RayClem's Blade Evaluations

I really wanted to like the Personna Lab Blue blades since they are made in USA. After the 1st shave, they are pretty decent blades. I know some people will ""cork" the blades to make them more comfortable on the 1st shave; but to me, they are not worth the effort of doing that. I find the Personna Platinum Chrome blades to be good from the 1st stroke; thus I use them instead.

I was surprised at how much better the AccuThrive Prep blades were than the Lab Blues. I had always assumed that the difference between "Comfort Coated: and "For Hospital Use" was primarily some extra cleaning steps. However, the extra cleaning seems to make a difference in the quality of the shave. Unfortunately, since they are sold primarily to medical facilities, like most other medical items, the pricing is rather high.  I am glad I got a chance to experience a couple of the AccuThrive blades due to the generosity of an annomyous donor, but I doubt I will be adding them to my stash.

As part of the rebranding, AccuTec Blades will produce Personna Super blades aimed at the beauty/barber trade. I do not know if these are the same as "Lab Blues" or whether there have been some spec changes. I believe the "comfort coated" description has been replaced with "MicroCoat", but I do not know if there is a difference.

If anyone tries the Personna Super blades, please post a review.

For those who use Gem style single edge razors the Personna Gem blades have been rebranded to AccuTec Pro.

I had grabbed ~800 of the Comfort coated blades, after trying a few, between 2019 and 2021. All at fair prices before they shot up in price (I believe they're now in the realm of $18-20 per 100?)

My first pack was awesome with sharp smooth blades. This is why I jumped in on so many. I then opened (I think) 300 into a Tupperware container to have them easier to grab. I've since gotten quite a few less than top quality blades. Not all completely horrible, but I can see the QC is lacking.

I've tried 3 or 4 of the Israeli/German reds. I agree wholeheartedly, the reds are waaaaay better. I'm now trying to use up a few hundred of these so I can justify a few hundred Reds. The rollercoaster truly never ends. Lol.

Fwiw, I am fairly certain these 'Made in the USA' blades are actually produced in Mexico. There are rules to production labels with NAFTA, but (I assume) a lot of loopholes, too. Of course, I could be wrong. If I'm not, at least we can feel a little bit better about skipping the (supposed) US blades and sourcing others from Germany/ Israel.

Regarding the supers ... I thought they were just different packaging for the Israeli blades? Personna may make blades, but they excel at producing confusion.

The AccuTec blades are made Verona, VA, but there is a packaging facility in Mexico that might have be packaged the blades you received. Packaging and distribution is often more labor intensive than production, so there are labor cost advantages to packaging in Mexico. AFAIK, there are no blade production facilities there.

That makes a lot of sense, packaging being the part outsourced. I can see that being labor intensive, for sure.

On the topic of Personnas... Let me ask you RayClem , or anyone else who knows...

It's my understanding that the 10pk of German/Israeli Personna are the same as the 5pk of German/Israeli... with the 10pk simply boxed for the UK market? Is that really the case... no difference at all?

I was gifted some samples of the red box blades (5pk). However, when I do buy some I'd likely grab the white and blue box 10pk, as their cheaper (approx $22 for 100 vs $30 for 200). I just don't want to waste money finding out they're not really the same.

Thanks in advance.

metal_shavings

I enjoy using the Parker 24C with a moderately sharp blade for WTG passes. It has been years since I tried using it for a complete shave. I love the efficiency of the OC razor for knocking down multiple days of beard growth, but I would not enjoy using for my ATG pass or for my clean-up pass with buffing strokes.

I realize that nearly all shavers pick up a razor and expect to use it for the entire shave, but there are very few razor that will allow me to do that. I cannot use an aggressive razor for the final passes as they will cause irritation. Less aggressive razors lack the efficiency I desire in the early passes. That is why I find using multiple razors gives me the best shave with the least irritation.

mrdoug

I have seen many sellers trying to take advantage of the popularity of the Personna Chrome Platinum blades formerly made in Israel using steel from the USA. Some of the blades are sold in red packing similar to that used by the Israeli made blades. I have even seen such dubious marketing as German made Israeli Personnas. If they were not actually made in Israel, calling them Israeli Personnas is a deceptive practice.

The Israeli plant made several different platinum coated blades, including the ones called Crystal blades. While I like Crystal blades, I preferred the Platinum Chrome. There were a variety of private branded blades made in the Israeli plant as well.

I have never seen anything about the source of the steel used by the plant in Solingen, Germany. While it could be steel from the USA, I would be surprised if that is the case. Since Solingen is a major producer of high-quality steel, I would not think that the plant would import steel if they can obtain it locally.

While I find the German made Personnas to be nearly identical to the ones from Israel, I have not used enough of them to proclaim them the same blades.

It is quite common for blade manufacturers to package blades differently for sale in different countries or different regions of the world. While the Personna Platinum in red packaging were the most common, the plant also make blade for sale in the UK in blue packaging, but they seemed to be the same blades. They also made the blades in slide out cartridges without individual wrapping for the blades. AFAIK, they were the same blade just packaged differently. I presume the German plant is doing something similar.

Karveme

You seem to be under the impression that if you keep posting about your experience with the Jaguar blades that you will convince me that they are the best blades in the world. Sorry, but that is not going to happen.

Once I complete the evaluation series, I will be glad to go back and try to determine the longevity of the blades by using them until they are no longer comfortable, but I would be shocked if I get more than 4-5 good shaves at most.

My skin is so sensitive that I cannot face lather without getting brush irritation. I bowl lather and paint the lather on my face to minimize brush contact. A single stiff hair in the knot feels like a hypodermic needle on my face. I have to use a magnifying glass and go through and pluck all such offending hairs from the knot. If your skin that sensitive, I cannot imaging how you are able to shave with added pressure.

If your skin is less sensitive, then you might actually be stropping the edge on your skin during the shave and maintaining the edge that way. Unfortunately, I cannot do that without irritation..

Wile many people can shave with a straight razor honed on an 8K stone or Belgian coticule, such an edge is not nearly sharp enough for my beard. While a 12K edge is sharp enough, it is not smooth enough. When I shave with a straight razor, I finish honing on a stone that is 15-20K grit level. But even that is not smooth enough for my face. I polish the edge to a mirror finish using 0.5, 0.25 and 0.1 micron polishing compounds. That produces an edge that I enjoy using, but because the edge is so fine, I can only get 5-6 shaves before I need to refinish the edge. Many people can get several months of usage from a straight razor with no more than stropping on leather before every shave. That is not comfortable for me.

I can get 10 to 15 shaves from a straight I've honed that is finished on 0.25 before it needs a touch up. But a DE only lasts 4 to 6 shaves before it falls apart.

Just call him Baby-face Ray! Lol

I can get 10 to 15 shaves from a straight I've honed that is finished on 0.25 before it needs a touch up. But a DE only lasts 4 to 6 shaves before it falls apart.

Just call him Baby-face Ray! Lol

If a photo you you posted recently is accurate, you have a full beard so you are only shaving around the bearded area. With less area to shave your straight should last longer. With most DE blades I only get 3-4 good shaves before I change the blade. SE blades are thicker and seem to last much longer than DE blades. I can get about 10 shave from them 

And you are correct, even at my advanced age, I still have a baby face. That is why I like BBS shaves. I have never seen a baby with a mustache, however, except perhaps a milk mustache.

Karveme

You seem to be under the impression that if you keep posting about your experience with the Jaguar blades that you will convince me that they are the best blades in the world. Sorry, but that is not going to happen.

Once I complete the evaluation series, I will be glad to go back and try to determine the longevity of the blades by using them until they are no longer comfortable, but I would be shocked if I get more than 4-5 good shaves at most.

My skin is so sensitive that I cannot face lather without getting brush irritation. I bowl lather and paint the lather on my face to minimize brush contact. A single stiff hair in the knot feels like a hypodermic needle on my face. I have to use a magnifying glass and go through and pluck all such offending hairs from the knot. If your skin that sensitive, I cannot imaging how you are able to shave with added pressure.

If your skin is less sensitive, then you might actually be stropping the edge on your skin during the shave and maintaining the edge that way. Unfortunately, I cannot do that without irritation..

Wile many people can shave with a straight razor honed on an 8K stone or Belgian coticule, such an edge is not nearly sharp enough for my beard. While a 12K edge is sharp enough, it is not smooth enough. When I shave with a straight razor, I finish honing on a stone that is 15-20K grit level. But even that is not smooth enough for my face. I polish the edge to a mirror finish using 0.5, 0.25 and 0.1 micron polishing compounds. That produces an edge that I enjoy using, but because the edge is so fine, I can only get 5-6 shaves before I need to refinish the edge. Many people can get several months of usage from a straight razor with no more than stropping on leather before every shave. That is not comfortable for me.

I’m under the impression that I’ve been shaving with DE blades since 1980…if you told anyone that you get 2-4 shaves out of a blade in the 80’s 90’s all the way up to about 10 years back they would ask you,
“how big is your horse”..or “what the f are you shaving”a tuck of 10 blades would last a year easy shaving everyday,they were called stocking stuffers for daddy and grandpa for christmas,not saying these are the best blades in the world,just that there’s a lot of crap being made..I was running out of blades from a huge supply and started snooping around drugstores and not finding anything at all…went online and found there’s forums,YouTube full of DE wet shavers,so then ordered a bunch of blades,then a razor..blades came first,noticed they were rough and cut me up using my fat boys,razor burn,not very good,Karve razor came along,same crappy shaves,tried the recommended astras,they may have come along with the razor?don’t remember…anyways,restocked on my aftershaves,picked up a pack of jaguars,,,,ahhhhhh back to the 80’s-90’s.Oh todays shave was only a DFS…no BBS,I’m thinking I was rushing,I’ll see tomorrow.
If your skin is that sensitive then give the clubman shave gel a try,slap it on and massage into your skin,it almost dissapears,slight sheen is left,it’s very slippery,that’s what matters not the 3 inches of foam bragging rights.I’m a face latherer,,first time I saw online a guy taking 10 minutes in a ceramic bowl lathering I couldn’t believe it,then another,I soak my brush then apply to soap roughly,dip in hot water and violently rub across my maw!..first razor pass takes me a minute,then each after pass 30 seconds.

Karveme

If your razors, blades, and Clubman shave gel work for you, that is terrific; do not change a thing. However, if you have only been shaving since 1980, you might have a few surprises in store as you get older. I have been shaving 15 years longer than you.

Over the past 15 years, my beard has turned white and become coarse and more difficult to shave. Many men experience a similar issue with old man, white beards. At the same time my skin, which has always been sensitive, became even more so. As you enter your senior years, skin tends to become thin, saggy, and wrinkled. That makes shaving even more difficult. When I was your age, shaving was a lot easier than it is today. That is why I have evaluated so many razors, blades, soaps, and techniques over the past 8 years in an attempt to make shaving easier and more comfortable.

I have tried a variety of shaving creams, foams and gels. None have worked for me. While they might have terrific slickness, none provide sufficient skin protection to avoid irritation. I have not tried Clubman specifically but the ingredients are: Isopropyl Alcohol, Propylene Glycol, Cyclopentasiloxane, Glycerin, Acetylsalicylic Acid, Hydroxypropylcellulose, Panthenol, Hippophae Rhamnoides Seed Oil, Salicylic Acid, Menthol Fragrance (Parfum), Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Benzyl Benzoate, Butylphenyl Methylpropional Citral, Coumarin, Limonene, Linalool, Blue1.

There are a number of things in that formula that my face will not tolerate such as Isopropyl alcohol, salicylic acid and menthol. Furthermore, many of the ingredients are synthetic chemicals, which I try to avoid. There are also several synthetic fragrances which can irritate my skin. I do not like applying silicones such as Cyclopentasiloxane to my face, but do not mind them in hand creams since I wash my hands frequently. If I were to apply the Clubman shave gel to my face, I get immediate irritation and have to wash it off with soap and water before even starting my shave. Thus, despite your recommendation, I will not be trying it.

I prefer using high quality artisan shave soaps such as those produced by Grooming Dept, Zingari Man, Gentleman's Nod, and several others. As for taking 10 minutes to build a lather, that must have been the video of someone attempting to lather Williams Mug Soap, which is one of the worst soaps I have ever used. My lather procedure with top quality artisan soaps consists of blooming my soap for 10 seconds, loading my brush for 10 seconds and lathering the soap for 30 seconds in a bowl. In less than a minute, I am applying lather to my face. Admittedly, a cream, foam or gel might take a few seconds less, but none I have tried will prevent skin irritation like the top soaps in my den. They leave my skin feeling comfortable for 24 hours after the shave. There is nothing in Clubman gel that will provide that benefit.

How does a lather provide skin protection?only a slippery surface does that,makes no sense,does the lather slow down the razor?serious question.The older I get the more I just stretch my skin,also grey beard and turkey neck,40 years of shaving with DE razors and creams and soaps there’s nothing left to learn,I can shave sitting in a dark icehut in the middle of a moonless night.

For many years i only had the goatee and stash. So i used to shave more skin than i doi now. 

A quality soap does give protection, slickness during the shave and residual slickness and conditioning of the skin. Ray knows much more than I in this as i spent months learning it from him and a couple years of buying and learning about what i liked in artisan soaps. So i will let him explain those details.