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
Ddd61
Member
Thank you Errol. I just found this blog by accident and wanted to thank you for all the reviews you have done. A honest opinion expressed over the past years is so valuable and difficult to find these days. I have read at least half of the reviews and enjoyed all of them. I just wanted you to know you, Errol are appreciated.
Ddd61
Member
I tried my dusty as-d2 with a shim after years of storage and the razor performed well. After reading the review on PAA's meta 4 I tried that razor again. The meta 4 gave me a long lasting great shave riding the cap. I will try the Lupo again after reading positive reviews. I have also decided to park my mambas for awhile. I wanted to go thru my razor collection after getting a stainless blackbird for Christmas 2026 a little early. Learning the blackbird seemed to have improved my shaving technique for some razors and reading Errol's reviews sparked my interest in tryouts my some of the older razors I have set aside. Is this hobby fun or what?
LesC
Member
Plus 1 re the “Razor Guru”
Errol
Razor Review Guru
Blackland Blackbird 2015 - Black Oxide (USA)
Like many, I scour ebay regularly for that elusive razor that could well take pride of place in my ever expanding razor collection, however Blackland is not on that search list. There in my emails was an advertisement from ebay for a Blackland Blackbird, Black Oxide LE Razor, two handles and a wooden case and a special mention that the razor had never been used. Before I finished reading the sellers comprehensive description, I had the razor bought. Blackland is now well established in the wet shaving community, but their road to success got off to rather shaky start when their first Kickstarter campaign failed to attract enough buyers. Luckly, their second attempt in 2015 attracted a total of 153 supporters, enough to bring the Blackbird to life. This razor is one of that original 153 batch and its cherry wood case is clearly marked 2015. Shane is reported to have said that the cases cost a fortune to make, and they would be a limited edition.
Time has not been kind to the black oxide finish, it has faded and gone blotchy, however one side is better than the other leading me to believe that this razor has been on display somewhere. Two handles were supplied with the Blackbird, a 70mm one and the other, much longer at 101mm. At manufacture, Blackland had squared off the end of the plate off leaving sharp corners on all 153 razors sold. There were complaints from users about the sharp corners; some razors were returned to Blackland for rectification, many would have been rounded off by the users themselves decreasing the number of original unmodified razors significantly. Mine retains the sharp corners and is going to stay that way while I’m alive to protect it. At this point I usually do a description of the razor; not this time, please see last week’s comments, except that Birds now come with rounded corners on the plate and an 85mm handle. It’s not every day that anyone gets the opportunity to use a razor with a 70mm handle, I liked the idea of something different, so that was my handle of choice. There will be no surprises in how the 2015 Blackbird is going to perform, my aim in doing this review is to be able to shave with a piece of history. Would I have returned the razor for rectification of the sharp corners or is my technique enough to not even know that there are sharp corners there?
Sharp corners? What sharp corners? During the shave there was not one time when I even had an inkling that the corners were not rounded. And as for the stubby handle, it certainly performed well. Long enough to get a good grip on and no overhang. I much prefer the 70mm handle to the longer 101mm length handle, I’m no big fan of handles much over about 90mm in length. By dropping both the 70mm and 101mm handle lengths and adapting the now standard 85mm length handle, Blackland cater for most user’s tastes. There’s no use telling you that the shave had the efficiency of Karve CB Level #D and ample positive blade, we all knew that. Sure you can now get the Blackbird in different finishes, different metals and there is even an open comb version, but Blackland got the recipe right the first time. It has been a top seller for over a decade and will continue to sell as long as Blackland keep producing it.
Blades Used – Wizamet Polsilver and Rapira
Material – 303 Stainless steel
Weight – 86.7g
Blade Tab – Slightly exposed
Head Width – 42.18mm
Handle Length – 70.02mm
Handle Diameter – 10.86mm
Availability – Out of production
Final Word – Historic love affair
Like many, I scour ebay regularly for that elusive razor that could well take pride of place in my ever expanding razor collection, however Blackland is not on that search list. There in my emails was an advertisement from ebay for a Blackland Blackbird, Black Oxide LE Razor, two handles and a wooden case and a special mention that the razor had never been used. Before I finished reading the sellers comprehensive description, I had the razor bought. Blackland is now well established in the wet shaving community, but their road to success got off to rather shaky start when their first Kickstarter campaign failed to attract enough buyers. Luckly, their second attempt in 2015 attracted a total of 153 supporters, enough to bring the Blackbird to life. This razor is one of that original 153 batch and its cherry wood case is clearly marked 2015. Shane is reported to have said that the cases cost a fortune to make, and they would be a limited edition.
Time has not been kind to the black oxide finish, it has faded and gone blotchy, however one side is better than the other leading me to believe that this razor has been on display somewhere. Two handles were supplied with the Blackbird, a 70mm one and the other, much longer at 101mm. At manufacture, Blackland had squared off the end of the plate off leaving sharp corners on all 153 razors sold. There were complaints from users about the sharp corners; some razors were returned to Blackland for rectification, many would have been rounded off by the users themselves decreasing the number of original unmodified razors significantly. Mine retains the sharp corners and is going to stay that way while I’m alive to protect it. At this point I usually do a description of the razor; not this time, please see last week’s comments, except that Birds now come with rounded corners on the plate and an 85mm handle. It’s not every day that anyone gets the opportunity to use a razor with a 70mm handle, I liked the idea of something different, so that was my handle of choice. There will be no surprises in how the 2015 Blackbird is going to perform, my aim in doing this review is to be able to shave with a piece of history. Would I have returned the razor for rectification of the sharp corners or is my technique enough to not even know that there are sharp corners there?
Sharp corners? What sharp corners? During the shave there was not one time when I even had an inkling that the corners were not rounded. And as for the stubby handle, it certainly performed well. Long enough to get a good grip on and no overhang. I much prefer the 70mm handle to the longer 101mm length handle, I’m no big fan of handles much over about 90mm in length. By dropping both the 70mm and 101mm handle lengths and adapting the now standard 85mm length handle, Blackland cater for most user’s tastes. There’s no use telling you that the shave had the efficiency of Karve CB Level #D and ample positive blade, we all knew that. Sure you can now get the Blackbird in different finishes, different metals and there is even an open comb version, but Blackland got the recipe right the first time. It has been a top seller for over a decade and will continue to sell as long as Blackland keep producing it.
Blades Used – Wizamet Polsilver and Rapira
Material – 303 Stainless steel
Weight – 86.7g
Blade Tab – Slightly exposed
Head Width – 42.18mm
Handle Length – 70.02mm
Handle Diameter – 10.86mm
Availability – Out of production
Final Word – Historic love affair
