RayClem's Blade Evaluations

I believe the Treet Dura Sharp in blue box are the same as the red/yellow box, just different packaging and artwork. If so, then according to the brochure on their web site, they are chromium coated carbon steel.

Sweeney 

You might be right about the Dura Sharps. The ones I used were the ones in the blue packaging, but the ones in yellow also say Dura Sharp. 

I was quite surprised by the performance of both the Treet Dura Sharp and Treet Classic blades. Because stainless steel blades quickly replaced carbon steel blades back in the 1960s when I was first starting to shave, I always assumed that the carbon steel blades were inferior. 

I have both carbon steel and stainless steel pocket knives, kitchen knives, and straight razors. Although the carbon steel knives require more care to keep them pristine, they can be sharpened to superb edges and they are  tough. Thus, I should not have been surprised that the Treet carbon steel blades were sharp.

What was interesting is that the Treet Classic blades were smoother than the Dura Sharp that are reported to have a chromium coated edge. Both blades performed quite well.

Sunday Shave - Gillette Rubie Platinum Plus

Based on the name of this blade, is seems to promise a “gem” of a shave. However, I have learned from experience, that blades do not always live up to their names. An example of this is Gillette 7 O’Clock SharpEdge, which is a very nice blade, but, despite its name, seems to be more focused on smoothness than on sharpness. I originally believed that Platinum blades were superior to polymer coated stainless blades, but I have learned that is not always the case. I much prefer Astra Superior Stainless to Astra Super Platinum. , finding the SS blade to be both sharper and smoother than the SP blade. The top tier of blades in my spreadsheet includes both platinum coated and polymer coated blades. I have used Rubie blades in the past and found them to be similar in performance to Astra Superior Platinum blades, which for many people is a great thing. For me, they are not ideal.

The Rubie Platinum Plus blades were made in Russia by PPI a few years ago. However, they are new enough to have laser etching on the blades. Unfortunately, they had heavy wax dots making it difficult to remove the blade from the wrapper. That is one thing I won’t miss about PPI blades.

I started today’s shave with a Gillette Platinum blade in the new blue packaging. It was still both sharp and smooth and likely would have delivered another very nice shave. After a few strokes, I replaced it with the Rubie blade. There was an immediate drop in sharpness. While the blade was not so dull that it tugged at my beard, there was significant blade resistance. Out of the wrapper, the Rubie was similar to the Astra SP. The Rubie did become slightly sharper during the shave, but even with buffing strokes during my clean-up pass, the best I could accomplish was a DFS.

When I applied witch hazel after the shave, I got significant feedback. Although the blades are platinum coated, they are not as smooth as I would like.
Based on the results of this shave, I am rating the sharpness of the Gillette Rubie Platinum Plus blades as 3 and the smoothness as 3.5. This is similar to the rating of Astra SP blades. The blade evaluation spreadsheet has been updated.

Although the Rubie Platinum Plus blades are available in limited supply, they tend to be expensive due to scarcity. Thus, I would recommend that those who like the performance of this blade consider Astra SP now being produced in India. The Astra blades are more readily available and less expensive. The Gillette Wilkinson Sword blade made in India would be another similarly priced blade with similar performance. While these three are blades I could use, they are not blades that I would enjoy using.

The final blade on the list at this time is the Gillette PolSilver blade made in Russia. It is a super iridium coated blade that Gillette stopped making a few years ago. It is still available in limited quantities at elevated pricing. It has been replaced by Wizamet Super Iridium blades which were both sharp and smooth, becoming a new addition to my list of favorite blades.

There are at least two blades I hope to add to the list when I obtain them. One is the Suneko amorphous diamond blade from China. I hope they will show up later this week, but Inclement weather across the country as well as a national holiday tomorrow have slowed mail delivery. I am also still looking for King C Gillette blades made in China to see how they compare to the ones produced in Russia as well as the Gillette Platinum blades in the new blue packaging that rated highly.

Wednesday Shave- Derby Extra green

There are three blades called Derby Extra. The common one has green packaging. However, there is also one packaged in blue packaging and Sally Beauty Supply sells them in orange packaging. The all have a Chromium-Ceramic-Platinum-Tungsten-Polymer coating, but I have no idea if all these blade are made to the same spec. I tested the ones in the green packaging.

Prior to 2016, Derby Extra blades were made from 0.1mm steel. The ones I used from that time were horribly dull. Since that time Derby has been using 0.09mm steel. The thinner steel is easier to snap if you want to use them in a half-DE blade shavette, but in a regular DE razor, the thinner steel is subject to chattering. Fortunately, the Karve razors clamp the blade close to the edge of the cap, so chattering is minimal. If you use them in razors such as the EJ DE89 that clamps the blade well back of the edge, you might get some chattering.

I started today's shave with the Treet Classic carbon blade from the previous shave. It was still very sharp and smooth. I could easily have used it for another shave. After a few strokes, I replaced the Classic with a fresh Derby Extra. I immediately noted a significant decrease in sharpness. While there was no tugging, the blade did have significant resistance. It did sharpen slightly during the shave, but it was not sharp enough to achieve a near-BBS shave;  I had to settle for a DFS, When I applied witch hazel after the shave, I experienced significant feedback. While far from ideal, this is a far better experience than I had with Derby Extra blades years ago.

Based on the results of this shave, I am rating the sharpness as 3 and the smoothness as 3, The evaluation spreadsheet has been updated.

This puts the Derby Extra in the same class as Astra Superior Platinum. It is a good blade for those with a less coarse, less dense beard and less sensitive skin. While this is a blade that I could use, like the Astra SP, it is not a blade I would enjoy using.  I would recommend the blade to a new DE shaver as it is not so sharp that you are likely to get cut.

We are nearing the finish line for the series. On Friday, I plan to shave using a Gillette Platinum in the new solid blue packaging with white lettering. I previously rated the Gillette Platinum blade in the white packaging with blue lettering as 4 sharpness, 4 smoothness. I am hoping the "new" blades might be sharper and smoother, perhaps something akin to the King C Gillette blades that I rated as 4.5 sharpness, 5 smoothness. I might do a face-off shave using both the older Gillette Platinum and the new ones.

Primarily for curiosity, the last two blades to be evaluated are older Gillette Rubie and Polsilver Super Iridium. I still have a few of each in my collection. AFAIK, the blades have not been made in some time. Availability in the marketplace is extremely limited, so I did not include pricing. Thus, the series should conclude next week. There are certainly dozens of blades I have not tried, but I believe I have covered most of the popular offerings and some less so.

I used the Derby Green again in my new Lupo 127 and have to say I was happy with my results again. I'm going to use the Wizamet in it next to compare, but the Derby got super close and very minimal feedback with an alcohol based AS for me. We do have different growth and skin so maybe that's the difference? Either way this is why we experiment (it's also part of the fun!).

metal_shavings

Is the Lupo 127 a reference to the blade gap? If so, it is a fairly aggressive razor, much more so than the Karve C-plate I used for my testing. Of course, blade gap is only one factor in determining aggressiveness, blade exposure is also important along with the curvature of the blade.

When using aggressive razors, a less sharp blade can help tame the razor. If you were able to get a super close shave with the Derby Extra in your Lupo 127, you might find that the Wizamet is too sharp. If you do try the Wizamet, be sure you use a very light touch until you know how the blade will respond in that razor. Please let us know how the Wizamets perform in that razor.

I intentionally picked the Karve C-plate for the evaluations as I knew it would be suitable over a wide range of blade sharpness levels.

metal_shavings

Is the Lupo 127 a reference to the blade gap?  If so, it is a fairly aggressive razor, much more so than the Karve C-plate I used for my testing. Of course, blade gap is only one factor in determining aggressiveness, blade exposure is also important along with the curvature of the blade.

When using aggressive razors, a less sharp blade can help tame the razor. If you were able to get a super close shave with the Derby Extra in your Lupo 127, you might find that the Wizamet is too sharp. If you do try the Wizamet, be sure you use a very light touch until you know how the blade will respond in that razor.  Please let us know how the Wizamets perform in that razor.

I intentionally picked the Karve C-plate for the evaluations as I knew it would be suitable over a wide range of blade sharpness levels.

Yes, it is a 1.27 gap. Considerable size. It falls between the Karve F/G plate, closer to the F at 1.23 and 1.36 for the Karve plates. I am aware of the sharpness of the Wizamet. I do like the Derby so far, but it does not match the Wizamet for sharpness. I will also have to pay extra attention the ATG pass. The Derby was nice and Razorock seems to really nail smoothness and comfort with both Lupos and Game Changers. However the Wizamet is sharp and this is a considerable gap and exposure.

metal_shavings

Is the Lupo 127 a reference to the blade gap?  If so, it is a fairly aggressive razor, much more so than the Karve C-plate I used for my testing. Of course, blade gap is only one factor in determining aggressiveness, blade exposure is also important along with the curvature of the blade.

When using aggressive razors, a less sharp blade can help tame the razor. If you were able to get a super close shave with the Derby Extra in your Lupo 127, you might find that the Wizamet is too sharp. If you do try the Wizamet, be sure you use a very light touch until you know how the blade will respond in that razor.  Please let us know how the Wizamets perform in that razor.

I intentionally picked the Karve C-plate for the evaluations as I knew it would be suitable over a wide range of blade sharpness levels.

Yes, it is a 1.27 gap. Considerable size. It falls between the Karve F/G plate, closer to the F at 1.23 and 1.36 for the Karve plates. I am aware of the sharpness of the Wizamet. I do like the Derby so far, but it does not match the Wizamet for sharpness. I will also have to pay extra attention the ATG pass. The Derby was nice and Razorock seems to really nail smoothness and comfort with both Lupos and Game Changers. However the Wizamet is sharp and this is a considerable gap and exposure.

I must be losing my marbles. The shave that I had with the Lupo 1.27 was actually with the Wizamet blade. I was likely planning to use the derby for the next shave and got confused. The results with the Wizamet were just as I had said, though.

Tuesday Shave- Gillette Polsilver Super iridium

The Polsilver blade is one that got a lot of attention a few years ago. Many people loved the blade and lamented Gillette's discontinuing the brand. Prices for remaining Polsilver stocks rose. However, sometime later Gillette started makijng Wizamet Super iridium blades and Polsilver prices stabilized. Iridium is a very expensive metal because it is quite rare. However, it is a very hard metal, so it does offer potential advantages for blade durability if properly applied.

I started today's shave with the Gillette Rubie Plus blade in the Karve C-plate razor. While that blade was sharper than it was at the begining of the previous shave, it still was not as sharp as I would like. After a few strokes, I replaced the Rubie with a fresh Polsilver blade. Unfortunately, out of the wrapper, the Polsilver was no sharper than the Rubie. There was significant blade resistance During the shave, the blade did become slightly sharper, but it still was not sharp enough to deliver a near-BBS shave. The best I could do was a DFS. As I was attempting to use buffing strokes to get a closer shave, I did experience some irritation from the blade. When applying witch hazel after the shave, I experienced moderate feedback.

Based on the results of this shave, I rated the sharpness of the Polsilver blades as 3.5 and the smoothness as 4. The evaluation spreadsheet has been updated. While that was a slight improvement over the Rubie Platinum Plus, it was not what I hoped. Because these blades are expensive due to current scarcity, it is difficult to recommend them. In contrast, the Wizamet Super iridium blades were very sharp (4.5) and super smooth (5), so I do not hesitate to recommend them.

For Thursday's shave I will use a Suneko Amorphous Diamond blade if they show up in time. Otherwise, I will use a Van der Hagen Ice Tempered blade.

metal_shavings 

Losing marbles must be contagious as it happens to me more frequently than I would like. At my age, we call it a "senior moment".

I am glad you were able to get a very nice shave with the Wizamet blade in the Lupo 127. If you did not experience any discomfort, the razor must be well designed. 

I will still be interested to see how you fare with a Derby Extra in that razor. The Lupo might be aggressive enough to work with the less sharp blade.

metal_shavings 

Losing marbles must be contagious as it happens to me more frequently than I would like. At my age, we call it a "senior moment".

I am glad you were able to get a very nice shave with the Wizamet blade in the Lupo 127. If you did not experience any discomfort, the razor must be well designed. 

I will still be interested to see how you fare with a Derby Extra in that razor. The Lupo might be aggressive enough to work with the less sharp blade.

RR definitely nails smooth and comfortable with both Lupo and GC razors. The Wizamet and the Lupo 127 definitely feels aggressive. Not too much for me and still comfortable, but it may be too much for a lot of folks. You definitely have to be aware using. One pass would likely get you out the door. I'm hoping to get a shave in tomorrow and try it as a daily driver so to speak. I might go with the Derby on that one. I do think this will pair well with less sharp blades and still be efficient.