RayClem's Blade Evaluations

I saw it in passing, I have no clue where. It kinda surprised me.
Agree Astra SPs are useless.
I've been using Bic recently too and don't notice them any sharper than the GPs. But they don't last as long. I like them though.

Because BIC blades are sharper than Gillette Platinum, the edge of the BICs are thinner and wear faster. That is probably why you get more usage from the GP. Unless your beard is super tough, you might not notice a significant difference in sharpness between the two blades. If your skin is sensitive, you might notice microchipping of the BIC blades as they wear. Although Feather blades are super sharp, I only use them for two shaves as after my WTG pass on the third shave, they are too rough to continue.  The thin edge is quite fragile.

I used the Bic again last night.
Not any sharper than the blades I've used a few thousand times.

I used the Bic again last night.
Not any sharper than the blades I've used a few thousand times.

BIC blades do not reach their maximum sharpness level until the second shave. If they still do not feel any sharper than other blades, that tells me you beard is not super tough Likewise, if your skin is not super sensitive, you might not be able to feel subtle differences in sharpness. That is a good thing. Having both a tough beard and sensitive skin like mine can make shaving difficult. Shaving was a lot easier 60 years ago when I first started shaving.

Yeah agreed.
The only razors I use are Blackbird (and now Diamondback) bc it's the only razor that can handle my beard and it's efficient enough that I don't need to revisit spots eight times to get a clean shave. (And then end up with irritation or weepers, as I would with say a 34c (crap, for ME)).

Anyway, some blades are better for some than others.

I'm liking the Bic, and I do use them for multiple shaves (generally 3).

Yeah agreed.
The only razors I use are Blackbird (and now Diamondback) bc it's the only razor that can handle my beard and it's efficient enough that I don't need to revisit spots eight times to get a clean shave. (And then end up with irritation or weepers, as I would with say a 34c (crap, for ME)).

Anyway, some blades are better for some than others.

I'm liking the Bic, and I do use them for multiple shaves (generally 3).

I do not own a Blackbird, so I do not know how efficient/aggressive it might be. I do have a Timeless TI 0.95 razor. I tried it on Saturday using a Merkur blade from Czech Rep that I rated as 4.5 sharpness, 4.25 smoothness. That blade was uncomfortably sharp in that razor. I completed my WTG and XTG passes with that combination, but refused to use it for my ATG pass. I completed the shave with the Timeless TI 0.68 razor equipped with a Treet 7 Days Platinum blade which I also rated as 4.5 sharpness. That combination worked well for my ATG and clean-up pass and I got a near-BBS shave with minimal irritation.

I am hoping the second shave with the Merkur might be a little better. If not, I am going to have to try a smoother blade in the TI 0.95.

Ray, did you have to buy 100 of Filosos? Reason I ask is no Ebay seller has any. However, one seller I deal with will be selling Strangelets any day now. FYI Parker blades are very good in my Parker 63C.

Yeah agreed.
The only razors I use are Blackbird (and now Diamondback) bc it's the only razor that can handle my beard and it's efficient enough that I don't need to revisit spots eight times to get a clean shave. (And then end up with irritation or weepers, as I would with say a 34c (crap, for ME)).

Anyway, some blades are better for some than others.

I'm liking the Bic, and I do use them for multiple shaves (generally 3).

I do not own a Blackbird, so I do not know how efficient/aggressive it might be. I do have a Timeless TI 0.95 razor. I tried it on Saturday using a Merkur blade from Czech Rep that I rated as 4.5 sharpness, 4.25 smoothness. That blade was uncomfortably sharp in that razor. I completed my WTG and XTG passes with that combination, but refused to use it for my ATG pass. I completed the shave with the Timeless TI 0.68 razor equipped with a Treet 7 Days Platinum blade which I also rated as 4.5 sharpness. That combination worked well for my ATG and clean-up pass and I got a near-BBS shave with minimal irritation.

I am hoping the second shave with the Merkur might be a little better. If not, I am going to have to try a smoother blade in the TI 0.95.

The Blackbird is definitely an efficient razor with a fair amount of blade feel. Blackland Razors rate the SB at a 9 for efficiency and an 8 for blade feel. I feel this is an accurate rating. The OC version is 9.5/8.5 on those counts. I even find the OC Blackland a bit much for me and I like blade feel and love the efficiency of the SB versions. In the past not paying much attention to blade/razor combos I hope to try the OC with perhaps a more mid-sharp blade and see how that goes.

Ray, did you have to buy 100 of Filosos? Reason I ask is no Ebay seller has any. However, one seller I deal with will be selling Strangelets any day now. FYI Parker blades are very good in my Parker 63C.

The Filoso Barber Blades were $13 per 100, so I purchased a full pack. I got mine from Amazon, but they are currently out of stock. They are available directly from the Filoso web site.

 https://filosobarberbrand.com/products/f...zor-blades

The Parker razor blades are made by Derby in Turkey and have a similar coating to many Derby blades. I found the Derby Premium blades to be slightly better. They were similar to the Bluebird blades which are also made by Derby. Most Parker razors are about medium aggressive, so I would think the Parker blades would be a good match.

As far as the Stranglets, the PAA website shows $16.95 per 100 blades. Plus you have to pay shipping. That is a steep price for a Chinese made blade from an unknown manufacturer with little history in the wet shaving market. Thus, it is not a blade I would purchase. Plus, the blade name and packaging is a turn-off for me. Perhaps, younger shavers will be attracted to them.

Yesterday I shaved with a three-day beard. I used the same combination of razors and blades that I did for Saturday's shave. The Merkur blade performed a little better in my Timeless TI 0.95 for my WTG and XTG passes. There was less blade feel than on the first shave, so I presume it was smoother. For the ATG and clean-up passes, I again used my Timeless TI 0.68 razor equipped with the Treet 7 Days Platinum. I got an excellent shave with almost no feedback from my witch hazel application after the shave. I am lloking forward to the third shave with these blades.

Razor team,

My razor blade combination continue to fruition through Clem masters guide and exploration of my razor inventory.

Best razor blade combo discoveries for my face to date:

Karve B - Astra SP
Timeless 68 - Permasharp
ATT M1 - Wizamet, Bic Chrome
Feather A2 - Feather
Mamba - Kai
Gamechanger 68 - Tatara

Next up -

Charcoal Goods Lvl 1
Carbon -, mild version
Alpha, mild version
HNS P76




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