeliness’s to features on other razors, and it is highly likely that borrowed features were incorporated into the final rendition, I’m going to say that this is an in house design. Wide flats on the cap slightly overlap the corresponding flats on the top of the plate, however, there remains ample area for blade clamping. A flat machined at the top of the cap reduces its profile and makes it look almost flat, no shave angle dictating cap on this one. In premium razors I like to see elongated blade posts, another tick to the Assassin. These blade posts protrude through the plate finishing flush with a circular recess machine from the back of the plate. There is a pattern machined into the forward section of the handle and after that the handle basically tapers toward the end to a tapered knob. Another big tick to Urkunet, your threads are fantastic, perfect engagement and smooth. It wouldn’t be a Chinese polish job if they didn’t over-run the polishing machine to the point of losing features. Urkunet call it hand polished, but I think the jury might still be out on that decision.
What better efficiency to start with than mid-way and the 2.0mm plate. For a handle with very little meat towards its rear end, it proved easy to control and secure in use; my little finger easily found the knob at the end of the handle and rested comfortably there. Despite Urkunet’s best effort to rid the handle of all grip in their polishing machine, enough remained. I was immediately impressed by its Karve CB Level #D efficiency and a slightly higher level of positive blade than expected, resulting in a shave that was both smooth and very comfortable. There will be no resit with the 2.5mm plate, I’ve found my fit with the 2.0mm one. Urkunet has presented an almost premium product that provides practical options in handle choice, three levels of efficiency and the desired finish, but best of all, a bloody good shave.
Material – 304 Stainless Steel
Weight – 85.5g
Blade Tab - Exposed
Head Width – 41.97mm
Handle Length – 90.05mm
Handle Diameter – 11.98mm
Availability – Urkunet Razors
Final Word – Performance personified
Urkunet - strange bloody name, sounds like it might be from the Ukraine. Those poor bastards have been copping the rough end of the pineapple lately; I’d better check this one out. A little investigation and I find that it is from a sister company to Oumo Shave Brushes from China. Three different efficiency plates were on offer, I am unlikely to ever use the mild plate, so I left that one out and purchased the 2.0mm and 2.5mm plates, mid and high efficiency. Three handles were also on offer; they all have a similar profile but there is enough change to differentiate between them; for no particular reason I chose the Fuxi. And just to add to the woes of the razor buyer, there were three different levels of finish; polished this time thank you.
While I can see likeliness’s to features on other razors, and it is highly likely that borrowed features were incorporated into the final rendition, I’m going to say that this is an in house design. Wide flats on the cap slightly overlap the corresponding flats on the top of the plate, however, there remains ample area for blade clamping. A flat machined at the top of the cap reduces its profile and makes it look almost flat, no shave angle dictating cap on this one. In premium razors I like to see elongated blade posts, another tick to the Assassin. These blade posts protrude through the plate finishing flush with a circular recess machine from the back of the plate. There is a pattern machined into the forward section of the handle and after that the handle basically tapers toward the end to a tapered knob. Another big tick to Urkunet, your threads are fantastic, perfect engagement and smooth. It wouldn’t be a Chinese polish job if they didn’t over-run the polishing machine to the point of losing features. Urkunet call it hand polished, but I think the jury might still be out on that decision.
What better efficiency to start with than mid-way and the 2.0mm plate. For a handle with very little meat towards its rear end, it proved easy to control and secure in use; my little finger easily found the knob at the end of the handle and rested comfortably there. Despite Urkunet’s best effort to rid the handle of all grip in their polishing machine, enough remained. I was immediately impressed by its Karve CB Level #D efficiency and a slightly higher level of positive blade than expected, resulting in a shave that was both smooth and very comfortable. There will be no resit with the 2.5mm plate, I’ve found my fit with the 2.0mm one. Urkunet has presented an almost premium product that provides practical options in handle choice, three levels of efficiency and the desired finish, but best of all, a bloody good shave.
Material – 304 Stainless Steel
Weight – 85.5g
Blade Tab - Exposed
Head Width – 41.97mm
Handle Length – 90.05mm
Handle Diameter – 11.98mm
Availability – Urkunet Razors
Final Word – Performance personified
Errol
Razor Review Guru
Blackland Blackbird Batch 001 - Bronze (USA)
It seems that every morning when I check my emails there is one from Blackland suggesting that I purchase another razor from them. One Blackbird email that did take my eye was dedicated to the workshop. Being an old fitter and turner I was interested in how a modern workshop would turn out their razors. Disappointment again, Blackland were mealy trying to flog off their new, at that time, Batch 001 Bronze Blackbird that they had machined in their new workshop. Their propaganda was too late, mine was already in the mail. Immediately after unpacking the Bronzebird, it was treated to a liberal dousing in Renaissance Wax. The Renaissance Wax done its job well because when I pulled it out to do this review, the Bronzebird sat there sparkling like a new pin. A wide flat cap with its radiused ends is one of the many distinguishing features of the Bird line of razors. Its underside is curved and overhangs the clamping chamfer on the plate by quite a margin leaving much of the blade totally unsupported. Elongated blade posts take care of securing the blade and its alignment, these blade posts fit into blind holes in the plate. Angled edges along the back of the plate give it an almost rounded appearance in the end view. Blackbird handles have a distinctive look with a flare at the forward end, a small knob on the end and machined groves along their length. A step down section at the forward end of the handle mates into an opened out handle post hole in the back of the plate, making the selection of an alternate handle difficult, but not impossible.
You bloody idiot Errol, you knew exactly what to expect in performance from the Bronzebird even before you pressed the buy button. The Bronzebird did not disappoint, Karve CB Level #D efficiency and a well chosen amount of positive blade. Every real Bird (not the watered down version) I’ve used has delivered these exact results, but it’s good to remind yourself that a razor that’s been around for over 10 years is still showing the new players how the game should be played while they tag along behind, heads bowed, playing catch up. There is a lot to like when you choose to shave with a Bird, weighs in well under the standard 100g, positive grip, well thought out length of handle and most importantly a smooth and close shave. Blackland nailed it when they released the Blackbird.
Blades Used – Gillette Minora and Royal II
Material – Bronze
Weight – 88g
Blade Tab – Slightly exposed
Head Width – 41.99mm
Handle Length – 82.02mm
Handle Diameter – 10.97mm
Availability – Out of production
Final Word – A pleasure
It seems that every morning when I check my emails there is one from Blackland suggesting that I purchase another razor from them. One Blackbird email that did take my eye was dedicated to the workshop. Being an old fitter and turner I was interested in how a modern workshop would turn out their razors. Disappointment again, Blackland were mealy trying to flog off their new, at that time, Batch 001 Bronze Blackbird that they had machined in their new workshop. Their propaganda was too late, mine was already in the mail. Immediately after unpacking the Bronzebird, it was treated to a liberal dousing in Renaissance Wax. The Renaissance Wax done its job well because when I pulled it out to do this review, the Bronzebird sat there sparkling like a new pin. A wide flat cap with its radiused ends is one of the many distinguishing features of the Bird line of razors. Its underside is curved and overhangs the clamping chamfer on the plate by quite a margin leaving much of the blade totally unsupported. Elongated blade posts take care of securing the blade and its alignment, these blade posts fit into blind holes in the plate. Angled edges along the back of the plate give it an almost rounded appearance in the end view. Blackbird handles have a distinctive look with a flare at the forward end, a small knob on the end and machined groves along their length. A step down section at the forward end of the handle mates into an opened out handle post hole in the back of the plate, making the selection of an alternate handle difficult, but not impossible.
You bloody idiot Errol, you knew exactly what to expect in performance from the Bronzebird even before you pressed the buy button. The Bronzebird did not disappoint, Karve CB Level #D efficiency and a well chosen amount of positive blade. Every real Bird (not the watered down version) I’ve used has delivered these exact results, but it’s good to remind yourself that a razor that’s been around for over 10 years is still showing the new players how the game should be played while they tag along behind, heads bowed, playing catch up. There is a lot to like when you choose to shave with a Bird, weighs in well under the standard 100g, positive grip, well thought out length of handle and most importantly a smooth and close shave. Blackland nailed it when they released the Blackbird.
Blades Used – Gillette Minora and Royal II
Material – Bronze
Weight – 88g
Blade Tab – Slightly exposed
Head Width – 41.99mm
Handle Length – 82.02mm
Handle Diameter – 10.97mm
Availability – Out of production
Final Word – A pleasure