Seven years ago we launched our flagship DE razor, the Blackbird. It's a razor known for extreme efficiency, high blade feel, and unique shaving experience. It shaves like no other razor and it has developed a loyal fanbase of shavers who can't get enough of the Blackbird. Those who love the Blackbird love the Blackbird, but it's not a razor for everyone. While that high blade feel and extreme efficiency work for some people, it can be turnoff for others who prefer something a bit more mellow with less blade feel. It's a shame for those who want to love the Blackbird, but didn't have an option that fit their needs. Until now. Enter the Blackbird Lite - a toned down Blackbird for the rest of us.
When we set out to create the Blackbird Lite razor, it had to meet a few criteria. It had to have about half the blade feel of the Blackbird, still have enough efficiency for most users, and, importantly, it still had to feel like a Blackbird. It's easy to make a milder razor, but it's tough to make it milder while still capturing the unique experience of the Blackbird. So we started playing around with blade gap, blade exposure, and angle. There's no magic here, just good ol' fashioned trial and error. A little less gap here, some exposure tweaks here. After a lot of different versions and plenty of test shaving, we settled on the base plate that would become the Blackbird Lite.
How the Blackbird Lite shaves
Shaving with the Blackbird Lite feels like shaving with a Blackbird on easy mode. It has the same shallow angle and some blade feel to guide you, but it doesn't require the same care that the original version does. You could almost close your eyes and whip the Blackbird Lite across your face and feel the hair being wiped away. But that ease of use doesn't mean the Blackbird Lite is a mild razor. It's not. It's just on the efficient side of medium and has enough power to hack through all but the thickest growth - that's when you'll want the Blackbird Original.
If you've never used a Blackbird before, the Blackbird Lite has moderate blade exposure, a very small blade gap, and a shallow angle of use. It's an unusual combination of characteristics that makes the Blackbird Lite such a special razor. The blade exposure generate some blade feel and that's important so that the razor is providing feedback - telling you where the blade is and how much pressure you're applying. You are shaving blind without feedback so that blade feel is vital. We couple that blade exposure with a small blade gap. This combination gives good efficiency due to the exposure while the small gap limits the risk of nicks and cuts. High efficiency and high safety!
Who the Blackbird Lite is for
The Blackbird Lite is the perfect razor for the following shavers:
- The Blackbird owner who can't use it every day
- The former Blackbird owner who returned or sold it due to the high blade feel
- The person who wants a Blackbird, but is afraid that the blade feel will be too much
- Anybody looking for a smooth shaving experience with ample efficiency and no drama
- The new wet shaver looking to step up into a higher quality machined razor
This is the first time in the history of our company that we have tweaked the shaving geometry of our beloved Blackbird and we couldn't be happier with the results! The Blackbird Lite razor is the perfect addition to our lineup and it brings the joy of the Blackbird to everyone.
You can check out the Blackbird Lite Razor here or shop just the Blackbird Lite Base Plate to add it to the Blackbird you already own.
