RayClem's Blade Evaluations

Ray, I saw your posts on the other forum (that you have exited) and found them very informative. This thread made me sign up for this forum. We seem to agree on blades, so I find your reviews very helpful. They have informed my opinions on past purchases and saved me from future purchases. That being said, 100s of Super-max Diamond Edge Super Platinums and Sharp Titaniums are on the way (as well as another 100 of Bic CPs).

Wizmets have given me good shaves, but I think Bic CPs perform better for me. 2-4 use Bics are like magic. I do think Wizaments might fare better in very aggressive razors, but I have not put that to the test. Parfum Lux sent me a box of 250 Wizaments manufactured in 2022, I think that may suffice for my lifetime.

I am very curious about your opinions of Super-Max Stainless. They are $10 for 200 shipped right now on Amazon. Also, how do feel about titanium coatings? It is somewhat uncommon on DE blades, especially currently available. I would love to see Kai use some of their more exotic processes on their DE blades. They have all kinds of special processes for their carts: diamond like coatings, W Titanium, PINK treatment and NCAT coatings. There has probably been even more advances, but I don't know if they ever made it to the DE blades. Their AC offereings are rather robust, but not their DEs.

If you get a chance to try Kai's Gold S and Young-T disposable, I think you will like them. They are akin to a Wilkinson Sword Bonded and disposable injector respectively. Cuts through whiskers like hell.

Ray, I saw your posts on the other forum (that you have exited) and found them very informative.  This thread made me sign up for this forum.  We seem to agree on blades, so I find your reviews very helpful.  They have informed my opinions on past purchases and saved me from future purchases.  That being said, 100s of Super-max Diamond Edge Super Platinums and Sharp Titaniums are on the way (as well as another 100 of Bic CPs). 

Wizmets have given me good shaves, but I think Bic CPs perform better for me.  2-4 use Bics are like magic.  I do think Wizaments might fare better in very aggressive razors, but I have not put that to the test.  Parfum Lux sent me a box of 250 Wizaments manufactured in 2022, I think that may suffice for my lifetime.

I am very curious about your opinions of Super-Max Stainless.  They are $10 for 200 shipped right now on Amazon.  Also, how do feel about titanium coatings?  It is somewhat uncommon on DE blades, especially currently available.  I would love to see Kai use some of their more exotic processes on their DE blades.  They have all kinds of special processes for their carts: diamond like coatings, W Titanium, PINK treatment and NCAT coatings.  There has probably been even more advances, but I don't know if they ever made it to the DE blades.  Their AC offereings are rather robust, but not their DEs. 

If you get a chance to try Kai's Gold S and Young-T disposable, I think you will like them.  They are akin to a Wilkinson Sword Bonded and disposable injector respectively.  Cuts through whiskers like hell.

Thanks for the feedback. The great thing about forums is that we learn from each other. No one person can have all the knowledge, although I hope I have more than many. 

I stated in post #47 that my normal shave procedure is to use 4 razors of varying aggression/efficiency for my shave. My most efficient razor would be two aggressive for ATG and clean-up passes and the razor I use for the clean-up pass would be to inefficient for the 1st pass with two days of growth. That is why I am using the Karve C-plate for the evaluation. It is moderately aggressive/efficient such that it is efficient enough to knock down my beard, yet it is not so aggressive that it is painful to use on my clean-up pass. That compromise is not quite as good as my normal procedure, but it works. 

I do like the Sharp Titaniums. They are the only titanium blades I have used. Noble metals such as platinum, iridium, rhodium, gold, etc. are rare, so they are expensive. Titanium is more abundant, so it is less expensive. I do not know whether it is "better" than platinum. Platinum is somewhat tougher than titanium due to a higher density, but I am not sure that made any difference for a razor blade that is used for a few uses.. Anyway, the Sharp Titaniums are both sharp and smooth and a real bargain at $9 per 100 blades for those who like sharper blades. 

I am not sure how the SuperMax Diamond Edge Super Platinums compare to the Blue Diamond Platinum blades that I have. I will be interested in your feedback when you use them. You never know whether the same blade is being marketed with different branding or whether it is a different blade. 

In general AC style blades, whether Feather, Kai, or Schick are in a different league than DE blades and even Schick injector style blades. I do not think it is fair to compare them.

I will be posting the results of my 1st use of the SuperMax Super Stainless blades shortly.

Next up is the Vidyut SuperMax Super Stainless blade made in India. As I have done previously, I started the shave with a couple of strokes using the previous blade, which in this case was the Wizamet Super iridium. That blade was still doing a great job.

On its 1st use, I did not find the SuperMax blade to be quite sharp enough for my two day beard. It did not tug significantly, but it also did not slice through the stubble without effort. That is not necessarily a problem as many blades start off slightly less sharp on the 1st use and then become sharper as the coatings wear off. By the second pass, I had no issue with the blade. I was able to achieve a near BBS shave with only minor irritation. So it was not quite up to my standard, but certainly an acceptable shave.

For those who shave every day or those whose beards are not as tough as mine, nor skin as sensitive as mine, this could be a great blade. If these blades do work for you, they are a great value. They are currently sold on Amazon for 200 blades for $10. That price is hard to beat.

https://www.amazon.com/Super-Max-Stainle...B06XXT4YH3

I will be most interested in seeing how these blades perform on the second shave. If they become sharper, they will be nice blades.

Regarding Super-Max, luv2shave on the other forum had this to say:


I haven't seen the blue diamond blades locally in India ever, perhaps they are for export only. Manufacture date on this is middle 2017.

The product manager at Super - Max was a good friend of mine and had revealed to me that the new diamond edge is a new technology blade Super-Max is making after importing new machines. It has special sputtered edges which increase retention of the blade edge due to the coating.

He used to say these blades will easily last for atleast 10 shaves vs 4-5 shaves from normal Super-Max range of blades.

If you're wondering why I am referring to him in the past tense, it's because he passed away last year after a massive heart attack.

Every time I use this blade, I recollect my talk where he was so excited about this new blade release.

End quote



I won't get my Titaniums or Super-maxes until November, but the above makes me look forward to the Diamond Edge Super Platinums.  The above is heartwarming story though.

Another interesting possibility- The India produced Astra SP are said to be sharper than the Russia blades. If that is true, it may push the Astra SP into a higher tier, and the SS may end up being tippy top.

Ray, thanks for the thread. This is just the type of thing I enjoy.

Regarding Super-Max, luv2shave on the other forum had this to say:


I haven't seen the blue diamond blades locally in India ever, perhaps they are for export only. Manufacture date on this is middle 2017.

The product manager at Super - Max was a good friend of mine and had revealed to me that the new diamond edge is a new technology blade Super-Max is making after importing new machines. It has special sputtered edges which increase retention of the blade edge due to the coating.

He used to say these blades will easily last for atleast 10 shaves vs 4-5 shaves from normal Super-Max range of blades.

If you're wondering why I am referring to him in the past tense, it's because he passed away last year after a massive heart attack.

Every time I use this blade, I recollect my talk where he was so excited about this new blade release.

End quote



I won't get my Titaniums or Super-maxes until November, but the above makes me look forward to the Diamond Edge Super Platinums.  The above is heartwarming story though.

I presume the Super Stainless blades only have a PTFE coating. If a sputter coating is applied, that is normally indicated. Also, since these blades are priced quite inexpensively, that is likely to be the case.

SuperMax has a number of blades that use "diamond" in the name. For example, there is the Diamond Edge Super Platinum and the Blue Diamond Platinum. I have used the Blue Diamond blades and like them On Amazon the two "diamond" blades are priced similarly, but the Blue Diamonds have a higher rating. I wonder if they are the same blade.

Another interesting possibility- The India produced Astra SP are said to be sharper than the Russia blades.  If that is true, it may push the Astra SP into a higher tier, and the SS may end up being tippy top.

The Astra SP blades I have used are older "printed" versions made by PPI. I have not even tried the newer lazer etched blades. I do like the Astra SS blades, finding them to be both sharper and smoother than the Astra SP blades I have used.

I have not yet seen any Astra SP blades labeled as made in India, but I would not mind trying them. Presumably, Gillette is going to have to purchase some new machinery to replace that left behind in Russia, so Astra SP might be worth trying down the road. I know Astra SP is one of the more popular blades, however, I have found many better blades sold at a similar price.

Update on SuperMax Super Stainless.

The second shave with these blades was uneventful. There was no tugging and no irritation. I did not quite make it to near-BBS, but I am happy with the shave.

The blades may have sharpened a tad after the first shave, but the difference was not dramatic.

I rate these blade 4 on sharpness and 4.5 on smoothness. That is not bad for a blade you can purchase for 5 cents in bulk. However, I do not plan to go out and order 200 of them. I could easily use these blades, but prefer even sharper blades. As I said earlier, for those who do not need super sharp blades, these are an affordable option.

I will be taking a few days of vacation. Since I won't have the same controlled conditions as I have at home, I won't be doing any blade evaluations until I get back.

Enjoy your vacation Ray and have a safe journey.