RayClem's Blade Evaluations

Thank you for you incredibly detailed reply about your methodology! I was also curious if you have tried single edged razors like the feather artist club professionals? I have heard they are sharper and smoother than any double edge razors out there based on the reviews I've seen online, however I'd love to hear your own take on them.

Thank you for you incredibly detailed reply about your methodology! I was also curious if you have tried single edged razors like the feather artist club professionals? I have heard they are sharper and smoother than any double edge razors out there based on the reviews I've seen online, however I'd love to hear your own take on them.

I have three single edge razors. 

One is a Schick Type M injector razor that uses Schick or Personna injector blades. The Type M was introduced in 1964 and was one of the 1st razors I used as a new teen shaver. The one I have now is not that original razor from my youth, but it was purchased NOS. I like using it with Chinese Schick injector blades which I find to be very sharp, very smooth and long lasting. In contrast to the 3-4 shaves I get with DE blades, the Chinese Schicks will last something like 10 shaves. That compensates for the significantly higher price of these blades compared to most DE blades.

I have an Above the Tie SE1 injector razor that uses the Feather Artist Club blades. I have the  AC Professional blades. I am not a fan of the wider width of the razor and blades, but find that the blades are very sharp, very smooth and tend to last for about 10 shaves. One day I will add a Feather SR shavette to my collection. While I don't particularly care for the wider blades in a safety razor, the wider blades make a shavette more like a real straight razor. 

I recently purchased a Parker SoloEdge razor. It uses half-DE blades. Because of the blade evaluations, I have not had a chance to experiment with the razor. The advantage of a half-DE blade razor is that you can select any DE blade you want, snap it in half and use it in the razor. While Schick injector blades are the same width as DE blades, they won't mount properly in the SoloEdge.....bummer. Since only half of the DE blade is used, I suspect I won't get more than 2 good shaves at most from a half blade. I already had some Durasharp Super half blades and ordered some Durablade 7 AM Platinum half blades for use in the razor. I will post reviews when I have an opportunity to use the razor.

Would it be presumptuous to assume that the Feather Artist Club Pro family single edges would be 5/5 in terms of sharpness and smoothness according to your criteria?

Would it be presumptuous to assume that the Feather Artist Club Pro family single edges would be 5/5 in terms of sharpness and smoothness according to your criteria?

That is probably a reasonable assumption. As I have an opportunity to evaluate different blades and different razors, I can still post the evaluations, but I won't include them in the same table as the DE blades. Perhaps, I will start another table for SE blades. 

When I started this project, I assumed that I would cover 30 blades  over a 3 month period. However, interest has been good and it has blossomed to more than twice the number of blades.

Would it be presumptuous to assume that the Feather Artist Club Pro family single edges would be 5/5 in terms of sharpness and smoothness according to your criteria?

AC Blades are very nice. They don't feel the same as DEs and there are a range of blades that have significant differences (guarded vs unguarded vs extra big Supers and the Kai Titans with titanium coating). As such you can have a variety of different types of shaves with a single razor depending on the blade. The 50% longer razor is good for clearing a larger area, but it can be an issue for smaller divots. You get less torque on the corners of the razor I feel as well, but this is a minor issue.

If you are looking into injectors I would recommend the Schick Injector II blades from Japan. In an M, L, N or O Schick they are amazing. Murderously close shave with no irritation. I have no idea why they failed in the market (yet remain an exotic option on Amazon JP- much cheaper than fleabay).

To be honest, I get better shaves with either of the above than DE. However, my caveat is that I do not have a "high end" DE. The best DE I have is a Gillette New SC which shaves like hell, but gives me neck irritation. Yaqi Zamac Mellon is another I have that is also pretty good. Next month I will take delivery of a Soloedge and Yaqi Tile (similar to Henson+++). They are said to be really good and give high end performance, so looking forward to it!

(My main use of DE is in my DIY Super Click head on a Fusion body- a great fast way to have a very good first pass. DE Flexball ftw! My SOP is first pass with the DIY and then cleanup with AC or Injector).

I must say, my experiment with the Astra SP green blades this time around went quite well. Three uses and I got three really good shaves. The last two I was definitely able to achieve a BBS shave. Now, for those shaves, the blade was paired with what might be considered more aggressive razors. It seems likely that when you have a blade that maybe isn't the sharpest, it could work well in the blade that is a bit more on the aggressive side. Kind of like the opposite of what most people, myself included, think when you pair a sharper blade with a mild razor.

     My last 2 shaves were with a Karve SB-E plate and a Carbon Cx316L Web ++ plate.. The Karve has a 1.10mm gap and a 0.17mm exposure while the Carbon is a 1.08mm gap and a positive exposure. It does however have a smaller exposure than their Web + .88mm plate. Perhaps I should try it in a much milder razor such as a DE89 or something similar next time as I'm not sure a mild razor would be fair with the SP on it's 4th shave. Especially since I don't have a gauge on its longevity on performance for me.

So, definitely a positive experience with these blades for this round. Now I'm onto other blades, most likely back to my Nacet blade. It has been a while since I've used one. I'm curious to see how it feels now and how it works for me in some of these razors that I currently own.

I must say, my experiment with the Astra SP green blades this time around went quite well. Three uses and I got three really good shaves. The last two I was definitely able to achieve a BBS shave. Now, for those shaves, the blade was paired with what might be considered more aggressive razors. It seems likely that when you have a blade that maybe isn't the sharpest, it could work well in the blade that is a bit more on the aggressive side. Kind of like the opposite of what most people, myself included, think when you pair a sharper blade with a mild razor.

     My last 2 shaves were with a Karve SB-E plate and a Carbon Cx316L Web ++ plate.. The Karve has a 1.10mm gap and a 0.17mm exposure while the Carbon is a 1.08mm gap and a positive exposure. It does however have a smaller exposure than their Web + .88mm plate. Perhaps I should try it in a much milder razor such as a DE89 or something similar next time as I'm not sure a mild razor would be fair with the SP on it's 4th shave. Especially since I don't have a gauge on its longevity on performance for me.

So, definitely a positive experience with these blades for this round. Now I'm onto other blades, most likely back to my Nacet blade. It has been a while since I've used one. I'm curious to see how it feels now and how it works for me in some of these razors that I currently own.

Once again, it shows how different blades perform differently in various razors. A mild blade can tame a razor that is too aggressive. A more aggressive razor can make a less sharp blade usable. Likewise, a super sharp blade might not work in an aggressive razor, but might be perfect in a less aggressive one.

Tuesday Shave- Face-off between Gillette Super Thin (Thailand) and Gillette Super Thin Platinum (Vietnam)

Gillette, Shanghai, China produces two different blades with similar names for sale in Thailand and Vietnam. How do these two blades compare in performance.

For reference, here are links to the two blades;

https://www.razorbladesclub.com/razorbla...-thailand/

Although RBC indicates that these Thailand blades are platinum blades, nothing on the packaging indicates this to be the case.

https://www.therazorcompany.com/products...ck-vietnam


I started off shaving the right side of my face with the Thailand blade. As soon as the blade touched my skin, I knew I was in for a rough shave. The blade was not sharp enough to cut my beard hair. Instead, it tried to rip them out. I figured that perhaps I had gotten a bad blade so I opened a second blade. It was no better than the first. I managed to get through about half of the WTG pass on one side of my face before I decided it was time to disqualify the Thailand blade. Based on the performance of the blade during the short period of time, I am rating the blade 2 sharpness and 2 smoothness. This qualifies this blade for the dubious title off being the worst blade I have ever tried to use. 

The Thailand blades were donated by my friend Jerry Gasman. But friends don't send friends blades as bad as Gillette Super Thin Thailand.    

Today, I received an envelope from Jerry with a couple of Matgicol blades and a couple of non-name blades in plain white wrapper. The later blades have no markings on either the blades or the wrapper, so I do not know what I am getting myself into. 

Having gotten this shave off to a very rough start, how would the Vietnam blade perform? These blades were donated by ErkRusselReserve As soon as the blade touched my skin, knew I was in for a delightful shave. There was very little blade resistance shaving the left side of my face on the WTG pass. Thus, I relathered the right side of my face and shaved it as well. The shave continued smoothly through all four passes. I easily achieved a near-BBS shave. When I applied witch hazel after the shave, I received no feedback whatsoever. Based on the performance during this shave, I rate this blade 4.5 sharpness and 5 smoothness. However, I got the impression during later passes that this blade might have even more to give during subsequent shaves. I will use the blade again on Thursday. If the blade sharpness improves, as I suspect, the blade rating might be revised.

The evaluation spreadsheet has been updated. 

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

Once the evaluation of the Super Thin Vietnam blade has been completed, I will do a face-off shave between the Matgicol blade and the FlyDear blade, which some speculate are the same blade in different wrappers. Then I will evaluate the "blade with no name". Unless someone sends me additional blades to test, that blade will be the last scheduled evaluation.

Well Ray, You had brought up the super thins and I had some. I didn't get a good shave from them either but wanted you to have something to compare the other super thins against. At first I thought these blades were just too thin and floppy so I tried them in a razor that pinched the blade closer to the edge. Still no good. Now with your comments I know for sure they are just not worth keeping. I tried them twice as you did. Fail was my conclusion about them. They came from a guy I bought razors from in Canada. So they have been passed around and nobody likes them.

The Matgicol blade I found to be a nice blade. BUT...
I couldn't get a third comfortable shave from them. The edge didn't hold up well IMO. Could have just been me so I'm interested in your opinion on them. I plan on trying another blade from the pack to see if it holds up better. If I cant get 4 shaves from a blade its really not worth the effort in my mind. Unless the name is Feather. Those I will always have. But they are "one and done" in my book. Great for travel.

No more different blades in my stash to send ya. I still plan on buying 3 more brands to put in the collection. But they will come from your spreadsheet.

Not have much luck finding the Filoso Barber Blades.

Well Ray, You had brought up the super thins and I had some. I didn't get a good shave from them either but wanted you to have something to compare the other super thins against. At first I thought these blades were just too thin and floppy so I tried them in a razor that pinched the blade closer to the edge. Still no good. Now with your comments I know for sure they are just not worth keeping. I tried them twice as you did. Fail was my conclusion about them. They came from a guy I bought razors from in Canada. So they have been passed around and nobody likes them.

The Matgicol blade I found to be a nice blade. BUT...
I couldn't get a third comfortable shave from them. The edge didn't hold up well IMO. Could have just been me so I'm interested in your opinion on them. I plan on trying another blade from the pack to see if it holds up better. If I cant get 4 shaves from a blade its really not worth the effort in my mind. Unless the name is Feather. Those I will always have. But they are "one and done" in my book. Great for travel.

No more different blades in my stash to send ya. I still plan on buying 3 more brands to put in the collection. But they will come from your spreadsheet.

Not have much luck finding the Filoso Barber Blades.

Don't worry, I still count you as a friend.   

Even if you had warned me about the Super Thins, I still would have tried them. It is all part of experimentation. You win some and you lose some.
ErkRusselReserve did warn me that he Thailand blades were not as good as the ones from Vietnam, but I cannot believe that Gillette would make blades that are that bad. I am not fond of Gillette Rubie Plus and Astra Superior Platinum, but at least they are sharp enough to shave. 

If others have tried using the Gillette Super Thins from Thailand,  I would be most interested in knowing their experience. Perhaps these were counterfeit blades, or perhaps it was a bad batch that slipped through QC. Maybe folks in Thailand have very fine beards and the blades are sharp enough for them. I am perplexed. 

Your experience with the Matgicol blades sounds like my experience with FlyDear. The first shave was nice; the second one was OK; the third one was marginal. I would not risk a 4th shave with them. Perhaps the Matgicol and FlyDear blades are the same blade in different wrappers.   

As for the Filoso Barber Blades, shortly after I gave them a glowing recommendation, I noticed that they were sold out on Amazon. However, I don't think my recommendation had anything to do with the shortage. I think you can find some at the same price directly from the Filoso web site.

https://filosobarberbrand.com/products/f...zor-blades

The price is $13 per 100 blades, which is what I paid on Amazon. However, if you purchase directly from the web site, you will need to pay $4.95 for 1st class USPS shipping. Even with shipping, the blades are still a good value considering that many blades cost $20 or more without shipping.