RayClem's Blade Evaluations

Based on the results of this shave, I am currently rating this blade as 5 sharpness, but only 3.5 smoothness. However, I plan to use this same blade again on Thursday to see how it performs on its second use. I am hoping it smooths out. The ratings will be revised if warranted based on the second shave. Because this blade is currently available only in 10 packs for $7, the blades are not a great value.

The evaluation spreadsheet has been updated.

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

Interesting trade off. A slight increase in sharpness for a reasonable drop off in smoothness. Not sure it’s a fair trade! I still have plenty of the KCG blades and will further experiment in less aggressive razors. However, once they’re gone, at the current price they will not likely be replaced.

The issue is that extremely sharp blades can be fragile depending upon how they are sharpened, the type of steel used, and how they are heat treated. I do not use Japanese kitchen knives because they are too easily damaged in use and storage unless you are quite careful. In my kitchen, they would get damaged.

For someone with a tough beard, but skin that is not super sensitive, the Chinese KCG blades might be seen as an improvement. For someone with super sensitive skin like mine, I would rather see a smoother blade, even if it not quite as sharp. I followed my usual shave procedure of using the Karve C-plate razor for four passes (WTG, XTG, ATG, and cleanup with buffing). If I had stopped after three passes, the shave might not have been quite as close and I might not have gotten the same irritation, but I am trying to keep things as constant as possible. For someone whose skin can tolerate it, a one-pass shave with the KCG blade might be a possibility in an efficient razor.

Also, while I might not enjoy using the blade for a four pass shave, I might be able to use it in a slightly less aggressive razor such as my Timeless TI 0.68 for the ATG and clean-up passes with no irritation.  

For all these reasons, I am not saying any blade is "better" than another. I am just reporting comparative sharpness and smoothness ratings. There are just too many variables in shaving to state that one blade is best and another is not. 

The same thing can be said of shaving soap evaluations. While I have sensitive, dry skin and appreciate the moisturizing and conditioning properties of artisan soaps, some shavers have oily skin that is less sensitive. They might not enjoy artisan soaps at all. I do not enjoy Italian shaving soaps, but they might be perfect for those who live in Italy and other countries near the Mediterranean. No two shavers are identical.

Yeah, it's hard to say which is better. It depends on who you ask. I feel like I might lean a little bit more towards smoothness than something that's wicked sharp because of the fact that a lot of my razors are aggressive. Therefore, I don't need a super sharp blade but I want a smooth shave. Though when I used the Zorrik Super Platinum you sent me in my Lupo 127, the lack of sharpness was felt. In my app, I only gave the overall shave a rating of 3.5 stars. I'm guessing it's due to the lack of sharpness, there was just too much drag it felt like. However, the Zorrik Super Stainless I used it the Fatip Grande OC was fantastic. I have to say, my reaction was actually shocked as to how smooth and efficient to shave was as the Fatip doesn't come off as a super aggressive razor. Like you said, there are way too many variables to state something like "this is the greatest or this is the worst blade ever!" With some of the blades you have tested, I have had similar results and different results than you had. The reviews are a good starting point to have an idea of where a blade is and then try it with various razors and find one that hopefully works with my personal preferences and/or needs. But it's all half the fun. I get excited, trying a new blade or trying a new blade in a different razor.

Congratulations on 50 pages! The information in this thread is quite useful. Lord and Treet should also give you a thank you for noting Silver Star and Treet Classic Carbon/Dura Sharp along with Atra SS are the perceived value and sharp+smooth kings

Interesting trade off. A slight increase in sharpness for a reasonable drop off in smoothness. Not sure it’s a fair trade! I still have plenty of the KCG blades and will further experiment in less aggressive razors. However, once they’re gone, at the current price they will not likely be replaced.

The issue is that extremely sharp blades can be fragile depending upon how they are sharpened, the type of steel used, and how they are heat treated. I do not use Japanese kitchen knives because they are too easily damaged in use and storage unless you are quite careful. In my kitchen, they would get damaged.

For someone with a tough beard, but skin that is not super sensitive, the Chinese KCG blades might be seen as an improvement. For someone with super sensitive skin like mine, I would rather see a smoother blade, even if it not quite as sharp. I followed my usual shave procedure of using the Karve C-plate razor for four passes (WTG, XTG, ATG, and cleanup with buffing). If I had stopped after three passes, the shave might not have been quite as close and I might not have gotten the same irritation, but I am trying to keep things as constant as possible. For someone whose skin can tolerate it, a one-pass shave with the KCG blade might be a possibility in an efficient razor.

Also, while I might not enjoy using the blade for a four pass shave, I might be able to use it in a slightly less aggressive razor such as my Timeless TI 0.68 for the ATG and clean-up passes with no irritation.  

For all these reasons, I am not saying any blade is "better" than another. I am just reporting comparative sharpness and smoothness ratings. There are just too many variables in shaving to state that one blade is best and another is not. 

The same thing can be said of shaving soap evaluations. While I have sensitive, dry skin and appreciate the moisturizing and conditioning properties of artisan soaps, some shavers have oily skin that is less sensitive. They might not enjoy artisan soaps at all. I do not enjoy Italian shaving soaps, but they might be perfect for those who live in Italy and other countries near the Mediterranean. No two shavers are identical.

Yeah, it's hard to say which is better. It depends on who you ask. I feel like I might lean a little bit more towards smoothness than something that's wicked sharp because of the fact that a lot of my razors are aggressive. Therefore, I don't need a super sharp blade but I want a smooth shave. Though when I used the Zorrik Super Platinum you sent me in my Lupo 127, the lack of sharpness was felt. In my app, I only gave the overall shave a rating of 3.5 stars. I'm guessing it's due to the lack of sharpness, there was just too much drag it felt like. However, the Zorrik Super Stainless I used it the Fatip Grande OC was fantastic. I have to say, my reaction was actually shocked as to how smooth and efficient to shave was as the Fatip doesn't come off as a super aggressive razor. Like you said, there are way too many variables to state something like "this is the greatest or this is the worst blade ever!" With some of the blades you have tested, I have had similar results and different results than you had. The reviews are a good starting point to have an idea of where a blade is and then try it with various razors and find one that hopefully works with my personal preferences and/or needs. But it's all half the fun. I get excited, trying a new blade or trying a new blade in a different razor.

Metal_shavings, agreed. Ray has done us a great service with his efforts. Kind of like shining a flashlight in the campground to avoid stepping on a bunch of tree roots or making a skunk mad. ....

Very intriguing how some blades are so razor specific. Ray's razor trail guide is fun to explore quite a few new blades with our razor inventory. I have discovered a few new stellar performance combos for my regimen. I plan on getting a thorough test with various razors of the blades which fit my sharpness-smoothness 'filter' from Ray's analyses.



Sent from my SM-A536U using Tapatalk

Yes. Congrats on the 50 pages Ray. You have done a service to the community for sure.

Thursday Shave- Update on King C Gillette blades made in China

Tuesday's shave with a KCG blade was somewhat disappointing due to three weepers and greater than expected irritation from the blade. Thus, I decided to try again wfor today's shave. I decided to do a face-off shave with the KCG blade on its second use in the stainless Karve razor and a fresh KCG blade in my brass Karve razor, both were Chinese blades and both of the razors were C-plates.

The fresh blade showed significantly more resistance on the WTG pass. This confirms my earlier observation that the blade becomes sharper during the shave. I was easily able to achieve a near-BBS shave with both the blade on its 1st use as well as the blade on its 2nd use. The blade on its 2nd use provided a slightly closer shave, which is not surprising as it had gained sharpness during the previous shave. I did not get any weepers on the first three passes, but the I did get a weeper under my chin during the buffing strokes of my clean-up on the side shaved with the KCG blade on its second use. Furthermore, when applying witch hazel, I got less feedback on both sides of my face than I did on the previous shave.

Based on the overall results of 1 1/2 shave with one KCG blade and 1/2 shave with a new blade. I am going to adjust the rating of the blade slightly. I am leaving the sharpness rating at 5. I am adjusting the smoothness rating upward to 4 as the second shave was less irritating than the 1st.

The evaluation spreadsheet has been updated.

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

For those with tough beards, the Chinese made King C Gillette platinum is a great blade. However, for those with sensitive skin, I recommend caution. After the planned evaluation series is completed, I plan to try the KCG blades in my Timeless TI 0.68 razor which should be slightly less aggressive than the Karve C plate. It might be an ideal blade in that razor, but for my thin skin, it is slightly too sharp in the Karve C plate. I am not accustomed to getting weepers.

For Saturday's shave I plan to use a recently purchased Van Der Hagen ice tempered blade. In my first evaluation of VDH blades, it had the dubious distinction of being the worst blade evaluated, being tied with the Rockwell Swedish Steel. However, since the VDH blades were a few years old, I wondered if they had deteriorated in storage, or if perhaps VDH has improved the spec on more recent blade. Thus, I decided to give them a second chance at improving their rating. Admittedly, I am not looking forward to Saturday's shave. I will keep a KCG blade loaded in the Karve brass in case I can only get a socially acceptable shave with the VDH blade.

The issue is that extremely sharp blades can be fragile depending upon how they are sharpened, the type of steel used, and how they are heat treated. I do not use Japanese kitchen knives because they are too easily damaged in use and storage unless you are quite careful. In my kitchen, they would get damaged.

For someone with a tough beard, but skin that is not super sensitive, the Chinese KCG blades might be seen as an improvement. For someone with super sensitive skin like mine, I would rather see a smoother blade, even if it not quite as sharp. I followed my usual shave procedure of using the Karve C-plate razor for four passes (WTG, XTG, ATG, and cleanup with buffing). If I had stopped after three passes, the shave might not have been quite as close and I might not have gotten the same irritation, but I am trying to keep things as constant as possible. For someone whose skin can tolerate it, a one-pass shave with the KCG blade might be a possibility in an efficient razor.

Also, while I might not enjoy using the blade for a four pass shave, I might be able to use it in a slightly less aggressive razor such as my Timeless TI 0.68 for the ATG and clean-up passes with no irritation.  

For all these reasons, I am not saying any blade is "better" than another. I am just reporting comparative sharpness and smoothness ratings. There are just too many variables in shaving to state that one blade is best and another is not. 

The same thing can be said of shaving soap evaluations. While I have sensitive, dry skin and appreciate the moisturizing and conditioning properties of artisan soaps, some shavers have oily skin that is less sensitive. They might not enjoy artisan soaps at all. I do not enjoy Italian shaving soaps, but they might be perfect for those who live in Italy and other countries near the Mediterranean. No two shavers are identical.

Yeah, it's hard to say which is better. It depends on who you ask. I feel like I might lean a little bit more towards smoothness than something that's wicked sharp because of the fact that a lot of my razors are aggressive. Therefore, I don't need a super sharp blade but I want a smooth shave. Though when I used the Zorrik Super Platinum you sent me in my Lupo 127, the lack of sharpness was felt. In my app, I only gave the overall shave a rating of 3.5 stars. I'm guessing it's due to the lack of sharpness, there was just too much drag it felt like. However, the Zorrik Super Stainless I used it the Fatip Grande OC was fantastic. I have to say, my reaction was actually shocked as to how smooth and efficient to shave was as the Fatip doesn't come off as a super aggressive razor. Like you said, there are way too many variables to state something like "this is the greatest or this is the worst blade ever!" With some of the blades you have tested, I have had similar results and different results than you had. The reviews are a good starting point to have an idea of where a blade is and then try it with various razors and find one that hopefully works with my personal preferences and/or needs. But it's all half the fun. I get excited, trying a new blade or trying a new blade in a different razor.

Metal_shavings, agreed. Ray has done us a great service with his efforts. Kind of like shining a flashlight in the campground to avoid stepping on a bunch of tree roots or making a skunk mad. ....

Very intriguing how some blades are so razor specific. Ray's razor trail guide is fun to explore quite a few new blades with our razor inventory. I have discovered a few new stellar performance combos for my regimen. I plan on getting a thorough test with various razors of the blades which fit my sharpness-smoothness 'filter' from Ray's analyses.



Sent from my SM-A536U using Tapatalk

Yes, it is definitely good to have a little bit of insight to a blade before giving it a try. I think the first time I actually noticed how a different blade could change the feel of a razor was with my Blackland Dart. Obviously, it's pretty well-known for being a reasonably efficient, maybe even aggressive razor. I remember one time I used it I used a Voskhod blade in it and I was really surprised. I thought to myself "Wow, this feels less aggressive than I remember. " I was thinking how the blade seem to have tame the razor. So, it definitely pays to try different combinations of blades and razors to find ones that work really well for you. I need to start keeping notes in my app as to how some of these combos work. I'm also trying to do the same thing with soaps. Just keeping notes on which ones need a little bit more or less of a brush load, more or less water, etc.

I went a little "old school" today. I broke out my first DE, the Merkur 38C, and did a 3 pass shave with it loaded with a Wizamet blade. Technically, it's kind of a mixed pass, shave my face or my cheeks, whichever you'd want to call it, the only place I do three passes. I usually only do one, maybe two on the mustache area and two at the most on the neck area. Those are two sensitive areas for me and I don't shoot for BBS in those areas because shaving against the grain on my neck is very disagreeable for me. If I get a little too happy or do too many strokes in the mustache area, it is also an easy area for me to Nick, so I like to avoid that. That said, the shave was nothing shy of outstanding. Three passes, pairing up a nice sharp blade with a razor that usually falls about midway as far as aggressiveness goes. It may lean just a touch to the side of aggressive from medium. It would seem that with some of the more efficient razors that I use, even when paired with a sharp blade, two passes may not be enough. The ATG pass sometimes can still be a little on the rough side and as efficient as it is on the WTG pass, it may still leave a bit more growth than is desirable to go ATG with.

     This shave does remind me that Blade and razor pairing can definitely play a role in how your shave goes. And it also shows me the evolution of how we shave as time goes on. When I started using more aggressive razors, I thought it meant that I could make less passes, but that isn't always the case. It just shows that sometimes while we try new things with our routine and they don't always work out. And that's fine, because sometimes they do. In this case I'm thinking that the extra XTG pass is worth the time for me. The closeness I achieved today is what I have been chasing for a little while now, and just seeming to miss out on. It turns out a good blade and razor pairing, and the extra pass may have been what was missing to make it happen. It has been just a little over four hours or so, and I'm still smooth as silk.

I went a little "old school" today. I broke out my first DE, the Merkur 38C, and did a 3 pass shave with it loaded with a Wizamet blade. Technically, it's kind of a mixed pass, shave my face or my cheeks, whichever you'd want to call it, the only place I do three passes. I usually only do one, maybe two on the mustache area and two at the most on the neck area. Those are two sensitive areas for me and I don't shoot for BBS in those areas because shaving against the grain on my neck is very disagreeable for me. If I get a little too happy or do too many strokes in the mustache area, it is also an easy area for me to Nick, so I like to avoid that. That said, the shave was nothing shy of outstanding. Three passes, pairing up a nice sharp blade with a razor that usually falls about midway as far as aggressiveness goes. It may lean just a touch to the side of aggressive from medium. It would seem that with some of the more efficient razors that I use, even when paired with a sharp blade, two passes may not be enough. The ATG pass sometimes can still be a little on the rough side and as efficient as it is on the WTG pass, it may still leave a bit more growth than is desirable to go ATG with.

     This shave does remind me that Blade and razor pairing can definitely play a role in how your shave goes. And it also shows me the evolution of how we shave as time goes on. When I started using more aggressive razors, I thought it meant that I could make less passes, but that isn't always the case. It just shows that sometimes while we try new things with our routine and they don't always work out. And that's fine, because sometimes they do. In this case I'm thinking that the extra XTG pass is worth the time for me. The closeness I achieved today is what I have been chasing for a little while now, and just seeming to miss out on. It turns out a good blade and razor pairing, and the extra pass may have been what was missing to make it happen. It has been just a little over four hours or so, and I'm still smooth as silk.

I do love that 38c. Run mine with a feather or Permasharp! Gotta try the Wiz now

Sent from my SM-A536U using Tapatalk

I went a little "old school" today. I broke out my first DE, the Merkur 38C, and did a 3 pass shave with it loaded with a Wizamet blade. Technically, it's kind of a mixed pass, shave my face or my cheeks, whichever you'd want to call it, the only place I do three passes. I usually only do one, maybe two on the mustache area and two at the most on the neck area. Those are two sensitive areas for me and I don't shoot for BBS in those areas because shaving against the grain on my neck is very disagreeable for me. If I get a little too happy or do too many strokes in the mustache area, it is also an easy area for me to Nick, so I like to avoid that. That said, the shave was nothing shy of outstanding. Three passes, pairing up a nice sharp blade with a razor that usually falls about midway as far as aggressiveness goes. It may lean just a touch to the side of aggressive from medium. It would seem that with some of the more efficient razors that I use, even when paired with a sharp blade, two passes may not be enough. The ATG pass sometimes can still be a little on the rough side and as efficient as it is on the WTG pass, it may still leave a bit more growth than is desirable to go ATG with.

     This shave does remind me that Blade and razor pairing can definitely play a role in how your shave goes. And it also shows me the evolution of how we shave as time goes on. When I started using more aggressive razors, I thought it meant that I could make less passes, but that isn't always the case. It just shows that sometimes while we try new things with our routine and they don't always work out. And that's fine, because sometimes they do. In this case I'm thinking that the extra XTG pass is worth the time for me. The closeness I achieved today is what I have been chasing for a little while now, and just seeming to miss out on. It turns out a good blade and razor pairing, and the extra pass may have been what was missing to make it happen. It has been just a little over four hours or so, and I'm still smooth as silk.

I do love that 38c. Run mine with a feather or Permasharp!  Gotta try the Wiz now

Sent from my SM-A536U using Tapatalk

Do it!!! I am tempted to run a Feather in it as well. I haven't used a Feather in ages. I also want to go back and use a Derby Green in it. That was one of the first blades I was using with this razor when I first started in traditional shaving. I remember being pleasantly surprised at how close to shaves I was getting were with the three pass shave, and a DE. I'm curious to see if I would still be impressed by a three pass shave in my 38C with the Derby. 14+ years later, I'm not as easily impressed.

I went a little "old school" today. I broke out my first DE, the Merkur 38C, and did a 3 pass shave with it loaded with a Wizamet blade. Technically, it's kind of a mixed pass, shave my face or my cheeks, whichever you'd want to call it, the only place I do three passes. I usually only do one, maybe two on the mustache area and two at the most on the neck area. Those are two sensitive areas for me and I don't shoot for BBS in those areas because shaving against the grain on my neck is very disagreeable for me. If I get a little too happy or do too many strokes in the mustache area, it is also an easy area for me to Nick, so I like to avoid that. That said, the shave was nothing shy of outstanding. Three passes, pairing up a nice sharp blade with a razor that usually falls about midway as far as aggressiveness goes. It may lean just a touch to the side of aggressive from medium. It would seem that with some of the more efficient razors that I use, even when paired with a sharp blade, two passes may not be enough. The ATG pass sometimes can still be a little on the rough side and as efficient as it is on the WTG pass, it may still leave a bit more growth than is desirable to go ATG with.

     This shave does remind me that Blade and razor pairing can definitely play a role in how your shave goes. And it also shows me the evolution of how we shave as time goes on. When I started using more aggressive razors, I thought it meant that I could make less passes, but that isn't always the case. It just shows that sometimes while we try new things with our routine and they don't always work out. And that's fine, because sometimes they do. In this case I'm thinking that the extra XTG pass is worth the time for me. The closeness I achieved today is what I have been chasing for a little while now, and just seeming to miss out on. It turns out a good blade and razor pairing, and the extra pass may have been what was missing to make it happen. It has been just a little over four hours or so, and I'm still smooth as silk.

I do love that 38c. Run mine with a feather or Permasharp!  Gotta try the Wiz now

Sent from my SM-A536U using Tapatalk

Do it!!! I am tempted to run a Feather in it as well. I haven't used a Feather in ages. I also want to go back and use a Derby Green in it. That was one of the first blades I was using with this razor when I first started in traditional shaving. I remember being pleasantly surprised at how close to shaves I was getting were with the three pass shave, and a DE. I'm curious to see if I would still be impressed by a three pass shave in my 38C with the Derby. 14+ years later, I'm not as easily impressed.

I do not own a Merkur 38C, but it designed in a manner similar to the EJ DE89, Muhle R89 and quite a few other three piece razors. The blade is clamped well back of the lip of the cap which means that the blade is subject to chatter. With  my sensitive skin, I do not like that style of razor head, especially on the ATG and clean-up passes. I much prefer razors that clamp the blade right up to the lip.

It might well be that the one of the super sharp blades (BIC CP, Permasharp Super, Treet DuraSharp, Nacet, King C Gillette, Feather, and Derby Usta) might be great in the Merkur 38C for your WTG and XTG passes, but if two passes does not does not get you where you want to be and the ATG pass feels uncomfortable, you can always pick up another mild razor for the ATG pass. Because the practice of one shave with one razor and one blade has been around since DE razors were first invented, that practice originated because many men only owned one razor. That might still be the case in some parts of the world. However, most of the members here have a variety of razors from which to choose. I like more efficient razors with somewhat less sharp blades for my WTG and XTG passes, but then like to use mild razors equipped with a super sharp blade for my ATG and clean-up passes. That combination generally provides me with the closest shave with the least irritation.

As for the Derby Extra green (or blue or orange for that matter), if your beard is fine enough to use it, you are fortunate. However, if you encounter significant resistance during the WTG pass, I would suggest using a sharper blade. While Derby Extra along with Astra SP and others of similar sharpness are not blades I enjoy using, they can work well for many shavers. In a aggressive razor, these less sharp blade might work well for WTG and XTG passes, but it might not be sharp enough for the ATG pass to pick up stray stubble.