RayClem's Blade Evaluations

Just gonna drop this here. King C. Gillette blades are currently $3 off on Amazon making them $3.99 for 10. They are still using pics of the Russian blades but I got them today and they are Chinese. If anyone is interested:

https://www.amazon.com/King-C-Gillette-S...dt_b_bia_i

Just gonna drop this here. King C. Gillette blades are currently $3 off on Amazon making them $3.99 for 10. They are still using pics of the Russian blades but I got them today and they are Chinese. If anyone is interested:

https://www.amazon.com/King-C-Gillette-S...dt_b_bia_i

I am glad to see KCG reducing the price of the 10 packs to a reasonable level. While the Chinese made blades might not be identical in quality to the Russian blades, they are quite similar. If you have never tried the Chinese made KCG blades, pick up a 10 pack on sale. If you find you like them, as I did, then you can pick up a 100 pack at $16 which is quite reasonable for blades of that quality. I did pick up a pack at that price.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CNQFV5ZK/ref...UTF8&psc=1

Just gonna drop this here. King C. Gillette blades are currently $3 off on Amazon making them $3.99 for 10. They are still using pics of the Russian blades but I got them today and they are Chinese. If anyone is interested:

https://www.amazon.com/King-C-Gillette-S...dt_b_bia_i

I am glad to see KCG reducing the price of the 10 packs to a reasonable level. While the Chinese made blades might not be identical in quality to the Russian blades, they are quite similar. If you have never tried the Chinese made KCG blades, pick up a 10 pack on sale. If you find you like them, as I did, then you can pick up a 100 pack at $16 which is quite reasonable for blades of that quality. I did pick up a pack at that price.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CNQFV5ZK/ref...UTF8&psc=1

I did order and receive my 10 pack. I am finishing up with a Russian one currently. I recall you saying they were perhaps slightly less smooth than the Russian but with margin of error. I was hoping they were Russian as they are currently a favorite blade. Sharp, smooth in everything I have tried it in and they are giving a lot of shaves. If the Chinese are close, they should still be very good.

Just a quick question as I am not intimately familiar with DE blade prices.

I am using half DE Silvermax Cryosputtered blades in a SE razor. I believe that they are EuroMax blades branded for the Indian market. They are not super sharp but they seem to last forever. I can get them on line for about 5 bucks for 100 (individually wrapped too), or about 5 cents per blade. These half DE blades only seem to be sold in bulk as I presume that the primary customer is barbers using shavette style razors.

My question is this: Is it possible to get DE blades at 10 cents each in packs of ten so that I can experiment with other blades at about the same price but I don't have to buy four years worth of blades?

Thanks in advance to anyone who responds.

There are only a few manufacturers who sell half-DE blades for use in SE razors and shavettes which use that type of blade. Those I have encountered are Gillette DuraSharp, DuraBlade 7 AM Platinum, and Derby Extra, although there may be more. Generally, half-blades are sold in 100 blade bulk packs or greater as the target customers for these blades are barbers who use shavettes. For me, the Derby Extra are too dull. If the Silvermax blades are the same as the EuroMax DE blades, I rated them 4 sharpness/4 smoothness on my evaluation which I consider mid-sharp. The7 AM Platinum blades are slightly sharper at 4.5 sharpness/4,5 smoothness. The PermaSharp blades are even sharper, rating 5 sharpness/4.5 smoothness.

For the results of my evaluation of approximately 75 blades, see the spreadsheet I posted in my Dropbox account:

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/71ttt15wy...b&e=1&dl=0


There is an alternative to purchasing half blades.. You can purchase 5-10 blade tucks of double edge blades and either snap them in half before opening the individual wrapper, or use a sharp pair of scissors (embroidery scissors are ideal) to cut the blades in half.

There are a number of vendors that sell single tucks of DE blades. One excellent source is Razor Blade Club that operates out of Sweden, but ships most everywhere. You can purchase individual tucks of DE blades for evaluation. I used RBC to source some of the blades for my evaluation. Once you figure out what type of blades you prefer, you can the look for a bulk pack of half-DE blades to meet your needs. The four blades I listed: Derby Extra, EuroMax, 7 AM Platinum, and PermaSharp cover a wide range of sharpness levels. If your Silvermax/EuroMax blades are not quite sharp enough for you, pick up a pack of the 7 AM Platinums. They are a great all-round blade. It is not the sharpest, but unless you love super-sharp blades, you probably do not need the PermaSharp. I have a Parker SoloEdge SE razor. In that razor, the PermaSharp blades work well for my tough beard,

In general, platinum-coated blades are superior relative to the stainless steel alone. My choice is Polsilver (the most versatile) and Feather (the sharpest). Overall, you cannot be wrong with Polish and Japanese blades. By the way, Poland is the top producer of safety razor blades, rather than Russia. Chinese blades are grossly inconsistent, stay away is a rule of a thumb.

In general, platinum-coated blades are superior relative to the stainless steel alone. My choice is Polsilver (the most versatile) and Feather (the sharpest). Overall, you cannot be wrong with Polish and Japanese blades. By the way, Poland is the top producer of safety razor blades, rather than Russia. Chinese blades are grossly inconsistent, stay away is a rule of a thumb.

Some of your comments are at least somewhat misleading.

While some platinum-coated blades are superior to some stainless steel PTFE coated blades, that is not always the case. I much prefer the Astra Superior Stainless blade to the Astra Superior Platinum blades counterpart. The stainless blade is both sharper and smoother. The Superior Platinum blades do not deserve the Superior designation. In general, your statement is correct, but is not universal. The Nacet Stainless blades are quite good, but not quite as good as the non-discontinued Gillette Nacet Platinum blades. Also Feather Hi-stainless blades are platinum coated, so you have to be careful with brand names.  

When you say Polsilver blades are the most versatile, which Polsilver blades do you mean? Vintage Polsilver blades were made in Poland, but many Polsilver blades were made by the PPI facility in Russia. I found that Wizamet blades made in Russia are superior to the Polsilver blades. While you say Polsilver blades are versatile, I say they are master of none. They are good blades, but do not excel. Perhaps versatile is a good descriptor after all. 

Poland is a very large exporter of razor blades, especially now that Russian blades are not imported into Western Countries. Polish blades are distributed through SUPER RAZOR Company in Morocco. Most are sold in the Middle East. It is difficult to obtain Polish made blades here in the States. 

While Chinese blades have a long history of being inconsistent, that reputation is changing. There are now some excellent blades produced in China, including many brands being made in the Gillette factory in Shanghai. Gillette is currently making their flagship King C Gillette blades there after moving them out of St. Petersburg, Russia. However, is is interesting to note that the Gillette Super Thin sold in Vietnam were both sharp and smooth, while the Gillette Super Thins sold in Thailand were the worst blade I evaluated. Both blades come from the same Chinese plant but are vastly different in quality. While I would have avoided Chinese blades a few years ago, I now have some excellent Chinese blades in my stash.

Thanks a million for your comments! Very valuable, to say the least, no bluffing here!

Dorco Platinum Prime STP301 are just an amazing value - the more I use them the more I’m impressed.   I truly can’t understand why someone would buy AstraSP’s in North America today over these blades for any value shopper.

Dorco Platinum Prime STP301 are just an amazing value - the more I use them the more I’m impressed.   I truly can’t understand why someone would buy AstraSP’s in North America today over these blades for any value shopper.

That is an accurate description of the Dorco Prime Platinum blades. They are not the sharpest, but they are sharp enough for most beards. They are not the smoothest, but they are smooth enough for most faces. They are not the cheapest, but they are quite reasonably priced. When you put that all together in a single product, you have an amazing value. They are among my favorite blades.

For younger shavers who do not have a tough beard or sensitive skin, Astra SP blades are a good value as well. For more experienced shavers, skip the Astra SPs and go for a sharper, smoother blade. The Dorco Primes area good option, but there are others as well.