Gillette Shanghai

Recently I have been testing a blade made by Gillette in Shanghai, China. Few know that Gillette has been there since 1992 having contracted with Flying Eagle. The problem for we in the Western World regarding obtaining authentic Chinese blades is that the market is absolutely rife with counterfeit ones. Estimates run as high as 90% of those sold by such websites as DX  & Taobao being counterfeit. As well, exporters on Ebay are just as bad. Economists have stated that for many of them disaster would be the end result to crack down on fraudulent Chinese goods as their economy depends upon it. Caveat emptor.

Anyway, I recently scored some authentic Gillette Goal Super Platinum DE blades and have been rigorously testing them in a variety of DE razors and with countless soaps. I can unabashedly now state that IMO I have never used a better modern DE blade, bar none. I quit at seven shaves on the first one and it was as good as the first. I have a fairly tough beard and have never even had a "Golden Age" blade, e.g., Personna 74, Wilkinson "The Blade" or Schick Plus Platinum go for more than seven shaves before petering out. Of course, YMMV.

Is it better than the Rubie Platinum Plus or the lauded 7 O'clock Super Stainless, Silver Blue & Platinum? The answer of course is highly subjective. One thing for certain is that it is just as good and possibly a smidgen better.

Here is where I purchased mine:

https://www.amazon.com/Goal-Double-Edge-...lette+goal

I just read all your words, and I don't do that often.

You have praises for that blade.

And I also have praises for a shaving item that was made in China.

little spendy at $.38/blade..but if they work, they work!

This is the Gillette mini thin I bought and used and really liked. I havent seen them on the trusted vendors sites in while and figured I bought them in one of those surplus moments that good blades seem to go through.

I dont know this vendor and only post it because the picture matches what I have (and am slowly depleting).
http://www.ebay.com/itm/30-GILLETTE-SUPE...SwQiRUm7q3
http://www.ebay.com/itm/12-x-GILLETTE-SU...Sw-jhUGBmw

As opposed to these Vietnamese blades that I hear are not very good, or at least as good as the Thai blades.
http://www.smallflower.com/gillette/supe...s-10069717

I had wondered aloud if the mfr might have switched to a different box/wrapper but continued to stuff the same blade in the container. The Thai script, 5+1 fill, and coloring being clues. So after paging through all of the ebay ads, I think it was the GOALs that I wondered if they were re-packed super-thins. But if they source from different countries, well that blows that theory out of the water.

Also, to the OP, it looks like the GOAL is made in Indonesia.

...Also, to the OP, it looks like the GOAL is made in Indonesia.

No they are not. They are made in Shanghai as are the two Super Thins as well. It only says Indonesia on the outside of the tucks as that is where they are distributed from. I have a 100 blade "hanger" of the Goal SP and it says on the back of the large carton Shanghai. Remember, they only need put the actual manufacturing location on a product that is imported into the USA as required by law, hence these were never intended for that.

FWIW, Gillette is now completing a humongous new factory in Vietnam as I type. I hate to see that as we all know it's merely a way to get cheap labor and avoid taxes here, but such is the world of finance nowadays.


http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/ne...ctory.html

For clarity's sake I hope you understand there are 2 different Super Thin Gillette blades. One type, the type I dont use, is shown by Connaught as being made in Shanghai but Smallflower has them being made in Vietnam.

http://www.connaughtshaving.com/superthin.html

But, these are Thai blades because they are made in Thailand and have Thai script on them.
http://www.tryablade.com/blade/gillette-...m-thailand

I dont know much about the GOALs so cant argue either way on them, but there are 2 distinct Super Thins made in different countries. One is Thai for sure, the second I believe to be Vietnamese as all sources I find point that way, and can find no evidence to the contrary.

The statement "both Super Thins are made in Shanghai" is incorrect and false. If you have evidence to support this claim, like an outside link showing country of origin, please post it up so we can research it. You know, like I did.

...The statement "both Super Thins are made in Shanghai" is incorrect and false. If you have evidence to support this claim, like an outside link showing country of origin, please post it up so we can research it. You know, like I did.

http://english.thesaigontimes.vn/40347/P...plant.html

The Super Thins (at least one of them) are made in Thailand. There is no completed factory yet in Vietnam. It is being built.

...The statement "both Super Thins are made in Shanghai" is incorrect and false. If you have evidence to support this claim, like an outside link showing country of origin, please post it up so we can research it. You know, like I did.

http://english.thesaigontimes.vn/40347/P...plant.html

The Super Thins (at least one of them) are made in Thailand. There is no completed factory yet in Vietnam. It is being built.

Yes I read your story and saw the part about building a 100 mil dollar plant in Vietnam bringing total investment of P&G in Vietnam to 360Mil. Which is to imply that there is 260 mil already invested in the country in some form or another---like maybe a 260 mil dol razor factory? I know I am spit-balling here.

I did burn some time researching those GOALs. Couldnt make heads or tails of them because all of the webpages were in Indonesian which I dont read, and I would have bought some, but I didnt have any rhupiahs in my account, so I held off.

So I contend that the other Super Thin blade is made in Vietnam, and the GOALs you posted are in fact Indonesian. I havent tried them but I will believe you if you say they are a good blade. Goals are sold with a razor named "klik". If you search Klik razor, you will see what I mean. I am pressed for time and would post the links, but I have to run.

But I did find some Shanghai made 5+1 blades in a red box, here you go.

https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/d...0.0.ZuzAKJ

There are only TWO Gillette factories in Asia currently, Thailand since 1983 & Shanghai 1992. The Vietnam plant will be the third. There WERE P&G plants in Vietnam before this & still are, but they do not make razors.

The blades you linked are fakes which is quite common in China to "lure" unsuspecting customers who don't speak English.

The first Goal SP I retired after seven perfect shaves. I decided to further test for endurance out of curiosity with another one and so far am up to ten perfect shaves which is a record for my tough beard. Even factoring in "Golden Age" blades, e.g., Personna 74, Schick Plus Platinum, Gillette Platinum Plus, Wilkie "The Blade", etc., I could never get more than approx. seven shaves before they petered out. Obviously YMMV, but for me this is the best DE blade that I have ever used. And to think that it's made in China just blows me away. This redefines "sleeper".