RayClem's Blade Evaluations

Is the generic no name blade a Kai? IIRC it is in white paper with no printing.

Is the generic no name blade a Kai?  IIRC it is in white paper with no printing.

I do not think so. I have some Kai blades and I hate them. I heard they were wonderful, so they were one if the first blades I evaluated.  They did not work for me. However, I will compare the blade width. I think I kept a few Kai blades for reference.

Feather blades are not the blade for me. My face lit up like a Christmas tree with razor burn on the fifth shave. Gonna drop down to three shaves per blade then look into Bics

Because Feather blades are made of Japanese steel and are designed to be super sharp, they are rather brittle. With my tough beard and sensitive skin, I cannot even make it through a third shave with Feather blades. Many people report three shaves is the max they can get. I am sure there are people with fine beards who can get more than this, but if their beards are that fine, there is no need to use a blade as sharp as Feather. Even a mid-sharp blade is more than sharp enough for a fine beard. 

If you like super sharp blades like Feather, try one of the other Super Sharp blade in the spreadsheet that rate 4.75 or 5 in sharpness. Have you ever tried the BIC Chrome Platinum blades made in Greece? They do not start out as sharp as Feather blades, but by the end of the 1st shave they will be just as sharp.

Your spreadsheet has been very helpful in making a decision going forward. Based on it I will try BIC Chrome Platinums. I've taken a break from wet shaving for now, it's been 3 days and I still have razor burn that looks like a rash on my upper lip and jawline, hopefully that goes away soon.

I also got a Omega boar brush to build lathers as previous I was using LAB shaving cream out of a tube which seemed to gunk up the razor and provide minimal cushion and hydration. I hope the boar brush does get softer with use as it really hurts the razor burn areas.

Also it seems your skin is even more sensitive than mine. How many shaves are you getting out of BIC Chrome Platinums?

You can try hand application if the brush is bothering you. Also, you can try a synthetic. The Yaqi 24 I have is quite soft. Boar bristles are quite tough. The Arkansas Razorbacks name is well earned.

I can get a week or so of good shaves with a Bic. YMMV.

Feather blades are not the blade for me. My face lit up like a Christmas tree with razor burn on the fifth shave. Gonna drop down to three shaves per blade then look into Bics

Your spreadsheet has been very helpful in making a decision going forward. Based on it I will try BIC Chrome Platinums. I've taken a break from wet shaving for now, it's been 3 days and I still have razor burn that looks like a rash on my upper lip and jawline, hopefully that goes away soon.

I also got a Omega boar brush to build lathers as previous I was using LAB shaving cream out of a tube which seemed to gunk up the razor and provide minimal cushion and hydration. I hope the boar brush does get softer with use as it really hurts the razor burn areas.

Also it seems your skin is even more sensitive than mine. How many shaves are you getting out of BIC Chrome Platinums?

Yeah. My skin is super sensitive, so much so that I don't even try to face lather. I build my lather in a bowl and paint it on my face.

As for your Oemga boar brush, you might try my break-in method. There was no way my face would tolerate the normal break-in period most people use. Thus, I tried this method and it worked well for me. 
1. Bring a pot of water to a full boil. Remove it from the heat and allow it to cool down slightly below boiling.
2. Take your boar brush and dip just the tips of the knot about 1/2 deep into the water. After a few seconds you will see the   tips start to wilt as the heat denatures the proteins.
3. Immediately remove the water and allow them to cool for about a minute. You might see steam rising from the knot as it cools.
4. Repeat the process of heating and cooling. After several repetitions of this process, I found that the tips of the brush began to have split ends.. 
5. My Omega Pro 10098 brush  is now as soft as my best badger brushes, yet it maintains the original backbone of the boar.

While this process worked well with Omega brushes, it does not work with Semogue brushes. They process the boar hair differently and it just does not respond to heat in the same way as Omega. I do not own brushes from other brushmakers, but most seem to be simialar to Omega, so the process might work.

I havce not used the LAB series of products, so I cannot comment personally. It seems to have a decent list of ingredients: WATER\AQUA\EAU, STEARIC ACID, GLYCERIN, PROPYLENE GLYCOL STEARATE, BUTYLENE GLYCOL, PETROLATUM, HYDROGENATED POLYISOBUTENE, PPG-26 OLEATE, MYRISTYL MYRISTATE, ASTROCARYUM MURUMURU SEED BUTTER, BUTYROSPERMUM PARKII (SHEA BUTTER), COCOS NUCIFERA (COCONUT) OIL, MENTHA PIPERITA (PEPPERMINT) OIL, ALGAE EXTRACT, MENTHOL, DIMETHICONE, GLYCINE SOJA (SOYBEAN) STEROLS, GALACTOARABINAN, SODIUM HYALURONATE, ETHYLHEXYL PALMITATE, DIETHYLHEXYL ADIPATE, ETHYLHEXYL STEARATE, TOCOPHERYL ACETATE, ASCORBYL PALMITATE, ALGIN, HYDROXYETHYLCELLULOSE, PEG-7M, TRIETHANOLAMINE, FRAGRANCE (PARFUM), TRISODIUM EDTA, BHT, PHENOXYETHANOL, CHLORPHENESIN, YELLOW 5 (CI 19140), BLUE 1 (CI 42090)

However, it is still a cream and it is contains peppermint oil and menthol oil, which are a couple of ingredients you do not want to put on sensitive skin. 

The instructions for the LAB cream say to apply a thin layer to a damp face. It does not say anything about using a brush. Cremo shave cream has similar instructions, but I find it orks better if you add a little extra water and apply it with a brush. While creams can be extremely slick, I have yet to find one that provides a sufficient level of protection for my sensitive skin. If you are willing to pay over $30 for the LAB cream, there are quite a few great soaps you can purchase that will provide you better value. I will send you a private message with some suggestions.

I absolutely LOVE the BIC Chrome Platinum blades. However, I would be hesitant using them with anything less than a superb shaving soap. Like the Feather blade, they are sharp enough to cause irritatiion. I strive for a zero irritation shave. With the right shave lather, I can get such a shave with BIC CP.

Monday Shave- Continued use of Gillette Super Thin Vietnam and No Name generic blades

Before continuing with the results of the shave, I wanted to respond to ErkRusselReserve who wondered if the no name blades might be KAI stainless blades since they are also packaged similarly. While that is true, I do not believe these are KAI. First, these generic blades seem to be standard width. KAI blades are known to be slightly wider from edge to edge making them somewhat aggressive in blade exposure. Unfortunately, I no longer have any KAI blades in my possession. They performed so poorly for me that I was anxious to remove them from my den. I included them with a PIF in hopes that someone else might be able to get more use from them than I would.

The second reason I do not think these are KAI blades is that the blades were included with the purchase of an inexpensive Chinese razor. I doubt that the manufacturer would import expensive blades from Japan when so many inexpensive Chinese options are available.

Just to be clear, the Vietnam Super Thin is now on its 5th use, but because I only shaved 1/2 my face on the past two shaves, it has completed 3 full shaves and is now starting on shave number 4. The no name generic blade is starting on its 3rd use, but only its 2nd full shave.

When I started on the WTG pass, the no name blade seemed to have more drag than the Super Thin. However, as the shave progressed, the two blades seemed to perform equally. In the end I achieved another near-BBS shave with both blades. When I applied witch hazel after the shave, I got only moderate feedback. Thus, both blades are slates for another shave tomorrow. Which one will fade first?

There is no need to make any changes to the rating of either blade. I am not surprised to learn that the Vietnam Super Thin is performing so well in my Karve razor that clamps the thin blade tightly. However, I am pleasantly surprised that the generic blade continues to give good shave. The performance is similar to the Van Der Hagen Basics blade made in China as well as the FlyDear blade. Thus, I wonder if the generic blade is the same as one of these two blades.

     So, the 6th shave with the Astra SP Green was nice. I switched up soaps and I didn't detect any drag. I paired it with the Lupo 127 based on the aggressive razor/less sharp blade theory since this was the 6th use. Great audible feedback, smooth, efficient. I was able to achieve pretty much or damn near a BBS before a light buffing/touchup. I did the touchup out of habit and compulsion. A slight burn with the alcohol based A/S, but nothing overwhelming to me and it faded right out. I Think it was a better shave than the fifth use. Then again, the Lupo 127 is quite a bit more aggressive than the Timeless 95OC is. Overall, a great shave with no complaints!

     So, the 6th shave with the Astra SP Green was nice. I switched up soaps and I didn't detect any drag. I paired it with the Lupo 127 based on the aggressive razor/less sharp blade theory since this was the 6th use. Great audible feedback, smooth, efficient. I was able to achieve pretty much or damn near a BBS before a light buffing/touchup. I did the touchup out of habit and compulsion. A slight burn with the alcohol based A/S, but nothing overwhelming to me and it faded right out. I Think it was a better shave than the fifth use. Then again, the Lupo 127 is quite a bit more aggressive than the Timeless 95OC is. Overall, a great shave with no complaints!

That is a great demonstration on how a less sharp blade can work in a more aggressive razor. 

I am glad you were the one to receive the PIF of the Astra SP blades as it looks like you will be able to make much better use of them that I ever would.

Tuesday Shave- Continued use of the Gillette Super Thin Vietnam and No Name generic blades

Once again, with one day of beard growth, I pulled out the two razors from the previous day's shave. The Vietnam Super Thin is now on its 6th use, but it has only completed 3 full shaves and is starting on the 4th. The genertic blade is starting its 4th use, but today will complete its 2nd full shave.

Once again, both blades provided a enjoyable shave. Although I felt some slight blade roughness on the Vietnam Super Thin blade, it did not affect shave quality. I was easily able to achieve a near-BBS shave on both sides of my face. When I applied witch hazel after the shave, i received minimal feedback, which is nice.

On what constitutes the completion of it's second full shave, the No Name generic blade appears slightly sharper and smoother now than it did on its 1st shave. Thus, I am adjusting the rating of the blade upward to sharpness 4.25 and smoothness 4.5. I wish I knew the identity of this blade as it has outperformed my expectations. The evaluation spreadsheet has been updated.

Since both blades continue to perform well, I plan to use them again for Wednesday's shave. It will be interesting to see if the Vietnam Super Thin completes its 4th full shave with enough left over to to use for Thursday's shave. I typically get 3-4 good shavess with most razor blades. It is unusual to have one make it through 5 shaves, but I am hopeful this one might do so.

Mad rush for generic no name blades ensues. ;p