(This post was last modified: 12-13-2023, 06:49 PM by RayClem.)
Today's Shave- Gillette Silver Blue
Gillette Silver Blue blades have quite a following within the wet shaving community. For many shavers, the GSBs are great blades. For my tough beard and sensitive skin, I wish they were a tad sharper and a tad smoother.
I started the shave with the 7 O'Clock SharpEdge yellow in the razor. As expected, there was some blade resistance cutting my two-day beard. Any improvement in sharpness during the 1st shave was minimal After a few strokes, I replaced the blade with a Gillette Silver Blue. I have had the blades for a few years, so they still have the black ink printing. The GSB exhibited a similar level of resistance as the SharpEdge. However, the SharpEdge blades are smoother. I could definitely feel the GSB on my face. Unlike the SharpEdge blades which became only minimally sharper during the shave, the Silver Blue did become sharper such that I was able to get a near-BBS shave using a four-pass shave including a clean-up pass with buffing strokes. When I applied witch hazel after the shave, I did get moderate feedback.
Based on the results of this shave, the Gillette Silver Blue blades rate 4 sharpness and 4 smoothness. As such it performs in a manner quite similar to the Gillette Platinum blades. While both are blades I could use, I prefer even sharper, smoother blades. For many shavers these are great blades. The evaluation spreadsheet has been updated.
Yesterday's Amazon delivery brought two new blades. One is the Jaguar 8094 blade recommended by another forum member. While Jaguar is a German company, I can find no information on the origin of the blades. There are no marking on the blade. Jaguar sells primarily to professional barbers and stylists.
The second blade is from Facon. These blades are said to be made of Japanese stainless steel, but Japan produces a wide range of steels of varying quality, so that is more for advertising than information. These platinum coated blades are said to be made in China.
Later today I should be receiving my new Karve brass C-baseplate so that I can do a proper face-off shave. I also have 7 O'Clock Super Stainless (green), Topaz Platinum, Tiger Platinum and Tatara Platinum blades arriving in that shipment. The 7 O'Clock blades were intended for the original evaluation, but I could not find the ones I thought I had stashed away. The Topaz blades are from Malhotra Shaving-India that made the Laser Ultra blades. I will be interested in seeing how the platinum blades compare to the triple coated polymer. I ordered the Tiger Platinum blades to see how they compare to the Tiger Stainless, Tatra Platinum and Tatara Platinum blades made by the same factory. I plan to do face-off shaves to see if Tiger Platinums and Tatra Platinums are the same blade with different labels. I purchased a few Tataras as I was surprised that my initial evaluation of this blade did not meet my pre-conceived notions.
Update: I found out that the Jaguar blades are made in Egypt, so I presume they are similar to one of the Lord blades I have tested. If I am lucky, they will be as good as the Silver Star blades. Since the Jaguar blades are only available in packs of 10 blades, purchasing a bulk pack of similar Lord blades would be a better value.