RayClem's Blade Evaluations

metal_shavings

Based on the coating used on the L3VEL3 blades, I suspect you are correct about themabeing made by Derby. The question is, which Derby blade dot they resemble most closely. `Are they like the less sharp Derby Extra? Are they like the very sharp Derby Premium? Are they like the even sharper Usta blades made by Derby? My suspicion is that they might be similar to the Parker Premium Platinum blades made by Derby. I rated them just a little less sharp than Derby Premium . As long as the blades are not the equivalent of Derby Extra, they are well priced. If you do decide to purchase some of the L3VEL3 blades, if you send me a couple, I will evaluate them, but I have already evaluated so many Derby blades, I am not anxious to try them unless they are the equivalent of Derby Usta. In that case, keep 'em comin'.

Yes, I'm really in no hurry to try these if at all. Like you say, who knows which Derby play they actually are. I just happen to stumble on these when I was looking to see if Amazon had the Filoso blades because that's where I think I had seen them originally. That was out of curiosity as well, as I'm trying to just try some of the blades that I have currently and going back and using some of the ones that I haven't used in a while that I still have in my stash.

Saturday Shave- Gillette Super Thin Vietnam blade on its 3rd use vs "Blade with no name"

This morning I had only 1 day of beard growth but I wanted to see how long the Vietnam Super Thin blade might last. Also along with a couple of Matgicol blades which will be evaluated later, Gasman sent me a couple of "blades with no name". These blades came with an inexpensive Chinese razor he purchased. The blades came in a white wrapper with no markings on the wrapper and none on the blade. While it is likely made in China, there is no way of knowing the manufacturer.

I started with the "no-name" blade on my right cheek. While the blade had significant resistance, it was not uncomfortable. Thus, this blade is far superior to the Gillette Super Thin from Thailand that was so dull I could not complete the 1st pass. The Vietnam Super Thin was definitely starting to lose both sharpness and smoothness on its 3rd use and was similar in performance to the "no-name" blade. I was able to get a near-BBS shave with both blades, but the shave was not quite as close as the previous shave with the Vietnam blade. When I applied witch hazel, I got moderate feedback on both sides of my face.

At this point, I would rate both of the blades 4 sharpness, 4 smoothness. However, since I only count the first 2 shaves in the evaluation ratings, the rating for the Vietnam Super Thins will not be changed. Technically, the Vietnam Super Thin blade has only been used for 2 1/2 shaves. I will try to use the two blades again tomorrow with one day of beard growth. I can probably complete the shave with the Super Thin, because the edge is starting to deteriorate, I doubt that I will be able to use it for additional shaves. I hope to be able to use the "no-name" blade again tomorrow and then again on Sunday. I will wait until after tomorrow's shave before assigning a rating to the "no-name" blade as it has only been used to shave 1/2 my face.

Today I'm shooting to see what the longevity of the Astra SP blade is. Today was my fourth shave with it and I used it with my Fatip Grande OC. I have to say, the shave was still pretty good. Even with 3 days growth, efficiency was very good, I was definitely able to walk out the door after two passes with no issue. Went for the third pass and got the same BBS shave I've been getting with this blade and also since I returned to doing three passes. My only minor issue, and I mean very minor issue, was I got perhaps just a tad bit more burn from the alcohol based splash that I normally do. At the same time, it wasn't unbearable at least for me. It was there and gone. With any other shave I really wouldn't have thought twice about it. I'm wondering if this blade will make it through a fifth shave, but I might give it a go.

10th shave with the feather blade and she’s done,dull.
The feather razor is nice but way too mild for my face..will say would be just as hard to knick yourself as a jaguar blade in a Karve c plate…anyways this stropping is too much work and dangerous..so out go all my blades and I’m done sperimenting..conclusion…what I said about knives applies to razor blades.

Saturday Shave- Update on Gillette Super Thin Vietnam and the No Name generic blade

Yesterday, I used the Vietnam Super Thin on its 3rd shave, shaving the left half of my face. I used the No Name generic blade to shave the right side. I repeated that process today with one day of beard growth. Although I found slightly less blade resistance with the Super Thin than with the generic blade, once again I was able to achieve a near-BBS shave. When I applied witch hazel after the shave, I received only minimal feedback.

The Vietnam Super Thin blade has already been rated based on two shaves. The generic no name blade in white wrapper is rated 4 sharpness, 4.25 smoothness, which is surprising for a generic blade.

The evaluation spreadsheet has been updated.

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

Since both the Vietnam Super Thin and generic No Name blades continue to give satisfactory shaves, I intend to use them again tomorrow.

Feather blades are not the blade for me. My face lit up like a Christmas tree with razor burn on the fifth shave. Gonna drop down to three shaves per blade then look into Bics

Feather blades are not the blade for me. My face lit up like a Christmas tree with razor burn on the fifth shave. Gonna drop down to three shaves per blade then look into Bics

Yes, 3 shaves max is the safe play with Feathers.

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I took my fifth shave today with the Astra SP green. Off the bat, I thought I started to notice just a touch of drag starting to happen. I would assume that it was due to the dying of the blade being the fifth shave, but the efficiency was still very good. I used it with my Timeless Ti 95 OC. After my second pass, I was recently smooth and very clean-shaven. I did, however, have noticeably more irritation on my neck. That is not an uncommon spot for me, so it is hard sometimes to judge if that's the blade or just that I'm having a flareup due to my psoriasis. I don't feel like I'm having a flareup. I'm not really spending any inordinate amount of time like scratching it or it's not little irritated or so going into the shave. After the shave, obviously, it was a bit of noticeable burn just on the neck. Otherwise, it was very efficient, BBS shave that I have no other complaints about. Really not sure at the moment if I'm gonna go for a sixth shave, but honestly even if I cut it off at four, for what these blades cost I think they're still a very good value.

Feather blades are not the blade for me. My face lit up like a Christmas tree with razor burn on the fifth shave. Gonna drop down to three shaves per blade then look into Bics

Because Feather blades are made of Japanese steel and are designed to be super sharp, they are rather brittle. With my tough beard and sensitive skin, I cannot even make it through a third shave with Feather blades. Many people report three shaves is the max they can get. I am sure there are people with fine beards who can get more than this, but if their beards are that fine, there is no need to use a blade as sharp as Feather. Even a mid-sharp blade is more than sharp enough for a fine beard. 

If you like super sharp blades like Feather, try one of the other Super Sharp blade in the spreadsheet that rate 4.75 or 5 in sharpness. Have you ever tried the BIC Chrome Platinum blades made in Greece? They do not start out as sharp as Feather blades, but by the end of the 1st shave they will be just as sharp.

Sunday Shave- Gillette Super Thin Vietnam blade and "No Name" generic blade update

I shaved again today using the two blades used yesterday. The Super Thin was on its 4th use, but technically, it was only the end of the 3rd shave as it was only used to shave half my face on Saturday. The generic blade was on its 2nd use, but once again, it was really completing its 1st full shave.

There was little change from Saturday's shave. Neither blade achieved a shave as close as the previous shave, but it was better than DFS. When I applied witch hazel after the shave, there was moderate feedback on both sides of my face.

The rating assigned to the "No Name" blade still stands. Since both blades are still providing a decent shave, I will continue to use them for Monday's shave with one day of beard growth rather than the normal two used for most blade evaluations.

Whenever these blade can no longer provide a decent shave, I will move on the the comparison of the Matgicol and FlyDear blades.