RayClem's Blade Evaluations

Tatara Blades - Platinum Coated Swedish Steel from Czech Republic

Thanks to the generosity of DanLaw I received samples of both the Tatara and Tatra blades made in Czech Rep. Today I picked the Tatara blade for evaluation. These blades were specified by Tatara as ideal blades for their razors. I will determine later if the Tatra blades are the same blade.

I started the shave with two days of beard growth and the Parker Premium Platinum blade in my Karve C-plate razor. After a few strokes I replaced the Parker blade with the Tatara. While the Parker blade sliced though my beard with no resistance, there was slight resistance with the new Tatara blade. As I continued the WTG pass, the blade started to become noticeably sharper. By the 2nd pass XTG, there was no appreciable resistance. I completed the ATG pass with a DFS. After a clean-up pass with buffing strokes, I had a near-BBS shave. When I applied witch hazel after the shave, I got minimal feedback. Thus, while it was not an ideal shave, it was a nice experience. I plan to use this blade again for Wednesday's shave.

Based on today's shave, I rate the blade 4.5 on sharpness and 4.5 on smoothness. These ratings are subject to change after the 2nd shave. This places the blade in good company along with Lord Silver Star, Personna Platinum Chrome (Germany), Derby Premium, and Durablade 7 AM High Platinum. The Tatara blades are $22 per 100 blades which is simlar in price to the Personna Platinum blades. The others are less expensive.

Update on Astra Superior Platinum blades

The packaging on the new Astra SP blades I received was rather confusing. The outer packaging of the 100 blade pack indicated the blades were made in Russia. However, the printing on the tucks, blade wrappers and blades was different than I had seen on Astra SP blades made in Russia. I saw another web site that indicated that blades made in India were being shipped with wrappers and blade markings that were similar to the blades I tested. Perhaps Gillette had some left-over packaging from the PPI plant and used it to package the India blades, although I believe that might be a violation of trade regulations. However, if does make economic and environmental sense.

Based on this new evidence, I will change the spreadsheet to indicate these are made in India. However, that does not change the fact that the blades will still minimally sharp and smooth. Whether they are made in Russia or India, they still do not work well for my beard and face, but do work for many shavers.

Update on Tatara Platinum

After a very successful 1st shave with the Tatara Platinum blade, I had high expectations for the 2nd shave. Unfortunately, I was disappointed. I still got some blade resistance, but no tugging during the 1st pass. On subsequent passes, the blade no longer felt as smooth. I was able to achieve a DFS, but came short of a near-BBS shave as I had hoped. Furthermore, when I applied witch hazel after the shave, I got significant feedback.

Since the 2nd shave did not live up to the 1st shave with the Tatara blade, I am decreasing the overall performance rating to 4.25 sharpness and 4.25 smoothness. After the 1st shave, I was ready to order a 100 pack of Tatara blades, but now have second thoughts. Bummer!

The spreadsheet has been updated.

Next up is the Tatra Platinum blade.

Next up- Tatra Platinum blade produced by Czech Blades.

I started today's shave with the Tatara blade in my Karve C-plate razor. After making a few strokes with the Tatara blade, I replace it with the Tatra blade. The feel of the Tatara blade on its 3rd use was similar to that during the 2nd shave. I could have used it for a 3rd shave, but the experience would not have been as good as I hope.

There was some blade resistance during the 1st pass WTG with the Tatra blade, but there was no tugging. The blade did not become appreciable sharper as the shave progressed. I did feel the blade on my face, so it was not as smooth as I like. I completed the subsequent passes including my clean-up pass with buffing strokes. I was able to achieve a near-BBS shave, but there was noticeable irritation when I applied witch hazel after the shave.

Based on the results of this shave, I am rate this blade 4.5 sharpness, but only 4 smoothness. I will use this same blade for a 2nd shave on Sunday. The current ratings are subject to change based on the results of that shave. The spreadsheet has been updated.

Thank for keeping this thread going.  Against by better judgment I picked up 100 of the Gillette Platinum Light Blue "Swedes" this weekend.  They are well regarded by many, and they are often compared to the King C Gillette blade.  Since you gave the KCG a passing grade and the "Swedes" may or may not be a limited product I pulled the trigger. 

The Vietnam Gillette Super Thin Platinums made with Japanese steel (Japanese flag) are very nice.  Tip top sharpness and very smooth as well.  Maybe a little too smooth. If you like, I can PIF some to you.  Ivan on the other board has hoarded 600 as well. 

My blade bank is hovering around 1500 DEs and 600 1/2 DEs plus some injectors and ACs.  Bring on the coming bladepocalyse upon us!  I am prepared.

There are still quite a few blades to go.

I have used Gillette Platinums, but I know there are purported to be various versions. I do not know which ones I have used as I have not used them in several years. My recollection is that they are mid-sharp, reasonably smooth blades, sort of like the Treet Platinum blades that can be had for less money. I know many people have speculated that the King C Gillette blades are the same as the Gillette Platinums, but I have heard that is not the case. Personally, I prefer the KCG blades to the Platinums. I find them to be both sharper and smoother. To me, the KCG blades are among the best that Gillette makes. Since these are supposed to be flagship products, that does not surprise me. If they were available in bulk packs, I would purchase them, but I am not going to pay $7 for 10 blades if I can get similar blades in bulk for a fraction of the price.  Since both Gillette Platinums and King C Gillette blades were made in the PPI plant in Russia, it will be interesting to see what the future holds for these brands.

There is a lot of confusion regarding the Gillette Thin and Super Thin blades. Although they are sold as Vietnam and Thailand, it is my understanding that they are made in Gillette China in Shanghai, but I cannot confirm that information. Due to this confusion, I do not plan to include these blades in my evaluation, but if you wish to post your own review of the Thin blades here, feel free to do so.

The King C. Gillette blades are currently $3.99/10 pack on Amazon if that entices anyone. I may grab them. Ok, so I’m grabbing them. It seems the $3.00 coupon is only good for 1 tuck.

https://www.amazon.com/King-C-Gillette-S...B08FNBT968

Update on Tatra Platinum blade

For today's shave, I used the Tatra Platinum blade on its 2nd use. As usual, I had two-day beard growth. I got a very nice shave. The shave was near-BBS and their was minimal feedback when I applied witch hazel after the shave. On the 1st pass WTG, there was slight resistance, but no tugging. The blade felt like it was slightly sharper than on the 1st shave. Furthermore, the blade felt smoother on the 2nd shave resulting in less irritation. I would gladly have used this blade for another shave or two.

The Tatra blade seemed to become even sharper and smoother after the 1st shave. This improvement is typical of many blades. Although the sharpness rating remains at 4.5, I am increasing the smoothness rating to 4.25 since the smoothness on the 2nd shave would have rated a 4.5 vs 4 on the 1st shave.

Since the Tatra Platinum blades sell for $10/100 blades, that makes them a great value. I might pick up a bulk pack for my collection of blades.

What surprised me about this evaluation is that the Tatra performed better in my razor, for my beard and my face than did the Tatara blades that cost more than twice as much. At the end of today's shave, I put the Tatara blade back into the razor for part of my clean-up pass. The Tatara blade was noticeably inferior to the Tatra at this point in its life. Thus, while the Tatra Platinum blade seemed to get better after the 1st shave, the Tatara blade started to deteriorate. While I could easily get a 3rd shave with the Tatra blade, I would not have wanted to use the Tatara blade for a 3rd shave. This is not the result I expected. I do have a 2nd Tatara blade that DanLaw kindly gifted. In a few weeks I will try that 2nd Tatara blade to see if I can replicate the results of the 1st blade.

The results on the Tatra blade have been updated in the spreadsheet. You can find the results here:

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/71ttt15wy...qo8eb&dl=0

IMHO, from an economic standpoint...The Tatara blades are most likely the Tatra/Tiger blades that are merely rebranded.  Most of the online reviews of the two blades have shown them to be very similar.  I do not believe that the Czech blade manufacturer would re-tool (reset machine tolerances or bevel) to manufacture a relatively low quantity of blades for a single customer.  Marketing hype by Tatara is the most likely situation.  This has nothing to do with the exceptional design and performance of their razors.
Thanks again to Ray, for his time consuming blade evaluations, and creating a companion spreadsheet with the results.

IMHO, from an economic standpoint...The Tatara blades are most likely the Tatra/Tiger blades that are merely rebranded.  Most of the online reviews of the two blades have shown them to be very similar.  I do not believe that the Czech blade manufacturer would re-tool (reset machine tolerances or bevel) to manufacture a relatively low quantity of blades for a single customer.  Marketing hype by Tatara is the most likely situation.  This has nothing to do with the exceptional design and performance of their razors.
Thanks again to Ray, for his time consuming blade evaluations, and creating a companion spreadsheet with the results.

My initial suspicion of the Tatra and Tatara blades was exactly as you indicated...a rebranding. However, after my initial testing of both blades, I suspect that the blades might have a different grind bevel or perhaps a different steel hardness level. When making knives, whether chef knives or utility knives, the knifemaker must decide which is the most important attribute: sharpness or durability. For example, a Katana sword must stand up to a lot of abuse, so the blademaker uses a softer steel and a bevel angle that is more durable, but not super sharp. In contrast, when making a Sashimi knife, the use is a delicate one for which extreme sharpness is more critical than durability as the knife is not expected to see abuse. We see the same thing in single edge razors. A blade designed for shaving and a blade designed for use by a tailor might look the same, but they I suggest you avoid using the tailor's blade for shaving as it will be a painful experience.

Feather blades are more like the Sashimi knife. They are super sharp, but not very durable. Although not as sharp as a Feather blade, the Tatara blade seems to favor sharpness over durability. The Tatra blade seems to balance sharpness and durability; that is the type of blade I prefer as I have a very tough beard that is hard on edges. Someone whose beard is not so tough might have a strong preference for Tatara blades. I must caution that these are merely hypotheses that are unproven. I have only evaluated a single blade from each brand, so no firm conclusions can be reached.

In designing a razor blade, there are many factors that can be considered: the width of the blade (Kai blades, e.g., are slightly wider than standard blades), the type of steel and the hardness of that steel, the bevel angle or angles, and the type and thickness of coatings applied. That is why there are so many different razor blade brands. The challenge for each shaver is finding the specific blades that work best for your beard, your skin, and your razors. I elected to use a mild-mid aggressive razor for this test as I knew I would be evaluating blades ranging from somewhat dull to super sharp. Had I picked a more aggressive razor, the super sharp blade might have been uncomfortable. Had I picked a very mild razor, less sharp blades might have not been sharp enough to shave.

Me thinks that the KAI blades are wider due to their "sharpening" method .
Instead of gradual grinding with sharpening wheels and a final edge de-burring in an etching bath as happens with the majority of shaving blades ,the edges of the KAI blades are formed under the pressure of opposite facing rollers ,thus no material is removed but actually is displaced outwards .Thus the wider the blades.And since this is a cold-working process ,the blade's edges are subject to a work-hardening condition,which makes them very hard ( increases their Rc hardness ) .

Under the same principle ( of material displacement ) the super sharp scythes
are sharpened ( peening ) .

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QHjOJVXy9Q...YmxhZGU%3D

Me thinks that the KAI blades are wider due to their "sharpening" method .
Instead of gradual grinding with sharpening wheels and a final edge de-burring in an etching bath as happens with the majority of shaving blades ,the edges of the KAI blades are formed under the pressure of opposite facing rollers ,thus no material is removed but actually is displaced outwards .Thus the wider the blades.And since this is a cold-working process ,the blade's edges are subject to a work-hardening condition,which makes them very hard ( increases their Rc hardness ) .

Under the same principle ( of material displacement ) the super sharp scythes
are sharpened ( peening ) .

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QHjOJVXy9Q...YmxhZGU%3D

Great observation and knowledge. That reinforces a common observation that Kai blades are sharp for many uses

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